Hi All,
Thanks for Scaler. I really enjoy using it and it’s already of big help for me, opening new doors :-). I even installed Scaler 2 on my Ipad so I can use it … well … everywhere.
I do also really appreciated to have this quite direct link with Scaler Team including the ones we see in Youtube channels 
I’m a recent user of Scaler so apologies if I’m not using it the right way. I read the manual, look at the forum, watched videos, including Scaler 2 ones to find the Stairway to Davide’s Heaven. I saw some articles somehow-ish related to my issues but not really the same I guess.
I’m also boiling waiting for great Scaler 3 tutorials as usual, including workflows video (like for example : Scaler 3 within a DAW full in-depth tutorial :-))
As a Newbie, I may be use Scaler 3 (v1.0.3.9df5f41) within my DAW (Macbook M4, Macos Sequoia 15.4, Logic Pro 11) the wrong way because I’m a bit confused right now.
(I first start with proposals and then below, for the Brave ones, what lead me to make them.)
Proposal 1: For me, it would make sense to be able to Drag&Drop only the Midi triggers notes instead of manually creating/modifying the Scaler-Control Region. For exemple, using a Option/Alt Drag&Drop could be a way to do so while usual Drag&Drop would bring the whole chords
Proposal 2: For me, showing the internal instruments in Scaler-Control as editable is confusing
- Option 1 : Sync instrument name in Scaler-Control with the actual one in the DAW and shown greyed out
- Option 2 : Remove instrument of the C Area in Scaler-Control (as Mixer is in Arrange page) or greyed out
Proposal 3: Clarify, harmonize and may be correct the default velocity given to Drag&Drop notes
Proposal 4: For me, it would make sense if we could really be able to really silence The Main track of a Scaler-Control when playing from a DAW.
- If Bind is activated in C area but no trigger notes are played in the Midi region in the DAW, the Main Track should not play.
- If Main track is Muted, it should not be heard
Proposal 5 : Allow Midi CC for Scaler basic function (Next/Previous in preset or Scale or Motion, etc, changing Tabs/Pages, Favorite)
Proposal 6 : Be able to use my laptop keyboard to play note on the stand alone mode
Use case
- In my DAW (Logic Pro), I want a simple C-G-Am-F on 4 bars starting at bar 5, with Up/Down arpeggio motion.
- I need to have this region in my DAW as I want to easily handle it like the rest of my tracks/regions (loop, move, copy/paste, etc), well like Davide is doing in tutorials or “secret featured revealed” videos
- I will also use variable velocities in notes, probable automation, etc.
- I want to use my brand new awesome Scaler 3.
- I want to use Scaler within my DAW as shown in the videos where we can change things afterward so I need the Main Track functions in Scaler within my
- I would really appreciate to use my Midi Keyboard (nearly the NI one Davide use in some video) buttons, faders, etc to command some Scaler basics function using Midi CC (Next/Previous in preset or Scale or Motion, etc, changing Tabs/Pages, Favorite)
- I would really appreciate to be able to use my laptop keyboard to play note on the stand alone mode so I would be easier when I’m on a trip without my Midi keyboard.
Methodology
Part 1a
- Open a project in my DAW (Logic Pro)
- Add a track with a simple instrument (other than Scaler for now) and Scaler 3 Control as Midi FX
- In Scaler-Control B Area, select C Major
- In Motion of C Area, add Articulations - Arpeggio - Up/Down
- In the DAW, at bar 5, add manually a 4 bars Scaler-Control Midi region containing the trigger notes C2 G2 A2 F2 on 1 bar each.
- Ensure Bind chords is selected in B area
- Ensure no chords are in the Main Track in C Area
- Play in the Daw => results as expected, using this as a baseline
Part 1b (optional)
- In Scaler-Control A area, select the Chord set - Common Progressions I-V-vi-IV - Triads
- Drag&Drop the complete chords set from the A area to a track in the DAW: a midi region is created with the chords
- Check the velocity of the created notes. In my case 127
- Remove this just created Midi Region
Findings from Part 1 (See Proposals 1 to 3):
- DAW instrument is played with the correct target chords and with requested Arpeggio
- Consistent behaviour: we have a Midi region with the trigger notes send to Scaler-Control, triggering the notes of the Current Scale in the selected bound area (here B) and applying the requested Arpeggio
- No unexpected notes from Main Track as it’s empty
- Scaler-Control Midi region in the DAW must be created manually because Drag&Drop from Current Scale (B area) is no use as the notes are not in the target order
- Drag&Drop from Chord Set (A area) can be used but the full chords are copied so manual cleaning is needed to have only the trigger notes in the Scaler-Control Midi region.
- In Scaler-Control C Area, Felt Piano (or any internal instrument) is confusing because the instrument actually used is (and should be) the one selected in the DAW.
- The default velocity for Drag&Drop seems to be 127 which is different from the Scaler UI Velocity settings or any value that would be defined in the DAW
Part 2a (following the end of Part 1a above)
- Ensure Bind button is on for in the B area
- From Chord Set (A area) or Chord Scale (B area), Drag&Drop C, G, Am and F to the to Zone C Main Track
- In the DAW, with playhead at bar 1, click the Play button (yes, of the DAW, yes bar 1)
- The instrument played is the DAW one
- The progression is played from bars 1 to 4 included using Scaler-Control Main Track, including Arpeggio with a velocity of 127 apparently, and then it carries on from bars 5 to 8 included using the Midi region with trigger notes added in Part 1 with the velocity put manually for each trigger note, Arpeggio also included => Why bar 1 to 4 are played ?
Part 2b
- Deactivate the Bind button in the B area (so no Bind button activated)
- Play again in the Daw from bar 1: only the part from bars 1 to 4 is played but not the other
- Activate Bind in A or B => the trigger notes are taken into account and the related chord are played : the Bind button of zone A and B act as a switch in regard to Midi input from trigger notes
Part 2c (See Proposal 4)
- Go to Scaler-Control Arrange Page and Mute the Main Track
- Play again in the Daw from bar 1: the two parts from bars 1 to 4 and 5 to 8 are still played => Shouldn’t we just hear the sound of silence ?
Part 2d (See Proposal 4)
- Replace the Midi region from bars 5 to 8 included by trigger notes C, D, E, F
- In Scaler-Control C area containing C G Am F chords, activate the Bind button in the Main Track line
- Play again in the Daw from bar 1: the 2 parts from bars 1 to 4 and the new 5 to 8 are still played even if no trigger notes are played => The Bind button doesn’t seem to act as a switch like A or B counterparts
By the way, I faced many Scaler crashes leading to Logic Pro ones from time to time but seems to be addressed elsewhere in the forum.
Thank and Bravo for the ones reeding till the end
Cheers
Christophe (Toulouse-France)