ARTonic Music ChordAXE

ChordAXE is a real-time controller for playing chord changes through virtual instruments with fluid voicing and rhythmic expression.

Use it as an instrument for chords-first songwriting and beatmaking to create beyond the constraints of fretboards, keyboards, and theory.

Map your way through harmony with the playable Mesh, and flow from chord to chord without getting lost in the notes.

Get that instant feeling when the right chords make your instrument come alive, music theory optional.

Explore the Universe of Harmony

Click the playable Mesh to trace paths from chord to chord through its tonal palette.

Find chords in their natural order based on the circle of fifths wielded by masters from Bach to Stevie Wonder.

Navigate musical vibes and key centers while browsing presets of iconic changes and tracing your own progressions.

Create freely with chords as shapes instead of working note by note.

Voice Chord Changes for Different Instruments and Keys

Contour chords and harmony to bring out the personality of any virtual instrument.

Click voicing controls on the fly to play up and down your instrument's pitch range.

Click spread controls to open or tighten note spacings.

Flip inversions to voice different harmony part lines flowing from chord to chord.

Play your changes in different keys instantly without pitch shifting so the notes stay in your instrument's sweet spot.

Express Chord Changes With Rhythmic Feel

Drive your chord changes from a keyboard, DAW piano roll, and rhythmic pattern presets - all merging in real time.

Phrase harmony part lines through changes with dynamic control of every chord note.

Play solid or broken chords to create song structures, beat foundations, melodies, riffs, and basslines that elevate your signature sound.

Get Creative in Real Time

Summon chord changes, voicings, and rhythmic patterns in a continuous songwriting and beatmaking flow to build emotional worlds with your favorite instruments.

Features

• Play virtual instruments with expert harmonic control over chord choices and voicings, key centers, and rhythmic expression of chord notes
• Navigate all chords and key centers in their natural harmonic order with the playable Mesh based on the circle of fifths
• Flip between: Mesh view to trace chords, and MIDI view to control expression
• Drive chord changes in real time with a keyboard, DAW piano roll, and rhythmic pattern presets - all merging to phrase your chord notes
• Borrow from iconic progression presets to rework their structures in different keys with alternative voicings and rhythmic flows
• Explore traced progression presets on the Mesh to decode and master their harmonic DNA - then apply that knowledge to trace your own changes
• Dial in chord voicings by ear to sound out all possible key centers, pitch registers, chord inversions, and note spreads
• Play outside the movable MIDI control zone to mix chord notes with extra notes on the fly - melodies, riffs, basslines, passing notes, and pedal tones
• View your chord notes and extra notes on the keyboard display as they play
• Stretch chord voicings beyond the physical limits of fretboards and keyboards
• Execute seamless legato chord-to-chord transitions beyond human hand speed
• Craft well-voiced chord changes in 3, 4, or 5-part harmony, plus an optional sub-octave part
• Carry chord notes and rhythmic patterns across changes so your harmony lines flow musically through transitions, without stopping and starting
• Build your harmony chops while exploring endless combinations of chords, keys, and voicings by ear in real time