Liberation User Manual
  • ✅Important! Read this first
  • ✅Installation / licensing
    • ✅Install for Mac
    • ✅Install for Windows
    • ✅How licensing works
    • ✅Authorising and de-authorising
    • ✅Upgrade / downgrade your license
    • ✅Cancel your subscription
  • ✅FAQ
  • ✅Quick start guide
  • ✅Hardware
    • ✅Compatible lasers and controllers (DACs)
    • ✅Emergency stop / interlocks
    • ✅LaserCube
  • 🟦Setting up
    • ✅Laser set up process overview
    • 🟦Setting up your project
    • 🟦Adding / removing lasers
    • ✅Controller assignment
    • 🟦3D Visualiser
    • 🟦Laser output settings
    • 🟦Copy settings between lasers
  • 🟦Output view / Zones
    • 🟦Overview
    • 🟦Zones
    • 🟦Copy zones between lasers
    • 🟦Re-ordering beam zones
    • 🟦Masks
    • 🟦Test patterns
    • 🟦Alt zone system
  • ✅Clips & Clip deck
    • 🟦Overview
    • ✅Starting / stopping clips
    • ✅What are the small icons on the clip buttons?
    • ✅Clip settings
    • 🟦Zone delay / chase
    • ◼️Clip groups
    • ◼️Global settings
    • 🟦Organising your clip deck
  • ◼️Effects
    • ◼️Applying effects
    • ◼️Editing effects
    • ◼️Effect settings
  • 🟧Live control
    • ◼️Live control example
  • ◼️Tempo / synchronisation
  • ◼️Designing content
    • ◼️Organising your clip deck
    • ◼️Clip editor
    • ◼️Generators
    • ◼️Oscillators
    • ◼️Transformations
    • ◼️Modifiers
      • ◼️MIDI notes
  • ◼️Timeline
    • ◼️MIDI record/playback system
    • ◼️Timeline (experimental)
      • ◼️Overview
      • ◼️Adding an audio file
      • ◼️Recording a show
      • ◼️Adding clips manually
      • ◼️Fine tuning clips
  • ◼️DMX control
    • ◼️DMX zones
    • ◼️Connecting to an Artnet node
    • ◼️Creating DMX zones
      • ◼️Examples
  • 🟦Graphics and the Canvas system
    • 🟦Introduction
    • 🟦Canvas overview
    • 🟦Canvas view
    • 🟦Canvas settings
    • 🟦Canvas zones
    • 🟦Canvas target areas
  • 🟦MIDI control
    • 🟦MIDI control overview
    • 🟦Live control with the APC40
    • 🟦MIDI Send/Receive
  • ◼️Loading and saving
  • ◼️Advanced
    • ◼️How Liberation generates laser content
    • ◼️Scanner presets
    • ◼️Advanced laser settings
    • ◼️Render profiles
    • ◼️Colour calibration
  • ◼️Synchronisation
  • ◼️Network advice
  • ◼️Credits
  • 🟧Troubleshooting
    • ✅Intermittent / flashing output
    • ✅Live control
  • ✅Reference
    • ✅Keyboard shortcuts
    • ✅APC40 reference
    • ✅MIDI send/receive default mapping
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  1. MIDI control

Live control with the APC40

PreviousMIDI control overviewNextMIDI Send/Receive

Last updated 2 days ago

APC40 controller

This is the default hardware controller for Liberation; it's highly recommended and it's fair to say that Liberation has been designed around this hardware from the very beginning. As soon as you plug in the APC40, Liberation immediately connects to it automatically.

Oh no! My USB plug got pulled half way through a show!

Don't panic - just plug it back in, Liberation will automatically reconnect, no drama.

APC40 Mark 1 or Mark 2?

In short, Mark 2 is recommended as it has full colour buttons that more closely match the Liberation clip deck interface. The Mark 1 version will work in a pinch, but it will be a little more confusing as the layout is slightly different from what is on screen, and the buttons can only turn red, orange or green, so will not match the clip colours.

The original APC40 Mark 1 came out in 2009(!) and some people still prefer it for its metal body construction and its robust console-like form factor. The Updated Mark 2 came out in 2014, and although it was discontinued in 2024, it's going back into production in 2025 due to demand from visuals artists (Resolume etc) and laserists.

For the full list of controls available on the APC40 see APC40 reference

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  • APC40 controller
  • APC40 Mark 1 or Mark 2?