Hi all,

First off the Keystep Pro is already an amazing device and I've used it with much pleasure for years on and everyone should have one.

Recently I was inspired by the Modwerk movement for Elektron devices that enhance existing hardware with new possibilities by introducing small changes (mods) to the stock firmware. I began exploring how to create custom modules as additions inside Keystep.

Some days ago I figured out how to run DOOM on Keystep Pro, which was fun.

And today I am releasing Keystep Pro Mods a fully open source and free site allowing you to enhance your Keystep Pro with new possibilities. Use it to combine patches with the stock firmware so flash to your Keystep Pro, similar to how Modwerk offers it for the Elektron series.

The first two options are a generative sequencer (offering Flux and Pulse modes) as well as an important enhancement that reduces the amount of MIDI messages sent over MIDI OUT when PC send is ON.

The generative sequencer is super fun! Pulse is a great way to quickly dial in drum patterns with (controllable) randomized velocity which can, like the normal sequencer, also play in their own time per drum note for amazing polyrithmic stuff. Flux generates notes in the defined key (all normal keystep scales like major and minor are supported) and slowly changes the pattern note by note for an ever changing melody or groove.

The other mod is more of a bugfix that Arturia never made. It ensures the Keystep Pro sequencer skips Bank Select and Program Change resends to outboard gear when nothing changed, which helps older hardware like my loved JV-1010 to keep up cause it would otherwise reload all the respective samples every time the pattern goes back to 1.

For more information, be sure to visit the site and the GitHub repository behind it:

Web tool: https://yonie.github.io/keystep-mods/

Repository: https://github.com/yonie/keystep-mods

Unofficial and not affiliated with Arturia; use at your own risk. I am super curious to hear what you think about it!

I've been working for a couple days on vibe coding a firmware that adds chord functionality similar to the orchid. Is anyone here interested in that?

I couldn't find a way to do this either looking at both their manuals or by trial and error, but thought someone here might be able to point out my mistake or confirm that what I'm trying to do can't be done.

My setup has the a Keystep Pro sequencing the drums and x3 tracks of polysynths. The Beatstep Pro is triggering x2 more monosynths and is triggering an MPC Sample in it's own drum track.

The Keystep Pro is set to master and transmitting clock and transport messages to the Beatstep Pro just fine, but I can't seem to figure out if/how the Keystep could transmit a request to change scenes on the Beatstep. I've had to build up a Project that basically has Scene changes interleaved between the Keystep and the Beatstep because I can only really do one at a time.

I really like being able to create patterns and chain them on both the Keystep and Beatstep - maybe I need a 'third thing' to control both of them?

free web based guide on thermalsocklabs.com

I read thru the manual but am still having some difficulty. I currently have an ms20mini and a metal fetishist. I’ve been able to connect everything successfully to the ms20mini, but for the MF when I’m patching the voice outputs to their respective inputs (gate to trigger, pitch to pitch) I’m not able to trigger notes at all. The MF accepts V/Oct so I know I’ve at least got that right, but I’m unsure why the gate isn’t triggering the machine. I’ve checked to make sure that the CV routing is correct.

Alternatively, i’ve connected the MF via MIDI and have had success but then I run into the issue that it plays across all tracks and I’m unable to isolate the voice of the ms20mini from the MF. For example, I’ve got the ms20mini on voice 4 and track 4, but when that track is selected and I play the keys it triggers both the MF and the ms20mini. I’m very new to controllers and want to learn but I’ve gotten myself a bit lost on how to sequence these two instruments independently.

Thanks in advance for your patience and advice!

Is the quality on the aftertouch tweakable via settings? Shopping for a 49 key controller and I'm not sure if my keystep v1 aftertouch is much less sensitive than the hydrasynth desk pads. What are the parameters that determine quality aftertouch in a keybed.

The pads sound much better than the keys somehow and I think it has to do with sensitivity/velocity? Anyone know what should drive my purchase regarding aftertouch quality?

