Hey great video Nick. A comment about the voltage - you mentioned that you weren't sure how that worked. They would most likely use a voltage regulator which takes an input voltage of 5v and converts it internally to 12v - thus allowing 10v over your CV outputs. Voltage regulators can step up or step down input voltages. (the manual talks about 12v) There are some modular guys who are testing out voltage differences on the BeatStep Pro - as there's a lot of interest how accurate it is. So far all I hear is good results. I've only had mine for a week now - so not much time to play ... but really impressed with it.
Just FYI, power is measured in Watts. James Watt was a famous Brit that invention the stem engine and a model of an early steam engine is at the Science Museum in London. Anyway, it is power that can't be created without a power generator, Volts can be increased but going from 5V to 10V would halve current given the same Wattage input. Watts = Volts * Amps..
great review Nick! one thing I'd have liked you to mention is that if you go from a short pattern (16 ) to one double the length (32) the second pattern starts half way through, because the sequencer sees step 17 as the next one to play. This puts a fly in the ointment if you want to treat patterns as segments of a song.
sonicstate 'Wait to Load Project' is the closest thing I can find, which quantizes project changes, but there's nothing I can see on the pattern level. I live in hope that they gave you a work in progress firmware with the feature in development though :)
Great! This is making me even more convinced! Yes, it's just what I need and what I've been looking at for ages! Thanks for clearing the very little mist in my eyes, that made me think twice. 10/10
That Pro is amazing! Maybe to much tech for me to grasp but this great review is sending my back to my basic BeatStep to learn more about it. Great shirt Nick and a fantastic review!
Even now this unit is still awesome, had mine for quite some time and it was such a massive improvement on the original somewhat flawed Beatstep which I also have.
Bought one today, I have mc505 and mc909 which haven't the best lasting sequencer pad buttons, the Arturia Beatstep Pro seems an absolute BEAST of a sequencer and so reasonably priced it borders on ridiculously cheap for the features you get...wahoo ..can't wait .
I love your reviews. It's great to have someone discussing new gear who actually knows what he's talking about. I just got one of these...now to get cracking on learning the ins and outs. This video has given me lots of inspiration. Thank you!!
Ooooh! I knew I was in the right place when I saw that Simmons SDS8. I'm using my Beatstep Pro with two Simmons brains. Stopped by to get some tips as usual.
Looks fantastic. Would I be able to use with a Volca Sample and have extended patterns? I have an AJII, MS20 kit, Minibrute and Virus TI2, I think this thing would be perfect to jam on if a Volca Sample will trigger properly, then I might get both at the same time.
When this showed up, I was a bit bummed that you need the app for so much of the configuration, especially around the analog integration. I look to external sequencers specifically because I don't want to have my PC handy. I would have paid a bit more for a small OLED or something that lets you navigate parameters locally. But I can't have everything, I guess. :) It's a nice and solid unit, though, with a ton of features.
what about Midi-CC in Seq Mode? I see 3 channels to be selected on the left where i can dial in values for the individual steps. But what about MIDI-CCs and how much of them can be assigned at the same time? Shame that it doesnt transmit on individual MIDI-Channels in the Drums Section. Volca Sample?? Cant be controlled then !!! A shame.
Can MIDI CC (such as LFO rate) be sequenced on the Beatstep Pro? If not, is there a hardware unit that does allow you to sequence external gear's knob twiddles (either from the sequencer or from the external gear)?
I wanted to get this but I read a lot of problems and bugs from folks about issues they have had that are not yet fixed with the Beatstep Pro. People who had this returned it for the Electribe 2 instead even though there are no CV outputs/inputs on the Korg Electribe.
It'll be a boost switch mode power supply. Not a very complicated circuit - just a single IC and 2 or 3 external components and you can get a higher power rail: en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boost_converter
Can you make a demo on showing how to control Behringer Model D via Arthuria Beat Step Pro; lot of people seem to be using those gears but there is no good video on showing the connectivity of both of them . Also I am planning to connect the midi from Arturia beat step pro and key step to the model d using the Y MIDI cable, so that I can have an arp from BEAT STEP continuously playing while I play live lead in to the model d using the Keystep. Pleas show a video of how to connect model d with the beahringde MODEL D! Thnxxx.
Account Von Fraude You are stepping into a very deep pit. :) It is a fun place, though. I Just wanted an oscillator to go run into my minibrute, and told myself I would never fill up one 19" space... so I got the second 19" mount, and now I can totally see burying myself in a roomful of cables and flashing lights wondering where my money went.
I wish you'd come to my house and show me how to set mine up. Your a genius. I've seen other videos but they talk to bloody fast but you your amazing 👏
This thing looks amazing, especially considering the price. Thanks for the great review, als always. Would it be possible to use it as a MIDI-CV interface, i.e. play an analog synth from a MIDI keyboard as opposed to sequencing it?
