Is Keystep the best?

Did you try that? So I can have the OT hearing from a channel and sending to another one seamlessly?

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Thatā€™ll teach me to only read the OP! I was also going to suggest the auto channel route too, but couldnā€™t be arsed to type it! :smiley:

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Yes. I do this quite often, for instance when I want to record a sequence on an OT (or DN) MIDI channel to control OB-6, thatā€™s how I do it. Itā€™s pretty easy :slight_smile:

On the OT > OB-6 setting, I had also set as many CCs as I could on different Midi tracks, all set to control OB-6 : this way, while I was playing on OB-6 knobs, automations of CCs were recorded on OT. Pretty powerful!

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Thanks DaLying, Iā€™m looking forward to try that!

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To me Keystep is the absolute minimum for a passable keyboard controller. Itā€™s not completely shit, but it is fairly shit. The last update was a decent improvement to the arp (it added octaves so it is a bit more like an arp you would expect). The velocity and aftertouch results leave quite a bit to be desired an you canā€™t turn them off. If you have a synth that you canā€™t adjust what those parameters do you will likely be disappointed with it. I hope they make a microfreak style keystep because at least that is a different control method rather than a meh feeling keybed. The features around it make it useful, and itā€™s small enough to fit in a camera shot for a lot of youtubers. I havenā€™t used mine in over a year but I keep it around for guests mostly.

I bet that sounds great. I havenā€™t layered two synths from one keyboard in ages. youā€™ve given me some inspiration for todays session. you still using A4 and 0-coast? post was a while ago

I bring it to every live session, now Iā€™m using 61SL mk3 in the studio :slight_smile:
Still useful when jamming with friends as a second keyboardā€¦
This is clearly the absolute minimum keyboard, packed with all I need! And yes, I still use it to control both synth + 0-Coast + modules such as Ring or Plaitsā€¦

My favorite trick is random arp + a bit of pitch ribbon that I tap quickly on top to give some Arabic feeling. Really fits 0-Coast sound :slight_smile:

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had one, sold one.
had a black one, sold a black one.

Qunexus + expander + OP-Z, everything covered.

Bought one and then never used it. I think I hooked it up to an MPC Live once to see if it would work on USB power (it did) and then put it back in the box.

Iā€™ve been using a Circuit, Launchpad Pro or a Reface CP instead if I need a small controller for my DN. I can see that the Keystep is handy if you need CV directly but I use MIDI-CV converters for that anyway.

Ah man that sounds amazing. Iā€™d love A4 and 0 coast, miss my AK. Think Iā€™ll cave to the modular world soon. Donā€™t wanna go crazy with it (famous last words) but I genuinely think Iā€™d be content with a couple semi modulars and some stuff to expand them a bit. I try to keep it minimal lately

For the feature set, cost, and footprint itā€™s about the only option that I know of.

It lives in that special zone that no one else wants to really compete in because theyā€™re probably not making much off these things. Itā€™s a very solid metal case, a really nice keybed, arp, sequencer, transpose, hold, MIDI DIN, CV, Sync. It covers pretty much all the bases. Competitors are usually missing something here, or theyā€™re cheap plastic and terrible keybeds to keep the cost down.

If you want larger, more keys, then youā€™ll see the competitors start to offer most of this, but then you wouldnā€™t have wanted a keystep to begin with.

IĀ“ve been trying the Keystep to the Digitone and through the Octatrack.

I noticed that the DN is quantizing the Keystep notes when live recorded, of course with the unquantized rec activated, but the OT records them microtimed.

Why can be this?

Hey there, having a question.
I was sure to buy a Keystep or Keystep 37 to operate my A4 and some other Synths via Midi.
Now I tried the Mini Keylab (MK1) at a friends place and found the Keys to be very small and fiddly for my huge hands.
I wasnā€˜t able to find exact measures, but for me it seems, that the Keystep has the same-sized keys.
Is this a true fact?
And if yes, does someone have recommendations for a Midikeyboard which has similar functions as the Keystep, but full size keys.
Thanks in advance!
Cheers

From my limited experience (donā€™t own either, have tried both in shops) I would say thatā€™s true. Also Iā€™ve checked the specs and the width of the keys seems pretty close. Not sure about the length, though.

Iā€™m 6ā€™3" and have large hands. I have no problem playing the Keystep, although I am slender. Someone with thicker fingers may have issues.

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Keystep 37 is really awsome. The slim key is perfectly playable and the new scale and chord mode is awsome. Also the ā€œpatternā€ mode in arpeggiator generate good foundation to a track.

Decided for the Keystep 37 and am very happy with it. The keys are very different to the Minilab MK1 and feel way better.

Any thoughts on the best midi keyboard to pair with a syntakt (or digitone)? I see some great content out there with the Keystep. Is it still a great option, or are there other goodies out there to explore?

THANK YOU <3

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Iā€™m curious too about newer recommendations. In my experience, I love my Keystep Pro hooked up to my Digitone. Iā€™m new to this world, and my original plan was to sequence my Roland Boutiques with the Keystep Pro. Then I got a Model:Cycles and fell in love with the Elektron sequencer, ditched the Rolands, and went down the rabbit hole of buying more Elektrons.

I still use the Keystep Pro to sequence but mostly as a way to audition ideas. Itā€™s very immediate. Iā€™ll play around with ideas using the four tracks of the Keystep Pro, and then I can program those ideas into the Digitone.

Of course, I could be doing this all the wrong way. In short though, I do like the Keysteps.

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The Keysteps are good compact keyboards with useful arp and limited sequencing functionality. Iā€™m happy with my Keystep 37. The Keystep and Beatstep Pros are tempting, but take up a ton of desk space. The 37 nestles comfortably in front of the bigger Elektrons with ports sensibly located to the far right and left.

If you want polyphonic aftertouch in a small keyboard, the Hydrasynth Explorer seems like the way to go, plus you get an amazing subtractive-wavetable synth engine with a lot of modulation options. The bigger Hydrasynths are good if you want more/bigger keys.

If you want full size keys or even piano action, there are dedicated controllers, but the same money will often buy you a used synth with much better action.

I wouldnā€™t say the Keysteps are the best overall, but they are good compact keyboards and my current favorite.

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