Arturia BeatStep Pro

controlling standalone music apps on our
laptop. The same goes for plugins in a DAW, of
course, and we can imagine many studio
producers using it to create sequences on the ly
that are subsequently recorded into their DAW
for further editing. It can also send and receive
MIDI clock, and so can act as either master or
slave with almost anything.
With that in mind, there are three main ways
to connect BSP. You can use MIDI over USB, 5-pin
DIN MIDI (for connection to older MIDI
hardware) or CV/Gate with eight CV outputs (for
even older hardware). For many, this will seem
like overkill, but it’s indicative of the overall
attention to detail that Arturia have applied,
from the excellent build quality to the
exemplary layout. Details like touch-sensitive
knobs, displaying their values in the three-
character LCD read out, make using BeatStep
Pro quick and intuitive and negate the need for a
cost-increasing display. And should you wish to
undertake more in-depth ‘visual’ programming,
there’s always the software editor, ofering
on-screen adjustment of BeatStep Pro’s
hardware controls and sequence information,
including piano roll- and matrix-based editing,
MIDI CC settings and more.
A ’Step ahead
Other features that we don’t have space to get
into fully include backwards/back-and-forth
sequence play, MIDI-to-CV conversion, Roland
TB303/TR909 connectivity, and the ability to
deine custom MIDI CC ranges for the knobs.
On the down side, the unit could have been
made a little larger, for easier access to the Mute
and Randomise Current Track buttons. Some
kind of MPC-style Note Repeat function would
be welcome, too, as (dare we say it?) would the
recording and playback of chords.
While we admired the concept of the original
BeatStep, its unrealised potential frustrated us.
BeatStep Pro transforms a novelty for analogue
synth aicionados into an incredibly fun and
versatile machine that’s as useful to the studio
producer as it is to live performers and hardware
geeks. It’s by no means an essential purchase,
but if you want an exciting and inspirational
new way to play, program and perform music,
we wholeheartedly recommend you take it
for a spin.
Web www.arturia.com
Verdict
For Great studio composition tool
Excellent build quality
Ergonomic layout
Fantastic performance device
Comprehensive connectivity
Against A bit too compact for live use
Still a few obvious features missing
An awesome update to an innovative but
so-so sequencer/controller results in one
of the year’s most desirable bits of kit!
9 / 1 0
Alternatively
Ableton Push
191 » 10/10 » £429
Ofers Live users access to
a similar set of performance
features and more
Arturia BeatStep
206 » 7/10 » £99
If you’re looking for a standalone
monophonic hardware
sequencer, this is still your most
competitively priced purchase
Some of BeatStep Pro’s features are
aimed squarely at the live performer.
The most obvious is the Roller/Looper
function, as also seen on Arturia’s
SparkLE. This ribbon-style controller
ofers four quantise levels (1/4, 1/8. 1/16
and 1/32), looping the sequence at its
current position at the current quantise
length when pressed, with the quantise
value switched by sliding a inger left
and right. It’s a fun system and can
sound great, but it can also take a little
getting used to, with faster timings
being tricky to play. Though we had
some initial problems, with the latest
Firmware installed it even locks the
sequence to a master bar-based grid
(like Flux mode in Traktor), so that
when released, it picks up where it
would have been playing had the
Roller/Looper not been engaged. In
particular, this makes it easier to play
alongside other musicians.
Another great performance feature
is the ability to punch in a Randomiser
function for individual tracks. Using
this, you can, for example, throw in
randomised edits for drums, whilst
muting one or both melodic lines. It’s a
highly efective system for nifty live
edits, hampered only slightly by the
rather small and cramped buttons.
In fact, from a live performance
perspective, the overall size of
BeatStep Pro is one of the few minor
drawbacks. There’s a balance to be
struck between features, ergonomics
and economics, and while this unit
falls within the right range, a little
extra size would’ve allowed greater
spacing. This isn’t a strictly live
performance machine though, so taken
as a multi-purpose device, the balance
is about right.
All a question of performance
The accompanying
software editor can
help you stay in key,
locking you to scale
BeatStep Pro makes connectivity its primary mission, being able to sequence almost anything
“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”
Autumn 2015 / COMPUTER MUSIC / 95
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CMU222.rev_beatsteppro.indd 95 8/21/15 2:33 PM