to Novation's MIDI and USB controller range – most of which feature keyboards – with no (zero) keys. What the Remote Zero SL did offer was an enormous selection of knobs, buttons, sliders and trigger pads that could all be freely assigned to virtually any hardware device or application that supports MIDI. At the heart of the Remote SL range was Automap, which detects the sequencer in use and the software plugin instruments used in the project. It then intelligently and logically maps the software's controls to the controller's host of rotary controls, slider and push buttons. Nio 2|4 (2007) was a multi-platform compact 2-in, 4-out USB audio interface aimed at musicians in general and guitarists in particular, bundled with a specially selected complement of 20 software effects in the Nio FX Rack application, controlled from the unit's front panel, which resembled a guitar effects pedal. XioSynth (2007) was a keyboard synthesiser with USB audio interface and template-based MIDI controller, available in 25- or 49-key versions. Like the X-Station, it featured Novation's X/Y touchpad (the 'X-Pad') and included a synth engine based on that in the X-Station with the addition of filter overdrive and the X-Gator patch programmer, which can be configured to gate each patch to create 16-32-step rhythmic patterns synchronised to MIDI clock. Nocturn (2008) takes the Automap technology from the Remote SL range and applied it to a compact controller. Utilising the automation frameworks used by various plugin architectures such as VST, Audio Units and RTAS, Nocturn downloads a list of controllable settings provided by a plug-in and assigns them to its combination of knobs and buttons. Eight touch-sensitive rotary shaft encoder controls with a ring of LEDs around each to indicate its setting; touch-sensitive crossfader; and a Speed Dial knob allowing patch selection and the ability to control any on-screen parameter. The SL ReMOTE range was updated (2008–2009) to SL ReMOTE Mk II to include touch-sensitive knobs and sliders and Automap technology. SL MkII controllers were available with 25, 49 and 61 note velocity/aftertouch keyboards. Included eight rotary shaft encoders. Version with no keyboard was named ZeRO SL Mk II. Launchpad (2009) is a multi-button controller for the popular live control application Ableton Live, featuring a grid of 64 (8x8) brightly illuminated square buttons. Each button can be assigned to a Clip – a piece of audio or MIDI that may or may not be looped.