Behringer AQ64L: 64-Pad Clip Launcher With Developer Kit
17 hours ago
3 min read
Behringer has announced the Behringer AQ64L, a compact clip launcher with an RGB pad grid, dedicated Ableton Live and FL Studio scripts, and tools for writing replacement firmware. It is aimed at players who want hands-on session control without filling the desk with knobs and faders. The open-source claim needs a closer look, and the pad specification has one important catch.
Table of contents
The Behringer AQ64L has 64 switch-type pads
The Behringer AQ64L is built around a 64-pad, 8-by-8 grid with multicolor LED feedback. Its pads are switch-type buttons that send note events at a fixed velocity of 127, so they do not respond to how hard you press. The developer repository calls them velocity pads, but Behringer's detailed factory-firmware manual says they are non-velocity-sensitive, leaving an inconsistency in the official documents. Eight function keys, four navigation keys and four mode keys raise the total to 80 individually lit controls. USB-C carries power and MIDI, with consumption below 500 mA and no separate power supply required.
Ableton Live and FL Studio get the ready-made scripts
Ableton Live and FL Studio get Behringer's downloadable integration scripts, while other DAWs require more setup. In Live, the grid represents eight tracks by eight scenes, with colors showing playing, triggered and recording clips. Mixer mode turns the matrix into eight vertical faders for volume, pan and send control. The FL Studio script requires version 20.7 or newer, while Send A control needs FL Studio 2024 or newer.
The AQ64L keeps DAW control and custom performance messages on two logical MIDI ports over the same USB connection. This stops notes from USER mode being mistaken for DAW commands. If those port names are unfamiliar, our explainer on what MIDI is and what it is used for covers the basic message flow. Behringer's Jam Like A Boss! With the AQ64L video gives a short visual overview.
Behringer's short AQ64L demo shows the RGB grid launching clips and changing control modes.
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The open-source part is a replacement-firmware kit
The factory firmware is not open source, according to Music Tribe's own developer repository. Instead, the company supplies a buildable example firmware, main-board schematic, documentation, and tools for signing and uploading replacement software. The kit targets the GD32F350 Cortex-M4 processor, while the factory firmware, bootloader source and factory DAW scripts remain private. Developers can install signed builds over USB and enter recovery by holding USER 1 and USER 2 while connecting the controller. Music Tribe says this process cannot brick the unit while its bootloader remains intact, although custom firmware may affect the warranty.
The AQ64L is part of a wider Behringer push rather than a one-off experiment. The company has also published the source code for its KICK sampler and groovebox and promised open-source firmware for the POLYKEYS 61 MIDI controller. Behringer is not alone here, as Polyend and Akai have also been opening more of their hardware and software to developers. Open source is becoming a more familiar idea across music gear, but the label can mean different things. You may get the factory firmware, an example project or only a promise that code will follow later.
Price and Availability
Behringer has announced no confirmed price, release date or shipping window for the AQ64L. A Thomann search for the exact product name returned no matching listing on November 13, 2026, so there is no affiliate-shop euro price to quote. That also means unofficial estimates and competitor prices do not tell us what the AQ64L will cost. The product page, manual, integration downloads and developer kit are already online, but none gives an ordering date. Check the official Behringer AQ64L product page for confirmed availability updates.
Follow the AQ64L release
Behringer's official page has the controller details and current integration downloads. Since no Thomann listing exists yet, it is also the best place to watch for confirmed buying information.
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