To answer my own question: yes, it can. But only when the sequencer is not running. It is even described in the manual. This thing becomes more interesting by the day.
13:50 My god this jam at the end is so cool. Your demos are so inspiring, Nick. I might have to get a BSP even though it has notorious encoder and usb port problems...
For anyone considering this unit: It has no usable MIDI thru. It quantizes everything you record, with no option to turn off quantizing. Arturia have known about these flaws for three years without addressing them. This is the perfect product for anyone with an extemely simple MIDI setup, no need for more MIDI/CV controllers and plans to make robotic sounding music only.
@8:56 you ask how it is possible to have a 5V input and a 10V output (how can you have more voltage coming out than coming in?). The answer is a circuit called a "boost converter" (or step-up converter).
Typically Mr Batt, a voltage can be boosted using a Ferrite Ring wound with Copper Wire and Switching Transistor. It's probably been miniaturised into a single component by now.
Tom's Diner was one of the best remixes ! Can you do some synth reviews alongside Nick Rhodes and Thomas Dolby ? Aside from Georgio Moroder being a synth pioneer, Rhodes & Dolby trail blazed midi mastery !
There are two major issues with this unit. 1. Patterns switch immediately, not at the end of the currently playing pattern. Not sure why they did this. 2. It has a problem where it randomly stops sending midi notes out of Seq 1 and 2. It will also hold notes as well. Arturia needs to fix these issues ASAP! But overall, it's a wonderful sequencer!
Note: drum triggers are just gates 0 or 10v NOT dynamic triggers. Also the knobs have no master offset so you can't do realtime accent or gate length mods unless you can turn knobs very fast. It's a cool unit but no master offset knob is a shame for me.
Is there a way of hooking up two Volca Drums (each with 6 voices that can be assigned to either a single or 6 separate MIDI channels) to the BSP's drum sequencer? For instance, could row 1 of the BSP pads control Volca Drum 1 via MIDI channel 10 and then row 2 control a 2nd Volca Drum via channel 11? (or whatever MIDI channels)? Can this thing do triplets? Can you microstep nudge notes or step shift sequences?
Useful information. Can you tell me if it possible to trim/scale the pitch control Voltage coming out of this device? I have a MiniMoog that isn't quite 1 Volt per octave. Ah, you answered it. Sorry! No scaling What a stupid, stupid omission! Crossed off the buy list - Sigh...
Can you do microtonal stuff with this? It looks like the outputs are all scaled to 12tet scales. Can you configure the user scale for not 12 tet scales?
What is project ,what for is it ? working only with cv gates analog ?? is possible to create all song with automatic changing pattern ? im using midi to trigger my modules ,my beat pro dont remember pattern recorded in order when i switch off how to resolve ?
Nick! Do you know what settings I need to use in the MIDI control centre to sequence a Korg Odyssey module via CV/Gate (and or connections, I've heard you ALSO need to trigger the trig in?)? I've sequenced it from my Keystep via CV/Gate no problem but cannot get the BSP to sequence the Karp module....
Hi brother! Based on your experience. How can I save different BMPs for different projects in the BSP. I need to change time for the different songs. If it is not possible, is there any hardware that will allow me to do this? I have a Roland SPDSX with BPM for each song, but I did not get sync with the BSP. Obviously does not transmit messages Sync via midi, is there any magic box that does this work? thank you very much
that first synth pad Nick plays sounds like EX-Machina one...you will know which one if you wached the movie/listened to the soundtrack..is that coming from erebus?
so the drum part do not send midi, just trigger? Then you can't have it control say the volca beats right, just sync to it? If so, it's a pity. I like the beats but the memory are very limited and no way to chain patterns.
Little bit difficult working out connecting drums machines - you can run one in via one of the midis but can you connect via the drum out when eg drumbrute impact only has three ins with multiple sounds for each . I’d want the two midi outs for two synths.
If anyone is having problems make sure the randomness and probability knobs are turned all the way to the left. That had me befuddled for about a half an hour. Also it would of been nice if the metronome was onboard and not just a midi note.
Its sad this cant sequence CC or more than just the one aux cv output (velo) which still sucks since its per note n no continuous. I saw all those knobs n was hoping you could at least sequence them each per step. Why wouldn't they include that? Even the old AN1X could back in the 90s.
i want to know that type of things as well. It will always be within the limitations of the synths you are using though, this is not some kind of looper, if you see what i mean.
orbitalchiller I have a pigtronix infinity looper , and I can accomplish a loop , but the thing is the midi sync from my minilogue to the loop pedal is wacky , because my minilogue is receiving master clock from my arturia drumbrute.
