Free until Monday 16 November, then A$40.
Turn a bassline into a chord progression. Play a note, choose a chord shape and explore what happens next.
Includes ChordSeed Control for Max for Live and ChordSeed Rack, built with native Live devices. Both feed one easily replaceable instrument.
Watch the ChordSeed tutorial · Read the full guide
What you can do
- Shape up to six chords. Choose shapes and inversions, add expression, or roll the dice for fresh ideas.
- Match a MIDI clip. Assign chord slots to up to six notes. Longer phrases cycle through your slots and reset each loop.
- Mix chords with single notes. Play a chord every second, third or fourth note, with the chord first or last in each group.
- Choose how scale works. Fit whole chords to the playing clip’s scale, match roots only for parallel chords, or switch scale awareness off.
- Explore voice leading. Compare three smoother inversion choices or use the inversion dice for a freer result.
- Change register and expression. Adjust Fold, Bass, Voices, Open, Strum and variation while the progression plays.
- Save and print ideas. Store eight scenes and print the current setup or all stored scenes as editable MIDI clips. Active variation captures four passes.
- Play six native chords. Rack offers six Chord/Root macro pairs, 32 configurations per chord, Fold, Bass, Strum and an Octave Changer.
Two ways to play
ChordSeed Control — Chords from Any Bassline: play by hand or use a MIDI clip. Incoming pitches supply the roots. Details, Globals and Scenes unfold when you need them. Includes MIDI/key mapping and three skins.
ChordSeed Rack — Six Chords, Ready to Play: trigger six chords with the white notes C3, D3, E3, F3, G3 and A3. Each Root macro sets its chord’s pitch; the trigger selects which chord plays. Rand changes the six Chord choices while keeping roots and global settings. Save combinations as Macro Variations, or recall RESET. No Max for Live required.
Get started
Extract the ZIP and open ChordSeed Control.als or ChordSeed Rack.als inside the shared ChordSeed Project folder. Each Set opens its own illustrated lessons.
Control starts with one Triad, full scale awareness, empty scenes and closed panels. Rack opens with its first track selected, saved Macro Variations, an Octave Changer and a second track routed to record the generated MIDI. Both include Grand Piano; replace it with your favourite polyphonic instrument.
What’s included
- ChordSeed Control Max for Live device and starter Live Set.
- ChordSeed Rack native MIDI Effect Rack and starter Live Set.
- Separate illustrated built-in lessons for both Sets.
- Grand Piano and its required samples, collected in one project folder.
Requirements
Control: Ableton Live 12.4.15 or later, with Max for Live (included in Suite, or available with Standard).
Rack: Ableton Live 12.4 Standard or Suite; Max for Live is not required.
Tested in Live 12.4.16 Suite on macOS. Both devices generate MIDI and need an instrument to make sound. Keep Live’s Scale Mode on for Rack, and for Control’s Roots or Full scale modes. On Push, use a melodic layout for Rack’s six white-note triggers.
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