Along with the usual up/down/sideways sorts of modes Arturia has brought in two new ones that are actually rather good. Well, the KeyStep 37 has something to say about that. Through the use of the Shift key these 4 knobs become 4 banks of 4 MIDI CC number controls for mapping to any MIDI synth – handy! ArpeggiatorĪrpeggiators tend to be useful tools that are rarely creatively inspiring. This looked like it could be a useful function for modular and monophonic synthesizers where the Chord mode is otherwise completely useless but sadly it doesn’t play the strummed notes individually out of the CV outputs which is a shame.

You can set the speed from almost instantaneous through to tempo-synced laid back divisions.

This introduces a strumming effect on the chord. That’s quite an unexpectedly interesting and playful function. Set to 99% only the root note will sound at low velocity and more notes get added the harder you hit the keys. So, the harder you hit the key the more notes will sound up to the number set on the Notes knob. The next knob is labelled Vel>Notes which had me puzzled for a while but this works with the Notes knob by bringing velocity to bear on how many notes will sound. The rubberised knobs are good and wobble-free and the whole thing gives you the impression that it’s well built and is going to last on stage as well as in the studio. It’s in Arturia’s favourite shade of white which doesn’t particularly appeal to me but maybe a black version will be along in time. This thing is solid, with a metal base-plate and a sturdy feel. The first thing you notice is how remarkably heavy it is. There’s definitely room for something in between and the KeyStep 37 aims to fill that space. The KeyStep Pro with its larger keyboard, 4 channels of polyphonic step-sequencing, drum machine programming and layers of voltage is a superb MIDI and modular sequencer and controller but is perhaps a little overwhelming for people with a smaller collection of Eurorack. It was, perhaps, a little bit too simplistic. It was an instant hit as it enabled a quick and easy way to drive your modular system from a place of familiarity. The original KeyStep was a great little keyboard that brought extraordinarily useful CV/Gate and Modulation outputs to a little MIDI controller keyboard.

Arturia pigments polyphony