Back in black: limited edition versions of Arturia BeatStep and MiniLab

By Ben Rogerson
( Computer Music )
published

Both ship with software synths and Ableton Live Lite

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The black BeatStep has the same feature set as the original version.
The black BeatStep has the same feature set as the original version.

BeatStep

Winter NAMM 2016 saw Arturia busying itself by announcing the MatrixBrute synth and KeyStep controller, but the company has now turned its attention to a couple of existing products and announced limited edition versions of them.

The headline news is that both the original BeatStep pad controller/sequencer and MiniLab keyboard controller are now available in black, but there's slightly more to it than that.

That's because each piece of hardware also ships with a suite of software that contains the Analog Lab and Oberheim SEM V synths, plus a copy of Ableton Live Lite. The MiniLab also comes with UVI's Grand Piano Model D software.

Nice little bundles both of them, we'd say, especially as each is available for €99/$129. Find out more on the Arturia website.

Ben Rogerson
Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.