As a former music teacher I would recommend all of my students this plug-in because of how well it lays out and connects the dots between "theoretical concepts" that often get overlooked because they are perceived as "boring" or difficult to grasp.
I’m a long time user of the original Scaler plugin. I finally got the upgrade on sale yesterday and I’m very impressed. Scaler 2 has again elevated my producer skills. It’s a lifetime of music theory knowledge packaged in a practical and easy to use tool. I have other songwriting tools, but Scaler has always been my favorite because of how it interacts with the user. Other tools can generate riffs and random note sequences, but Scaler really invites you to be creative and explore, even if your piano playing skills are dog poop.
This video was amazing! Having owned Scaler 2 for a while, this video finally made the whole plugin make sense to me with regards to it's application when writing! Brilliant!!!!
Ah, I also love Scaler and already written a few songs with it that I couldn't have worked out with my lack of theory - but I got stuck with some elements of it. Scaler 2 is awesome but I still didn't get a few of the functions and underestimated it's power at first. Now it's my go to tool for composing. Didn't know the manual was there lol. This is a great video, super helpful.
Excellent! I got Scaler 2 for Christmas, and it's already provided me with loads of help and inspiration for several new ambient tracks. I've never seen this level of ongoing support and quality educational material produced for a plugin (except perhaps the $499 Ozone suite). I am deeply envious of this studio, though! I hope you sell many thousands of these, David & co.
Your tutorials are excellent, but I cannot find anything anywhere about the basic principles starting from cold. Scaler 1 appeared quite some time back, and most tutorials are now no longer applicable. A total newbie 101 for scaler 2.5+ would be very helpful for a lot of people.
This is the only one thing that I don't like: they way played keys are highlighted in the top keyboard. Since there are so many different colors and marks, when the played keys are highlighted they got lost in plain sight. I think it should be an option, to optionally choose and inline color, with a palette of phosphorescent colors to choose from and draw a thin line (outline/inline) in each white and black keys when it is played.
I second this. It is very hard to make out what is played. The scale is shown with small blue dots as well to make it even more busy. I think a one octave keyboard on the side would be enough to show the selected scale keys. Ie a new little image. Appreciate if you can look over this visual aspect so it is super easy to see what is played. Cheers.
Absolutely brilliant session. Thanks so much. I bought scaler 2 a few weeks ago but haven’t had chance to get time on it yet. Definitely inspired now 🙏
My Life Saver... Thanks for another Great Video For Aspiring Musician... Just wanted to know that is ARCADE following Scaler or it is Playing its own tune in Cmin.
I love my Scaler 2.5 but there is one seemingly simple feature that I cannot get to work for me: I use Logic Pro X and I would like to simply drag a chord from Scaler onto the Logic's Piano Roll so that the midi notes will then be shown in the roll. I have tried for hours but cannot get it to work. I select "Drag", then attempt to drag the chord with my mouse to the Piano Roll but nothing 'sticks'. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Also, thank you for amazing videos that you make to support this wonderful production tool!
Hey PJ, just drag a chord box straight onto the main window Logic, Ensure you are dragging onto an Instrument channel not an audio channel. Should work fine, as you mention you could also use the DRAG button (drag it to the main window). Otherwise post what you are doing over at forum.scalerplugin.com where we can help you further!
@@SchoolofSynthesis You are correct sir! I was dragging it into the Piano Roll (which seemed to make sense) but dragging it into the track widow as you suggested did the trick. Many thanks for your speedy reply. Happy New Year to you and yours and please keep up the amazing work you do.
Great video - I've followed along and recreated each step in Logic using the same instruments to create the same sound. Mine sounds different and I suspect you have some reverb/delay/echo (that I haven't used) assigned to Bus 5 and Bus 8 - is this correct? If so, what are your settings? Thanks.
Indeed. Bus 5 has a small plate in this instance soundtoys little plate but just use any short verb with short decay. Bus 8 is what will make the difference and that is NI Replika from memory a delay with dotted 8ths and 50/50 wet dry but just any delay would do. Hope that helps.
I've been making music on PC for 20 years. IS THIS what people are doing nowadays? Makes me feel like I've been banging caveman rocks together; manually writing everything and painstakingly recording my own sample libraries from scratch.
LOL, I've owned Scaler 2 for nearly 2mos now and I still went with Captain Chords and Captain Melodies because I didn't know how to use Scaler 2. Because Scaler 2's interface can be very daunting to the uninitiated. This video has helped me out IMMENSELY!!! PLEASE, do more videos like this. More tips and alternatives to one's workflow can be so inspirational and helpful. 💖💖💖
I know people keep using the word, but truly this is amazing. I bought Scaler 1 to help me learn my scales and the related chords, and it worked really well for that purpose, but this function will jump start turning my random improvisations into full song parts. I'm so happy to have this learning and composing tool. Bravo!
