KeyStep Pro - General Questions – Arturia FAQ

How to update the firmware?

To update the KeyStep Pro firmware, please do as follow:

Open the MIDI Control Center
If your KeyStep Pro is not up to date, you will be prompted with the following pop-up
Click on Install
Click OK and wait for the update process to complete>

Not prompted with the “New firmware available” pop-up?

Head to the firmware revision button and click on it.
Click on Download Latest or Upgrade from File
If you clicked "Upgrade from File", select the firmware file
Wait for the update process to complete
The firmware file can be found on the KeyStep Pro resources page

How to Sync KeyStep Pro with other devices?

MASTER (Internal)

When used as the master clock, KeyStep Pro will clock, start and stop the slaved devices in the chain.

The clock and start/stop messages are transmitted both through USB, MIDI and Clock outputs.

To set your KeyStep Pro as the master device:

Go to the Utility menu
Sync > Input
Source: And set it to Internal

SLAVE (USB, MIDI, Clock)

When used as a slave, KeyStep Pro will listen to the clock, start and stop messages from the master device, either from its USB, MIDI or Clock inputs.

Depending on your setup, this implies to select from which Clock Source your KeyStep Pro shall be slaved

To do that:

Go to the Utility menu
Sync > Input
Source
And select the source of your choice depending of your setup:

ALL

KeyStep pro will listen to all the clock sources and sync automatically when a source is detected.

You may want to use this mode in the most simple setups.

MIDI

KeyStep Pro will only listen to the MIDI IN port and ignore the other sources.

In this case, make sure the MIDI cable carrying the master clock is plugged to your KeyStep Pro MIDI Input. .

USB

KeyStep Pro will only listen to the USB port and ignore the other sources.

In this case, make sure to send a MIDI clock from your DAW to the KeyStep Pro MIDI port.

CLOCK

KeyStep Pro will only listen to the CLOCK IN port and ignore the other sources.

Depending on the devices you are using, you will need to select the appropriate Clock Rate for the tempo to match correctly, this can be done from the Utility menu: Sync > Input > Source > Clock Rate.

Memory structure, how works the Save?

FLASH MEMORY

This is the hard drive of the KeyStep Pro.

Datas are stored in the flash memory the same way your music, pictures and any files are stored on your computer hard drive.

When loading a project, the project is loaded from the flash memory into the RAM.

RAM MEMORY

This is the working memory of the KeyStep Pro. When loading a project, the project is loaded from the Flash memory into the RAM.

Edits done on the RAM such as creating or modifying patterns are not secured unless you save them in the flash.

Note that if you don’t save changes made on a project, the changes will be lost when:

Loading another project
Turning off the machine

PROJECT STRUCTURE

Saving your patterns, tracks and projects.

As explained above, If you don’t want to lose any pattern, track, or project you are currently working on, it is very important to save your work into the flash memory.

To save you work, you can proceed by different ways:

Patterns: Your pattern will be saved in the flash memory (Press Save + Pattern + Step button)
Tracks: Your track patterns will be saved in the flash memory (Press Save + Track button)
Project: Your whole project will be saved in the flash memory (Press Save + Project button)

What are the available CV/Gate settings?

The KeyStep Pro CV outputs can be set to various settings configurations to make sure it will suit most setups, whether it is composed of modern or vintage synthesisers.

The CV settings can be modified from the Utility > CV Settings or from the MIDI Control Center.

CV PITCH Settings

Range: The KeyStep Pro CV Pitch Out range goes from 0 to 10V. (It cannot output negative values)

Octave Tracking: To allow a correct pitch tracking on most devices, the pitch output scaling can be set to the following modes:

1Volt / Octave (Moog, Roland, Oberheim®, Sequential Circuits, ARP, Eurorack…)
Hertz per Volt (Some Korg and Yamaha synths)
1.2 Volt / Octave (Buchla)

Base MIDI Note: Lets you define the 0V MIDI note for each Pitch Output.

GATE Settings

Gate CV Output: Lets you set your Gate outputs type between:

V-Trig 5V or 12V: Positive Gate//Trigger
S-Trig: Negative Gate/Trigger

MOD Settings

MOD CV Source: Lets you define the source of the MOD Output between:

Velocity
Pressure (Channel pressure)

MOD CV Max Voltage:Lets you define the MOD Output max voltage range between:

1 to 10V

DRUM Gates Settings

DRUM Gate: Lets you set each of your Drum Gates outputs to:

V-Trig 5V
V-Trig 12V
S-Trig

My devices play too fast, or too slow, why?

When using the Clock In / Clock Out with other gear, you need to make sure that you are using the correct clock rate. Otherwise, may end up with your devices playing several times slower or faster than expected.

Input:

1 PP16
2 PPQ
48 PPQ
24 PPQ

Output:

1 PP16
1 PP8
1 PP4
1 PP2
1 PPB
2 PPQ
48 PPQ
24 PPQ

What is a scene?

A scene is a snapshot of the track's state within a project.

Creating a scene is made by capturing and saving the current state of your KeyStep Pro tracks, such as:

The pattern number
The track type
The active chains
The mute state
etc...

When recalling a scene, the exact state captured is restored for each track, which makes scenes very useful to be used as performance shortcuts and bring transitions more easily.

How to manage project MIDI channels?

It is now possible to assign specific output MIDI channels per track to each project.

To change a track output MIDI channels within the current project, use the following shortcut: Hold Track + Turn browsing encoder.

Per default, a track MIDI channel is set to "Global". This is the track's channel defined in the Utility menu.

When a track MIDI channel is set to any other value than Global, the shortcut changes the current Project track MIDI channel to the specified value.

CheatSheet

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us.