Arturia’s KeyStep mk2 MIDI controller is a shortcut to flow state

Arturia’s KeyStep is one of the most popular MIDI controllers ever created, especially among modular synthesizer users and the DAWless crowd. It’s small, cheap, has an easy-to-use sequencer, and offers decent connectivity. But it was also released in January 2016. The music world moves more slowly than, say, smartphones, but Arturia has released several controllers. After the KeyStep which are already in their third generation. The $139 KeyStep mk2 takes this classic and updates it with a host of new sequencing and compositing features that Arturia has developed over the years.

Compared to the original, the KeyStep mk2 has double the number of arpeggiator modes (16), eight times more sequencer save slots (64), generative sequencing features, a chord mode and a scale mode. Scale mode can be handy for those of us who are less experienced players by ensuring that every note is in key. But I always found this feeling a bit unnatural on a traditional keyboard. (Although this is my favorite layout on a pad controller.)

The most exciting things for me are the new Arpeggiator modes, the Spice and Mutate generative features and how they interact with the sequencer. When I’m feeling stuck or uninspired (which is often these days), they offer a shortcut to idea generation that goes beyond just spitting out random notes.

A big part of any creative act is getting into a state of flow, but it takes time. You don’t just sit down and immediately enter a state of flow. You have to find it. And when your time is limited due to a demanding job or your kids, it can be difficult to find. The KeyStep’s generative and iterative features make it easier to overcome this initial difficulty when I’m sitting down to make music.

Often I start by playing a simple arpeggio. I pick a chord – just three or four notes, usually, nothing wild. Then I will press the mutate button. This starts moving notes around, adding octave jumps and rests, usually just introducing a bit of chaos. A quick press adds just a touch of randomness, while a long press can transform your original arpeggio into something completely unrecognizable.

I will usually do this several times until I find something I like. Then I’ll dial in the Spice value. This is another generative feature, changing the note gate length and adding pawls. If Spice doesn’t do anything interesting to my ear, I’ll roll the dice by holding Shift and tapping the Spice touch strip three times. This “throws in” a new set of random changes that I can dial in using the Spice parameter.

Once I have a short phrase that I like, I can save it into the sequencer, and that’s where things get more interesting. I can duplicate the sentence, extending the sequence to 32 or even 64 steps. And because the KeyStep’s sequencer is polyphonic, I can record overdubs, playing countermelodies, chords or basslines alongside this semi-random sequence.

I might quickly hit the Mutate button again here or fine-tune the Spice setting, but once I have a fuller passage that I like, I can skip it. back to the arpeggiator by selecting the “user sequence” arpeggio mode. This uses the last loaded sequence as the basis for your arpeggio. But he doesn’t just play the notes. It maps the pattern of the sequence to the notes you play. If you play the same notes, it will sound the same, but it’s much more fun to play entirely new chords or a chord progression. If you have a chord progression for a song, but feel like it sounds a little lifeless, this could be a great way to liven it up.

Now, when I feel stuck, I don’t waste 30 minutes digging through presets or getting discouraged because my drum pattern is too boring. I just started playing. The goal isn’t even necessarily to use the sequence or arpeggio that I’m playing on the KeyStep, although I often do. Instead, it’s just about creating something – anything – and seeing where my creative impulses take me next.

Arturia has smartly kept the price and basic design more or less the same: 32 keys in a shallow body with a minimum of convenient controls. But there are obvious differences. The buttons and switch for controlling the sequencer and arpeggiator have been replaced with lightly clickable buttons, and there’s now an endless encoder and a small OLED in the middle of the keyboard.

Physically, the biggest change is in build quality, and that’s not a good thing. While the KeyStep mk2 doesn’t feel cheap, it’s certainly not up to the standards of the original. The OG KeyStep had a metal base. It was much heavier than one would expect from looking at it, and it felt like it could not only withstand the rigors of life on tour, but also be used as a self-defense weapon. The mk2 swaps the metal base for plastic, and the controls feel less sturdy overall.

That’s my only real complaint, though.

The KeyStep mk2 is not a silver bullet that will cure your writer’s block or immediately put you in a state of flow. But it’s already proven to be a handy tool when I’m feeling discouraged or uninspired while watching a blank Ableton Live session.