Adding alternative naming info

[Joel]

I read in another Fixed thread a request for adding “alternative naming info” for chord detection. The thread being marked Fixed might mean this feature has been added. Forgive me; I don’t know; however, I will proceed as if it has not.

I isolated a Bb7 midi chord in Reaper for detection, and Scaler detected Ab 6 (sus2) b5, which is-
Ab D F Ab Bb. The Bb7 chord in the midi clip is voiced the same as the Ab 6 voicing. Ab D F Ab Bb.
Scaler did a remarkable thing identifying the chord but still falls short because only a Jazz pianist would be able to recognize that quickly as Bb7/Ab first inversion. I’m not a pianist and had to see it to recognize it. I could be overlooking something!
The Scaler rep’s reply was (paraphrase) it is a good idea but might be a distraction for all but the most advanced users.
This feature is much-needed. It could be a valuable learning tool for those who don’t know the concept of chord inversions and horn players like me who know a fair amount of theory.
It could be a window that pops up when a right-click is detected, and then a tooltip notice for less than advanced users. It could have a learn more link.

[Ed1]

Hi @Joel

thanks for your feedback. I am not sure which thread you are referring to as this feature has been requested a few times.

We have added the bass note “slash notation” a few versions ago. Accessible from the Settings > Preferences > “Show Bass/Inversion”. It makes the inversions more visible in your progression but might not help in this specific case.

We are also doing the groundwork to allow users to select “alternative” namings per chords. As you mentioned some users will prefer other notations rather than the more “scientific” notation given out of context by Scaler in this case.

We are well aware of the value of such a feature for the community and definitely want to add this in.
Not sure yet when it will be ready but some of the work has already started.

[Joel]

Hello @Ed1
I had a midi file of Doxy I got from iRealPro and wanted to see if Scaler would detect the first cord correctly. It did but named it different. After experimenting for a day, I now see that detect assumes the lowest note is the root as a starting point, which is helpful to know. I’m looking forward to the naming feature.
I had not looked in the preference section until you mentioned it, so I made the font and colors a little easier on my old eyes.
This is fabulous software, and I am very pleased I ran across it. I found an interesting this with Scaler and Reaper. Scaler must be in the upper position in the FX order. If the instrument FX is on top in the track list, Detect won’t work. I think I posted something about this in another thread, but here it is again.