The keyboard of choice for modular synth nerds gets a proper sequel after 10 years

If you’ve ever watched a synth video connected YouTube, there’s a decent accidental you’ve seen the Arturia KeyStep astatine immoderate point. The affordable keyboard and controller has been a dependable beingness since its merchandise successful January of 2016, particularly successful DAWless circles. Now Arturia is yet releasing a due successor, the KeyStep mk2, and connected paper, it seems similar a large upgrade.

The halfway of what makes the KeyStep beloved remains unchanged: 32 coagulated minikeys with aftertouch, a tiny footprint, decent connectivity options, and debased price. The mk2 features USB-C for powerfulness and MIDI, five-pin MIDI successful and retired ports, analog sync successful and out, a prolong / look pedal input, positive CV and gross outputs for hooking up modular gear.

The headlining updates present are the caller generative capabilities, Mutate and Spice, borrowed from the company’s Freak enactment of synths. Mutate makes semi-random changes to an arpeggio oregon sequence, endlessly iterating connected ideas. And if you find thing you like, you tin prevention it arsenic a caller sequence. With this quality to make blessed accidents, transforming arpeggios into sequences and backmost again, YouTuber Loopop said, “a caller benchmark has been acceptable for what a keyboard tin bash arsenic a compositional assistant.”

While Mutate volition displacement notes around, creating wholly caller patterns, Spice is simply a small much subtle. It changes gross length, velocity, adds ratchets, and astatine higher settings, volition present octave jumps. It’s focused astir exclusively connected rhythmic variation.

Synth influencer Starsky Carr said there’s “loads of amusive and loads of inspirational tools” wrong the KeyStep mk2. But immoderate reviews person been down connected the physique quality. While the archetypal had a metallic baseplate that made it amazingly dense for its size and helped it withstand semipermanent abuse, the mk2 has an all-plastic build. Will radical inactive beryllium playing their KeyStep mk2s successful 10