Arturia Keystep 37

I bought this mostly for the size. As far as I can see there are very few compact, three octave MIDI controllers around, and most smaller controllers have those silly tiny keys whereas this has somewhere a little larger which makes playing much nicer. It is comfortable to play, with enough resistance to allow expression when used with something sensitive to velocity.

The overall build quality seems excellent and nothing stood out as wrong or odd. I have removed one star for features due to the fact that there seems to be no way to dim the LEDs behind the buttons, and I find this quite distracting and uncomfortable in darker rooms as the lights are really quite bright!
One other thing, which may be changeable via some settings that I have not been able to find, is that if used for sending pitch voltage it seems that the higher voltage cutoff is a little badly placed with the keys. If I am in the middle of the keyboard's ranger then I run out of notes when I get to the higher keys, and so if using 1v/octave synths I have to have the controller set an octave lower in order to be able to have adequate playing range. I feel like the voltage range should be set around the middle range of the controller. It's not really a problem (except for meaning I always have to have that octave- LED on when playing synths!).

Honestly I didn't really dig in to the sequencer and arpeggiator a lot as I bought this mostly for playing the keys, but from what I have explored they work perfectly well and the sequencer seems excellent.

No issues with MIDI connectivity, or really anything else that I have not already mentioned. I've had this a few weeks and overall am very happy with it as a compact controller!

Handling : Delivered perfectly

Features : It is by far the best midi keyboard in this form factor. if you are making music with external synths or modular gear it will get you covered for sure. it has a sequence/arp that can do transposing and a lovely chord mode. Full size midi out and cv outs makes it amazing in the department of connectivity :)

Quality : Plastic upper body is sturdy and metal lower body adds weight overall great build quality. Keys feel nicely weighted and knobs are smooth

Total : After Arturia minilab mk2 this was an amazing upgrade I really love this keyboard and use it day to day

Good device and excellent build quality. The fact that it has an on/off switch is a nice touch.
However I dislike almost everything about it... The most annoying feature is the way all the buttons are blinking hard in your face when activated -- even the octave+/- buttons. In a dimly-lit studio this is infuriating and that's what had me eventually get rid of it.
Also, everything feels difficult. The rotary buttons are hard to move; setting up the device is not obvious; nothing quite works the way you'd expect and reading the manual is necessary.
It's not trying to be invisible, as a controller should IMHO; instead it's trying very hard to get noticed. It gets in your way.

Very good and compact keyboard. Keys feel great, much better than those from the Arturia's KeyLab Essential line: they don't have empty spaces on the front, and also have aftertouch. The keys are smaller, but in this case it's better because the keyboard is more compact. 3 octaves is perfect for me in terms of trade-off between size and flexibility.

Sequencer and arpeggiator are a lot of fun. Not all features are intuitive, so you'll have to read the manual or watch some tutorial videos, but it's not hard.

They also added an on/off switch, and replaced mini-USB with the full-size USB Type-B.

In summary, this is a perfect small keyboard for drafting melodies.

The Arturia Keystep 37 is a versatile and compact MIDI controller and sequencer, ideal for musicians, producers, and live performers. It features a 37-note slim keybed with velocity sensitivity and aftertouch, providing expressive control over your playing. The Keystep 37 also includes RGB LED indicators above each key, enhancing visual feedback during performance.

One of its standout features is the polyphonic step sequencer and arpeggiator, allowing users to create complex melodic patterns and rhythms with ease. The sequencer offers up to 64 steps and 8-note polyphony per step, with real-time recording and editing capabilities. Additionally, the Keystep 37 includes chord mode, which lets you play full chords with a single key press, making it easier to generate harmonic ideas.

Connectivity options are robust, with USB, MIDI In/Out, CV/Gate, and Sync I/O, enabling seamless integration with both hardware and software setups. The Keystep 37 is highly portable, powered via USB or an optional power supply, and its intuitive controls make it a powerful tool for studio or live environments.