It’s the story about the evolution of my creativity, skills, and workflows with the goal to find an easy, fast, but creative (not robotic) way to make backing tracks, but it is a long story, so if interested, please sit in your armchair with a coffee cup 
All started with a toy-keyboard, the Korg Keystation Mini 32 and the mini-arranger called Ignite attached to it
It was very easy to use: select the instruments and hit one key at a time to have a complete arrangement; I had a lot fun with it making simple songs like this one Hammond
The problem was that the arranger was easy but not expandable, so I used the Ableton license given with that keyboard, and I started to use a number of plugins and tools
Among the tools used, there was a sequencer (now discontinued, don’t remember the name) that allowed me make more “varied” songs like Nora
The problem with sequencers and arpeggiators is that they sound too much robotic for my tastes; this is why I searched for other tools until I found Scaler 2; I made a lot of vibes with it, and made many mini-tutorials about how-to produce songs in several different styles (search for my name in the Search form to see)
In the meanwhile, I used a lot of plugins, sample-based or modellized, but as many musicians know not all instruments can be easily played with a plugin; notably guitars and winds due to their very different physics; actually only the keyboards can be used to produce perfect piano or Hammond parts, as long as you are skilled enough (not my case)
To partially overcome my weak skills as a keyboard player, I used the Scaler 2 Keys-Lock feature extensively producing severale tests, mini-tutorials and songs
One I am particularly fond of is Rabid Rabbit Funk whith the cool guitar played by Carlos Eduardo Arellano, a friend passed away to early
So I kept using Scaler 2 with my plugins until the Scaler 3 beta testing appeared; I was included in the beta-tester team and I was literally upset by the change: instead of an improved version of Scaler 2, I was testing a totally different and incomprehensible stuff, so I decided to abandon it entirely, to buy an electric guitar and to transfer the whole process, from software to hardware, keeping my plugins just to create backing tracks
After some plugin and tool variations, I just kept the Toontrack trio: EZKeys 2, EZbass and EZDrummer, and I started to create chord progressions by ear on my guitar, directly
The problem was that I didn’t know the names of those chords, but I needed the names to automate EZKeys, so I searched for a suitable tool and I found Oolimo: this cool app lets me select the positions on its guitar fretboards and the chord names jump out, bingo!
Setting the same chords in EZKeys and the keyboard track was made, but after a few weeks I realized how badly this ecosystem is implemented
For example, you set the chord progression in EZKeys and then you use the MIDIs to have an intro, some verses, bridges, choruses, etc.; then you export the project, but when you load the project in EZbass or EZDrummer those parts are lost, YUK! So you have to set all parts manually: a big waste of time and a boring to death process
So I decided to change my workflow and plugin arsenal again: I reinstalled Jamstix and re-tested UJAM basses realizing they were all suitable, because they follow me automatically
I also decided to learn to play the keyboard, and I found that I was pretty able to find simple chord progressions by ear, just how I do with my guitar
Unfortunately, my skills at piano are too much weak, so I realized I needed some help (not too much help like with MIDIs) to understand chords found on the keyboard by ear, and also to add easily little solos or grace notes and this is why I reinstalled Scaler 2
But, I realized very quickly the 2 severe issues I had using its Keys-Lock feature when synced with DAW and Chords sound Off:
1 - the triggers for chords are white keys, and the trigger for grace notes are white keys as well: it means that if the chord progression is too much long, let’s say over 4 chords, any little keyboard doesn’t allow to hit all available grace notes
2 - the part for grace notes is 2 octaves, but the doable notes are actually 3-4 per each chord used, with gaps and jumps between
So I get lost again searching for an easy, fast, but creative (not robotic) way to make backing tracks for my guitar, until I reminded that Scaler 3 improved the Keys-Lock feature
I installed the demo, tested it a few days, and I found that placing the chord triggers on black keys was a smart way to have a bigger area for grace notes, and even entire chords, bingo!
