BeatStepStool - Eurorack Interface for Arturia Beatstep Pro
Arturia's Beatstep Pro is arguably the most important piece of my modular rig. Not only is it the master clock source for everything in my setup, but it also functions as my drum sequencer and two tonal sequencers - pretty much the only way I control my modular. There are really only two bad things I can say about this machine.
- The USB port is GOR-BIDGE and WILL fail you. I had to rewire a cable directly to the board just to make sure I could power this thing - and all USB/Computer functionality is forever lost.
- All of the connections are on the back of the unit, which is a pain in the ass.
I still love it.I found a solution for one of those things, using some jacks I had lying around and yet another 3D printed panel. I also used some wire from an old HOSA snake. If you can find an old snake for cheap on eBay (and you usually can) they're a great way to make yourself some cheap patch cables - and they're also super-handy for projects like this. All of it is pretty simple when it comes down to it. You can get the STL file for the eurorack plate here. You also need 16 each of a male and a female 1/8 inch (or 3.5 mm, depending on whether or not you're in the US) connectors, and a whole bunch of 2-lead wire (HOSA SNAKE!), as mentioned earlier.Construction is simple which is good, because I once again neglected to take a picture of the guts. First, print the panel S-L-O-W-L-Y. I ran the first layer at 30% and the text layers at 60%. Can't be too careful! I dabbed a permanent marker onto the outside edge of the text to make it more readable. Run cable through the holes at the bottom of the panel, wire it all up to the jacks on the inside of the panel, and connect the other end of the wire to the jack. I labeled all of mine in silver sharpie for ease of use - I suggest getting plastic jacks because they're easier to write on.
All you have to do is solder it up , making sure tips and sleeves are all properly connected on both ends - TEST IT FREQUENTLY (Seriously, like after every connection. It doesn't hurt), drop it into your rack and insert all of the jacks into the back of your Beatstep Pro, where you can leave them forever, only connecting on the face of your modular, like a true Beatstep Pro-fessional.