I just got a Keystep Pro today and I’m working through it, one thing that instantly struck out at me is that a chain can only be 16 patterns long? Is this true?
Even of we max out all the pattern lengths this means a “song” can only be 64 bars long? That’s nothing!
How is this possible in a device that costs this much money and is specifically advertised as suitable for DAWless setups?
Also: No way to modify a chain?? Just a one-time step input?
Surely a proper chain mode could be added that uses the 16 pads together with the 16/32/48/64 buttons to both extend the length and make a proper editor.
ie. When the “Chain” button is lit up:
a) Use the 16/32/48/64 buttons together with the 16 pads to select one of 64 possible “links” in a chain.
b) The patterns selected at the selected “link” are shown in each track’s display area. Use the track’s left/right buttons to choose a pattern at that “link”.
c) Use the track’s mute button for “no pattern at this link” (display “–” and light the mute LED).
d) Allow each “link” to be repeated a number of times. Show the number of repeats on the OLED, use the main data encoder to change it.
e) Set the chain’s length using the “Last step” button (similar to setting the length of a pattern).
64 links in a chain together with repeats should be enough for anybody.
It’s all very well claiming this is supposed to be a “live performance” device but for thins much money it should be able to sequence properly as well.
Sometimes we want to be playing our guitars, not hovering over the Keystep’s buttons and manually changing patterns every four bars.
I agree with you, and it’s prevented me from using the KSP as anything more than a compositional tool.
I love it, but very few of my tracks are short enough to perform with it.
I really wish that Arturia would make a KSP-Pro with a proper song-mode, patterns with 128 steps (256 would be even better), 64 projects in storage so no need to swap, full-size keys, and usb-host capability. Plus the basic missing features from the normal keystep (strum! editing sequences in the app), then it’d pretty much be my ultimate device. Oh and fix the timing.
Instead they’ve done the cheapo option - painted it black and put a few more LEDS in it. Really frustrating when it is so close.
I have to ask … At 120bpm, 64 full patterns is just over two minutes. What exactly are you trying to do that that’s not long enough?
Not to invalidate your desires. The way I use it isn’t the only way to use it.
After all, chains are just a series of references to patterns. 16 patterns is 4-bits in binary reference storage, not even a full byte; two references per byte. The KSP really should be able to store a whomp-ton of those. Enough to satisfy any user. Just 1MB dedicated to that would be 2048 patterns long if I’m thinking of my maths correctly.
I’m personally baffled (and quite irritated) by not being able to record pitch bend, mod wheel, or aftertouch; not to mention the five CC# knobs. For which, again, we’re talking kilobytes of data, not megabytes. Most of those are 8-bit, but IIRC pitch bend is 12- or 14-bit.
Really makes me wonder how much memory they put in this thing. My Korg Trinity from 1996 can record more than the KSP FFS.
Out of my understanding of KSP so far just an idea which may be helpful: could “scenes” be a way to lengthen tracks? As I understood, patterns and chaines can be stored in scenes (and projects). That would not change the option to edit chains, but may open ways for longer tracks.
Anyway, for me it is so complicated to “mentally administrate” patterns, chains and scenes without beeing able to actually “see” them. So I try to find a workaround with midi-recording them in a DAW like Maschine or Logic…
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with a proper song-mode, patterns with 128 steps (256 would be even better), 64 projects in storage so no need to swap, full-size keys, and usb-host capability. Plus the basic missing features from the normal keystep (strum! editing sequences in the app), then it’d pretty much be my ultimate device. Oh and fix the timing.
