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Arturia - BeatStep - Compact MIDI Controller & Sequencer with Creative Software for Recording - 16 Pads, 16 Encoders

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$88.11

$ 41 .99 $41.99

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About this item

  • VERSATILE MIDI CONTROLLER AND SEQUENCER: BeatStep is a chameleon controller and sequencer that provides nearly endless possibilities! Highly versatile, it allows you to trigger clips in apps like Ableton Live, finger-drum or make beats effortlessly, tweak your sound in real-time - or all at once! In addition, its compact format makes it the perfect companion on the road or in the studio.
  • TWO IN ONE…: With MIDI Controller mode, the 16 velocity- and pressure-sensitive pads make it the perfect compact solution for playing percussion, while sequencer mode turns it into an easy step sequencer. The 16 encoders will adjust pitch for the associated step. 16 memories allow for instant recall of your patterns while the pad scale modes, sequence playback modes and time division functions allow for real time performance changes.
  • …BOTH AT ONCE: This MIDI keyboard is both a pad/knob controller AND a step sequencer. But the best part is that you can run them both at the same time! You can have the step sequencer play your sound through the CV/Gate output, while you switch to CONTROL mode and trigger clips on Ableton Live and use the encoders to manipulate your VST version of SEM V. All at once!
  • ALL THE CONNECTIONS YOU NEED: BeatStep has MIDI, USB and CV connectivity, giving you a sequencer that will work with all types of gear, including analog synths, software instruments, and MIDI hardware. The BeatStep pads can be configured to send MIDI note on/off messages, MMC commands, Program and Bank changes, or serve as MIDI CC buttons.
  • CREATIVE SOFTWARE INCLUDED: BeatStep comes with all the creative software you need. Make great-sounding tracks in full (Ableton Live Lite), get hundreds of pro-grade synth and key sounds (Analog Lab Intro) and easily edit your MIDI setups and sequences (MIDI Control Center). You can use the encoders to adjust the effects in your favorite DJ app. The transport buttons can be MMC controls or send MIDI CCs to start and stop your DAW. It can be the MIDI Clock master or slave to an external clock.


Beat Step was designed to give you the control you need, whether you're working with your favorite DAW or loop triggering software, VST instrument or effect, drum software, DJ app, MIDI synth or even analog gear with CV/Gate inputs. The possibilities are nearly endless. Beat Step fulfills multiple requirements for a wide variety of musicians. It's truly a chameleon, ready and able to become many things to many people. No other compact pad controller on the market offers this level of control plus a step sequencer at such an amazing price.


