GreatScott! Asks Should You DIY or Buy a MIDI Launchpad?

In the world of hobbyist electronics and other devices, you’ll often come upon a situation where you can either buy something, or making it yourself. Depending on the value of your time and customization needs, this can vary from person to person or even project to project, and in the video below, YouTuber GreatScott! discusses whether you should buy or DIY a Launchpad MIDI controller.

GreatScott’s build starts out with a 3D-printed enclosure and the decision to create a 6 x 6 matrix of square keys, instead of the usual 64 + 16 round buttons. These 36 buttons are lit up with an array of WS2812b LEDs, glued to its permanent holder, which also acts as a soldering jig. Each button uses two separate input points in an X/Y grid, meaning that only 12 inputs on the Arduino Nano are needed for the entire matrix. MIDI details are addressed later in the video at around 10:45, and would of course be useful to anyone interested in creating a custom musical controller.

So, should you DIY or buy this component? According to GreatScott!, the answer is a resounding it depends. If you just want to make music, perhaps it’s best to just spend $50 or more. The fact that you can customize the DIY version for other project uses, however, would be a great selling point for that option!