Arturia KeyStep is More Than Meets the Eye

Let me tell you about some great new gear I’ve had on the bench for the past month, the Arturia KeyStep. What I have is a nice, compact 32-note Keyboard Controller, Sync In/Out, CV/Gate/Velocity Out, Midi Din In/Out and USB Midi and Power, all packed up like a Swiss Army Knife.

Extra cool points are added for the built-in Arpeggiator and Polyphonic Sequencer.

I imagine you would ask, “What does this have to do with Max?” Well, let’s go back to the Swiss Army Knife mention. This is a do-it-all interface, not just a keyboard. Let me run you through it.

First, connect the KeyStep to your Computer via USB. (It’s now receiving all the juice it needs to operate.)

Second, fire up BEAP with an outgoing Sequencer or make your own multi-track, multi-channel Euclidian mega sequencer, it’s really up to you.

Now, select Arturia KeyStep 32 as your outgoing midi port and you’re now sending midi out to the KeyStep.

What next?

Hook it up to EVERYTHING – this is where I get a bit excited - I believe this is now the cheapest and most versatile Computer to Midi Din/CV/Clock interface on the market.

You can send Clock and a Polyphonic Sequence out from Max, and have them join with the KeyStep's Poly Sequencer & Arpeggiator or not. You can then connect the Arturia to several pieces of hardware playing mono sequences from the CV out, full Midi Din control over complete Synthesizers and keep it all nicely synced with the steady clock coming from Max. Alternative ways of achieving similar versatility would involve more hardware and many types of connectors and midi cables.

I like the KeyStep because it keeps it simple, flexible and fast so I can do what I like most - making crazy sequencers in Max and firing them out everywhere.