Scaler 3 Upgrade

Re-imagined and Powered Up

Scaler 3 makes it easier to take new directions, solve musical puzzles, and improve your works-in-progress in completely new ways.

Build Progressions

Drag and drop chords to build a progression. Choose from hundreds of chord sets categorised by artist and mood, and Scaler will be able to tell you which parent scales fit well with those chords. Stuck for ideas? Ask Scaler to suggest chords that will work next.

VST/AU Hosting

Load your favourite third-party instrument and effect plugins directly onto Chord Tracks and MIDI Lanes, with full support for both MIDI and audio effects. Seamlessly integrate your sounds and expand Scaler 3's creative potential within your workflow.

Multi-Lane Timeline

The Arrange page now includes a timeline-based layout with dedicated lanes for chords, melody, bass, and phrases. Each lane is synchronized with the main chord track, and clips are fully adjustable with independent control per lane or clip.

Standalone App

Scaler 3 can now run as a standalone app for Mac and Windows in addition to a plugin within any DAW, offering a complete and flexible songwriting tool with multitrack operation and plugin hosting.

Explore Page

Discover a Harmonic Universe of chords untied to any specific scale. Categorized by genre and feel (EG, Dark, Bright, Neutral), the Explore page suggests compatible and experimental chord progressions, unlocking new paths for unique and bold harmonic structures.

Colors Page

Explore a comprehensive view of all chord voicings and harmonic alternatives in a single, unified page. Instantly access parallel and relative chords, as well as diverse voicing and substitution options, to add expressivity and creative flexibility to your compositions.

Motions

Scaler's beloved Phrases, Performances, Melodies, and Basslines are reimagined as Motions, now with mood-based tags for easier browsing. Scaler 3 introduces hundreds of new Motions crafted by professional musicians, including the all-new Passages Motion.

Circle of Fifths

Get alternative chords for your progression. Choose a root note that's closer or further from your selected chord, or in a relative minor or major scale, and you'll see which variations of that chord fit with your current scale in blue. You can experiment with chord inversions and transpositions here too.

Modulation Pathways

Solve your modulation puzzles with Scaler’s suggestions. From your current progression, choose a destination scale and the software will suggest multiple ways to reach it. You’ll also find Secondary Scale, Modal Interchange, Mediant and Neo-Riemannian modulation methods here, too.

Note Editing & Harmonic Modifiers

A comprehensive note editing matrix allows users to customize or create new Motions. MIDI lanes can be set to follow or run independently of Chord Tracks, with new Harmonic Modifiers and Motion Controls to adjust note range, density, pitch, and clip rotation – all within the chosen scale.

Scenes 

Create evolving arrangements with Scenes. Build, duplicate, and arrange chord variations or sections to structure full tracks quickly and intuitively. Perform each Scene independently to explore different ideas or arrange full arrangements.

User Track Recording

Record melodies, chords, and ideas directly into Scaler’s piano roll. Capture chord triggers or Keys Lock performances and refine them with full MIDI editing and harmonic guides.

Divisi and Bass Follow

Control how chord voices are split across instruments with full Divisi and voice allocation, sending upper and lower notes to separate Scaler instances for realistic ensemble writing and richer layering. The Bass Follow Track automatically generates basslines that follow the root of your chord track. 

Features

• Access over 1,000 chord sets, keys and modes, categorised by mood, artist and genre, including artist sets from Carl Cox, MJ Cole and The Temper Trap, across genres from Chill and Drum & Bass to Jazz, Cinematic, Pop, and Metal.
• Build intelligent chord progressions with chord suggestions, sequencing and automatic voice leading for smooth musical results.
• Create evolving arrangements with Scenes, letting you build, duplicate and arrange chord variations or song sections quickly.
• Use the Arrange Page timeline with dedicated lanes for chords, melody, bass and phrases, all synced to the main chord track.
• Detect chords, keys and scales from MIDI and Audio, then discover compatible chords that match your music.
• Transform chords into melodies, arpeggios, basslines and phrases with Scaler’s musician-made Motions library.
• Control chord playback from your MIDI keyboard with Bind to Keyboard for one-finger chords, melodies and arpeggios.
• Perform chords and Motions simultaneously with Multi-Bind, allowing you to loop multiple lanes at once for live performance, jamming and fast composition ideas.
• Combine different Motion types across multiple tracks, then move and audition them freely to build fuller melodic, bass, arpeggio and phrase-based arrangements.
• Edit performances with piano roll editing and creative modifiers for transposition, density, range and variation.
• Host your favourite VST and AU instruments and effects directly inside Scaler 3.
• Route chords, melodies, Scenes and performances to external instruments or plugins with full External MIDI Out.
• Sync chords across multiple Scaler 3 instances with Live Sync, keeping progressions consistent across your project.
• Create realistic ensemble parts with Divisi and advanced voice allocation, sending different voices to separate instruments.
• Generate basslines automatically with Bass Follow Track, following the root note of your chord progression.
• Explore harmonic movement with the Circle of Fifths, chord substitutions, extensions and related harmonic options.
• Use professional Modulation Suggestions to move between keys through progressions, secondary scales, modal interchange, mediants and Neo-Riemannian pathways.
• Experiment with Voice Grouping and advanced voicings, including drop voicings, guitar voicings and range-based chord shaping.
• Use the Explore Page to discover chords outside a fixed scale, including brighter, darker, compatible and adventurous options.
• Expand your harmonic vocabulary with the Colors Page, including substitutions, inversions, extensions, variations and parallel/negative harmony.
• Compare up to seven progressions side by side in the Sketch Pad.
• Record directly into Scaler’s piano roll with User Track, capturing melodies, chords, chord triggers and Keys Lock performances as editable MIDI.
• Play progressions with 50 internal sounds, including pianos, synths and orchestral instruments.
• Work in Standalone Mode without opening a DAW.
• Create ideas on iPad, then continue seamlessly in Scaler 3 on desktop. iPad version sold separately.
• Sync with your DAW’s position, tempo and time signature, or work independently using Scaler’s internal cycle tools.
• Get started quickly with a step-by-step onboarding tutorial.