Frank Sangay
Reviewed in France on September 19, 2024
À recommander à tous les amateurs qui aime les effets dans la musique.
Lourdes
Reviewed in Mexico on May 10, 2024
Muy completo
Collin
Reviewed in the United States on June 18, 2022
I bought this for two different uses. Firstly, I bought this to use as a midi controller for photo editing in Capture One. Secondly, I was excited to also use this as a step sequencer, drum pad and overall continuous encoder controller for music production.For photo editing, this controller worked out exactly as I had hoped. I use it with third party software Keyboard Maestro to map the encoders to edit parameters in C1. This does take a large amount of programming, both in KM and it the Arturia setup software. But, it works like a dream and makes for a very fun way to edit.For music production, this controller has some flaws that a lot of people have noted before.Number one: it’s clunky to program the what notes are triggered by the pads and what CC’s are controlled by the knobs. There’s no way to do it from the unit itself— you have to open the Arturia software on your computer. If you’re using something like Battery which has midi learn, it’s not that big of a deal. But, if you’re trying to trigger an instrument in Kontakt, for example, it’s very clunky to assign the notes to the pads.Number two: The Step Sequencer has major flaws. If you’re using it in step sequencer mode, you can change what notes are assigned to the steps, but since there’s no screen of any kind, you’re basically doing by ear/chance. This can make for some cool random patterns, but the real problem is that if you try use the step sequencer synced to a DAW— it doesn’t stay in sync… like at all.So yeah, I don’t use it all for music, but I love it for photo editing. Although, knowing what I know now, I doubt I’d buy it again at full price for that purpose alone…On a positive note, the build quality is very good. The knobs have a nice feel to them, as do the pads. The only exception is that the usb connection is on the side which makes it hard to place with other elements on a desktop.
Christopher Smith
Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2021
Excellent value for the money. Fantastic build quality. Great functionality.
Zachary Taylor
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 3, 2020
This is my first synth controller, and I purchased it to operate an analogue modular synth as well as DAW. I'm impressed. It's nice and compact, light weight, but has a nice user-friendly interface. The knobs and pressure pads are responsive and solid, the features intuitive and avoiding unnecessary complications while also being quite comprehensive. The sequencer worked out of the box for both my analogue synth and FL Studio. Definitely recommend.
AKM
Reviewed in Canada on August 3, 2019
Well made, works as expected. Excellent product.
Goerke P.
Reviewed in Germany on October 17, 2019
Ich benutze es für lightroom geht einbandfrei ab Und zu eine Verzögerung liegt aber am Programm plugin von lightroom
StormJH1
Reviewed in the United States on August 22, 2016
I'm a bit of a later adopter of the Arturia BeatStep, but I put a lot of thought into which of the affordable pad/knob MIDI controllers I thought would work best for me, and the BeatStep was the clear favorite. To seal the deal, Amazon randomly put it on sale for quite a bit less than the usual asking price of around $100 U.S. At that price (or even at the usual street price), it feels like a very nice device for the money.PROS - The build quality of the BeatStep is impressive. The overall unit has a weight and toughness to it that you just don't find in products in this price range. I've owned comparable MIDI controllers from Akai and Korg, and while they function just fine, the lightweight plastic feel of them just doesn't feel like as nice of a product as what you get from Arturia. The additional heft from the metal backing probably help stabilize the pads during finger drumming, too.The original BeatStep is a MIDI controller and (very basic) sequencer that doesn't necessarily excel at any one task, but is capable of more than you might expect. I thought the connectivity options were amazing - USB MIDI and 5-pin DIN MIDI out, plus CV Sync in a $100 controller!? It's pretty amazing that you could hook this single device up to a desktop DAW, iPad, or hardware synth and have all sorts of options for controlling notes and sequencing. A lot of older hardware gear only uses 5-pin DIN, so that's a major advantage to have that connectivity right off the bat. A lot of popular affordable gear from Korg, Teenage Engineering, etc. uses CV to sync between units, also. I haven't tried it with all my gear yet, but I've seen enough online to suggest it should work, and you can adjust the voltage and other parameters though a very robust online editor.I primarily bought the BeatStep to use as a MIDI controller, and it's probably best suited for that purpose. Plug this thing into an iPad sampler, and it's like have the control surface of an MPC with a powerful software sampler behind it. With 16 rotary knobs to adjust CC parameters, plus 16 more pads (and a single large knob usually mapped to volume, but it can be reassigned), there's a lot of flexibility here. I actually thought the pads needed to be more sensitive, but again, that can be adjusted by the software.In sequencer mode, the BeatStep is very easy to use and interesting as a creative tool. The pads light up in this mode to visually display progress through the sequence. You can change the step time to stretch single bar patterns into multiple bars, or morph slow progressions into frantic note runs. You also have the ability to play the sequence backwards or at random. You adjust the note on each step by turning the 16 corresponding knobs (which are notched for feel), kind of like an old-school step sequencer. It's not a terribly deep or one-size-fits-all solution for writing music, but it's still well-implemented and a lot of fun to work with the sequencer in this way.CONS - Overall, I'm happy with the BeatStep, but there are some limitations you need to know about. The sequencer is basically monophonic, so you cannot really use the BeatStep to sequence proper drum beats. There's also no velocity control in the sequencer, unlike in controller mode where the pads are velocity-sensitive. As I've hinted at already, there are sequencer apps on the iPad costing a fraction of this already affordable device that are infinitely more powerful.Arturia has addressed some of the other complaints, such as the CC knobs not working fast enough to be used for filter sweeps, etc. As a controller, the default setting for the pads are chromatic notes. You can change this to a number of different scales, which is neat. But there isn't a convenient way to switch octaves like you would on a keyboard with octave up/down buttons. I believe you can hold "shift" and turn the big knob to transpose a number of steps, and this feature was expanded in a later firmware update. But I can't imagine that would be a practical way to reach the "D" note in the octave above after you just played a "B" note in the lower octave on the pads.Finally, the BeatStep has no visual display, and in my experience with some of the other budget equipment I've used, this becomes a limiting factor pretty quickly. For example, how do you use the BeatStep to sequence other gear via MIDI or CV if you have no visual readout of the BPM setting? Or, if you want to transpose a sequence by 5 semitones, how can you tell how far you've turned the knob without a display? I think the original BeatStep had the bones of a much more powerful controller and sequencer, but Arturia left out just a few important things that could have taken it to another level. This appears to be part of the lesson that led to the BeatStep Pro, although that's a notably more expensive device at about $250 U.S.CONCLUSION - Despite everything it's missing, I really like what the BeatStep offers as a controller, and think I might enjoy some of the sequencing features as well. Considering I got it for not much more than the price of a Korg NanoKontrol2, there's really a lot to like here. Also, the software editor is one of the more straightforward experiences I've had with a piece of hardware, and that's a big help. The BeatStep doesn't do everything, but I've found that what it does do is handled efficiently and reliably in an attractive package.UPDATE (09/26/16): It's been a frustration of mine that the pads on the BeatStep are a bit stiff and really require a firm touch to register. I'm not talking about "touch velocity" - they definitely sense velocity, but it seems like you should be able to configure it so that even very light touches register as hits, and I haven't really figured that out yet. Considered downgrading to 4 stars, but I'm not doing that yet because there's a lot of other good things about this controller, and I suspect it might be user error or my own inexperience with pads talking. But I am considering a used Korg nanoKontrol (the 2006 model) or another option.
Trevor Cunningham
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2016
I hummed and hawed over this versus the BeatStep Pro. I'm a bit of a newb to electronic music, so I went with this model over the grander pro. Glad I did, this is more than enough machine to keep me occupied and tinkering. Works like a charm with my MicroBrute and Logic Pro X.
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