I ve been looking into the Pigtronix Infinity as well. I want to keep my gear as simple and computerless as possible and play long sequence and be able to stack upon them. I guess the Arturia BSP is a machine with so much connectivity possibilities you could just pick one to experiment with it and always find a compromise. I wish they would have made a Beatstep Pro / Keystep sandwish. Maybe a Keystep Pro is on the way ? BTW i have a minilogue too, nice sounding synth. :)
wow I can see that even a single sequencer here is vastly superior to the original Beatstep, no wonder Arturia dropped the original. I have the original and for the most part only really used it as a basic midi controller. Now we have 2 much better sequencers and a drum controller too, not bothered about CV myself as all my hardware is midi I`m sold I think
cresshead 1. incorrect! by setting last step to 12 or 9 or whatever you want. you can even have different lengths on each sequence for polyrhythms. 2. no, also not even quantizing on the pattern changes, although that's the most requested feature for future updates. the thing to understand is that despite having modern features it's more like an old modular sequencer (e.g., ARP. SQ-1, etc) than a groovebox or electribe in its roots. features that might look like are there for live performance tweaking are more for fast ideas and inspiration.
Hi, I need you to show the Connectors with the rhythm machine. The connection from the rear panel to the rhythm machine. Thank you! Hola, necesito que muestren los Conectores con la máquina de ritmo . La conexión desde el panel trasero a la máquina de ritmo . Gracias!
Thank you Nick! would this work OK with a Kaossilator Pro? I've never managed to get it set up like u did in the Kaossilator review. Really appreciate any feedback. Thanks.
OKAY so this is a strange and (possibly) dumb question, but is it possible to send audio through the cv ins through a line in cable (or an aux) and sample it into a track? I'm asking because I'd like to know if I can play an instrument with a 1/4 inch out, convert it to an 1/8 inch, and be able to use it in a beatstep pro project.
How can I use my original beatstep, keystep & Beatstep Pro all together ? Now the old beatstep only has a midi out so it has to be the clock source, it goes through the keystep ok and then on to other gear without any double clock speed triggers but won`t go through the Beatep Pro without the Beatstep Pro filtering out all midi going through to it`s midi out apart from the dang clock. I used a thru box to split between keystep and Beatstep Pro and I get that 2 clocks making a double bpm thing ? in my setup, if only the Beatstep Pro could not pass on the midi clock from an external midi sync to it`s out then all would be fine. Any ideas anyone ? or will I just have to get some kind of device that filters out a midi clock from the Beatstep Pro`s midi out ? although the price of a device may not be worth it perhaps ?
Same here. I got one a few weeks ago, after seeing a few vids on it. Watching this video has, sadly, plunged me into despair of ever using it. I guess I should just plug a midi lead into it, connect my synth to that, and see what happens.....
Excellent review once again! Does anyone know what that "Program Review" device Nick was using to (I think) switch camera views? Also what was the black box next to his laptop that I believe all the audio was being plugged into?
Hello, I'm not entirely sure where to write this so I'll just put it on this video as it's the most recent, I've been looking at analog synths lately, the ones that has been interesting me the most has been the KORG Monopoly and the ARP odyssey. I got myself a soft synth version of the monopoly, obviously it doesn't sound exactly like the analog version, but it's a fairly close fit I'd say (I tried recreating a synth I knew was created on a monopoly, got very close). but I get this feeling the monopoly is very limited in what it does and I'm not entirely sure if it's my limited knowledge or if it's the synth itself. one of my biggest criterias is that the synth is polyphonic, very preferably being able to play 3 keys at the same time, the odyssey doesn't give that sadly. which from my research the Monopoly does offer. also, to add on top of all this it this will be my first synth analog synth, I've been working with software for several years now being too afraid to step into the hardware world because of the price tags. I'm very serious about music and very passionate so I don't want some crappy synth. as a guideline for what I want to use the synth for, without having a lot of technical names: I want a synth can have lots of textures to the sound, maybe through a lot of oscillator settings or something similar, I tend to work in the envelope, filter and oscillator settings, I love reverb. I tend to over use it most of the time, though it's not at all important that the synth has it, I can just use reverb through the pc instead. I lean towards softer and filling sounds, warm sounds. so yea, now that the huge rant is kind of over, I'm looking for input on what kind of synths you think I should look at. or is monopoly a good choice? thanks for reading and as a last little thing, I'll add a couple track names that has 'hits home' with what I like in synths, maybe it will help you understand more what I'm looking for. and a HUGE thanks for anyone who read this "The answer - gattobus & Millolab" - just the whole thing basically "Mango & Jan Martin - Pillows (Original mix)" -the synth that comes at 1 minute "Kollektiv turmstrasse - last day (david August Revision)" most sounds "Aparde - loom" - the lead base synth
+Valom one thing that scares me a bit about the monopoly as well is that I'm afraid I'll just make the same sound over and over again with it. I havent had the soft synth version for a long time but I end up making the same thing over and over.
