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3.3.3. Scales
3.3.3.1. What the Scales do
The BeatStep Pro front panel gives you the ability to assign one of eight input scales to a
step sequencer: seven preset scales and one you can customize yourself (the User scale).
A scale is a sort of 'filter' that will help you to hear only the notes you want to hear in your
sequence.
Here's what the Scale feature does:
It affects the notes you hear being played back. It's quantizing the pitch of the
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events instead of their timing, forcing them to be played back within a certain
framework of notes.
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You can switch from one scale to the next to hear how the different scales affect
the music without altering the original notes that were played on the pads. In
other words, changing the scale setting is an act that is reversible; you can
always reselect the original scale.
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A scale also gives the encoders a specific outline of notes to follow as they
are turned. So rather than always altering the pitch chromatically, you have
the option to specify a different musical scale. This is useful when you want
to change the pitch of one or more sequence steps during playback: select the
Scale that matches the song and no matter what, you'll never select a wrong
note.
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There's a definable User scale that can be constructed using the
Center
Here's what the Scale feature does not do:
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It doesn't change the notes that are available on the pads. Those will always be
the notes in the chromatic scale, from C to C, as printed below the lower left
corners of each button.
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It doesn't change the original notes that were input to the sequence steps using
the pads. If you entered C D E F G into the sequence, the BeatStep Pro will
remember those notes. If you select the Minor Scale afterward, you'll hear C D
Eb F G during playback instead of C D E F G. But you can always switch back to
the original notes.
♪: When the original pitch of the step is not available within the selected scale, the closest note in the
scale. If the played note is at the same distance between two notes of the scale, the next lowest pitch
will be played. For example: If the scale contains C, D, and E, but the sequencer needs to play a D#, it
will play a D at that step instead. The result will be C, D, and D.
Arturia - User Manual BeatStep Pro - The Step Sequencers
[p.84]. It can have anywhere from 1 to 12 notes per octave.
MIDI Control
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