ChordLine vs ScaleMatrix vs ChordBank vs Scales&Chords... others

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challism
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27 Nov 2019

Vii (TonicMint) mentioned in the ScaleMatrix thread:
quote vii.JPG
quote vii.JPG (27.6 KiB) Viewed 5513 times


It's Rack Friday, I'm on the fence on which one to buy..... so...... let's do it! What are your thoughts on ChordLine vs ScaleMatrix vs Chordbank vs any other chord player?

I"m very interested to hear what the RT community thinks. Thank you
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VIVIsect
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27 Nov 2019

I have Scales & Chords, ChordLine, and I'm currently trying out ScaleMatrix.

Of the three I like ChordLine the best, personally. If you're someone like me, who likes building chords/progressions by drawing in a single MIDI note at a time in a MIDI clip, ChordLine is invaluable. It really makes it so easy to plug in your own custom chords/progressions, and you can store up to seven chords in five different sets. The layout and everything is intuitive and almooost perfect. My one complaint is that I wish it would display the current chord being triggered by my keyboard, instead of having to click on the chord tab.

ScaleMatrix really shines with its strum/lag function. It was a bit confusing at first, but after some time it clicked with me and now I think it's pretty intuitive and powerful, with the various velocity and timing options. I'm still on the fence about whether or not I'll end up buying it, since ChordLine essentially does everything ScaleMatrix does, minus the strum/lag functions.

Scales & Chords is great if you just need a simple, albeit pretty good, scale/chord generator!

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Enlightenspeed
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27 Nov 2019

If we’re talking about the library elements of them, then for me it is Scale Matrix, I’m a big fan of the experimental way you can build up your structures.

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Vil
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29 Nov 2019

oh, I just find this topic now...
lol
but please dont forget the Chordbank from this list! ;)

btw nice to read: "ChordLine is better for me" or "ScaleMatrix is better for me". Because this sentences are good proof about differences between this devices. As I experienced there are no "final" player. Developers still have many options to open new ways to explore music.

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challism
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29 Nov 2019

Vil wrote:
29 Nov 2019
oh, I just find this topic now...
lol
but please dont forget the Chordbank from this list! ;)

btw nice to read: "ChordLine is better for me" or "ScaleMatrix is better for me". Because this sentences are good proof about differences between this devices. As I experienced there are no "final" player. Developers still have many options to open new ways to explore music.
Ah yes, thank you for bringing up Chordbank. I just added it to the thread subject. Nice to see both of you fine developers in here (TonicMint and Enlightenspeed). :)
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VIVIsect
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29 Nov 2019

Vil wrote:
29 Nov 2019
btw nice to read: "ChordLine is better for me" or "ScaleMatrix is better for me". Because this sentences are good proof about differences between this devices.
I ended up purchasing ScaleMatrix as a companion to ChordLine. After spending more time with ScaleMatrix, I see that there's definitely enough of a difference between the two to justify buying both. Personally, I will be using ChordLine for building custom chords and progressions, and ScaleMatrix as more of a traditional chord generator, but with a powerful and intuitive strum function.

Anyway, just want to say good job on these devices! They're both amazing and I'll be getting a lot of use out of them (especially once MIDI out comes to the Reason Rack!)

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deigm
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09 Dec 2019

I can't figure out what chordbank does..
What application does storing chords to be triggered by various keys have?
How is that different from scales and chores for example which also triggers chords when I press a key?
I have watched the video on the chordbank shop page multiple times over and I still cant figure it out.
No manual to download as far as I can tell.
Would love to know what I'm missing here because I love chord players and I'm SURE it's just me missing something obvious..

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Enlightenspeed
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09 Dec 2019

deigm wrote:
09 Dec 2019
I can't figure out what chordbank does..
What application does storing chords to be triggered by various keys have?
How is that different from scales and chores for example which also triggers chords when I press a key?
I have watched the video on the chordbank shop page multiple times over and I still cant figure it out.
No manual to download as far as I can tell.
Would love to know what I'm missing here because I love chord players and I'm SURE it's just me missing something obvious..
Chordbank is actually a utility device designed to complement Scales&Chords. Because all the other players of this nature are basically just better designs of the original Scales&Chords, then Chordbank is by extension a utility to be used for them as well.

