SCALE PLAYER MIDI PLUGIN
Jam out complex scales with RF Music’s pumped-up MIDI plugin. Zero talent required!
RF Music’s VST/AU MIDI processor is free this issue
We may be teaching you how to Play
Keyboard Like a Pro this issue, but this awesome MIDI plugin can do it for you! Built by RF Music, Scale Player CM is an AU/VST MIDI effect for Mac and PC. Rather than making any sound of its own, this plugin process MIDI notes, turning your input into an output that’s always in key.
So what is Scale Player, and how does it do its thang? Well, instead of passing the right scale notes through to your DAW, the plugin uses a ‘current note’ value, with different key presses adding to, subtracting from or resetting what that note is. It’s a different way to create riffs and melodies, but once you get the hang of it, it’s an inspirational way to play.
Scale Player CM loads as an instrument in your DAW of choice. Depending on the host software you’re using, the setup will be slightly different to get the plugin working. Most often, you load your target instrument as usual, and place Scale Player CM on a separate instrument channel. Once Scale Player CM is receiving MIDI signals, select it as the input for the other instrument, and activate input monitoring for the target instrument. Check out your DAW’s manual to find out its specific method for routing MIDI plugins.
In the tutorial over the page, and its accompanying video version, we’ll show you exactly how to get up and running with Scale Player CM, getting results like a pro keysman with very little effort.
You can get the full version, Scale Player, on the RF Music website. This allows further in-depth editing of the target scale, with saving and loading functionality. While you’re there, be sure to check out RF’s Chord Player plugin, and their excellent Comp87 line – Comp87 is a compressor with inbuilt saturator, while Comp87 MB adds multiband operation into the bargain.