I see endless posts about the issues with the Beatstep, and generally, there is some limited support that just kind of fades away without the issue being resolved.
So... I am wondering before I just sell this thing... here are my issues, maybe someone has a fix or a work around.
Sync. I can't find any reliable way to get beatstep to be anything close to reliable in terms of recording MIDI notes into ableton from a sequence on the Beatstep.
Tempo. There is no tempo display anywhere on the machine, or in the MCC software. This *must* be done from the DAW, correct? You can change the tempo on the beatstep, but... it's pretty much pointless since there is no way except by ear, to know what tempo you set.
MCC sync. It's spotty at best on a Mac with Mavericks. It works...then stops working.
Note values. Again, MCC doesn't really keep much track of where notes are set, so, you are playing by ear based on whatever transposition setting in MCC, or done with the knob on the Beatstep, and in control mode, the knobs don't change pad note at all... only when programming a sequence.
All of this quickly amounts to a unit designed for single track - melodic - tempo based sequences, that literally handicaps your ability to do *exactly those two things* which turns it into an inexpensive toy with very cool lights.
I am not particularly angry about any of it, more or less confused. Unless I am missing something, what precisely is the point of this product in a professional environment? That's not to say it can't be used, but why would a company go out of their way to cripple every single good idea by (at least the way I see it) making you totally out of the loop as to your note values, your tempo... those are the fundamentals of the device.
More confounding, is the support here on the forums. Arturia seems mystified about how to solve any of the issues. Friendly, but evasive, and with a rather striking lack of information. So, yea, if there are any beatstep masters out there, let me know if you have found work arounds for any of the above. If this is a case of just throwing a product to market and assuming the masses will bite because it looks like it should be useful and is $100, sure. I did. Still though as a whole, it honestly kind of leaves a bad taste in my mouth being used to beta test what essentially feels like a unit intentionally crippled to the point of uselessness in a great amount of situations (in my studio in particular.) I think I am mostly just disappointed at the possibilities this *could* have had, and utterly missed the mark instead.
