![]() Arturia provide only one of these adapters because there’s only one MIDI port, the output. ![]() Instead, there’s a 3.5mm jack, plus a short MIDI adapter packed in with the USB cable. The Beatstep’s front panel measures a compact 320 x 130 mm.Due to the Beatstep’s sylph–like form, regular MIDI connectivity is not a practical option. Other buttons provide external synchronisation, patch storage and MIDI channel selection, and we mustn’t forget the inevitable shift key, which is used to access features such as scale, sequence direction and speed. When in controller mode the button is red, while sequencer mode turns it blue. (The clues are in the name, the transport buttons and the labels printed beneath the pads.) Fortunately, the two modes co–exist peacefully, with overall control toggled by alternate presses of the Cntrl/Seq button. Rated as a compact, assignable MIDI controller, the Beatstep would score highly, but there’s another side to its personality - that of a step sequencer. This feels cheap and vulnerable to being accidentally torn off. I spotted only one minor flaw: the grey, paper–like side coverings protrude slightly over the metal base. In sporting pads with adjustable velocity response and polyphonic aftertouch, the Beatstep earns an initial rush of positivity. The encoders are slightly notched and feel good, as do the backlit drum pads arranged in two rows of eight. Measuring just 320 x 130 x 17 mm, the design is similar to the Spark LE drum machine, right down to the rubber buttons and charcoal grey encoders. ![]() The Beatstep is heavier than its tasteful cream–coloured body suggests. In or out of the box, on of off stage, this tiny controller promises much and costs little. The Beatstep is a combined drum pad, MIDI controller and step sequencer eager to communicate with CV/Gate synths, MIDI hardware, the studio computer or iPad. Having broken free of the virtual world to build analogue synthesizers, Arturia continue to expand and consolidate their range. Arturia’s Beatstep combines a MIDI controller and a step sequencer in one extremely reasonably priced box. ![]()
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