Scaler has made someone like me that doesn't know how to play piano a music monster 💩 I can now play whatever comes to my mind and it fits perfectly, I now have fun making music, I can now play play play play play play play.
Hi David! It is a pleasure to listen to your voice. This video is a great example of how tutorials should be done. True professionalism is bursting all over the place.
Personally I would like a lot as a curiosity about the way in which a composer begins… .. what approach technique? or composition idea? will you use when creating a work ... for example ..... where does it start? . with or without score Step by step .... I think ... that would be the most interesting debate!
Do scaler have option to choose scale and play that using only white keys even scale has black keys b/#. I have on my Maschine that option as well komplete m32.
Discovered Scaler 2 a few months ago .... absolutely love using it, and thoroughly enjoying these high quality and concise lessons. Thank you David Carbone for your time and effort on behalf of us Scaler 2 newbies.....
Great start to finish tutorial! I particularly like the way you suggest Scalar has done it’s bit, now time for your own layers/tracks using whatever inspiration you have just been given by Scalar. Wonderful.
I'm hoping to get scaler2 at the end of the month. I dont use Arcade or any of those subscription loop sites. Can I still use Scaler2 just using my synths and real guitars / vocals etc?
Of course, scaler can work on its own but it also offers the flexibility of using third party and acoustic instruments. Looking forward to having you as part of the scaler community!
Thanks for the demo Davide - I have some workflow questions: Are the individual Scaler instance settings saved when the project is saved? What is the best practice for saving Scaler settings across project sessions? For managing multiple instances, is there an option for identifying each one with a meaningful name (track name or number?) ?
Yes all instances save with project, If I want to use across projects I go to settings/session/export state and just name it however you want. Then when you open a new scaler you go back to settings/session/import state and import whichever scaler you want.
liked and subbed --quick question --how did you bind the chords there--i usually have to drag chords from up top and drag them down to where it says pattern 1 to trigger chords with my midi controller. :)
Thank you for sharing this video!! I had only envisioned using Scaler 2 to set my chords, and to make sure that the proper scale was set before transferring the data to my DAW. But, even better, is using more than one, Scaler 2 instance, in a session - to flesh out a basic song mix - which will really help smooth out the process and help me to move forward, being confident, that my mix is in the [proper] and intended scale that I had in mind from the start.
Damn I was hoping there was a way Scaler 2 can transcribe melodies into chord voicing so they can be played correctly on a single instrument, but this video doesn't seem to imply it :( (Edit: to clarify in case putting anyone off, I have been using Scaler 2 for a long time as an assistant tool. I know a fair bit of theory and Scaler 2 is still incredible for fast composition, so wasn't complaining like it's not awesome! Just was hoping it could do what I am trying!)
Can't you just follow the notes of the melody with the diatonic chords. Or use variations/ modulations etc? There are plenty of ways Scaler makes this easy unless we are misunderstanding your Q?
@@SchoolofSynthesis what I was hoping was for something to cut out the steps of finding chords and using the right inversions to fit the melodies for smooth note transitions/voice leading, if you get me? All of it can be done manually, but for scaler (or something) to be able to arrange like this would be another level again. (I.e. If you do it the video way with the melody and chords being composed "separately" the notes of the chords might not be mindful of the notes of the melody and vice versa, making the arrangement more applicable to separate instruments than to be arranged just for playing on a single instrument). If played on the same instrument, it seems a little silly to be able to have voicing for chords if the melody exists outside of that voicing (in the context of voicing being most useful for efficient playing). As a side note, it would also be cool for scaler to tell the user the range capabilities of specific instruments relevant to this.
Hey SoS, back after a couple of months as still thinking about this! Before I used Scaler, I'd often follow this process of writing melodies, then finding chords to fit them. This video basically demonstrates my pre-Scaler technique: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-myUITpTwm38.html What I was maybe failing to explain above is that I know I can grab diatonic chords to fit my melody, but with the melody existing "outside" of chord, it then requires manual adjustment of the chords picked from Scaler + the original melody to create voice leading with everything in context. Scaler might be able to do this, but I can't seem to find a workflow of how to do it effectively! Any help appreciated. Kind regards, Josh
Here's another way to explain my problem: if I have a topline melody and I'm choosing chords from scaler it's not aware of what the top note of a chord should be. How do I work around this?
Just looked at the website. Is what’s being used here the basic plugin as there seems to be a lot of variations. I ask because it seems pretty cheap for what it does!