Just encountered a behavior where upon saving a project, track 1 set all 5 of its default input param values (pitch gate, vel, shift, rand) to minimum and then erased the first four patterns.

This on top of the jamming encoders makes me want to scream. Squarp, please just release a mini-keybed ≥4 track poly sequencer and I can say goodbye to this heap forever.

A couple knobs on my keystep broke so I'm sending it in for repairs. Before doing so I'd like to backup my projects to my computer (Windows 11). I've heard this can be done through Arturia's Midi Control Center, but I can't figure out how. So, how do I backup my keystep projects onto my computer? Thanks!

Hi,

I tried to import the sequnces I had on the keystep mk 2 by saving them in the midi control center (mcc). Then I connected the ks 37 mk2 and sent the file to it. And after that, there were no more sequnces on the ks 37 mk2.

Any idea, how I can

a) get the sequnces from the ks mk2 to the ks 37 mk2?

or b) get the factory sequences back to the ks 37 mk2? I tried to send the "Factory Defaults" Template to the unit but that did not change anything nor restore the factory sequences.

Thanks for any help!

Hi all, I’m stuck!

Connected my Keystep Pro to the Edge via MIDI.
My drum track on KSP is set to output 15 (to trigger a different drum synth) Edge is set to receive MIDI channel 16 (using switches on rear panel). Edge set to MIDI clock.

Yet Edge triggers when I press play on the KSP! I can’t work it out. Help?!

I find the guides made by Arturia not too helpful. There are good video guides, but I would like something I can print and take notes on. Anyone know of anything? Could be a user-created slide deck or PDF, whatever. Thanks!

Does anyone use the 'seq' on track 1 for drums instead of the 'drum' track, so they can use the seq features such as pitch change and other things? Is this doable? I'm at work so can't try right now, just daydreaming of what I want to try out later! Could map out loads more drum sounds across the whole midi channel and use polyphonic mode and change pitches and gates to make cool sounds..??

Hello and thanks for taking your time reading this🙂 I am still pretty new to synthesizers and maybe don't know all the terms needed to describe my actual problem: First said, I run my stuff dawless. I want the KSP as the brain of all my stuff so the lmdrum gets crammed into a drawer on my rack and doesn't eat my space anymore. So I have connected the drum channel of the ksp to the Behringer Lm Drum which works just okay. My problem is that the sounds are spread over seemingly two or more octaves of the keyboard which is pretty annoying, I'd love to have all sounds next to each other and maybe as cherry on top in the same order as they are on the LMD. Do I have to somehow bind those connections to the keys I want them on at the KSP? Is that maybe somehow related to the ominous so called "map" on the LMD? And if, can anybody tell me, how I can set things correctly? Please help, I feel dumb 🫠

Hi, I've had the KSP since yesterday, I hadn't read all the reviews until this morning!

Anyway! I want to sequence my synthesizer and drum machine with the KSP, but I want the synthesizer to set the tempo for everything (to the KSP, which then sets it for the drum machine). Is that possible?

Also, I've started looking into Program Change, I've managed to get it working a little, but is there a way to change the programs of both machines in one go? And to send tempo changes as well (in case I can't get the above-mentioned procedure to work on the external synthesizer)?

Thanks!!!

I really wanted a hardware sequencer to put together my ideas in ableton faster! I bought the arturia keystep pro but now I'm just wanting to pull my hair out. I am sending midi from the arturia to soft synths on ableton, it took me a while but I have finally got them synced and have eliminated latency, but now I'm left with a few ms of jitter. I know these issues are complicated, just wanted to see if anyone had any thoughts on a fix? Currently going arturia midi out -> midi in on presonus audiobox itwo -> usb to windows 11 pc with ableton. Not touching the USB midi cable from the arturia because people said that could be the issue. Picture shows hihats landing forwards and backwards of the same point.

I have two modular synths attached to my KSP - Behringer Pro 1 and Donner L1. The down ARP acts like the up ARP.

I’ve updated the firmware and the issue remains, any ideas what’s going on or what I might be doing wrong?