Scaler 2 rocks, it is such a great expansion over the previous version. You just beat the Captain plugins
I totally love the new feature with the vast selection of Italian expressions! And I wish I could access that selection at runtime with MIDI notes from the DAW piano roll, such as via remote octave, similar how I can use the lower octaves to choose chord sets. Forgive me if this feature already exists and I have not yet figured out how to make us of it?
Multiple or the same chords in pad view view triggering lots of different expressions Selected in edit mode triggered by bind area and keyswitches is how I do it.
Then I configured the variations of expression for each lane, so the remote octave pics the according preconfigured expression types (doing via MIDI notes what I proposed)
This works for now. I would still like to see the expressions directly accessible programmatically via MIDI, would give more flexibility cause less preconfig work
It’s interesting but there are 127 assignable midi cc parameters and how and what do you assign them to? We keep discussing it but there are numerous conundrums we face. Thanks for feedback
My proposal for mapping MIDI parameters would be…
expression type switch (arp, strum, expression, performances, phrases, rhythms)
expression selection (an enumerated list of the italian expression styles, 0…127)
(like traditional synth preset logic, see the old Prophet or Roland synths - say 10…29 Adagio, 30-49 Espressivo, 50…69 Moderato, 70…99 Vivace, etc.)
Coming to think about it, perhaps you could leverage the existing MIDI Program Select message after all?
And similarly, MIDI parameters for each of the performance selections…
This would make Scaler super-friendly for live performance, since the pad view/custom chord configurations would a) be very limited in terms of all the possible combinatorials, and b) require a lot of upfront configuration (rather rigid). Think of making Scaler playable from an MPC, or Maschine type of device - currently a lot of the Scaler parameters require computer/mouse interaction.
I agree with all of this and think your suggestions are good and make lots of sense, and the more I think about it the more I am feeling like this is part of a redesign. There’s so much for us to address, full midi mapping, full midi customisability and control, multi midi output, MPE support. All of this shouldn’t be thrown together but carefully thought out. Scaler 2 should focus on bringing out our ideas for bass, melody, expressions etc. Refine what we have, add content, make it better. Then when its time for a complete resign which will happen. We address it all.
Yes, that makes sense, and don’t let me push you into scope creep
I was thinking if you guys make a companion product, with Scaler keeping focus on scales & chord progressions, and the other product being some sort of arpeggiator on steroids (with guitar/strumming, and the unique expressions you’ve catalogued). This would mitigate the everything-and-the-kitchen sink scope creep for Scaler. And piping a chord generator into an Arp is pretty common for electronic music projects, e.g. Cthulhu/RandArp.
If you look at the Captain plugins, they take a distributed approach of plug & play as needed (but I neither like their implementation nor that company’s customer service approach, and the fact that it must be on the internet and sends out personal data under the covers).
While I have a large toolbox of plugins that do similar stuff, you guys’ plugin stands out because it takes a more user-friendly approach to teaching music-theory, for us who never got formal training in music. I appreciate Scaler’s contextual explanation for the scales and the expressions.