@@SchoolofSynthesis Cool! Must be different bundles it comes with that I saw. Another big value plus for me, is all these instructional videos, makes buying something like this less daunting and means I’d get the most out of it.
poor theme/contrast choice plus tiny mouse cursor makes these videos much harder to comprehend than they need be. By repeatedly going back and forth to see where you moved your mouse to/from I am (eventually) able to work it out. I would hardly call it a "School" though because it's fairly obvious the demonstrator has no teacher training. A script and plan about what you are going to do when would be a great help. Just because the product is so good - doesn't mean you can just faff about and call yourself a school. I ** Strongly urge you** to view some of Kenny Gioia's Reaper videos. Which, by the way, he doesn't claim to be tutorials and yet are presented very clearly with obvious planning before pressing the record button. I don't doubt that you have a huge wealth of experience which can be shared. But, for the moment, your level of presentation is C minus. I shall persevere because there is little content out there for people new to the product and yours seem the best of what's available. Maybe there is some "paid for" content? I am not afraid to pay for worthy materials. The manual is also poorly constructed. It's like a manual written by a programmer:- full of content about what is available but no logical order of presentation. Keep trying - you might sell to the "Yet to be convinced". Unlike me - who has already bought the product based upon what I perceive it to be capable of.
What I would have liked from Scaler is to import the melody with the midi notes, and to be able to pick chords from the suggest, so that it takes into account the melody and its rhythm. And in a way that when exporting the chords into midi, they would be synced to the melody I started with. That is actually what I kinda thought Scaler could do, but apparently not, or then I just haven't found a video explaining how to do it.
Hey Jupiter, well scaler can do all of this via multiple methods as really what you want to do is what it is designed for. Check out the EDIT page which can work in DAW synthesis and allows you to change the lengths of the chords, you can then copy multiple scalers and being using different expressions. Keep watching through some of the other videos but start here ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eGVrscdVZm0.html
@@SchoolofSynthesis Thanks reply, I actually figured out the length of the chords, but how do I do the afore mentioned part where scaler suggests chords for my melody in different parts of the melody, so that it actually fits it? So far I have analyzed the melody, figured out the possible scales and therefore chords, but after that I haven't found any tool of what I described in the upper comment, i.e taking the melodys different parts and suggesting chords for them?
Why did you pick such a cheesy sound to do demo with?should’ve picked better sounding instrument like a “piano” or something,would garner more attention.
Heya Fritz, listening to it sounds like I have just added the default patch of NI Replica which from memory is just a delay on a 1/8th (possibly 1/4th?) dotted rhythm about 50% wet with feedback around 30%.
blue in the face kinda stuff....nothing i can do ...will bind the notes to play chords as in the tutorial here...is there something that i'm possibly not doing that prevents that?...yes it greys out ...yes i'm in the right register on my keyboard...but all the bound notes play is the same notes in the midi capture......not the chords from the scale i've selected...again per the tutorial...e.g scaler throws out suggestions...you choose one and then the chords appear below...i can play them with the mouse...but cannot bind and play....greyed out bound notes simply playing as single notes and 'not the chords'.......
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I've been skimming through all these videos trying to find someone shows you binding the code the court progression and playing and playing one thing accords in a long sided that playing melody which of the hand in the fidelity notes a lot to the court can you show me this or send me the video or the link to the video with this if you understand what I'm saying
Thank you for these tutorials, very helpful - is there a recommended number of keys for a keyboard midi controller to have in order to take advantage of all Scaler's features? (i.e. hot switches)
Is anybody else having crashes using scaler on Logic Pro 10.5 on a Mac with apple chip? Sadly when I use it it crashes and quits …. Can anybody help me on this? Thanks 🙏🏼
Hi, you. shouldn't be having crashes, there are issues across the board with all MIDI FX plugs using M1 and Big Sur but that shouldn't affect the use of scaler. Head over to the community for help at scalerplugin.com
How do you use Native Instrument plugins like Native Instruments Noire in Scaler. I want to experiment with the chords but use Noire as the sound instead of Scalers presets. Love Scaler. Game changer
Depends on your DAW but easy enough. In Logic you use MIDI FX in Ableton, Cubase and Studio One you can route. Check the manual. Click on help within scaler to see how to route or visit forum.scalerplugin.com
Right click on the S logo top left or you can load a previously saved state. Head over to the community for help from a wide range of scaler users scalerplugin.com
There have been several updates since this video, you can edit all individual notes and chords and have all chords suggested, you can compose with the circle of fifths and modulate anywhere. Check out some of the more recent videos in this playlist and the manual is always updated too 👍
Really enjoyed this lesson. Just realised that I'll have to get thousands together to buy this kit! lol Music has come a long way since the 'you have to be able to play an instrument well'. This stuff is all about you have to understand how music actually works! I pretty much do these days - but its only because I can write songs quickly just using a guitar usually. This video showed me that even I could make pro sounding modern stuff if I could just afford the kit now I am retired. Anybody need a lyricist? lol J
what do you mean? scaler is like $50 which is an insanely low price in a world where plugins costing more than Ableton Suite aren’t uncommon and the most basic tools can be $250+ or get yourself the fancier eq with an extra virtual knob for only $500. Also if that’s not your point I misunderstood and I apologize!