Over the last decade or two i have bought, sold, and part exchanged dozens upon dozen of pieces of electronic music hardware (even including some rare bits of kit, like the "Movement" drum machine from the early 80's). And i can say without any hesitation that the BeatStep Pro that i bought is the single most troublesome piece of kit that i have ever owned. And unfortunately, i have found their customer service to be equally bad, if not worse. They are one of those companies who are deliberately unhelpful when you contact them "properly". But the second you say something like this openly and public, THEN you might get some pathetic offer of help. Not that they ever do actually help, they just want to look good in front of you all.
It is a massively flawed and poorly made product. I've owned mine for years and wish I could sell it but don't want to cheat someone into buying it. Get the sense it'll die soon anyway - amazed its made it this long given how jankily its made.
@@robinr22 Thanks for commenting. I was starting to feel very alone on my side of the fence! This is one of those issues where, if you are not one of us that have had these problems, then Arturia carry on looking to most people like a great company that make great things. The specific faults that my Beatstep has are just not something that I would have thought to look up before spending my money. After years of trying I have now at last found a way that I can get some kind of minimal use out of it, but nothing to justify that cost. Which is such a shame though, as when I originally unboxed it, the feel of the build quality seriously blew me away. But as soon as I began struggling with basic functions (and Arturias "help") then I soon found that there were others with the exact same issues. I hope that you have had better luck with any other home studio kit that you have bought over the years. There have been many times when I wonder why the hell we choose a life with the frequent frustrations, annoyances, and expense that being an amateur music producer brings. But like most obsessions or compulsions, it's more like this life chose us.
Haven't tested by cv or usb myself, but the midi din control is pretty iffy. They state the internal clock is no good for midi, so you'll need external clock. Misses notes, messes with gates... Really not a nice experience.
I love this. Great thorough walk through. I'm glad to see someone who actually gets to know gear explaining what things really do.
This youtube channel never fails to deliver, such great quality content.
Deserves way more subs
I've never noticed until now that Nick is changing the camera angles himself on an iPad while doing the review.
Hey great video Nick. A comment about the voltage - you mentioned that you weren't sure how that worked. They would most likely use a voltage regulator which takes an input voltage of 5v and converts it internally to 12v - thus allowing 10v over your CV outputs. Voltage regulators can step up or step down input voltages. (the manual talks about 12v)
There are some modular guys who are testing out voltage differences on the BeatStep Pro - as there's a lot of interest how accurate it is. So far all I hear is good results.
I've only had mine for a week now - so not much time to play ... but really impressed with it.
Ranz Adamson I think the chip is actually called dc to dc converter
Just FYI, power is measured in Watts. James Watt was a famous Brit that invention the stem engine and a model of an early steam engine is at the Science Museum in London. Anyway, it is power that can't be created without a power generator, Volts can be increased but going from 5V to 10V would halve current given the same Wattage input. Watts = Volts * Amps..
I love you Nick! Thank you for all the awesome videos and for one of the best channels on UA-cam!
great review Nick! one thing I'd have liked you to mention is that if you go from a short pattern (16 ) to one double the length (32) the second pattern starts half way through, because the sequencer sees step 17 as the next one to play. This puts a fly in the ointment if you want to treat patterns as segments of a song.
Rich Edwards I think there is a setting for that behaviour in the software? (Not with the BSP now)
sonicstate 'Wait to Load Project' is the closest thing I can find, which quantizes project changes, but there's nothing I can see on the pattern level. I live in hope that they gave you a work in progress firmware with the feature in development though :)
Great! This is making me even more convinced! Yes, it's just what I need and what I've been looking at for ages! Thanks for clearing the very little mist in my eyes, that made me think twice. 10/10
That Pro is amazing! Maybe to much tech for me to grasp but this great review is sending my back to my basic BeatStep to learn more about it.
Great shirt Nick and a fantastic review!
sonicstate, I've been a huge fan of your channel for years! that is all :)
Even now this unit is still awesome, had mine for quite some time and it was such a massive improvement on the original somewhat flawed Beatstep which I also have.
Beeing new to using a Beatstep Pro your Video helped me a lot getting startet and quickly achieve satisfying results. Thanks a lot!
Bought one today, I have mc505 and mc909 which haven't the best lasting sequencer pad buttons, the Arturia Beatstep Pro seems an absolute BEAST of a sequencer and so reasonably priced it borders on ridiculously cheap for the features you get...wahoo ..can't wait .
Definitely a possible future purchase. Wish they make it in black too though!
Future is here and the black version is available atm :P
@@MrStanley85 Further in the future: I got mine last month.
Even further in the future, I ordered a black one this morning.
The future is now, forget the past.
This guy actually explains what the equipment does, I like his videos a lot. Thanks.
