Beatstep Pro with Disting EX

Anybody using the Beatstep Pro with Disting EX by chance?

I am having a heck of a time using the multisample app with BSP...its like the BSP is 'overdriving' the Disting EX and the sounds are not good. I've been fudging around with the gate settings with the knobs and getting a little better sound, but for example when I'm trying to just use the piano with pedal sample, there is always this 'thud' and it sounds like someone playing a kiddy piano...even though I have Disting EX set for "LABS Soft Pno - PedOn"

I'm sure it has to do with the BSP sending too much signal but not sure how to resolve it and I can't find anything that really addresses it when I google.

Hoping someone here may have a suggestion or two

The 12V gates from the BSP are too hot for the disting (input range +-10V)? Have you tried attenuating them?
https://www.arturia.com/faq/beatsteppro/beatstep-pro-general-questions#collapse1

EDITED Dec 4th 2021, 11:04

and suddenly I have a good use of my Frap Tools 321 :)
Thanks @BrumoD I was able to run the signal from my BSP through 321 and now get a nice smooth piano sound

and suddenly I have a good use of my Frap Tools 321 :)
Thanks @BrumoD I was able to run the signal from my BSP through 321 and now get a nice smooth piano sound
-- jb61264

I think... the Disting can analyze the maximum voltage of a gate and derive velocity/layer switching from it. I believe that's on page 34 of the Disting EX manual. I think 5v is the maximum it's looking for. So yes, the amplitude (voltage) of your gate is relevant.

and suddenly I have a good use of my Frap Tools 321 :)
Thanks @BrumoD I was able to run the signal from my BSP through 321 and now get a nice smooth piano sound
-- jb61264

I think... the Disting can analyze the maximum voltage of a gate and derive velocity/layer switching from it. I believe that's on page 34 of the Disting EX manual. I think 5v is the maximum it's looking for. So yes, the amplitude (voltage) of your gate is relevant.
-- Ronin1973

Page 39 has this information about the Multisample algorithm...
Name Min Max Default Unit Description
1-6 Attenuverter 1-6 -200 200 100 % Applies an attenuverter to the corresponding
input. A negative value indicates that the CV
will be inverted

Does this mean you can attenuate the inputs actually on the Disting EX?...so I wouldn't need to use the 321 to attenuate the signal before input to Disting EX?

Keep that 321 in there, though. To get at the EX's attenuator function, however, you have to do some diving...as opposed to the 321, which needs nothing of the sort. Way more convenient, plus you're not tying the EX up with a simple function like that.

I suppose the disting attenuverter is entirely implemented in the software. The issue here is probably in the analog part of the module.

All inputs on the disting are analog meaning the input circuits see only analog signals even if it is a logic/digital signal you feed it with. The setup of the disting defines how the signals should be interpreted once they are digitised and ready to be further processed in the digital domain.

From my experience in electronic circuits design (a long time ago) I know that if you exceed the input specs, there’s all kinds of issues that could happen and could result in a digital representation of the input signal that is totally corrupted and seemingly uncorrelated to the input signal.

This needn’t be the case with the disting, so you could try using the internal attenuverter.
But I think it will prove you'll need the 321.

Will definitely keep and use the 321, especially for this use case with the Disting EX.
@Lugia - I thought I read somewhere where the Keystep Pro gates can be configured for 5V? I thought I recalled you have one?

@jb61264 I had a BSP and the same issue with the 12V being too hot for the EX. Attenuating within the EX didn't help for me. I've since upgraded to a Keystep Pro and yes, the gates can be configured for 5V and work great with the EX.

@jb61264 I had a BSP and the same issue with the 12V being too hot for the EX. Attenuating within the EX didn't help for me. I've since upgraded to a Keystep Pro and yes, the gates can be configured for 5V and work great with the EX.
-- jroo

@jroo - thanks for that confirmation...driving me crazy that BSP can't be currently configured for 5V gates as I would assume the circuitry for Keystep Pro and Beatstep Pro are relatively similar. I have a LaunchKey49 because I like the integration with Ableton and don't really want another keyboard.

When you tried to configure BSP for Disting EX, do you recall if you used the "CV Mappings" in Mappings/CV Mappings or the "Attenuverters" actually in the SD Multisample algorithm mode?

I used the attenuverters (settings 1-6) in the algorithm and wasn’t successful. I also found some cheap male/female headphone adapters with volume control and used those as in-line attenuators and they worked but they were a pain to use.

@Lugia - I thought I read somewhere where the Keystep Pro gates can be configured for 5V? I thought I recalled you have one?
-- jb61264

They're pretty flexible, yep. And I do use 5V trig/gates from time to time. But what I usually do is to set these to 8V so that they can trigger those AND most other modules. The only time this doesn't work nicely if when I DO need +5V for working with the AE...which is based around a +5V architecture for everything.

@Lugia - I thought I read somewhere where the Keystep Pro gates can be configured for 5V? I thought I recalled you have one?
-- jb61264

They're pretty flexible, yep. And I do use 5V trig/gates from time to time. But what I usually do is to set these to 8V so that they can trigger those AND most other modules. The only time this doesn't work nicely if when I DO need +5V for working with the AE...which is based around a +5V architecture for everything.

I am at a point of frustration as I've tried to work through this BSP/Disting EX deal with the Multisample algorithm...I currently am routing Pitch from BSP Seq1 to Frap Tools 321 channel 1 and Gate from BSP Seq1 to Frap Tools 321 channel 2.
I completely reinstalled the latest EX firmware 1.10.1 so I could be relatively sure any settings I may have screwed up were reset.

Offset switches are off on the 321 and the Phase switch is to the left for all three 321 channels. I just have a gate on the 1,5,9,13 steps and am getting decent piano sound but it still gets wonky if I enable say step 11...it will make 13 pitch go way up.

Ugh, about to consider the EX a waste of space for sample playback...I get the RTFM and I have been, but at a certain point it just shouldn't be this difficult