Arturia Keystep - Playing with the Step Sequencer
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- Опубліковано 20 сер 2024
- Just a bit of playing around with the step sequencer on the Arturia Keystep MIDI Controller, using it to sequence a Yamaha CS5 analog mono synth and a Futuresonus Parva polyphonic synth. Skip to 3:54 to get the quick description how to record a sequence.
Really had 3 goals with this:
1. Playing with the Keystep sequencer
2. Testing the Waldorf Pulse 2 for translating MIDI to CV
3. Sequencing an old mono, analog synth that had no MIDI
The Keystep is a great piece of hardware at a decent price (around $115-120), with velocity and aftertouch sensitive keys, an arpeggiator, and a step sequencer. Can store up to eight, 64-step sequences. MIDI in/out and CV and gate outs for controlling analog equipment.
The Keystep has CV and gate out, but the Yamaha CS5 doesn't use the normal, Moogish-volt-per-octave standard, so I had to use the Waldorf Pulse 2 to translate the midi from the Keystep to the Hertz-per-volt CV standard older Yamaha synths frequently used.
Never did your big toe think it would live to see the day of it getting 80k + views on youtube. Rock on big toe.
Great tips for the Keystep, appreciate it!
That is one of the most hilarious comments I think I've ever gotten, lol...and I'm glad the tips were appreciated as well.
great demo, really like your style of video making, simple and clear.
Cool...very glad it was helpful.
Me2 nice editing! ;-)
I just watched a bunch of videos on how to use one of these and this is the first one that was actually useful and explained it well.
Very cool...glad it helped. Once you get past the babbling in the opening, there's definitely some good info.
@@ProckGnosis - Are all the notes in the sequence always the same length? If I create a new sequence and hit the first three notes fast and hold the fourth for a few seconds, will it play them back like that? Or will it play back all four notes at the same length?
@@slushedpuppy8044 No, how you play in the notes doesn't affect the note length.
Love these reviews. Just ordered a Keystep, myself. Life goal for me would be to have a few beers and talk synths with you.
Thanks much...I'm thinking you'll enjoy the Keystep. If I could get something full-sized that was similarly capable and similarly reasonably priced, I'd be all over it.
Absolutely love this video. I got one of these a few days ago, and this really helps me better than the manual ever could. Thanks again for taking the time to make it!
Glad it helped. It really is massively easy to use.
I have a cs5 rusting in my outhouses that I purchased in 1987 for 70 quid...just bought a keystep too so was a shock to see them together!...I've also had a few Bishop's fingers too...
Lol...still enjoying the CS5 and the occasional Bishop's Finger as well...when I can find them.
I am such a numpty. I couldn't figure out why the sequencer wasn't working. Turns out, you're not supposed to change the clock setting to MIDI if you're only using MIDI OUT
Thanks a lot for this really straightforward tutorial. the Keytep is great for the price, plays really nice with my eurorack modular and the conectivity is great, along with the seq and the arp. The setup and seq software is easy to use and works well. Seems pretty solidly built for a £100 unit- i've had it a week so we'll see but so far I'm really happy with it.
By the way, I live in Kent, UK and that Bishop is doing a 10 stretch. Can recommend Gadds No. 3, a lovely pale ale made down the road from me and also Hophead, another pale golden ale from Dark Star brewing company who have a lot of nice beers. Cheers dude!
LOL...thought SOMEbody from Kent might chime in on the Bishop's Finger. I've tried a couple of the Dark Star varieties. "Imperial Stout" (if I'm remembering correctly) and another one that escapes me. Good stuff.
Yeah, sometimes I'll throw a video together thinking, "oh well, it's helpful, but nothing great..." and it just happens to scratch the itch better than I realized. I'm also happy to highlight something that I think gets it right, and Arturia got it right with this one.
Bishop’s finger is also known as Nun’s delight,
You see? Who says UA-cam can't be educational?
i realize it is kinda randomly asking but does anyone know a good place to watch new tv shows online ?
@Gary Ira i would suggest flixzone. You can find it by googling =)
@Bobby Dylan Yea, been using Instaflixxer for since april myself :)
Also chiorboy's... ahh, I'll see myself out.
