Make the Arturia BeatStep Pro the Next Addition to Your Studio

[Fade]

Prepare to be blown away - Arturia has come out with a really fascinating piece of hardware, the BeatStep Pro.

When I first heard about it, it was a bit confusing at first because it looked like a straight up USB controller, when in fact it's so much more than that.

What Is It?

The Arturia BeatStep Pro is both a USB controller and analog sequencer. You may be wondering to yourself if anyone would want anything analog nowadays, but it's here and it's really good.

The Guts

There are many improvements over the first generation of the BeatStep. When looking at the back of the controller, you can see that it has ins and outs for synthesizers, drum gates, clocking, and MIDI. This is really interesting because basically you can use the BeatStep with your computer via USB, or use it with various hardware such as drum machines, keyboards, synths, etc.

I had trouble figuring out at first what exactly was going on inside of the BeatStep when it came to recording. Basically, it records projects that you can then record into your DAW, if you wish.

Why You Should Have The BeatStep Pro

I'm a die hard Maschine user but even I think the BeatStep Pro is a must-have. Some beatmakers will want to go with an analog-only type of setup, or something that they can run all their gear through. Think of it like this: whereas you would normally have all your analog gear going through a mixer, playing each piece separately, then recording it all into your DAW - you can now greatly shorten that workflow.

It's sort of like a classic drum machine with step sequencing and MIDI capabilities, but with lots of steroids injected into it.

If you're looking for something that you can use for live performances, or if you just have a lot of gear that you want to sequence together, this is for you.

One more thing that I forgot to mention - you can use the BeatStep Pro without a computer! All you have to do is use a USB to power adapter that you can plug into the wall. How cool is that?

Arturia BeatStep Pro Features

• 16x Projects w/ 16x2 Melodic Sequences
• 16x Drum Sequences & Controller Maps
• 16x Velocity and Pressure Sensitive Pads
• 16x Touch-Sensitive Rotary Encoders
• 16x MIDI Controller & Sequencer Presets
• 8x Analog Drum Gate Outputs
• Internal and External Clocking
• MIDI I/O and USB I/O
• Randomizer w/ Amount and Probability
• Real-Time Looper/Roller Touch-Strip

Just today, IllMuzik's own Greg Savage released a video tutorial where he demonstrates the power of the BeatStep Pro:



More Information

Here are some important links for you to check out:

• Arturia Website
• SonicSense Demo & Overview
• Arturia BeatStep Pro Sequencer & Controller Demo
• BeatStep Pro at Amazon
• Humanizing Your Workflow With The BeatStep Pro

 

[Greg Savage]

Fade, thanks a lot for the write up my friend, really means a lot. I'm glad you liked the video. Hopefully others find it beneficial.

 

[Fade]

No problem, glad you liked it!

 

[TRAXBYDATON]

I need that MPC Touch. I'm going to wait until they drop a new version though and get the kinks out. I like this drum machine though. I bought the Beat Thang. It got hated on like a FOOL!!! But that Beat Thang is the truth. I might take a look at this and buy it however. U can never have enough drum machines!

 

[*D*]

Arturia makes some quality products and not too expensive.

 

[*D*]

The drum gates in the back, do they work as drum triggers? I'm wondering because I have a analog drum module that only takes 1/4 in.