# Keys Lock - can it work with real-time DETECT? **URL:** \ **Category:** Scaler 2 General Discussion\ **Created:** [September 15, 2024, 4:54pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/keys-lock-can-it-work-with-real-time-detect/17930 "2024-09-15T16:54:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fredphoesh](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/fredphoesh/32/11659_2.png) [@Fredphoesh](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/Fredphoesh)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2024, 4:54pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/keys-lock-can-it-work-with-real-time-detect/17930/1 "2024-09-15T16:54:46Z")
Hello folks. I’m busy doing the scaler course, seen many YT videos, but have not yet heard of a way to do Improv with keys-lock mode, but instead of using an internal scaler chord progression, using the chord progression of one of your existing DAW tracks. This would be amazing for improvising to the full sounds you have made on your daw instead of doing it “remotely” within scaler only. I know you can play back your daw as you improv, but you cannot, AFAIK, have scaler base it’s keys-lock on a DAW track in real time… is there a way? I’m using Studio One Pro. tx Mark. ---
**Author:** ![warner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/0ea827/32.png) [@warner](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/warner)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2024, 5:07am UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/keys-lock-can-it-work-with-real-time-detect/17930/2 "2024-09-17T05:07:15Z")
Scaler does not currently have a feature that allows you to use the chord progression of an existing DAW track in real time. Simply you can use third party plugin ---
**Author:** ![davide](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/davide/32/824_2.png) [@davide](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/davide)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2024, 12:56am UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/keys-lock-can-it-work-with-real-time-detect/17930/3 "2024-09-18T00:56:12Z")
Well it kinda does, certainly Scale Lock mode does! [Scaler 2 + reMIDI 2 = Insane Functionality & Endless Possibilities](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/scaler-2-remidi-2-insane-functionality-endless-possibilities/7186) ---
**Author:** ![Fredphoesh](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/fredphoesh/32/11659_2.png) [@Fredphoesh](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/Fredphoesh)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2024, 3:03pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/keys-lock-can-it-work-with-real-time-detect/17930/4 "2024-10-13T15:03:07Z")
Hi @davide, well, I _think_ that only works AFTER you have created the melody… so you create it then have scaler alter it to scale. What I want to do is to create a chord progression, put it in the DAW, then go back to scaler and run the same chord progression in Scaler, but instead of playing chords, I just want the improv notes I am playing… and the notes I play are being altered if they do not fit in the chords being played in the chord progression. It should be very simple… not sure if I am missing something, but this seems like a basic thing for Scaler to be able to do! ---
**Author:** ![Fredphoesh](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/fredphoesh/32/11659_2.png) [@Fredphoesh](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/Fredphoesh)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2024, 4:29pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/keys-lock-can-it-work-with-real-time-detect/17930/5 "2024-10-13T16:29:33Z")
@davide the other thing about scale lock is that you have to record the chords as well as the improv bit simultaneously, you cannot, I think, record only the improv bit! This makes it nigh on impossible to remove later… a bit like piecing together shredded office papers 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Fredphoesh](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/fredphoesh/32/11659_2.png) [@Fredphoesh](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/Fredphoesh)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2024, 4:41pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/keys-lock-can-it-work-with-real-time-detect/17930/6 "2024-10-13T16:41:50Z")
@warner thanks for the response. What third party plugin is that? I have tried REMidi but AFAICT it does not allow you to :- read the chords on the DAW while sending that to Scaler as a “Pattern” which can then be keys-locked for you to improvise to. or is there another third party software out there? I just bought scaler and I did think this is something it would be able to do… ---
**Author:** ![davide](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/davide/32/824_2.png) [@davide](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/davide)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2024, 1:13am UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/keys-lock-can-it-work-with-real-time-detect/17930/7 "2024-10-14T01:13:41Z")
Not sure if it helps, but you can mute the chords in the settings so you are triggering them but not actually recording them or listening to them. ---