Thank you, that voltage workaround with the Waldorf could prove quite useful, much appreciated.
Yeah, that was a way cool feature I didn't even expect when I bought the thing.
Got of them.
Funny thing is! It starts in F where most keyboard I got start in C
Yeh i found that a little to get used to thou im sure the model started with an F.
Jut got mine in the mail today, I got the black one since I already have a big white keylab and boy is it bitchin! I cannot wait to get this thing working for me, great and valuable video!
This thing really was a hit for capability and cost. Glad the video helped. Cheers!
ProckGnosis no kidding!! I’ve paired it with a behringer model D, the two are best of friends and can’t imagine life without each other now.
Arturia makes a piece of software called MIDI Control Center, which you can use to switch the Keystep to output hertz-per-volt. Of course then you'd have to change it back for all the other gear. :-)
So I didn't even NEED the Pulse 2 as the go between. Cool. Thanks much for the tip, and I'm surprised I didn't run across that. I read about the MIDI Control Center software but obviously missed that.
yap
the midi control center lets you configure the different settings
for the cv/gate/mod output..
worked also with my old korg synth (hz/volt)
Sequencer starts at 3:56
Yes thank you ! :)
Ordering this to control my UNO Synth right now!
Good choice!
Excellent, excellent video. Yes I learned more than many videos already on. UA-cam.
Thank-you very much, and I'm glad it was helpful...
Great video. Great beer. Many thanks!
The beer was good, but I have to say the synth was a little better!
Hey, can you use the sequencer standalone, without a computer? I want to use this with my Volca Keys.
Yeah...everything in the video was done without a computer.
Good explanation. Thanks.
Cool...glad it helped!
@@ProckGnosis
No worries. Ended up buying one.
Beer and synths, sweet!
I was just thinking that this weekend when I was playing and enjoying a beer...
Wow thanku sir for your teaching🙏🇮🇳
Glad it helped!
Thank you sir!
You are welcome! Glad it was helpful.
Bishops Finger👍 Love it! Real ale.
Nice demo. Thank you.
Thanks. Glad it worked for you...
Proper 5-pin midi in and out as well- you don’t get that with the Korg (which I also own). Anyway, thanks for the run-though, which- unlike the ‘slicker’ (sorry!) demos out there- I actually understood. Gonna go and practice with the Rocket, like now!
Lol...no problem! The site isn't monetized so "slick" was never really a priority. Glad it was easy to understand. Arturia really killed it with this thing though...easy to use, nice feature set, and easy on the pocket book. What's not to like?
Thank you. Yes, very clear.
Cool. Glad it was helpful.
I am reasonably sure (though still need to test it) that the Keystep can control a Yamaha synth directly .. it can switch between octave/volt and hz/volt, it's even mentioned on the manual with Yamaha mentioned specifically .. i'll try it out this week with my CS30L which should be similar to yours control-wise. Thanks for the cool video!
Thanks! You know, I ran across something that made me think that as well (it could handle hz/volt), and I meant to follow up and test it, but I never did. Let me know how it goes. Cheers!
Which one is the best midi controller 32key such as m-audio keystation mini 32key MK3 vs arturia keystep slim 32key? For slot affordable, compactible, lightible, portable for midi controller as on-the-go musician or traveller with easy setup less cable, and its important just connect with 3.5 inch android phone no more carrying heavy laptop. Bcz midi controller weight is around 1kg or less than and your android smart phone only 600g or less (1kg+600g) if you want carry laptop its weight at least 2kg and your other stuff such as bagacy bagpack so many stuff to loaded.
Thanks!
No problem. Glad it was helpful.
Great video,bravo
Mille grazie!
Good info
Thanks!
Cool device for the price, thanks.
Yeah, when I saw it advertised at NAMM, given the feature set, I thought it would be at least $200-250. Quite nice that it's half that price.
Good Vid. I had to set the Dip Switches to Internal.
Thanks...what were you trying to configure?
