Hi guys,

I finally managed to install and co-design properly Scaler2 in Live. Now I wonder one thing, do you solely use Scaler2 to generate riffs and notes or do I need to add a note generator plugin beforehand in the Ableton chain to generate interesting melodies out of nothing?

I'm looking for the shortest route to generate melodies that will get me started instantly, with some randomness that still fits within a certain key. I have most M4L plugins but I'd rather say with a normal plugin (like the Quad Note Generator in Reason) to save time.

Thanks in advance!

 

Or do you mean code sign?
I mean, I'm interested if you re-designed its graphics or something.
Btw, I don't use this plugin but even I know that you can do it all with just Scaler.

And that's what it does. IT is the shortest route.
Well, learning to play is really, but hey.

 

it seems like a lot of users go through quite a bit of trouble installing it, keeping it up to date, etc. Is it really worth it?
Compared to using and/or modifying midi files?

 

I see this as more powerful really, and moving back into the right direction!
And if it is a bit hard to install and learn to use then I would rather put that time and effort into just doing it yourself from scratch, editing MIDI files as you said, or actually put that time into learning more about music and scales so we can do it ourselves.
I'm sure it could be a great tool for learning, don't get me wrong.
I am not a fan of apps or plugins that can potentially disempower the individual and make them dependent on a plugin when what it offers is what we should all have learned, really.
Hopefully somebody will chime in with more info on it for the op member now we've bumped the thread.

 

Yes it's worth it because it took me only a minute to figure the patch update out actually

 

Yeah co-sign it my bad lol.

I mean if it is I must be really stupid because I can't seem to be able to generate any sound with it, even loading an instrument in DAW with it (before in the chain).

To me it looks more like a slightly more advanced sort of the Scale stock plugin in Ableton.

But it's missing the Midi generator/Sequencer I'm looking for, stuff like Max for live (eg. Ultimate Ztep Zequencer 2), or J74 Step sequence/Arpline, Audiomodern Riffer/Playbeat, Midi Madness, InstaChord/Captain Chord, HY-SEQ16/Collection2, etc... am I missing any?

For the melodic riff I need something simple enough yet:
- a bit advanced like polyrhythmic or with enough variations to get me started in my tracks with some inspiring sounds right from the start
- which can evolve over time with some random features... but somewhat keeping a certain degree of control on the randomness parameters
- being able to stay in a certain key and having the key transpose feature is a plus
- being able to export the Midi files generated

In the hardware world only the Polyend SEQ seems to be able to do what I'm looking for? But it's 1'200 EUR and out of stock. Or the NDLR from Conductive Labs? I only have a Keystep Pro but it's just a basic keyboard, far from all the needs mentioned above.

If you can help much appreciated.

 

Last edited: Mar 29, 2021

Code sign! lol.
Well I did research this plugin just out of interest, and I was sure it does it all for you without those other plugins.
Considering you know way more about these type of plugins than me, I now suppose I've totally misunderstood all the literature they provide on the plugin!
And again, hopefully a user will chime in after this bump!
Good luck. Sorry if I was wrong!

 

Is it an 'all in one' solution though? This is what the member seems to want to know.
Or does it need to be used with the other things mentioned?

 

I mean from all the 'all in one solutions' I've been looking on YouTube and such, it's oftentimes a chain of plugins or euclidean rhythmic generators like this:

But nothing more 'complete' as in all in one (both scaler/transposer and advanced note generator).

 

Last edited: Mar 29, 2021

Pretty boring then!
Anyways, how is an all in one plugin about using other plugins then? lol

 

Sry man I was to quick to post before completion, now updated - check it out pls you will get what I mean.

 

Just throw a bunch of pitch class sets together

 

Yeah okay, well those Live plugins are just stock plugins that we all usein all daws for different things in different ways anyway! Like, for decades.
So as far as my musician's mentality reads it, if you can't play or don't have music theory under your belt then you still only need scaler.
I guess I hadn't seen the entire implications impled when someone asks about such a plugin.
And perhaps you are new to daws and making music too. It hadn't occurred to me.

 

I get your point so taking the scaler thingie aside, which note generators would you recommend to generate nice riffs in electronic music? Mostly Max4Life stuff? And hardware-wise? Or do I need to get into the world of modular already to get these interesting generative polyrhythmic sounds?

 

No idea! That is probably more of genres I only dabble in!
And obviously I make electronic music but I don't need any of these things to be able to achieve the same thing.

Not really. But it's fun!
I just use arps and note randomizers for when I need them.
But probably not in the same way you would use them. And it'll be in the traditional way of an arp, and for effect, respectively.
Just aspects of a track. Not tools that can help create a track.

 

There are tons of software generators to play with out there. Hardware isn't necessary. Quite a few in M4L as you mention, but Reaktor user community has a good few as well and there are VSTs other than Scaler too. I sometimes "generate" outside the DAW with the likes of Rapid Composer too.

I'm not sure about an all in one solution though as that's kind of how I view the DAW but I know what you mean. I enjoy mixing the plugins up and letting them feed each other. Such as Midi Grid feeding Scaler as a simple example. There's really an infinite number of possibilities once you start mixing them up. I would recommend playing about with as many as you can and see what fits best for you, result-wise and workflow-wise.

 

I use Scaler 2 (From sister site) from time to time. I didn't find it to be a pain to install or anything, that I recall.

Scaler 2 has a built in synth in it to make sound for you, but I turn that off, and just put Scaler first in the chain and then put a VSTi after it for making sound (this is in Reaper, btw.. not sure how you do it in Live, but probably not anything difficult).

I have used it mainly for chord progressions in weird scales, as well as figuring out some borrowed chords, different voicings/variations/etc. It's good for someone like me who has dipped their toes in musical theory but is way behind on it compared to many musicians. I don't use Scaler much beyond that though.. it's just to kinda point me in the right direction of what notes/chords I want to work with.

You can drag/drop the chords into your DAW too, and it will put the MIDI in there. As I work with electronic music, I've also routed this through an arpeggiator for coming up with some plucky arp rhythms.

I actually probably should buy this.. I think it's a good tool. I also own Instachord/Instascale, and never really use those. Scaler 2 seems a lot better.

 

Great thanks, I'll take a look into them as well!

 

Dope thank you, yeah that makes sense.