It can also be used as a Scales&Chords type device for those who are musically inspired but not fluent with music theory.

The manual is available in the shop as far as I can see... but the short of it is this - Suppose you know what the melody is, or you just have a keyboard run that you like and don't know much else about it. Well, Chordbank will take that idea, or indeed any basic ideas recorded directly to the input mode, and turn it into a full scale. You can then use that scale to generate chords at random etc, or fill it up with specific chords from another device, or even fill up a 2nd Chordbank from the first.

The other big usage of it is for live work, where you want a Chords machine with a lot of fast-access memory. Chordbank holds up to 24 chords, each with their own velocities, and can be played back in multiple different modes.

So ultimately, you should think of Chordbank as a set of extensions to Scales&Chords/ChordLine/ScaleMatrix/AutoTheory/(and that other one that I can't remember :D ) for the musically literate, or as a potential replacement for those who are not so musically literate.

Hope this helps,
Brian

sofine
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09 Dec 2019

Enlightenspeed wrote:
09 Dec 2019
Suppose you know what the melody is, or you just have a keyboard run that you like and don't know much else about it. Well, Chordbank will take that idea, or indeed any basic ideas recorded directly to the input mode, and turn it into a full scale. You can then use that scale to generate chords at random etc, or fill it up with specific chords from another device, or even fill up a 2nd Chordbank from the first.
Hi Brian, can you elaborate on this a bit more? So you would select input in Chordbank and enter your melody (at which point I see the chord bank for a specific pad filling up with notes), then store it. How do you generate more chords at random then? I did copy the pad to other pads and hit random, but I found they included notes way lower / higher and the result didn't end up being usable in a progression. Any advice appreciated :)

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Enlightenspeed
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09 Dec 2019

sofine wrote:
09 Dec 2019
Hi Brian, can you elaborate on this a bit more? So you would select input in Chordbank and enter your melody (at which point I see the chord bank for a specific pad filling up with notes), then store it. How do you generate more chords at random then? I did copy the pad to other pads and hit random, but I found they included notes way lower / higher and the result didn't end up being usable in a progression. Any advice appreciated :)
Really? Are you on 1.5?

If yes, then you'll see in the Random section that there is a set of value screens for the base and spread of velocities and notes. So let's suppose that your melodic progression, which is now effectively a scale, centres around middle C, which is note 60, and you want chords tight in around this. Let's also assume for the purpose of this exercise, that your melodic thing is stored in bank 1, and that you want random variant chords in every other bank. First set the Random Scale to 1, so that every chord you generate will come from what is in that bank. Set your Note Base to 60, and the spread to say 12, which is loose-ish, really, giving you two octaves worth of possibilities. Now set your size, and set any velocities preference in the same manner as you would with the notes.

Now, switch on Quick Learn. Have at it!
Now, switch Quick Learn off!

Enjoy!
Brian

sofine
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09 Dec 2019

Enlightenspeed wrote:
09 Dec 2019
sofine wrote:
09 Dec 2019
Hi Brian, can you elaborate on this a bit more? So you would select input in Chordbank and enter your melody (at which point I see the chord bank for a specific pad filling up with notes), then store it. How do you generate more chords at random then? I did copy the pad to other pads and hit random, but I found they included notes way lower / higher and the result didn't end up being usable in a progression. Any advice appreciated :)
Really? Are you on 1.5?

If yes, then you'll see in the Random section that there is a set of value screens for the base and spread of velocities and notes. So let's suppose that your melodic progression, which is now effectively a scale, centres around middle C, which is note 60, and you want chords tight in around this. Let's also assume for the purpose of this exercise, that your melodic thing is stored in bank 1, and that you want random variant chords in every other bank. First set the Random Scale to 1, so that every chord you generate will come from what is in that bank. Set your Note Base to 60, and the spread to say 12, which is loose-ish, really, giving you two octaves worth of possibilities. Now set your size, and set any velocities preference in the same manner as you would with the notes.

Now, switch on Quick Learn. Have at it!
Now, switch Quick Learn off!