@@ProckGnosis For some reason I couldn't do the Seq. so I changed the dip switches to use FM 8 on my laptop. I've had the Keystep for about 2 months(I'm addicted to Beatstep Pro) and just now sat down and watched your video (Very straight forward).
If you wouldn't name a beer a Bishop's finger cus you don't know where that finger has been... my question is then why would you drink that beer LOL
I didn’t really think about it until AFTER I bought it, and of course I wasn’t going to waste a tasty beer regardless of the name. 🙂
Thanks
If the sequencer was multi track they would've really hit it out of the park.
Oh yeah...and it's already been pretty successful with just the one sequencer. I saw a video of guy who had 3 of these things integrated into his DAW-less sequencing set up.
It's brilliant! Mine died after 2 months from Amazon. Paid 129 euros. The vendor says it works fine when I sent it back for repair and returns it. Still no sound. Sent it back again. The 9V socket never worked from day 1. So even with the USB and normal MIDI it still doesn't work. I'll buy another one if they don't honor the warranty of 2 years by law in the EU. The thing is Awesome. Get one. Just don't get a lemon.
Lol...you must REALLY like it to have all those problems and still enthusiastically plug it like that. Can't argue that it's a cool little tool...lucky I haven't had any problems with it.
Nice clear informative video. Know what you mean about the ' Bishops Finger '.
Thanks! Yeah, I'm sure there's a valid (and likely old) story behind the name, but I it does leave itself open to a LOT of jokes.
Thank you very much. If I can ask you two questions....
1. It's impossible to sync the clock of the Keystep + the SP 404 to control the samples tempo?
2. This is the big problem. I just pressed REC + 1 to make the sequencer just one step but I couldn't change it back by pressing REC + any number, so my sequencer has only one step. Do you know how to solve this problem? Thank you very very much.
This may be a lame question but, do you have to use a certain power cable or change a setting? I can only seem to power mine with USB.
Hmmm...not sure. I was able to power mine with the USB or the power supply I bought.
I have a question that I asked a lot of people and Channel on UA-cam but nobody answers me. Can we do more complex patterns than just quarter notes or eighth notes etc.? Example My measure is 1 half note, 2 eighth notes, 3 dotted eighth notes and 4 sixteenth notes. Is it possible ?
Yes; when you start recording your sequence , press the “tap tempo” button after you play a note (or start out with a rest on “step 1”) You can also press “tap” while holding a note, and how many times you press is how many steps the note will sustain for. I imagine you can get creative with the knob selector for your time divisions if you’re wanting dotted sixteenth rest or something funky like that.. Hope that helped! ✌️
How work the memory for our created ptterns? Do we need the software to do so or SD card ?
And that introdutory music. What the band, please?
That is the "ProckGnosis Guy Band"...that's just me playing and singing.
how do i listen to it connected to a desktop via USB?
The Keystep can't make any noise by itself. You have to have a softsynth running on the desktop to produce sound. The Keystep only sends information to the softsynth (usually through a USB cable) about what notes the softsynth will play.
So would it work to have a m-audio 61-key midi controller plugged into the midi in of the keystep, whose midi out is plugged into midi in of the minilogue? In other words, I could play the minilogue with the m-audio just like normal, but, since the keystep is in between, i could then implement the arpeggiator or sequencer of the keystep whenever I wanted? Thanks in advance :)
Can someone confirm that sequences can be transposed in real time? It's shown near the end of the video but it isn't talked about.
Yes. That's what 09:54 demonstrates...transposing the sequence in real time.
Do u know a keyboard that can take batteries and has built in speakers with its own sounds not needed to be plugged in to a computer or synth that’s under 150$
Yeah, there are quite a few options out there. Look at the Casio CTK3500. It meets everything you've listed, and it's around $130. There are quite a few videos of it on UA-cam so you can hear how it sounds as well.
ProckGnosis wow thxdo u know of one that’s smaller
@@mixmaker8 Not off the top of my head. Depends on if you want smaller keys or just fewer keys. You would have to Google and see if there are other models that would work.
