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Author Topic: An Issue, a Request, and a Suggestion  (Read 2537 times)

audiohoarder

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An Issue, a Request, and a Suggestion
« on: April 23, 2014, 11:00:59 pm »
I am currently using my Beatstep hooked up to a Mutable Instruments Shruthi via the MIDI dongle.

Hello, I am really enjoying the Beatstep, but I have an issue with the aftertouch response.
No matter how lightly I press a pad on the Beatstep, the channel aftertouch is being triggered on my Shruthi synthesizer module. Is there a way to make the aftertouch/pressure less sensitive or activate only after increasing the pressure on the pad? I use the aftertouch setting to simulate tightening a drum head like a "talking drum" or "roto tom" in a lot of my drum patches, but the pitch swings up instantly instead of responding to the pressure.
So far, this is the only negative aspect I have found while using the Beatstep. I hope it is just me overlooking a parameter in the software editor.

My request has to do with the CNTRL mode.
I think that having the option to separate recalling the encoder and pad settings would be awesome. For example: SHIFT+RECALL would allow access to the 16 pad banks and just pressing RECALL would access the 16 encoder banks. This way I could use the pads as a keyboard and SHIFT+RECALL as a transpose/octave switch without also changing what CC/NRPN the encoders edit.

My suggestion has to do with the encoder "speed".
As it stands, the encoder set to "fast" feels fine to me, but I have read that some don't like how slow they change value. The Shruthi has a great compromise for this: hold down a certain button and turn the encoder to advance ten steps in value instead of just one. Just holding SHIFT and turning an encoder in CNTRL could "speed up" the encoder in this manner.

That is all I have to say so far; I am very pleased with my purchase! :)

audiohoarder

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Re: An Issue, a Request, and a Suggestion
« Reply #1 on: April 26, 2014, 01:24:05 am »
I have noticed a few more glitches while using my Beatstep. I checked these issues with both software and hardware syntesizers, and the behavior is consistant.

While using the sequencer and playing notes with the CNTRL mode, some pads will stop sending MIDI note messages until they are retriggered. This is an issue when notes longer than a second have to be played. In some rare cases, the note cuts out instantly.

Another interesting glitch is holding SHIFT+CHAN in CNTRL mode. It seems to take you to the same page as SHIFT+CHAN in SEQ mode, but it doesn't change the number of steps in the sequence even though you can move the lit pad around. It reverts to pad 16 after leaving the page.

That is all I can find for now. Using the CNTRL and SEQ modes separately works fine.
I hope these minor issues are addressed in a firmware update.
« Last Edit: April 26, 2014, 01:26:04 am by audiohoarder »

audiohoarder

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Re: An Issue, a Request, and a Suggestion
« Reply #2 on: May 07, 2014, 09:13:19 pm »
Hello, I have a few more things to mention.

I was recently using the Beatstep with my Kawai K4r, and it created a lot of "hanging" MIDI notes. I believe that this is an issue with the continuous aftertouch response as I have this with no other controller I tested this issue with. I can clear these hang-ups by re-triggering the note with another controller, by unplugging the Beatstep and re-triggering the note, or by sending an "all notes off" message. The "stop" button does not send the right message in this case. Not a big issue as it works great with my DAW. In the firmware update, note on/off messages should take priority over the continuous aftertouch signal.

I also made a set of pad/knob settings for all 16 memories without realizing this would wipe out my sequencer settings too. I think that the sequencer, pads, and knobs should have their own separate memories to avoid any unintentional loss of data. I would consider the separation of the three types of memory to be the most valuable aspect of an update to me. I would love to know if this were possible. :)

 

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