Skip to content

Instantly share code, notes, and snippets.

@pyreta

pyreta/ChordBoardDocs.md

Last active May 8, 2018 14:32
Show Gist options
  • Star 0 You must be signed in to star a gist
  • Fork 0 You must be signed in to fork a gist
  • Save pyreta/87237681f1fd19075b29629e46889e21 to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.
Save pyreta/87237681f1fd19075b29629e46889e21 to your computer and use it in GitHub Desktop.
Download ZIP
Chord Board Documentation
Raw
ChordBoardDocs.md

ChordBoard

ChordBoard is a virtual MIDI controller. It is the calculator of music production. With ChordBoard, you can harnass the power of music theory without having to memorize a bunch of crap. Ideal for music composers and producers. This program is currently only compatible on Macs.

any questions email pyreta@gmail.com

cb2-demologic

Table of Contents

Setup

Add a virtual MIDI device on your Mac

To your DAW, there is no difference between ChordBard and a regular MIDI keyboard. We need to create a 'virtual' MIDI device that ChordBoard can use to send the MIDI to your DAW. This only needs to be done once.

  1. Spotlight search 'midi' and choose Audio MIDI Setup

screen shot 2018-05-04 at 8 39 16 am

  1. Choose Show MIDI Studio from Window menu

screen shot 2018-05-04 at 8 40 00 am

  1. Double click the red box that says IAC

screen shot 2018-05-04 at 8 40 20 am

  1. Check Device is online box, and add a bus named ChordBoard. Make sure to name the port ChordBoard (case sensitive) so ChordBoard can automatically connect to this port. Also ensure the device name is IAC.

virtualmididevice

Configure Logic Environment

In order to use the ChordBoard with a physical MIDI keyboard, we need to make sure Logic is ignoring all MIDI signal inputs other than the ChordBoard. This way Logic won't receive messages from the MIDI controller, and the ChordBoard at the same time. We only want Logic to use the notes that the ChordBoard outputs. This step is completely unecessary if you don't want to use a MIDI keyboard with ChordBoard.
If you are using something other than Logic, just make sure the track you are using for the ChordBoard is only receiving input from ChordBoard.

  1. Select Open MIDI Environment from the Window menu (or press command + 0):

screen shot 2018-05-04 at 8 32 21 am

  1. Select Click & Ports from the Layer dropdown in the top left corner of the window

clickandports

  1. Disconnect the sum bus from the current setup by dragging the end of the connection back to the beginning of the connection (where the word 'sum' is). Now drag a new connection from ChordBoard (or whatever you named your virtual port before) to the same place you removed that first connection from.

logicenvironment

Installing ChordBoard

  1. Download the dmg file and drag icon into your Applications folder
  2. If you can't open the program because Apple doesn't recognize the developer, do use right click > open, instead of double clicking.

Instruction Manual

Basic Usage

The ChordBoard works as as a 2 dimensional matrix of squares representing various chords. When clicking a chord, MIDI signals are sent to your DAW (nicely voiced), and could be recorded just like a physical MIDI keyboard can. In fact, your DAW makes no distinction between ChordBoard and a generic MIDI keyboard.

Each row contains the 7 chords created by the given scale in the selected key. Multiple rows can be dynamically stacked upon one another allowing borrowed chords from other scales.

In addition to clicking each box, or pressing numbers 1-7 on your keypad, chords can also be played using a MIDI controller. ChordBoard maps the selected scale row to all the white keys on your MIDI keyboard. All white keys below octave 5 will trigger full chords, and all the white keys above will play single notes corresponding to the key and scale currently set in ChordBoard. This allows for the ability to play in any key and scale seemlessly, even if you don't play the piano. This is one of the more powerful features of ChordBoard.

Features

Key Change

Change the key by selecting from the key menu, or navigating with the left and right arrow keys. cb2-keychange

Chord Quality

Chord quality can be adjusted by clicking the chord quality buttons. Aside from using these buttons, the keys z, x, c, v and b are mapped to those buttons respectively. This means all the chords will have a seventh quality while holding down the v key and then revert back to basic triads when the key is released.

cb2-quality

Settings Dropdown Menu

Access options and settings through dropdown menu by clicking on blue gear icon in the top left.

cb2-dropdown

Dropdown Options:

  • Bypass Chord Board - When this option is selected, all ChordBoard settings will be ignored by your MIDI keyboard. All notes will be routed to your DAW unchanged.
  • Roman Numeral Notation - When selected, all chords will display their relative Roman Numeral notation. When this is off, only the chord name will be shown.
  • Show next chord probability - This option displays a blue bar inside each chord, indicating the likelihood that it will work as the next chord, based on the last chord clicked. Due to time and performance constraints, this option only works when chords are clicked with a mouse.
  • Add root bass note - When this option is selected, and auto voicing is on, a root bass note will be added to the chord voicing, ignoring the inversion calculated by ChordBoard.
  • Add inverted bass note - When this option is selected, and auto voicing is on, an inverted bass note will be added to the chord voicing, following the inversion calculated by ChordBoard.
  • Auto voicing - This option voices all chords to one common chord, or to the previous chord when Voice previous chord is also selected
  • Show scales - Selecting this option reveals the scales which could then be added or removed from the displayed scale rows
  • Output To DAW dropdown - Connect to your DAW
  • Input from keyboard - Connect a MIDI keyboard

Toggle Roman Numeral Chord Notation

Chords can be displayed showing their relative roman numeral notation n addition to the actual chord name by selecting Roman Numeral Notation from the dropdown menu

cb2-roman

Select MIDI Devices

Output to DAW

To connect ChordBoard to your virtual MIDI device, select your virtual device from the Output to DAW dropdown in the settings menu. Make sure ChordBoard was started after this device has been created, otherwise it won't show up in the options.

Input from MIDI Keyboard

To connect a MIDI keyboard to ChordBoard, select it from the Input from keyboard dropdown in the settings menu. Make sure ChordBoard was started after this device has been connected, otherwise it won't show up in the options.

cbmididevices

Select Scale to be routed to MIDI Controller

Select the scale to be routed to your keypad, and MIDI controller, if one is connected, by clicking on the scale name, or navigating with the up and down arrows.

cb2-rowselect

Toggle Scales

From the options dropdown, select Show scales to reveal all scales. Then click each scale to add or remove from the scale rows.

cbscaleselect

Next Chord Probability

The blue bar that appears over certain chords represents the probability that this chord will nicely follow the chord last clicked. The higher the bar, the more frequently the chord has followed the last chord played (in popular music). This option could be toggled on and off by clicking Show next chord probability from the options dropdown.

cb2-demo

Chord Inversions

The keys q, w, e, and r trigger root position, first inversion, second inversion, and third inversion (if applicable) of all chords.

cbinversions

Secondary Functional Chords

The keys s, d, and f trigger relative IV, relative V, and relative vii° of all chords.

cbsecondary

Sign up for free to join this conversation on GitHub. Already have an account? Sign in to comment