BeatStep Pro Updated With ‘Wait To Load Pattern’, Pattern Chaining & More

arturia-beatstep-pro-close-up

Arturia has released a free update to the BeatStep Pro that adds user-requested features, making it, according to the company, ‘more powerful than ever’:

  • The sequencer has been enhanced with quantized pattern launch and pattern chains;
  • Parameters can now be edited for all steps at once; and
  • An improved song position algorithm keeps BeatStep Pro synchronized at all times.

Here’s what’s new in BeatStep Pro firmware version 1.3:

  • Wait to load pattern – BeatStep Pro can now wait until the end of the current pattern to load the next one. This feature is activated from the MIDI Control Center application. If the Preset Link function is activated, the patterns will all change together at the end of the Drum pattern.
  • Chain patterns – This functionality frees you from the 64-step per pattern limitation and will let you build entire songs on BeatStep Pro. Create chains of up to 16 patterns that will play one after the other. Chains can be created separately for the two melodic sequencers and the drum sequencer.
  • Saving improvements – The saving functionalities of BeatStep Pro have been improved. You can now save a sequence from the Sequencer 1 on the Sequencer 2, or the opposite. Visual feedback is provided for edited pattern via a dot on the display. Empty and filled patterns are shown upon saving, to prevent erasing your existing sequences.
  • Edit all steps at once – It is now possible to edit the Velocity, Gate and Shift amount of all active steps in a sequence simultaneously. You can set the same value for all the steps, or add an offset to all the existing values. Create fills by making all the notes longer, by increasing their velocities at the twist of a knob.
  • Set the input MIDI channel directly from the unit
  • An improved song position algorithm lets you stay in sync while changing the timing resolution and playback direction.

Here’s a video into to the update BeatStep Pro features, from Arturia’s Glen Darcey:

The update is a free download from the Arturia site.

27 thoughts on “BeatStep Pro Updated With ‘Wait To Load Pattern’, Pattern Chaining & More

    1. That’s disappointing to read. I should just watch the video or RTFM but would you explain the difference between chained patterns and songs? Can you save the chains as songs?

  1. Nice. Pity the standard Beatstep is left to languish with no new features or even updated firmware for over a year. That one is really asking for an alternative firmware from the community.

      1. I don’t know, I barely use the sequencer on my original BeatStep, but absolutely love it as a controller. The only improvement I’d like for the BeatStep is the ability to do sysex. I love my BS Pro.

    1. Just curious why you have an expectation that companies update firmware other than for bugs. People buy hardware knowing what it does so I’m just curious why there is this expectation, especially when new hardware has already come out that may have new features.

      Programming is an extra cost to a company and takes away from other R&D so how does spending time updating older hardware for into this model?

      1. It seems to me there are unjustified expectations on both sides. If hardware and software developers feel they can expect customers to be beta testers for half-baked product rollouts, then perhaps said customers can be forgiven for hoping for an additional bell or whistle further down the line.

        1. Fair enough. In this case they failed at the start and lost a sale from me. Companies of their size have limited resources and often over-promise.

          I think Electron have it right in the sense that they have a series that they built to expand in firmware for a number of years as evident in their Overbridge. They probably don’t have the R&D to keep developing hardware as fast as a companies like Roland so they take the firmware route and keep it free to entice people to buy hardware with a longer shelf life. Nothing wrong with this. Just different business models. I would rather spend more money on something stable. I want it to work from day one the way it’s promised or I move on. IN this case I’m set on Engine. It does everything I would want and more.

      2. When they release a device which can’t do what it advertised, and instead of updating the firmware to fix it, they abandon it and create a new product with just as many bugs… Well consumers have expectations…

        1. This exactly.

          The original Beatstep sequencer had lots of issues that Arturia seemed ready to fi with some software chanes, but dropped it in favor of selling us something new. What’s worse is the Beatstep is still on the market, we are not talking about an old, discontinued product here/

          Next year the same thing will happen with the Pro.

          I have an expectation from a company that they will support a product at least until it performs up to its design promises.

          Arturia drops the ball on this all the time.

          Same with all the quality issues on the Micro Brutes….but I won’t even get started on that…just visit their forums.

  2. Yet another really unstable product from Arturia, and they’re fixing things under the hood that were promised day one and are being delivered 7 months later.

    Since the last update broke CV sync I’ll be waiting for bug reports before upgrading.

  3. I was frustrated as well when it first came out. There were a lot (lot!) of issues ironed out this last release as well as the addition of the pattern chaining and wait till end of pattern change features. It also seemed to help this release cycle that there are now several beta testers participating on the consumer side as well. I think it has turned out pretty nicely polished and don’t have any gripes with it regardless of all the PIBKAC and RTFM noise on the forums. Helpful Tip: Clear all your patterns out after a firmware update, do your thing then submit a trouble ticket or forum post if you have an issue.

    1. When a device has so many problems, it makes it near impossible to isolate any other issues in the midi chain. But it’s nice of you to insult the users who were a victim to this poorly tested product.

  4. Great update, would be nice to have an option to choose not only last step of the sequence but first step aswell , something like “press lst step botton and press first and last step at the same time” to get sequencer running between chosen steps only, and in combination with shift botton this applies to all three sequences!

  5. For people who use analog/modular systems with CV and also USB DAW this has to be one of the most essential products out there. If this was boutique Euro module it would be 400-500…sure, its taken 6 months to fix a few issues, big deal….it works now, and actually does more than was originally advertised…- enjoy your product and just take a minute to think about all the really cool functionality you got for your (very little) money and work out how much it would cost to get the equivalent….

  6. This update has fixed any sync issues I had from the last update and the quantized pattern change is great. Wish you could save pattern chains so you could move from one chain to the next – at preset changing pattern clears the chain, which seems unfortunate. Also seems to be a little bug with the chaining that means the currently selected pattern becomes the first in the chain even if you haven’t pressed it, but I suppose with that knowledge you can mitigate it by switching first.

    Overall I think it’s great though and I personally haven’t had any of the issues that others have mentioned around the web with stuck notes or broken USB sockets (despite changing my studio regularly and having taken it on holiday). Sync was my biggest gripe with the last firmware, but arturia seem to be listening as I think they realise they’ve got a great product that if they iron out the issues and add some user requested features, could make them a mint.

    I have now bought a 2nd and use them to control a small modular rig plus other digital synths (despite having an octatrack with impressive midi sequencing capabilities) as I like the immediacy.

    I know this may get some accusations of shilling or sicophancy but for me it works and works well.

  7. dear Arturia, next namm in january can you update your beatstep pro with ACTUAL midi connectors (DIN) not some stupid jack adapter i’ll lose or tread on please. Once you make the ‘step to bring out a proper connector in the beatstep i’ll have another look….same goes for yamaha (reface) and Korg (new electribes)

  8. I was interested in the original Beatstep due to the standalone software it had and wanting to use it like a simple drum machine with my own samples. Yet, on the Arturia website there is no mention of this software for the original or the Pro. Is this software still around? Does the Pro come with it this software? Or can I use the Pro with that software? It seems like the Pro is only a controller.

    1. Are you not getting the Beatstep confused with SparkLE? The only standalone software the Beatstep had was the MIDI Control Centre

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