Nice one nick i spent almost 4 months testing this
there is an issue with fw1.1.1.6 with sync but will be fixed in the next FW
I love your reviews. It's great to have someone discussing new gear who actually knows what he's talking about. I just got one of these...now to get cracking on learning the ins and outs. This video has given me lots of inspiration. Thank you!!
Nick your the best for explaining every nook and cranny.
Ooooh! I knew I was in the right place when I saw that Simmons SDS8. I'm using my Beatstep Pro with two Simmons brains. Stopped by to get some tips as usual.
So, NO POLYPHONY at all ?!
I really can't sequence chords with an analog poly synth ?
Maybe a way with the drum sequencer track?
Thanks
Looks fantastic. Would I be able to use with a Volca Sample and have extended patterns? I have an AJII, MS20 kit, Minibrute and Virus TI2, I think this thing would be perfect to jam on if a Volca Sample will trigger properly, then I might get both at the same time.
When this showed up, I was a bit bummed that you need the app for so much of the configuration, especially around the analog integration. I look to external sequencers specifically because I don't want to have my PC handy. I would have paid a bit more for a small OLED or something that lets you navigate parameters locally. But I can't have everything, I guess. :)
It's a nice and solid unit, though, with a ton of features.
can I use this unit to sequence my old Roland mc202 ? thanks mate
+Robin Fitton it doesn't mate .. its cv sometimes its either speeding up or slowing down
+Robin Fitton I just want stop start to work and time to sync
that is why Elektron does a better job at sampling/sequencing in spite of the higher price tag.
what about Midi-CC in Seq Mode? I see 3 channels to be selected on the left where i can dial in values for the individual steps. But what about MIDI-CCs and how much of them can be assigned at the same time? Shame that it doesnt transmit on individual MIDI-Channels in the Drums Section. Volca Sample?? Cant be controlled then !!! A shame.
Can MIDI CC (such as LFO rate) be sequenced on the Beatstep Pro? If not, is there a hardware unit that does allow you to sequence external gear's knob twiddles (either from the sequencer or from the external gear)?
Wow! Din Sync, Midi, USB and CV... instabuy!
I wanted to get this but I read a lot of problems and bugs from folks about issues they have had that are not yet fixed with the Beatstep Pro. People who had this returned it for the Electribe 2 instead even though there are no CV outputs/inputs on the Korg Electribe.
It'll be a boost switch mode power supply. Not a very complicated circuit - just a single IC and 2 or 3 external components and you can get a higher power rail:
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boost_converter
Can you make a demo on showing how to control Behringer Model D via Arthuria Beat Step Pro; lot of people seem to be using those gears but there is no good video on showing the connectivity of both of them . Also I am planning to connect the midi from Arturia beat step pro and key step to the model d using the Y MIDI cable, so that I can have an arp from BEAT STEP continuously playing while I play live lead in to the model d using the Keystep.
Pleas show a video of how to connect model d with the beahringde MODEL D! Thnxxx.
Have had mine for a few weeks, apart from a couple of firmware niggles it has been great fun. Some pattern nudging etc would be nice though!
This one aged well! This thing will end up in the hall of fame.
Id love for these reviews to be more frequent. Maybe a weekly gear/software review?
Need. I have a Microbrute and will be getting my first Euro(c)rack soon so this is a must have.
Account Von Fraude You are stepping into a very deep pit. :) It is a fun place, though. I Just wanted an oscillator to go run into my minibrute, and told myself I would never fill up one 19" space... so I got the second 19" mount, and now I can totally see burying myself in a roomful of cables and flashing lights wondering where my money went.
Yeah when I bought the Microbrute I already knew that Euro was in my future at some point, just a matter of saving up the $ for some first modules.
Hey Nick! Will you be taking a look at the new Launchpad pro?
Best BSP demo I've seen. Brilliant Nick. Cheers
I wish you'd come to my house and show me how to set mine up. Your a genius. I've seen other videos but they talk to bloody fast but you your amazing 👏
This thing looks amazing, especially considering the price. Thanks for the great review, als always. Would it be possible to use it as a MIDI-CV interface, i.e. play an analog synth from a MIDI keyboard as opposed to sequencing it?
To answer my own question: yes, it can. But only when the sequencer is not running. It is even described in the manual. This thing becomes more interesting by the day.
Just waiting for them to expand the CC range on the drum sequencer so I can fully utilize my Novation Drumstation.
Thanks Nick! This was super helpful and I got a Beat Step Pro now.
13:50 My god this jam at the end is so cool. Your demos are so inspiring, Nick. I might have to get a BSP even though it has notorious encoder and usb port problems...
For anyone considering this unit: It has no usable MIDI thru. It quantizes everything you record, with no option to turn off quantizing.
Arturia have known about these flaws for three years without addressing them.
This is the perfect product for anyone with an extemely simple MIDI setup, no need for more MIDI/CV controllers and plans to make robotic sounding music only.