Enjoy!
Brian
Thanks a mill for that fast response. Makes sense and I have a nice progression now. One thing, again prob user error (or lack of RTFM) but when I play back a melody (scale) in Chord/Scale-Link it is mostly as expected however when playing maybe 1 out of 6 or so stored pads, the melody (scale) will go up an octave or two, even though the notes in all the pads are in the same octave range? (note spread = 12) EDIT: on 1.5.1

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Enlightenspeed
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10 Dec 2019

sofine wrote:
09 Dec 2019
Enlightenspeed wrote:
09 Dec 2019


Really? Are you on 1.5?

If yes, then you'll see in the Random section that there is a set of value screens for the base and spread of velocities and notes. So let's suppose that your melodic progression, which is now effectively a scale, centres around middle C, which is note 60, and you want chords tight in around this. Let's also assume for the purpose of this exercise, that your melodic thing is stored in bank 1, and that you want random variant chords in every other bank. First set the Random Scale to 1, so that every chord you generate will come from what is in that bank. Set your Note Base to 60, and the spread to say 12, which is loose-ish, really, giving you two octaves worth of possibilities. Now set your size, and set any velocities preference in the same manner as you would with the notes.

Now, switch on Quick Learn. Have at it!
Now, switch Quick Learn off!

Enjoy!
Brian
Thanks a mill for that fast response. Makes sense and I have a nice progression now. One thing, again prob user error (or lack of RTFM) but when I play back a melody (scale) in Chord/Scale-Link it is mostly as expected however when playing maybe 1 out of 6 or so stored pads, the melody (scale) will go up an octave or two, even though the notes in all the pads are in the same octave range? (note spread = 12) EDIT: on 1.5.1
MMMyech!

Not 100% sure about the issue here, but I'm wondering if this is because you are in Link mode, the scales will jump around a lot more in that mode because they change constantly. Effectively what is happening is that each scale, being different sizes, are coming in and populating the keyboard in different ways. So one scale may only have four notes per octave, but another has eight. This means that because the split and link modes compress the scales then you end up with them being a bit uneven.

Is this the issue? If it isn't this then I'll need some sort of step-by-step or video etc to show me what problem it is that you're having.

Regards,
Brian

sofine
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11 Dec 2019

Hi Brian,

I guess the issue is because I am in Link mode.

Cheers,

Simon

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Enlightenspeed
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12 Dec 2019

sofine wrote:
11 Dec 2019
Hi Brian,

I guess the issue is because I am in Link mode.

Cheers,

Simon
Well,

ultimately yes, but providing that you don't need to change scales too much or if you just have say 2 that you want to use, then there is an easy work around. :)

I should have pointed this out yesterday, but I was busy doing the next Chordbank tutorial video. Sorry about that.

Simply use the CS-Split mode, and set the scales up in the last few banks, say 22-24 etc, and use the rest for chords. This way you use the scales from the last few banks and they will not switch around.

Hope this helps,
Brian

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Carly(Poohbear)
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12 Dec 2019

Look like you forgot Delta, which personally leaves all other utility player devices behind.
You could have a different chord and interval on each key or note.

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Enlightenspeed
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13 Dec 2019

challism wrote:
27 Nov 2019
What are your thoughts on ChordLine vs ScaleMatrix vs Chordbank vs any other chord player?
Out of curiosity btw, which did you go for? Or did you hold off for now?

Cheers,
Brian

scratchnsnifff
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13 Dec 2019

Why can’t there be a scales and chords device literally like the propellerhead one, but with more voicings and chords? I’d buy that in a heart beat. Something quick and easy, and has the most progressions.

With easy variation buttons like the stock device

Please developers of players. Make something just as easy to use but with more voicings :D
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diminished
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13 Dec 2019

scratchnsnifff wrote:
13 Dec 2019
Why can’t there be a scales and chords device literally like the propellerhead one, but with more voicings and chords? I’d buy that in a heart beat. Something quick and easy, and has the most progressions.

With easy variation buttons like the stock device

Please developers of players. Make something just as easy to use but with more voicings :D
That's ScaleMatrix :) It just seems a bit overwhelming because it offers wayyy more than just that, but that's the core feature!
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Vil
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14 Dec 2019

diminished wrote:
13 Dec 2019
scratchnsnifff wrote:
13 Dec 2019
Why can’t there be a scales and chords device literally like the propellerhead one, but with more voicings and chords? I’d buy that in a heart beat. Something quick and easy, and has the most progressions.

