User Manual

ARTURIA – BeatStep – USER’S MANUAL 31
pressing a pad allows you to set various sequence parameters. See section 6.3.3 below
to learn about those features.
6.3.3 Setting the Sequence Parameters
There are four fundamental aspects of each sequence which can be edited from the
BeatStep front panel. Changes to the following features can be made either while the
sequence is stopped or while it is playing:
6.3.3.1 Input Scale
Take a close look at the eight pads on the top row: there are words like ‘Chromatic’ and
‘Minor’ printed beneath them. These are the names of the Input Scales, which have been
described extensively in sections 6.2.1 and 6.2.2. To try them out, hold the SHIFT
button and press one of those pads.
The default selection is the Chromatic Scale.
6.3.3.2 Pattern Mode
The first four buttons on the bottom row of pads are used in conjunction with the SHIFT
button to select the Pattern Mode (i.e., the playback direction). Here’s what each option
does, using a four-step sequence as an example:
• Forward: plays sequence steps 1, 2, 3, 4 | 1, 2, 3, 4, etc.
• Reverse: plays sequence steps 4, 3, 2, 1 | 4, 3, 2, 1, etc.
• Alternate: plays through the sequence steps first in one direction, then the other.
The result: 1, 2, 3, 4 | 4, 3, 2, 1 | 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. (or vice-versa)
• Random: plays the sequence steps at random. By definition the results are
unpredictable; but sometimes that’s exactly what a song needs!
The default setting for the Pattern mode is Forward.
6.3.3.3 Step Size
Depending on the current setting, this parameter can be a quick way to double the
playback rate of your sequence or cut it in half. It is sometimes referred to as the ‘time
base.’
To set the Step Size, press and hold the SHIFT button and then press the pad that
corresponds to the timing you want:
• Quarter notes (1/4)
• Eighth notes (1/8)
• Sixteenth notes (1/16)
• Thirty-second notes (1/32)
The default setting is 1/16.
6.3.3.4 Pattern Length
For most modern dance music you’ll probably use a pattern length that’s a multiple of 2
or 4. But some compositions require other meters such as 12/8 or 7/4.
Not to worry! Almost any meter is available to you in a BeatStep sequence through the
combined use of the Step Size and Pattern Length parameters.
The Pattern Length can be set to any value from 1 step to 16 steps. So for example, with
a Step Size of 1/8 your sequence could be set to anything between a meter of 1/8 (one
eighth-note long) to 16/8 (two measures long).