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The Arturia KeyStep is a USB/MIDI controller keyboard with CV/gate connections and a polyphonic step sequencer. The Slim Key keyboard offers a great compromise of space saving mini-keys and the musicality of an original keyboard. A compact design with touch response and aftertouch make the KeyStep ultra-portable without sacrificing good playability.
The polyphonic step sequencer has eight storage spaces whilst gate times and swing parameters can be directly modulated and you can create varied sequences. Patterns can be recorded in real-time, overdubbed and transposed, and the keyboard can still be played. In addition, there is a flexible Arpeggiator and ChordPlay mode.
The KeyStep from Arturia is one of the best portable keyboard controllers on the market with a huge variety of connection options including USB-MIDI, standard five-pin MIDI input and output jacks, clock sync and DIN sync, CV/gate outputs and a separate, freely assignable CV output that can be controlled via the modulation wheel and via the stop dynamics or the aftertouch. The KeyStep is the perfect performance controller in a compact form.
I like the concept of the Arturia KeyStep a lot: a MIDI-keyboard with an arpeggiator, a polyphonic sequencer, which can also be used as a a MIDI-CV converter. That's huge!
Pros:
* Excellent connectivity options;
* Polyphonic sequencer (suck it, Beatstep!);
* Well built;
* Very intuitive;
* Great value for its price;
Cons:
* Tiny keys;
* Tiny sync switch (it's really a pain!);
* Hard to do a multi-octave arpeggio;
* Firmware bugs;
* Almost all the settings can be changed via a software only;
* No power adapter included (why all the music companies keep doing this?)
P.S.:
Dear Arturia,
How about a pro version of the Keystep?
It would be freaking awesome!
It's small but good to play on it, it has a lot of nice functions you can make your own sequence, and connect it to anything. It really opens up a lot of possibilities for me working with small synthesiser, best midi keyboard I have used.
Every month we are giving away a shopping voucher among all submitted reviewers worth 500 EURO!
Congratulations to the winner of December: Michael Rauser, Heilbronn (DE)
The winner from the previous month (November): Martin Reinert, Siegburg (DE)
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