ProckGnosis I have done a lot of googling but I just don’t know what to look up and smaller or fewer doesn’t matter to me it’s just that say I would google small battery powerd keyboard it will either give me a controller or a 400$ keyboard made by Yamaha. I have went to 3 different music stores and still can find one. If u can’t find on either it’s okay I thank u for you time and helping me ima see if a store has the Casio u recommend so I can see how it fells
@@mixmaker8 I just entered "casio small keyboard batteries speakers" into Google which was how I came up with the first suggestion. If you look at Google shopping, you can even limit the price. Good luck.
Here in the UK we call it "Nun's Swivel"
The ale?
Thank you for this video. demonstration with explanations. perfect cetati.
I have a question ... what is the (Interal _ usb _ midi _ sync in) on the back of the keyboard?
There is even an adjustment with a choice of (1 or 2).
I found no info on ca.
Thank you
Those are the settings for how the KeyStep handles synchronizing to a clock. If the setting is "internal" then the KeyStep would provide the master clock, but if the setting is USB, MIDI, or Sync In, then the KeyStep would be the slave device and those set what type of clock signals the KeyStep will synchronize to.
Yeah good demo. On those pitch/mod strips, do you think they would work wearing a very thin pair of gloves in winter?
Good question, but I'm not sure. I'll test it out and let you know.
ProckGnosis Thanks Prock 👍
FYI, actual sequencing info starts 4 minutes into the video
Yep...like I wrote in the notes above, skip to 3:54 for the quick sequencing description.
@@ProckGnosis whoops, sorry!
Thank you for a great tutorial. Totally confounded by the rate knob. How do you set a specific BPM?
tap your tempo approximately, and hold the Shift button and set the Rate knob to 12:00 to round it (e.g. 123.12 BPM becomes 123BPM); then hold Shift and use the Rate knob to change it by ±10BPM in exact 1BPM increments.
there's probably an even better way to do it, but this is supported out of the box.
Have your DAW send the keystep it's clock signal, then you can change the tempo in your DAW and the key step will slow down or speed up according. You can get spot on recording as the arp/sequencer play on the keystep syncs with the play & record functions on your DAW
Are these slim keys any better than korg's microkeys?
Definitely. They're bigger and just easier to play.
How do those slim keys compare to Korg's slim keys found on the Minilogue and ARP Odyssey reissue?
Hard to say as I only played the Minilogue and Odyssey reissue a couple of times. Think the Minilogue and Odyssey are a little higher quality and maybe a little bit bigger, but so far I haven't had major problems with the Keystep. I just prefer the full-size keys that don't really work for portability. And of the 3, only the Keystep does aftertouch.
Love it. Is that a cs5? Any tips or tricks on hooking up a sequencer to it?
Yeah, it is a CS-5. It was my first analog mono synth. Despite only having one oscillator, it has some pretty good punch to it. To sequence it, you just need something that outputs the CV with Hz/Volt, which I'm pretty sure the Arturia Keystep will do. I could have done that in this video (I should have actually), but I wanted to test whether my Waldorf would translate to Hz/Volt as well.
Thank you for a clear and concise tutorial. I already have a Maschine Jam, but do you think this is better for the sequencer and arp function. Thank you..
Thanks. I'm not super familiar with the Maschine Jam, but it looks to have a few more features for sequencing than the KeyStep. I like programming/playing with keys versus a grid, so I would likely prefer this over the Maschine Jam, but that's just me.
Yeah I prefer keys too. That's why the Keystep caught my eye. Thanks anyway for your reply..
Cheers!
Prost! Am Freitagabend kann mann immer ein bisschen Bier trinken!
Love the video! I'm looking to replace my Korg Micro Key with this guy do you know if you can sync to DAW's via usb?
Thanks much. It should be able to...it has MIDI in, and I don't know of a DAW that can't have a MIDI out timing signal (MIDI sync) and the Keystep accepts MIDI sync.
can you "trigger" each step manually? from another keyboard perhaps?
Don't think you can.
Can i buy this as a beginner for simple stuff in VSTplugins to slowly evolve? I use Cubase.
