Chordsaus (BETA) - Max For Live Chord Generator
Chordsaus is my rendition of Orchid (ORC-300) by Telepathic Instruments, combined with elements of Ableton's Expressive Chords device.
Designed for laptop keyboard players in mind, It's a MIDI Effect that you place before any instrument, so whichever MIDI note you press, regardless of octave, will output a chord at the select voicing in the scale of your song (set by scale-awareness).
The voicing of the chords and bass function similarly to the Orchid, where the two voicing knobs on the left define the octave/inversions of the notes.
- There are also options to make chords include Triads, 6ths, Minor and Major 7ths, and 9ths (applies to all chords).
- There are also chord modifiers (Diminished, Minor, Major, Suspended) that can be applied per chord, which will output the desired chord regardless of whether it's in the scale of your song or not.
- Can be toggled to apply to all chords.
- Can be toggled to apply to all chords.
This device has been fused with customization options from Expressive Chords, so you can
- Tilt the velocities to be differently across each note in a chord
- Strum the notes of each chord in the pattern of your set articulation
- Randomize timing, velocity and articulation
This device also includes a Record MIDI button, so you can instantly start resampling MIDI to a new track, so you don't have to go through the mental gymnastics of routing your MIDI to a new track. (Shoutout Side Brain for the idea and permission for this feature)
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Mirror Mode - Arms both host track and destination track to record MIDI to
- Recommended if no MIDI has been recorded to host track
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Bounce Mode - Arms only new destination track, disables and folds Chordsaus device after recording
- Recommended if MIDI has already been recorded to host track
- Recommended if MIDI has already been recorded to host track
This device is in beta, so I'm hoping to work in a few more features before full launch, please feel free to email me suggestions.
You can also get this device in the All Max For Live Devices Bundle, which includes every device I sell plus future ones at a significantly reduced price.
All Max For Live Devices BundleUpdate log:
Sep 5 2025 - beta18:
- Record MIDI, Solo Bass, Global Modifier options
Planned Updates:
- Pad Mode for playing on Ableton Push 2/3/3S
- "Harpify" setting on chord voicing
- Secret cool idea that I'm still trying to see if possible but would be really awesome if I can get it to work
*****Known Issues:******
- States of modified chords do not recall with presets or reopening projects.
- It is recommended to use the built-in "Record MIDI" button to save your chord progressions
This device requires Ableton Live 12 Suite or newer, or Live 12 Standard with a max for live license.
Please email dnksaus@gmail.com for any bug reports or device suggestions
Chordsaus MIDI Effect