**Author:** ![Fredphoesh](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/fredphoesh/32/11659_2.png) [@Fredphoesh](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/Fredphoesh)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2024, 9:01am UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/keys-lock-can-it-work-with-real-time-detect/17930/8 "2024-10-14T09:01:34Z")
Hi @davide I got all excited and dug through the settings in scaler, but don’t see a way to mute the chords… I tried setting “Play Chords On Change” to OFF, but that didn’t work. Also if I make the playback sound “none” then I can’t hear what I’m doing when improvising… Am I looking in the wrong place? Thanks for your care mate. ---
**Author:** ![Fredphoesh](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/fredphoesh/32/11659_2.png) [@Fredphoesh](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/Fredphoesh)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2024, 9:13am UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/keys-lock-can-it-work-with-real-time-detect/17930/9 "2024-10-14T09:13:15Z")
…also, If the chords are still being triggered, but are silent, won’t they still be recorded as events in the DAW? I really simply want to use Scaler as a way to play in the key of each of the the chords in the chord sequence without recording the chords (I would do that separately by drag drop). ---
**Author:** ![Fredphoesh](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/fredphoesh/32/11659_2.png) [@Fredphoesh](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/Fredphoesh)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2024, 12:02pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/keys-lock-can-it-work-with-real-time-detect/17930/10 "2024-10-14T12:02:57Z")
@davide a kind of work around that works is to make the chord progression play back at -2 octaves… so it’s very easy to delete later, and also not too annoying to hear, some instruments don’t go that low anyway. ---
**Author:** ![ClaudioPorcellana](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/claudioporcellana/32/14242_2.png) [@ClaudioPorcellana](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/ClaudioPorcellana)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2024, 2:57pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/keys-lock-can-it-work-with-real-time-detect/17930/11 "2024-10-14T14:57:22Z")
> [@davide](#): > > you can mute the chords i Hi @Fredphoesh you can mute chords only using the 2 bottom items in Keys Lock menu, not the first 3 ---
**Author:** ![Fredphoesh](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/fredphoesh/32/11659_2.png) [@Fredphoesh](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/Fredphoesh)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2024, 8:05pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/keys-lock-can-it-work-with-real-time-detect/17930/12 "2024-10-14T20:05:04Z")
@ClaudioPorcellana hi, how do you mute the chords? I don’t see a way to do that, no matter which Keys Lock option I use. ---
**Author:** ![ClaudioPorcellana](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/claudioporcellana/32/14242_2.png) [@ClaudioPorcellana](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/ClaudioPorcellana)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2024, 8:31pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/keys-lock-can-it-work-with-real-time-detect/17930/13 "2024-10-14T20:31:49Z")
> [@Fredphoesh](#): > > how do you mute the chords? I don’t see a way to do that, no matter which Keys Lock option I use a minute that I make a screenshot here it is ![Cattura](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/uploads/scalermusic/original/2X/c/c7c56fddae0d5dc176e2c47776ae4acdcd8604d4.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Fredphoesh](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/fredphoesh/32/11659_2.png) [@Fredphoesh](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/Fredphoesh)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2024, 8:49pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/keys-lock-can-it-work-with-real-time-detect/17930/14 "2024-10-14T20:49:38Z")
Thanks Claudio! Yes that works well. I need to fiddle with it a bit more to see how it works with the Keys Lock modes, but so far it looks good, thanks again. ---
**Author:** ![ClaudioPorcellana](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/claudioporcellana/32/14242_2.png) [@ClaudioPorcellana](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/ClaudioPorcellana)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2024, 9:46pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/keys-lock-can-it-work-with-real-time-detect/17930/15 "2024-10-14T21:46:20Z")
Glad to have helped Note that you can even use for embellishment/solos the top 3 menu items in the Keys-Lock menu In this case, you cannot mute chords, but if you de-sync Scaler from your DAW, when you hit Play (in your DAW) Scaler activates the chords sound once, but then no more sound is emitted This trick will let you play tons of embellishment/solo notes, not just the barely 2 octaves allowed by the 2 bottom items in the Keys-Lock menu And you can also use [Keys-Lock White Keys for solos](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/solos-with-keys-lock-hidden-gem/15484) that is a similar trick