Beatstep pro notes

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Fiddling with playing patterns

Some terms

  • project
The top 7-seg number corresponds to the project number.
each project contains completely separate
set of things in track (of which there are 16, in each project)
configuration of what the right side does in control mode
  • track
    • sequencer 1
    • sequencer 2
    • and drum are each a track
  • pattern - a numbered pattern within a track (indicated in 7seg)
  • encoders - the 16 turny knobs on top
  • step buttons - the buttons showing the pattern's steps (beteen pads and encoders)
  • pads - the larger square pads
pressure sensitive, so gives velocity and aftertouch


The touch strip on the left is used as either

Roller: repeats the note you also hold. For multiple notes, this means arpeggiation.
Looper: repeats a smaller part of the playing pattern

Project mode, control mode

Project mode is regular use as sequencers.

The roller/looper defaults to a looper (can be toggled to roller via Shift-Step9)


In control mode

sequencers still play, you just can't alter them right now
basically everything on the right becomes a MIDI controller, with arbitrarily-configurable MIDI CC(/MCI/HUI) mapping (reconfigured via the PC software (MIDI Control Ceenter))
it's initially a little misleading in that the pads are MIDI notes
The encoders (aimed at synth control) may do nothing unless your synth can listen for it.
changes the logic of some of the left part, e.g.
The roller/looper defaults to a roller (can be toggled to roller via Shift-Step9)
swing and random/probability applies to all three tracks, regardless of "current track" settings
"Knobs" toggles the encoders between their CC and MCU/HUI mappings
the encoders control specific CCs
the step buttons toggle certain CCs between two set values
Note that each project contain a distinct configuration for control mode

The gray bit on the left

PRST Link

whether the three sequencers's patterns are switched to the same number at the same time
(requires patterns in each match, so by default they are switched individually)


TRNS Link is whether to transpose both sequencers at the same time, or not


Longer patterns

Patterns are exactly 16 steps long by default.


This can be

  • shortened/extended to an arbitrary position (for polymeter)
by
holding LST STEP,
pressing a step button for the actual point to loop at
optionally first using << or >> to go to a different chunk (can be one beyond where the current last step is)
  • extended with Shift>>
takes however much there is in the first chunk, and appends it at the current last position
which in basic cases works out as appending 16 notes
but an example of a more interesting case:
extending a pattern of total length 13 makes length 26
extending that 26-length it copies the first chunk (which is now length 16) so makes it length 42 (26+16)
extending that 26-length it from the second chunk does the same thing (copies the first, not the second chunk)


Notes:

note that holding LST STEP
temporarily shows indicates the chunk that contains the last step (blinks white on the left), and highlights the last step in it on the step pads.
You can set another last step in that chunk, or in another chunk by using << or >> first
when you let go, you go back to what you were viewing before
Perhaps an easier way to think about it is that
you always have a canvas of 64 steps
which happens to wrap back at step 16 by default, but can be made to wrap back at any other step
and there's an easy way to increase the length by copying however many are in the first chunk


When you have multiple chunks, pressing <<>> together toggles between

  • not follow mode (default)
neither arrow keys lit
stays on current chunk and lets you navigate between them
useful for editing chunks that are not currently playing
  • follow mode
both arrow keys lit
automatically switches to the chunk that is currently playing
cannot use << or >> to navigate
useful to have to navigate less, can still edit notes e.g. behind the play cursor for next loop



In the 16/32/48/64 part

RED: the 16-part chunk we're viewing/editing' (and, in follow mode, playing)
WHITE: the chunk that has the last step
the currently playing is not indicated (except in follow mode)

Chaining patterns

The above would imply that you loop after at most 64 steps.


Chaining patterns lets you play patterns after others.

Basically, every time you hold 

ShiftSeq1/Seq2/Drum

and press a series of step-buttons-meaning-patterns, that sequence of patterns to be played from then on.


Switching tracks, saving tracks

You can switch between the patters in a track by

pressing the << or >>
holding the sequencer button and pressing the numbered

Note that switching will wipe unsaved changes. Making it a quick way to revert changes you don't like.


The dot next to the current number indicates unsaved changes.

You can save to a numbered pattern:

  • Hold SAVE (top gray section) and
  • press the step button numbered for the pattern number you want to save to

Note:

makes it easier to make a few copies to vary, without touching the original
the current one is highlighted (other used slots are indicated white)


Similarly, switching between projects without saving wipes changes and holding save while in project mode saves the project - i.e. all the tracks.

Encoder knobs

Knobs are capacitive-touch sensitive to show their current note/value on the display.


