In this video I explain how I used Harmony Bloom to randomise the chord sequences generated in Scaler 2. Using tools like Harmony Bloom (and Stepic) allows the easy control of bound chords in Scaler 2 without creating multiple patterns in Scaler 2; although you could easily expand the principles in the video to control multiple Scaler 2 chord patterns…
Nice! I have used Harmony Bloom but not in tandem with Scaler but separately. Harmony Boom is a nice tool for creating melody’s. Thanks for the video. I may need to give this a try at some point.
I also use Stepic to control Scaler 2 bound chords - just limit the generated notes to C2 thru C#3 - and you can, via the Stepic sequence, control the chord progression. Stepic has features that let you control the randomness of the sequence as well as up to 8 automation parameters for the instrument plugin.
Thanks for listening and taking the time to comment … I explore quite a few other techniques in short videos on my YouTube channel @anacrusisinthailand
Using Stepic to control Scaler - that’s a great idea - will give that a try. Thanks for the video Simon.
I’m a big fan of Stepic and Harmony Bloom (and StepPolyArp) together with Scaler 2 for generating ideas. I get a bit frustrated with Patterns in Scaler 2 for some reason and this provides a way to control ever-changing Scaler 2 chord sequences.
Good luck with your own experiments Bob, I hope to hear some results…
Great plugin. I bought Harmony Bloom and I reroute it to Auqamarine synth.
Sending chords from Scaler (so far, so good) and now I try to figure out how to use it 
Not easy to understand how to set it up to get that beautiful melodies as you have. Are there any useful presets for HB to buy/download?
Thanks for watching the video and asking about Harmony Bloom presets. I am not aware of anyone selling HB preset packs.
The image below shows my Scaler 2 preset starting point in HB. You can easily recreate it. It is setup to use a 8-chord, C-bound sequence in Scaler 2. If you only have a 4-chord sequence in Scaler 2, then change the Note Max in HB to F#3. I think you will get the idea. Adjusting the Free Offset, Number of Notes and Note Duration are the parameters I change most often. The Loop Length is important to control the fequency of note changes; > Loop Length, slower the notes change
I’m not familiar with Muze Aquamarine, but this technique works well with any instrument plugin.
For ambient style music, longer Note Durations and Loop Length in HB work best. You would just need to reduce those same values if you had more plucky or lead sounds.
You can also use Devicemeister’s Stepic sequencer in a similar manner to control Scaler 2…
If you have more questions feel free to ask
Are you a member of the Mario Nieto discord server? People quite often share links there.
If you are interested, here is an invite: Mario Nieto World
Thanks Simon. No, I am not a member. Il check. Anyway, you opened to me a whole new universe that looks (ok, ok, sounds) fantastic.
Harmony Bloom does take a bit of fiddling (with the the settings) to create something 'musically useful". I have about 6 different ‘starting point’ presets that I go to, to start the creative process.
Note Probability I should have mentioned, with shorter loop lengths a lower note probability often works best.
The other thing I forgot to mention is that you can assign CC# numbers to any HB bloom parameter (just right-click on the box) which you can then modulate or automate. Very slow LFO’s that make small adjustments work best I find.
A final thing. if you want slow chord progression changes in Scaler 2, don’t forget to change the ‘number of beats’ per chord in Scaler 2’s Settings - somewhere between 8 - 16 works best. It’s getting the right combination here with HB’s Note Duration.
Glad I was able to help…
Simon
Thank you very much for your tips. Yeah, HB is not easy, but even by using some defaults, it gives quite interesting results. With your tips, I should have more control. Hours of pleasure are ahead of me