If you mean just to control VST synthesizers or gear, then yes, this is a good starting point, especially if you're not a big keyboard player (and you don't mind the small keys). For the PRICE, quality, and capability, this is a GREAT little MIDI controller.
I have a dude... when you conect the Arturia KS to any hardware synth to arpeggiate or sequence it, Do you always have to play the notes from the Arturia´s keyboard? Is not possible to play from the synth´s keyboard (Yamaha CS5, in this case)?
In this case with the CS5 no, it's not possible. The Yamaha CS5 has no midi in/out to transmit the note values. BUT, (and I'm going from memory here), if you plugged another midi keyboard into the Keystep and played the notes on the second keyboard, I think you can program the sequencer steps that way. BUT, I'm not sure if you could add or change notes in real time. I would have to test that out.
ProckGnosis - Thanks for your answer.
I have some synths (CZ-5000, K4 and DS-8) that have no built in arp/seq and I'm considering to get this Arturia KS, and I'd like to know if with these keyboards could do what I mean.
Is that a pencil case over your recording mic..?
Lol...no, it's the Shure SM-57 bag that the microphone came in.
@@ProckGnosis Lol how are its acoustic qualities or is this purely for dust purposes..??
@@krsTBedfordStudios Yeah, it was strictly for dust. I'm a big SM-57 fan though...tried more expensive mikes, but its probably my favorite for just fitting my voice.
@@ProckGnosis It really does sound good mate, were you recording with it here..??
I've an old 80's SM-58 somewhere that used to belong to my dad way back when, although I doubt it still works as well as this if at all.. he always swore by it, he sang C&W bass back in its heyday...
so - how do you number stored sequences and chain them together????
You unfortunately can't chain sequences together.
so basically it's useless for recording and only good for diddling around then ...? :(
@@antigen4 Useless for any more complicated songs that have multiple parts you want to chain or change on the fly, yeah. BUT, plenty of folks out there seem perfectly happy letting an 8-note sequence drone for 15 minutes while they tweak away knobs, filters, etc. so I would say this was made with more of that crowd in mind.
If you want something that is about 6 times this thing for capability (and also 6 times the price), I'd look at the Novation 61SL MkIII. It takes a lot of the same concepts from the Keystep and makes them a LOT more robust...you can chain patterns together, assign them to different zones on the keyboard, send different sets of CV and gate signals corresponding to the stored sequences to modular or analog gear.
Do I need to attach to computer or just synth?
It depends on what you want to do: if you want to play a hardware synth, then just plug it in and you can play the synth (without needing a computer). If you want to use it to play a software synth then you need to plug it into the computer running the softsynth.
is it possible to keep arpeggios or sequences into a kind of internal memory?
Yes. There are 8 storage slots for sequences to be stored on the Keystep. Using a computer you can store even more. No storage for the arpeggios though.
@@ProckGnosis how do you save sequences? I've been going crazy trying to find out.
Thanks for this. Is the Keystep powered by the iPad/CCK?
According to Arturia, yes, but I haven't tested it.
Yes and iPhone as well... using animoog and a volca keys at the same time is pretty fun
Can I do a real time recording
Not exactly...it has to be synced to the steps of the sequencer, though it's pretty flexible past that as I show in the video.
how many notes for the sequencer can you input is it the same as microbrutes
Don't know about the Minibrute, but the Key step can have up to 64 steps with up to 8 notes per step.
damn thats pretty nice honestly
thaynx bro💟👍😂
You're welcome. Glad it helped.
I purchased this keystep and not a single video how to even get it to work....I have it connected to windows 10 and installed the midi control center software.. Nothing in the manual that is simple to get this to work in windows. I guess you have to be an experienced user just to use this thing. Right now I have a $118 paper weight. Any help or a video that would show from beginning to end connecting and then getting this to work in windows would be great! Thanks in advance..Right now I am having a heck of a time.
Can't help on that one as I've never used it with Windows except plugged in through a MIDI interface (a Midisport 4x4). Normally I just plug it directly into whatever synth module I'm working with, as I did in the video.
