If you want to play a keyboard and sequence MIDI tracks, there are easier ways to do it and better tools for the job. It’s an idea that’s particularly appealing to owners of Korg’s Volca Sample, since that versatile box places every sample on a separate MIDI channel. As an added feature, the BeatStep Pro also allows you to use the 16 drum pads as a keyboard and record a sequence as you would with a standard MIDI keyboard and DAW. These are organized as 16 projects, with 16 sequences per track, which is ample for most live performance requirements. It can also send and receive MIDI clock, and so can act as either master or slave with almost anything.

Both melodic sequencers provide three 1/8" jack connectors : Two CV outputs for Pitch and Velocity, as well as a Gate output.

The number of steps in each is set independently of the others, to 16, 32, 48 or 64, with manual adjustment of the sequence end point allowing for odd numbers - 15, 31, 47 or 63, for example. You can not only control instruments in your DAW; plug-in all the outboard gear that you have and it can become the nerve centre for your whole rig. So, yes the fix is, third party cable, cut the end off and get the soldering iron out to fix the usb socket issue. The notes generated correspond to those used already in the pattern: it’s not one of those ‘scary randoms’ where you have no idea what to expect. CV gate has an option for slides - this can achieve a nice acid glide effect if you're into that sort of thing!

A versatile, hands–on step sequencer packing more than three times the muscle of the original Beatstep. The drum sequencer, so sorely lacking from the original BeatStep, comes next, enabling you to craft whole live performances entirely from the one unit. Great care has been taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this article but neither Sound On Sound Limited nor the publishers can be held responsible for its contents.The pitch CVs can operate in either volt-per-octave or Hertz-per-volt mode, allowing them to integrate smoothly with both Moog and Roland gear (and of course, Arturia? Select a scale and key, and the pitch adjustments you make from the knobs (only the knobs-it won’t rescale MIDI coming in externally ) will be constrained to those notes. Each issue it brings its lucky readers the best in cutting-edge tutorials, need-to-know, expert software reviews and even all the tools you actually need to make great music today, courtesy of our legendary CM Plugin Suite. Two grey plastic adapters turn those theoretical MIDI In and Out sockets into something a MIDI cable can recognise and get chummy with.

s targeted at the growing ranks of gigging electronic artists who want to interact with their sequencing tools in real time as they perform or compose.Hold down a step key, hit a note on your keyboard, and pitch and velocity are recorded for that step. In addition to the aforementioned ability to transpose your sequences on the fly, you can change the sequence direction from forward to backward to alternating, all in real time. Those pads serve well for the input of melodies, bass lines and drums and the encoders are spot on for sequence creation and disassembly. 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.