What is Scaler?
Scaler is a powerful music theory and chord progression tool designed for musicians, producers, and songwriters. It helps you discover, build, and experiment with chord progressions and musical ideas without requiring an in-depth knowledge of music theory.
Latest Upgrade : Scaler 3
Scaler 3 is the latest evolution of this acclaimed plugin, engineered to supercharge your songwriting and production workflow.
This comprehensive guide covers all the new features in Scaler 3 and offers a detailed comparison with its predecessor, Scaler 2, helping you decide if upgrading is the right move for your creative process.
What's New in Scaler 3
Redesigned User Interface
- Intuitive Layout: Scaler 3 features a completely revamped interface organized into three main pages—Browse, Create, and Arrange—to streamline your workflow.
- Improved Navigation: The new design is a big upgrade from Scaler 2 and makes it so much easier and intuitive for users to access tools and features quickly.
Standalone Application
- Flexible Use: Beyond being a plugin, Scaler 3 operates as a standalone application, allowing you to work on your music without a DAW.
- All-in-One Tool: This standalone mode is perfect for dedicated songwriting sessions or when you want to focus solely on harmony and progression.
Plugin Hosting
- Integrated Hosting: Now you can host VST/AU instrument and effect plugins directly within Scaler 3 onto Chord Tracks and MIDI lanes. This eliminates the need for complex MIDI routing and simplifies your production setup.
- Streamlined Workflow: Play your favorite instruments without switching between multiple applications.
Multitrack Compositions
- Layering Capabilities: Scaler 3 introduces a Multi-Lane timeline with dedicated lanes for chords, melody, bass and phrases that lets you write and arrange compositions much like in a DAW.
- Harmonically Cohesive: All elements remain locked to your main chord progression, ensuring a consistent harmonic structure.
Expanded Chord Sets and Scales
- Extensive Library: Enjoy hundreds of chord sets and scales organized by mood, artist, and genre, making it easier to find the perfect harmony for your track.
- Enhanced Suggestions: Build chord progressions using the sequencer and receive chord suggestions based on your current selection.
Enhanced Detection Capabilities
- Smart Key Detection: Scaler 3 can analyze both MIDI and audio inputs to determine the key and scale of your music.
- Accurate Suggestions: Get chord suggestions that perfectly match your composition, saving you time and enhancing your creative output.
Comprehensive Library of Motions
- Dynamic Expressions: With a huge library of motions, you can transform chords into melodies, arpeggios, basslines, and strums.
- Customizable Playback: Modify these motions using the piano roll editor and global note properties to tailor your sound.
Additional Features
- Circle of Fifths Integration: Easily find nearby chord substitutions and extensions to enrich your progressions.
- Versatile Modulation Options: Tackle modulation puzzles with five methods: Progression, Secondary Scale, Modal Interchange, Mediants, and Neo-Riemannian.
- Voice Grouping and Voicing Options: Keep chords within a specific range or apply special voicing options like drop or guitar voicings.
- Internal Sound Library: With 50 built-in sounds, you can quickly audition chords and progressions or load external plugins.
- Bind to Keyboard: Control chord playback directly from your keyboard, enabling one-finger chords, arpeggios, and more.
- Colors Page: Discover new chord expressions, including substitutions, inversions, variations, and voicings.
- Sketch Pad: Compare up to seven progressions side-by-side to refine your ideas.
Scaler 2 vs. Scaler 3: A Comparison
|
Feature
|
Scaler 2
|
Scaler 3
|
|---|---|---|
|
Stay Happy
|
Stay Safe
|
Spread Happiness
|
|
User Interface
|
Traditional layout
|
Redesigned into Browse, Create, and Arrange pages
|
|
Standalone Application
|
No
|
Yes
|
|
Plugin Hosting
|
No
|
Hosts VST/AU instruments and effects
|
|
Multitrack Compositions
|
No
|
Multi-Lane timeline for layering and arranging
|
|
Chord Sets and Scales
|
Extensive library
|
Greatly expanded with categorizations by mood, artist, and genre
|
|
Detection Capabilities
|
Basic MIDI and audio detection
|
Enhanced detection for accurate key and scale identification
|
|
Motions
|
Phrases, performances, melodies, and basslines
|
Reimagined as Motions with mood-based tags and hundreds of new additions
|
|
MIDI Export
|
Yes
|
Yes
|
Overall, Scaler 3 builds on the solid foundation of Scaler 2 while introducing innovative features that streamline workflow and expand your creative possibilities. Whether you’re crafting chord progressions, exploring new scales, or integrating your favorite plugins directly into your composition process, Scaler 3 offers a robust, all-in-one solution.
Should You Upgrade?
Scaler 3 represents a significant leap forward in music theory tools, providing a host of new features and enhancements that cater to modern producers and songwriters. With its redesigned interface, standalone capability, plugin hosting, and expanded library of chords and motions, Scaler 3 not only simplifies the process of creating harmonically rich music but also opens up new avenues for creative exploration.
If you’re an existing Scaler 2 user, upgrading to Scaler 3 for $29 (Reg $39) is a game-changer, offering enhanced detection, improved workflow, and a multitude of creative tools—all designed to elevate your music production.
For newcomers, Scaler 3 is currently priced at $79 (Reg $99) at the time of launch and is a great tool that will transform your approach to harmony and chord progression.
Video Demos
Here’s Joshua Casper from Plugin Boutique with a quick highlight of all the new features on Scaler 3 :
For an in-depth walkthrough of all the new features and enhancements in Scaler 3, check out this video overview by Scaler Music’s Creative Director:
