"Auto Chords" Confusion with Session Guitarist

dalemccl · 2023-06-25T00:50:56+00:00

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New to Kontact. Using version 7 with Session Guitarist Picked Acoustic Guitar.

I want to record a virtual guitar part to a MIDI track in my DAW using a MIDI keyboard. I have "Auto Chords" turned on in the Picked Acoustic Guitar interface so I can play chords with one key on the MIDI keyboard (I'm not a keyboard player).

The song is in the key of D. When I change the key to D in the Picked Guitar interface, it changes the on-screen keyboard to show that B, E, and F# are minors. So far so good.

But it also changes the on-screen keyboard so that the C key now shows that it plays D. See screen shot below. So when I play a D on the MIDI keyboard, it actually plays Em, which is what is showing on the on-screen keyboard for the D key.

How do I get it to play the chord that I play on the MIDI keyboard. If I press the D key on the MIDI keyboard, I want to get a D chord, not an Em.

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Accepted answers

Brad Yost

AutoChords default the ROOT note of your selected key to the octave starting at C4 (most machines).

That is operating as designed.

For Example: If you change the key to F, then the F chord will be played on C4 of the octave (and virtual keyboard).

Many VSTi's that AutoChord operate exactly that way.

dalemccl

Thanks. I will adapt accordingly. I don't think it will be hard to do so.

All comments

Brad Yost

AutoChords default the ROOT note of your selected key to the octave starting at C4 (most machines).

That is operating as designed.

For Example: If you change the key to F, then the F chord will be played on C4 of the octave (and virtual keyboard).

Many VSTi's that AutoChord operate exactly that way.

dalemccl

Thanks. You are saying this is by design and not something I have set wrong. I understand now.

I just don't understand why NI (or anyone) would do it that way. I would think anyone would want to play a key on the MIDI keyboard that corresponds to the chord they want. You want a D chord, you play a D key.

As it is, in the key of D, having to play a C on the MIDI keyboard to get a D chord, or an F to get a G chord seems very unintuitive to me.

Nevertheless, thanks for explaining it to me. Now that I know how it works, maybe I can adapt and mentally transpose as I play.

Brad Yost

Every AutoChord VSTi that I've ever used always starts the chord scale (regardless of key signature) on C4... the entire Session Series, Amplesound, ImpactSoundWorks, Orangetree, UVI, and Indiginus, among others.

Just get used to it.

dalemccl

Thanks. I will adapt accordingly. I don't think it will be hard to do so.

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