With easy variation buttons like the stock device

Please developers of players. Make something just as easy to use but with more voicings :D
That's ScaleMatrix :) It just seems a bit overwhelming because it offers wayyy more than just that, but that's the core feature!
Yes, this was my primary goal... :)

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challism
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16 Dec 2019

Enlightenspeed wrote:
13 Dec 2019
challism wrote:
27 Nov 2019
What are your thoughts on ChordLine vs ScaleMatrix vs Chordbank vs any other chord player?
Out of curiosity btw, which did you go for? Or did you hold off for now?

Cheers,
Brian
I couldn't decide between them. So now I am the proud owner of ChordLine, ScaleMatrix and Chordbank. I think Chordbank is a great tool to compliment ChordLine and ScaleMatrix. Chordbank seems to work/play really well with the other players. I haven't had much time to master them all yet, but I decided they all offered enough value and uniqueness, and BF deals were too good to pass up.
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Enlightenspeed
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17 Dec 2019

challism wrote:
16 Dec 2019
Enlightenspeed wrote:
13 Dec 2019


Out of curiosity btw, which did you go for? Or did you hold off for now?

Cheers,
Brian
I couldn't decide between them. So now I am the proud owner of ChordLine, ScaleMatrix and Chordbank. I think Chordbank is a great tool to compliment ChordLine and ScaleMatrix. Chordbank seems to work/play really well with the other players. I haven't had much time to master them all yet, but I decided they all offered enough value and uniqueness, and BF deals were too good to pass up.
Bravo!!! ;)

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deigm
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11 Jan 2020

Enlightenspeed wrote:
09 Dec 2019
deigm wrote:
09 Dec 2019
I can't figure out what chordbank does..
What application does storing chords to be triggered by various keys have?
How is that different from scales and chores for example which also triggers chords when I press a key?
I have watched the video on the chordbank shop page multiple times over and I still cant figure it out.
No manual to download as far as I can tell.
Would love to know what I'm missing here because I love chord players and I'm SURE it's just me missing something obvious..
Chordbank is actually a utility device designed to complement Scales&Chords. Because all the other players of this nature are basically just better designs of the original Scales&Chords, then Chordbank is by extension a utility to be used for them as well.

It can also be used as a Scales&Chords type device for those who are musically inspired but not fluent with music theory.

The manual is available in the shop as far as I can see... but the short of it is this - Suppose you know what the melody is, or you just have a keyboard run that you like and don't know much else about it. Well, Chordbank will take that idea, or indeed any basic ideas recorded directly to the input mode, and turn it into a full scale. You can then use that scale to generate chords at random etc, or fill it up with specific chords from another device, or even fill up a 2nd Chordbank from the first.

The other big usage of it is for live work, where you want a Chords machine with a lot of fast-access memory. Chordbank holds up to 24 chords, each with their own velocities, and can be played back in multiple different modes.

So ultimately, you should think of Chordbank as a set of extensions to Scales&Chords/ChordLine/ScaleMatrix/AutoTheory/(and that other one that I can't remember :D ) for the musically literate, or as a potential replacement for those who are not so musically literate.

Hope this helps,
Brian
Thank you for taking the time to explain this to me. And for pointing out there is indeed a manual. I must be blind :cool: The manual has cleared up a lot for me. Cool device!

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Enlightenspeed
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12 Jan 2020

deigm wrote:
11 Jan 2020
Thank you for taking the time to explain this to me. And for pointing out there is indeed a manual. I must be blind :cool: The manual has cleared up a lot for me. Cool device!
No worries, glad you’re enjoying it 😎

Cheers,
Brian

bidaar
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Joined: 30 Nov 2019

25 May 2020

can someone tell me the difference between Chordline and Chordbank , also I had the problem that watched the video of chordbank in the shop but it was confusing not becasue of the accent but because maybe it wasnt straight forward . are so loopcracker bundle makers active and gonna update? I already have scale and chords and scale matrix considering buying chordline and chordbank or one of em maybe ?
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Bes
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26 May 2020

chordline is like scalematrix in that you select scales, note intervals from a list with voicing, velocities and strumming options. chordbank has a human element where it records the notes (and velocities) played into it

both devs are active on this forum and the RE's get minor updates from time to time
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