The Schwarzonator - a Max for Live patch from Henrik Schwarz
Henrik Schwarz, Berlin's own jazz/soul/electronica legend, has created an amazing device for Max for Live. This MIDI effect makes any notes that you play on your keyboard fit into the selected scale, making it easier to play with other musicians.
It's called the 'Schwarzonator.'
The Schwarzonator also comes with a companion device, called 'Little Brother,' which applies chord changes from the Schwarzonator onto other tracks.
The Schwarzonator is free but you'll need Max for Live for it to work. Download the Schwarzonator.
Here's Henrik's description of the device:
"The Schwarzonator is a note twister. It's all about helping musicians (or non-musicians) find the right notes and chords in real time. It turns one finger playing into chords that fit together well. Choose from a list of Chord Sets in a drop down menu. Then all notes you play on your keyboard will fit into the selected Chord Set."
The Little Brother
Schwarzonator comes with another device, called 'Little Brother,' that works as a companion to the master Schwarzonator device. Drop it into a MIDI track and it will align all notes to the selected Chord Set in Schwarzonator. You can use as many Little Brothers as you like - just make sure you load Schwarzonator before you load Little Brother!
You can change the chords of all MIDI tracks by having a Schwarzonator on one track and instances of Little Brother on the other tracks. Change the Chord Set in Schwarzonator and all Little Brother instances will follow the change.
Here's an example of how to use Little Brother: play a piano with chords in a MIDI track containing the Schwarzonator. Then play a bassline in another track containing a Little Brother. All the notes you play in the bass track will automatically fit the chords in the piano track.
If you have questions or ideas, please visit Henrik's special forum at: www.schwarzonator.com
Requirements: The Schwarzonator requires Ableton Live (version 8.1 or higher) and Max for Live.
Find out more about the man and his music at the Henrik Schwarz myspace page.