Say I recorded midi sequences with hardware synths, would it be easy to put the combined midi into a daw via the usb midi?
@8:56 you ask how it is possible to have a 5V input and a 10V output (how can you have more voltage coming out than coming in?). The answer is a circuit called a "boost converter" (or step-up converter).
Typically Mr Batt, a voltage can be boosted using a Ferrite Ring wound with Copper Wire and Switching Transistor. It's probably been miniaturised into a single component by now.
Tom's Diner was one of the best remixes ! Can you do some synth reviews alongside Nick Rhodes and Thomas Dolby ? Aside from Georgio Moroder being a synth pioneer, Rhodes & Dolby trail blazed midi mastery !
Thanks for a great review - just ordered one... looks awesome!
There are two major issues with this unit.
1. Patterns switch immediately, not at the end of the currently playing pattern. Not sure why they did this.
2. It has a problem where it randomly stops sending midi notes out of Seq 1 and 2. It will also hold notes as well.
Arturia needs to fix these issues ASAP! But overall, it's a wonderful sequencer!
Note: drum triggers are just gates 0 or 10v NOT dynamic triggers.
Also the knobs have no master offset so you can't do realtime accent or gate length mods unless you can turn knobs very fast.
It's a cool unit but no master offset knob is a shame for me.
hi nick can I use this to sequence my Roland mc202
So could both the cv input output jacks be changed to just midi via the pc software
Is there a way of hooking up two Volca Drums (each with 6 voices that can be assigned to either a single or 6 separate MIDI channels) to the BSP's drum sequencer? For instance, could row 1 of the BSP pads control Volca Drum 1 via MIDI channel 10 and then row 2 control a 2nd Volca Drum via channel 11? (or whatever MIDI channels)? Can this thing do triplets? Can you microstep nudge notes or step shift sequences?
Useful information. Can you tell me if it possible to trim/scale the pitch control Voltage coming out of this device? I have a MiniMoog that isn't quite 1 Volt per octave.
Ah, you answered it. Sorry!
No scaling What a stupid, stupid omission! Crossed off the buy list - Sigh...
I did a few tutorials on how to set it up in cubase and logic if you go to my page
Terry marsden Great video. That was really helpful.
Can you do microtonal stuff with this? It looks like the outputs are all scaled to 12tet scales. Can you configure the user scale for not 12 tet scales?
I find myself spacing out to the music and then having to go back to actually listen to the information hahah
The first 19 seconds sounds like cash money millionaires project chick from the early 2000's
What is project ,what for is it ? working only with cv gates analog ?? is possible to create all song with automatic changing pattern ? im using midi to trigger my modules ,my beat pro dont remember pattern recorded in order when i switch off how to resolve ?
Other than the cv I think my mpc will do what I need. I guess I will need something like this if/when I do need CV.
Nick! Do you know what settings I need to use in the MIDI control centre to sequence a Korg Odyssey module via CV/Gate (and or connections, I've heard you ALSO need to trigger the trig in?)? I've sequenced it from my Keystep via CV/Gate no problem but cannot get the BSP to sequence the Karp module....
Top Dog. Your the GOAT when it comes to the synth world Bro 👊💪🔥 you and Loopop 👊💪🔥
Hi brother!
Based on your experience. How can I save different BMPs for different projects in the BSP. I need to change time for the different songs. If it is not possible, is there any hardware that will allow me to do this?
I have a Roland SPDSX with BPM for each song, but I did not get sync with the BSP. Obviously does not transmit messages Sync via midi, is there any magic box that does this work?
thank you very much
Excuse my confusion but are we talking about one measure here? how many messurs can you line up
since the simmons has 1/4 inch trigger outs and the beatstep has 1/8 inch, do you just use an adapter to link the two? or a special cable?
As always, flawless review. Thank you !
that first synth pad Nick plays sounds like EX-Machina one...you will know which one if you wached the movie/listened to the soundtrack..is that coming from erebus?
so the drum part do not send midi, just trigger? Then you can't have it control say the volca beats right, just sync to it? If so, it's a pity. I like the beats but the memory are very limited and no way to chain patterns.
rox2u No it does send MIDI too, on all 16 pads, just the first 8 will send trigger too
Can it record directly from inputs from a midi keyboard while using the sound from any connected device ?
Little bit difficult working out connecting drums machines - you can run one in via one of the midis but can you connect via the drum out when eg drumbrute impact only has three ins with multiple sounds for each . I’d want the two midi outs for two synths.
If anyone is having problems make sure the randomness and probability knobs are turned all the way to the left. That had me befuddled for about a half an hour. Also it would of been nice if the metronome was onboard and not just a midi note.
Its sad this cant sequence CC or more than just the one aux cv output (velo) which still sucks since its per note n no continuous. I saw all those knobs n was hoping you could at least sequence them each per step. Why wouldn't they include that? Even the old AN1X could back in the 90s.
