Arturia BeatStep Pro Controller Dynamic Performance Sequencer

Product Information

So don't think of a pad controller as just for tapping out beats or triggering notes, as many have been designed to be so integral with today's gear that they are almost an extension of it, instruments in their own right, enabling you to compose and record melodies, chords and basslines, or sequence entire songs together to trigger both your music software and other hardware – great news for players and non-players alike. So now I'm sitting here thinking about unloading the BSP and maybe even the Keystep and perhaps for once investing in a keyboard controller that is up to working properly with Live. Looks like there's a few in that category. I also half think about getting a standalone synth, but if I get a keyboard that lets you edit plugin sounds like the Push 2 does, that may be a ridiculous thought.

For Ableton Live control, nothing still beats Ableton's own Push 2, which has simply been designed with nothing more than Live in mind so its control focus with that software is second to none and it has become the perfect hardware extension of it.

Further additions

For those unfamiliar with the BeatStep Pro (where have you been?), in essence, it’s a hardware sequencer that offers two channels of melodic sequencing, partnered with eight channels of drum triggering, all of which can happen over any number of steps up to 64. Many will choose to use it as a traditional 16-step affair, with its 16 pads and correlating pots for controlling note pitch, etc viewed immediately from the front panel. There’s nothing complex about using the BeatStep Pro: it doesn’t rely on sub-menus, multi-function buttons, or convoluted processes. Everything you need to know about your Project is right in front of you, with an independent display for each sequencer so you know at a glance which sequence is playing. We have decided not to include any music production workstations such as NI's Maschine+, Roland's Verselab MV-1 and Akai MPC Live II. While they include some MIDI control, their focus is more as hardware DAWs for complete song production.

while the KeyStep is great as a portable controller, or as an add-on keyboard for a single instrument, it's not a performance and sequencing hub for several devices. But the KeyStep Pro certainly is! With the affordable and innovative Beatstep Pro, Arturia may have created a sequencer for the masses. Patterns can be up to 16 notes long, and rhythms can be up to 32 steps long, including ties and rests. It's not just the CV outputs and sequencer that have made the KeyStep such a popular companion to hardware synth rigs. It's also pretty much the only super-mini that's got MIDI ports as well as USB, and so isn't reliant on a computer or other USB host. But while the KeyStep is great as a portable controller, or as an add-on keyboard for a single instrument, it's not a performance and sequencing hub for several devices. But the KeyStep Pro certainly is! I've Got The Key Please refer to the specifications of other devices before connecting them to the BeatStep Pro so you can know how to make them work properly together.There is this tantalizing YouTube video of using the outputs to gate a 'dumb' sequencer (I have this pair of controllers).

You could choose to connect it to your computer via USB (which will also helpfully power it up!) and use it as a triggering device or a MIDI controller. You might also choose to connect it to MIDI based devices, or even Sync24-based devices, such as the Roland TB-303 or TR-606, and all of this can be done simultaneously. That’s quite some level of connectivity! The new frontier

It's an incredibly fun and versatile machine that's as useful to the studio producer as it is to live performers and hardware geeks." Absolutely amazing, condensed, well built, triple sequencer: Analog and software sequencing separately or at the same time. Arturia remotely provide firmware updates which allow them to totally change the potential of the machine but they haven't released one in a while. You can also revert to previous firmware versions with ease. Korg's SQ-64 is – let’s make no mistake – a sequencer first and foremost, with some MIDI control and lots of connectivity including eight CV outs. In fact it is four sequencers in one: three melodic, with outputs for pitch, mod and gate, and one for drum patterns. Melodic sequencing includes various methods and scale modes – everything is catered for – and drum sequencing is easy, straightforward and dependable with no learning curve. The main grid of buttons is used for a whole multitude of tasks, from song selection, then pattern selection to step selection among others and there are dedicated buttons for mod, pitch and gate channels to keep things nice and simple.Oh, I almost forgot, one feature of the BSP that IS really cool and I don't see it with Push or the Novation 49SL sequencer is the In the case of note sequences, those charcoal grey encoders are used to program the pitch, velocity and gate length. Drums are a little different: the encoders still adjust velocity and length, but instead of pitch there’s a per–step shift function. (The notes in a kit aren’t editable from hardware, they’re defined exclusively in the MCC.) Individual hits may be shifted in time (over a range of +/– 50 units) and the maximum shift almost overlaps the next voice, giving flam–type effects. The potentially handier function of shifting all steps simultaneously is promised in a future update. randomize" feature. I actually use that a fair amount with the BSP to easily increase variety in programmed patterns. Maybe I need to dig into Max or something? Up to 16 sequences can be stored in memory per sequencer, and the whole lot can be saved into 16 global preset slots. MIDI channels can be individually assigned for each sequencer, but not for individual sequences, which would have been a nice touch, allowing live performers to instantly access other devices/instruments, simply by changing sequence. You can program sequences in real time via the Beatstep Pro?s bank of pads, which illuminate to display a one-octave keyboard. As you enter notes, the X0X-style buttons light up to reflect your sequence, which is a lovely touch. From there, you can keep recording overdubs until you perfect your riff, toggling steps on or off as you go. This approach really invites experimentation, especially in conjunction with the BeatStep Pro?s ability to restrain your note options to specific keys and modes, much like iPad compositional tools or Ableton?s Push controller. What?s more, you can transpose your sequences on the fly, which is great fun, regardless of whether you?re composing or performing.