In control mode

Changes CCs (at least, that's the default mapping of these)


In sequencer and drum modes

They alter what the LEDs on the track indicate, itself altered by "knobs".

Note that sequencer pitch is by default altered in chromatic steps. This can be changed by


Shift-knob1 adds/subtracts to all the steps.

Step buttons, knobs

In project mode, the knobs will alter pitch, veolicty, gate, or shift (drum only) depending on the current sequencer and its current mode for the knobs.

The knobs apply to the current window on the overall sequence, shown in the step button.


The step buttons

enable/disable an event in the sequence
Holding a step while pressing a pad sets its note and velocity
Similarly, pressing and holding a pad, then pressing step buttons, sets the step with that note and velocity
While still holding the pad, the steps you add only become part of playing when you let go of the pad. This makes it easier to introduce them per bar or such.
LST STEP + a step - sets the overall length of the pattern
Shift + firststep resets the current sequencer's current pattern

Specific to...

Seq+Drums

You can put/alter notes in a pattern by:

  • pressing the step button in the indicator row where they should go
  • pressing a pad while in recording mode
will last longer if held (tied)


Drums

In MIDI, each element of a drumkit corresponds to a specific MIDI note.

As such, the drum sequencer works out as separate pattern for each - effectively 16 sequencers.

You can switch to another drum-element by pressing the pad.

To do so quietly, hold 'drum' while doing so


ShiftStep1 clears everything (all drum element's steps), like sequencers

ShiftStep2 clears the currently selected drum element's steps


You can mute individual elements with DrumMuteElement

you can keep toggling individual channels like that
the mute knob/led blinks to indicate some are muted
you can bring all back pressing that blinking mute


ShiftStep16 - Drum polyrhythm

lets you set Lst-Step per drum element, rather than for all at the same time

Controller

ShiftStep9 Roller/Looper switch

ShiftStep14 "Wait to load pattern"

only load new projects(verify) at the end of a drum sequence (verify)
previously only set in Midi Control Center(verify), exposed as a togglable thing since firmware 2(verify)


ShiftStep15 Global tempo

Altering

Transposing

Hold the "Sequencer 1" or "Sequencer 2" button, and press either

the keyboard parts to change to a different root,
the octave buttons to shift octaves


TRNS Link (on the left) - if on, sequencers will transpose at the same time. Disabled by default.

Swing, Randomness/Probability

Swing changes rhythm, placing sixteenth notes at some percentage of the time interval. Straight playing is 50%, and you get up to 75%


Randomness and probability together introduce improvisation-like variations.

Randomness controls how large the changes, mostly to:

whether notes are played
velocity
gate time
playback order

Probability controls how often something changes.

(So both 100/0% and 0/100% means nothing happens)


By default, swing, and Randomness+probability, apply to sequencers and drum track equally.

Swing can be switched to alter only the current track.

The randomness + probability combination can separately be switched in the same way.


There are effectively four sets of both these things:

global (altered when current track is set to global)
and track-individual (altered when current track is set to individual)

and the buttons toggle the current track between global and its own(verify)

Output

It has three tracks:

  • drum sequencer
output: 8 according gate outputs (for more, use MIDI)
  • pitch sequencer
output: pitchCV, velocityCV, gate
  • pitch sequencer
output: pitchCV, velocityCV, gate

Each track also outputs to a MIDI channel, e.g. meaning you can control keyboard-style


The knobs can be used for sequencer (altering pitch, length, etc) or, in control mode, send MIDI CC

(Physical MIDI plug, or USB-virtual MIDI if that's easier for your PC)


Chan

Sets the MIDI output channel of the three sequencers, and control


Resort

Doubling a sequencer copies into the new areas, making it easy to create variations.

Knobs

Knobs can alter

Pitch,
gate length (including ties and slides),
shift (for off-time beats)
velocity

depending on sequencer and which mode you're in.


Unsorted

Three presses of stop is a panic, in the form of sending an all notes off (CC 123) to all channels (plus CC 51, haven't figured that out yet(verify)).


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOQ5JFDokqQ


https://www.arturia.com/support/beatstepproquickstart#connect

Detailed docs: http://downloads.arturia.net/products/beatstep-pro/manual/beatstep-pro_Manual_2_0_EN.pdf

Power

The beatstep wants close to 500mA.

That means it won't work (properly) on unpowered hubs, which includes some PC front ports.


It's fine on most back ports and most laptop ports, and on powered hubs.


If in doubt about your PC side, you can power it from an adapter using the (also CV-ground-isolating) splitter (which seems to also help it be much less EM-noisy).


Hubs

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