+Sonicstate can I hook this up to a let's say a korg minilogue and record a sequence via midi , then play overtop of it ?
@sonicstate
i want to know that type of things as well. It will always be within the limitations of the synths you are using though, this is not some kind of looper, if you see what i mean.
orbitalchiller I have a pigtronix infinity looper , and I can accomplish a loop , but the thing is the midi sync from my minilogue to the loop pedal is wacky , because my minilogue is receiving master clock from my arturia drumbrute.
I ve been looking into the Pigtronix Infinity as well. I want to keep my gear as simple and computerless as possible and play long sequence and be able to stack upon them. I guess the Arturia BSP is a machine with so much connectivity possibilities you could just pick one to experiment with it and always find a compromise. I wish they would have made a Beatstep Pro / Keystep sandwish. Maybe a Keystep Pro is on the way ? BTW i have a minilogue too, nice sounding synth. :)
Was the Arturia Beatstep Pro ever discussed on Sonic TALK?
Sonic TALK 410 c. 34:50
Is it possible to record the transpositions shown on 13:50?
"Now it's here... *pause* ... here it is." Love it. Great video as usual - thanks guys
I'm looking for a video showing integration and midi mapping inside of Studio One.
I want one, I bought online a microfreak, I'll probably buy this one also soon
What a bang for a buck!. Reading some of the comments, ill take this with a few bugs over a Rene any day!
+djvartan Actually, it is the perfect brother to Rene :)
wow I can see that even a single sequencer here is vastly superior to the original Beatstep, no wonder Arturia dropped the original. I have the original and for the most part only really used it as a basic midi controller.
Now we have 2 much better sequencers and a drum controller too, not bothered about CV myself as all my hardware is midi
I`m sold I think
Q. 4/4 time signature only correct? another Q. no song mode i guess but can you select and chain patterns?
cresshead 1. incorrect! by setting last step to 12 or 9 or whatever you want. you can even have different lengths on each sequence for polyrhythms. 2. no, also not even quantizing on the pattern changes, although that's the most requested feature for future updates. the thing to understand is that despite having modern features it's more like an old modular sequencer (e.g., ARP. SQ-1, etc) than a groovebox or electribe in its roots. features that might look like are there for live performance tweaking are more for fast ideas and inspiration.
Nice access t shirt!
Want
Love your shirt & nice track
Could I use the Korg MicroKORG with the Arturia Beat Step as well for looping?
Thanks so much for keeping everithing so simple to understand. even for a dumb like me.
great review as always, Nick. and thanks for pointing out a few features that i hadn't learnt yet (because who reads manuals, amirite?).
Wow a Simmonds man I wish I had mine still
great job, love your tutorials.
Hi, I need you to show the
Connectors with the rhythm machine.
The connection from the rear panel to the rhythm machine. Thank you!
Hola, necesito que muestren los
Conectores con la máquina de ritmo .
La conexión desde el panel trasero a la máquina de ritmo . Gracias!
Thank you Nick! would this work OK with a Kaossilator Pro? I've never managed to get it set up like u did in the Kaossilator review.
Really appreciate any feedback. Thanks.
OKAY so this is a strange and (possibly) dumb question, but is it possible to send audio through the cv ins through a line in cable (or an aux) and sample it into a track? I'm asking because I'd like to know if I can play an instrument with a 1/4 inch out, convert it to an 1/8 inch, and be able to use it in a beatstep pro project.
Markus Cancilla OH duh ! I totally get you...it doesn't sample any audio, it only controls through midi signals.
I have a Simmons SDS9. Did you connect it to the BSP using CV or MIDI? curious what voltage was used if using CV...?
Nick is the best of al the review..No doubt
Hi, great video! Can you do 5/4 or 7/4 time measures?
did i understand correctly that you can only send midi for the sequences and not for the drum track? so i can't connect this to my drm1?
No each of the three sequencers sends on it's own channel.
How can I use my original beatstep, keystep & Beatstep Pro all together ? Now the old beatstep only has a midi out so it has to be the clock source, it goes through the keystep ok and then on to other gear without any double clock speed triggers but won`t go through the Beatep Pro without the Beatstep Pro filtering out all midi going through to it`s midi out apart from the dang clock. I used a thru box to split between keystep and Beatstep Pro and I get that 2 clocks making a double bpm thing ? in my setup, if only the Beatstep Pro could not pass on the midi clock from an external midi sync to it`s out then all would be fine. Any ideas anyone ? or will I just have to get some kind of device that filters out a midi clock from the Beatstep Pro`s midi out ? although the price of a device may not be worth it perhaps ?
can i trigger a simmons sds 1000 with this via the gate outputs?
This thing just confuses me even more after watching videos on it.
