Arturia KeyStep 37 MIDI Keyboard Controller and Sequencer - Manual (Page 69)

7. MOD/GATE/PITCH FUNCTIONS
The GATE/PITCH outputs at the back of the KeyStep 37 convert key presses to CV and
Gate signals that are understood by modular systems. Nearly every module on a modular
system accepts or generates voltages that control other modules. A gate signal can trigger
an envelope or advance a sequencer. A pitch voltage as generated by the keyboard the
arpeggiator or or the sequencer of the KeyStep 37 can drive an oscillator module.
In this chapter, we'll focus on these features of the KeyStep 37 MOD/GATE/PITCH outputs .
Chapter 9 [p.74] has in-depth coverage of the features available to you with the MIDI Control
Center.
7.1. Pitch and Gate signals
7.1.1. How do Pitch and Gate work?
The notes you play on the keys are translated immediately into Control Voltage (CV) and
Gate signals and sent to the Pitch and Gate connectors on the back panel. Two sets of
voltages are sent for each note: Pitch and Gate open/close.
Pitch corresponds to MIDI note number and Gate open/close corresponds to note on and
note off, respectively. The sequencer will record what you play on the keys, and upon
playback those signals are sent to the attached device(s) through the CV/Gate connectors,
just as if they had been played from the keyboard.
When the KeyStep 37 is in Kbd Play mode the sequencer will play the attached CV/Gate
devices while you play your MIDI devices from the keyboard.
7.1.2. Can my DAW send CV/Gate signals?
It's possible to send note data from a MIDI track on your DAW to the KeyStep CV/Gate jacks.
Just match the MIDI channel on the DAW track to that of the KeyStep to make it happen.
There are two things to keep in mind, though:
• CV/Gate jacks are monophonic, so if the selected MIDI track on the DAW
contains polyphonic data you won't hear all of the notes on the target device.
There's a Note priority setting in the MIDI Control Center that specifies which note from a
polyphonic source should be given preference (Low, High or Last). But playback could still
be unpredictable unless the DAW track is perfectly quantized.
• CV/Gate jacks can send only basic signals: pitch and note on/off. In other words,
you won't be able to use them to control synthesizer parameters. All edits to your
modular synth settings need to be made on the synth itself.
Arturia - User Manual KeyStep 37 - MOD/GATE/PITCH functions 64