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Reason’s new MIDI Chord Sequencer could fill the gaps in your music theory knowledge and help you find chords you have never even heard of

Reason Studios has introduced a harmonic helper in the shape of Chord Sequencer. The Chord Sequencer promising to be “the fastest way to new chords”, this new MIDI Player device could point you in the direction of “things your fingers may not naturally gravitate towards”.

Just up load Chord Sequencer and you can immediately start exploring the built-in Chord Sets. Themed according to style (jazz, pop, EDM, classical, etc), each Set contains 16 curated chords. You get more than 50 Chord Sets, and they contain more than 900 chords.

Colour-coded interface lets you play it safe or make bolder choices – the clever bit is that, when you play a chord, the other ones in the set light up in different shades of green to indicate which are the most natural fit to come next. So, you can either play it safe or take a chance on something a little more adventurous.

Rest assured Chord Sequencer is not writing your song for you, as you can edit the chords and add new ones, so you retain a strong degree of creative control.

Additionally, there is a learning element as well; each chord is labelled according to standard music theory conventions, so you will discover what all those augmented and diminished chords you have been hearing about actually sound like.

As befits the software’s name, there’s also a built-in sequencer that enables you to put your progressions together.

Chord Sequencer works with any instrument in the Reason rack, or if you are using Reason as a plugin in another DAW, any instrument you have in there. Reason+ subscribers can start using it immediately.

Cord Sequencer is also available to buy on its own for the introductory price of $49/£48/€54 , regular price $69/£64/€74, as of 13 July.

Find out more on the Reason Studios website

Bitwig Studio 4.3 has arrived, a free update that adds a convolution device for real and imagined spaces, new delay effects plus support for the freshly-minted CLAP plugin standard.

New in Bitwig Studio 4.3:

Convolution, a convolution processor comes with 270 impulse responses that are designed to recreate a wide variety of spaces – from 12th-century cathedrals to studio effects and more abstract “environments”.

And there’s more to Convolution than reverb: you can adjust the colour and tone, or draw your own envelope to reshape the impulse itself. Addtionally, you can drop any audio in and use that as an impulse.

Next, Delay+ is described as a ‘boutique’ audio effect that combines familiar controls and a few new ones. Delay+ can either add a little character or fully transform your sound as it ping-pongs along. Set the delay in seconds or beats, then nudge each channel a few milliseconds for instant stereo. There are ‘Blur’ options that range from light, animated feedback to full-on reverb, and a Ducking control that will quieten your “delay cloud” when strong signals are present.

Two modules are new for Bitwig Polymer modular synth and The Grid, its sonic playground. Union is an oscillator that plays it straight, blending three waveshapes into one pleasant, drifting output. And for filtering, Low-pass MG honors Mister Moog by imitating both his classic filter and mix buss. Additionally, there’s Perfect Drift, a new package of more than 100 presets and note clips designed to show off what these new modules can do.

There are updates to other modules, as well, along with a few refinements designed to improve the overall Bitwig experience.

Lastly, we have support for CLAP, the new next-gen plugin format that Bitwig recently launched alongside u-he. This ‘CLever Audio Plugin API’ is described as a new open standard for audio plugins and hosts, and promises modern features, innate stability and rapid support for developers. And, because it is open-source, there are no barriers to entry for developers.

Bitwig Studio 4.3 available now for anyone with an active Bitwig Studio licence and active upgrade plan. New users, meanwhile, can currently take advantage of Bitwig’s summer sale, which sees the full version of its DAW reduced to $299/€299 (a saving of $/€100) and Bitwig 16-Track down to $79/€79 (a saving of $/€20).

Find out more on the Bitwig website.

AJH Synth has introduced the MiniMod TAP TEMPO VC-LFO, a skiff-friendly, 12hp Eurorack low frequency oscillator.

The company calls it “a modulation powerhouse”, because it features 16 waveforms, 15 with ‘wave form twist’ PWM-like control, random sample & hold type waves, and CV control over all functions.

It can serve as a clock source, or can be clocked by external pulse/gate signals, with a clock multiply/divide function, along with a built-in VCA, controlling both bipolar (LFO type) and unipolar (envelope-type) outputs.

TAP TEMPO VC-LFO is designed for everything from simple expression-controlled pitch vibrato, to clocking or being clocked by sequencers for time-synced modulation, and generative patches, where randomness and/or time control is needed to be shared between different modules.

Find out more info on the AJH Synth website.