@@ProckGnosis I registered the keystep and then downloaded Ableton and all is now working fine. TY
BISHOPS FINGER.... ASK THE NUN(!) °~°
Lol...ouch...
Oh, I know where the Bishop's finger has been...
BTW, Do you think you might be willing to do a video on the futuresonus parva?
I certainly hope to. There are a few more firmware issues to be ironed out, but it's 90% there, and I'll throw something together when they get it a bit more cleaned up.
Hey I got a keystep after watching this video and am loving it. Thanks for the helpful tutorial.
Glad it helped and glad you're enjoying it. I think they really got this device right...assuming the quality holds up. Given the price, it will likely find it's way into MANY a home studio and DJ setup.
The sequencer is especially good, I had hours of fun voltage-controlling the oscillator in the moog freqbox. The only thing that's giving me a bit of trouble is syncing the sequencer with the midi clock on my iPad, but that's not really a deal-breaker just motivation to actually read the manual.
You haven't unless you've had a couple of Bishop's fingers inside of you (a Bishop told me that)
can I play a sequence on a CV/gate synth while playing chords on a midi synth? I read the manual and did not find an answer
I don't think so, because any notes you play on the keyboard are automatically fed to the sequencer.
Can you do a tutorial on hooking up a Volca with a Keystep Arturia?
Don't have a Volca-anything to test it with, but I'm PRETTY sure you can just midi-out (5 pin midi cable) from the Keystep into the midi-in on the Volca and control it like any midi-equipped synth.
too much beer bro :)
Mia mpira parakalo! Yeah, it was a big glass...
hehehe dude, tell me plz is it possible to use the keystep in a daw environment? i mean you do a sequence like u showed, how this can be incorporated in a daw. thx :)
Nai! The Keystep has MIDI-over-USB, so you just plug it in and use it with your computer and DAW. The midi data is received by the DAW and can play notes, or do other MIDI as needed. When Keystep sequencer is playing, it's also just sending MIDI data to make the hardware synth play...it can do the same with a softsynth.
How do I tie sequencer notes?
For same notes (like tying 2 eighth notes into a quarter), I show it in the video. For tying 2 different notes together (with a legato slide or something similar), the manual says:
Legato notes
The process for entering a Legato note is similar:
· Press the Record button
· Hold the Tap button until the end of this example
Remember: the next step will erase the existing sequence.
· Play one or more keys at the same time
· Release all keys to advance the step
· Play another key or chord
· Release the keys to advance to the next step
· When you have reached the end of the legato phrase, release the Tap button.
· Enter more notes as desired, or press the Stop button to exit Record mode.
Ta very much.
Hope you enjoy your Bishop's Finger at human body temperature, just as the Brits would, 'cause as you made the right guess, we all know where the finger rested previously...
Seriously, I tend to enjoy british cider in favour of their ales and such over the years much more, they are unmatched experts on that field.
But beer?
Oh, that wasn't the purpose of this, was it?
...I was looking for a decent hardware seq...
So I'm guessing it's not just me who's kind of "WTF" given the name, eh? Quite a few common wealth and UK viewers have made jokes about it. Must not have hurt the sales though. And great channel name btw...
ProckGnosis
Great to hear you enjoying my channels name, proving your expertise in the history of movie magic.
And maybe my channels name would make a decent name for a british ale, wouldn't it?
BTW: having a Nordic Porter by Störtebeker from Strahlsund, Germany right now. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
I had to look up the Nordic Porter by Störtebeker...looks quite tasty.
ProckGnosis
All those Eisbock specials by Störtebeker are outstanding. In fact, the brewery is one of, if not the, best by worldwide standards.
All their products are unique and flawless, still they do not take part in that overrated crafting scene and their overpriced brews.
I hope you are able to have a taste in your place of being, maybe they even ship directly from their shop to your location.
There is nothing better out there, trust me.
I lived in Germany until about a year ago, and I'll be back in Berlin for a few days in May (for Superbooth), so maybe I can dig up some samples. I'm definitely a Bock fan..."eis", "mai", "doppel" or otherwise.
What are you on lol
I am a synth and synth gear addict, I confess.