Same here. I got one a few weeks ago, after seeing a few vids on it.
Watching this video has, sadly, plunged me into despair of ever using it.
I guess I should just plug a midi lead into it, connect my synth to that, and see what happens.....
Would the CV work for my Moog Sub Phatty? Can you sync Volcas over MIDI?
muleFUEL1 I see no reason why it would not work with your Sub Phatty. I use my BeatStep Pro with my Volca Beats. It works great!
Excellent review once again! Does anyone know what that "Program Review" device Nick was using to (I think) switch camera views? Also what was the black box next to his laptop that I believe all the audio was being plugged into?
Stephanie McKeon MIDI Designer Pro on an Ipad is the swticher controller, the blsck box was the Behringer X-AIR 18 Mixer
sonicstate Thank you!
Hello, I'm not entirely sure where to write this so I'll just put it on this video as it's the most recent, I've been looking at analog synths lately, the ones that has been interesting me the most has been the KORG Monopoly and the ARP odyssey.
I got myself a soft synth version of the monopoly, obviously it doesn't sound exactly like the analog version, but it's a fairly close fit I'd say (I tried recreating a synth I knew was created on a monopoly, got very close). but I get this feeling the monopoly is very limited in what it does and I'm not entirely sure if it's my limited knowledge or if it's the synth itself.
one of my biggest criterias is that the synth is polyphonic, very preferably being able to play 3 keys at the same time, the odyssey doesn't give that sadly. which from my research the Monopoly does offer.
also, to add on top of all this it this will be my first synth analog synth, I've been working with software for several years now being too afraid to step into the hardware world because of the price tags. I'm very serious about music and very passionate so I don't want some crappy synth.
as a guideline for what I want to use the synth for, without having a lot of technical names: I want a synth can have lots of textures to the sound, maybe through a lot of oscillator settings or something similar, I tend to work in the envelope, filter and oscillator settings, I love reverb. I tend to over use it most of the time, though it's not at all important that the synth has it, I can just use reverb through the pc instead. I lean towards softer and filling sounds, warm sounds.
so yea, now that the huge rant is kind of over, I'm looking for input on what kind of synths you think I should look at.
or is monopoly a good choice? thanks for reading and as a last little thing, I'll add a couple track names that has 'hits home' with what I like in synths, maybe it will help you understand more what I'm looking for. and a HUGE thanks for anyone who read this
"The answer - gattobus & Millolab" - just the whole thing basically
"Mango & Jan Martin - Pillows (Original mix)" -the synth that comes at 1 minute
"Kollektiv turmstrasse - last day (david August Revision)" most sounds
"Aparde - loom" - the lead base synth
+Valom one thing that scares me a bit about the monopoly as well is that I'm afraid I'll just make the same sound over and over again with it. I havent had the soft synth version for a long time but I end up making the same thing over and over.
Valom MonoPoly will work polyphonically, but only via the keyboard, you cannot access each voice from CV and Gate input. but its a great synth
i wanna sync up my polysix, tr606, and yamaha rx-11 but I feel like it'd be waaaaaaaaay too confusing with this thing
Over the last decade or two i have bought, sold, and part exchanged dozens upon dozen of pieces of electronic music hardware (even including some rare bits of kit, like the "Movement" drum machine from the early 80's). And i can say without any hesitation that the BeatStep Pro that i bought is the single most troublesome piece of kit that i have ever owned. And unfortunately, i have found their customer service to be equally bad, if not worse. They are one of those companies who are deliberately unhelpful when you contact them "properly". But the second you say something like this openly and public, THEN you might get some pathetic offer of help. Not that they ever do actually help, they just want to look good in front of you all.
It is a massively flawed and poorly made product. I've owned mine for years and wish I could sell it but don't want to cheat someone into buying it. Get the sense it'll die soon anyway - amazed its made it this long given how jankily its made.
@@robinr22 Thanks for commenting. I was starting to feel very alone on my side of the fence! This is one of those issues where, if you are not one of us that have had these problems, then Arturia carry on looking to most people like a great company that make great things. The specific faults that my Beatstep has are just not something that I would have thought to look up before spending my money. After years of trying I have now at last found a way that I can get some kind of minimal use out of it, but nothing to justify that cost. Which is such a shame though, as when I originally unboxed it, the feel of the build quality seriously blew me away. But as soon as I began struggling with basic functions (and Arturias "help") then I soon found that there were others with the exact same issues. I hope that you have had better luck with any other home studio kit that you have bought over the years. There have been many times when I wonder why the hell we choose a life with the frequent frustrations, annoyances, and expense that being an amateur music producer brings. But like most obsessions or compulsions, it's more like this life chose us.
Haven't tested by cv or usb myself, but the midi din control is pretty iffy. They state the internal clock is no good for midi, so you'll need external clock. Misses notes, messes with gates... Really not a nice experience.