FeelYourSound

TranceEngine by FeelYourSound is an all in one MIDI generation and music creation system, with just about everything you need, especially in terms of midi, (except drums) to create trance music. In this review, I show how to use TranceEngine, how to import midi, export midi, and some of the MIDI editing tools. How to use TranceEngine inside of Ableton, and how to create different genres of music (not just Trance!) in this really useful tool - for example I think its a really cool way to make Synthwave! I compare TranceEngine to HouseEngine and explain the differences, plus more.

TranceEngine Review Video!

Hey, after trying the demo for HouseEngine, I decided to buy. Why?

Well its fairly cheap, for starters its about 46 dollars, so its wasnt a big "decision", but what I liked about it was it gave me the ability to create authentic sounding house music. Its not just the automatic chord creation that I liked, but the different arrangement options that sounded so good together. Its all midi, so everything was tweaked (I would recommend tweaking otherwise your music will sound like everyone elses!).

I made a video where I walked through HouseEngine for the first time (this is before I purchased) but still gives you a lot of info about how the VST works. Its a free demo, just with limited capabilities, so if your not sure, just try it.

https://youtu.be/KC4RB7z7Om8

I'm lucky enough to work in a well stocked studio, I have the big hitters from Reason 12, Live 11, Logic Pro X, though most days I'm in Pro Tools with the aforementioned hanging off a port or 2. This innocuous little fellow is possibly the most inspirational generator I have at my disposal. For Trance, Uplifting, the arpeggio possibilities are endless, layered up on a mouse click with a strum, lead stab, bass of various articulation

Where it shines in my humble opinion is the instant flow of generative melodies supporting or top line it can bring into play alongside a 4 on the floor, all happening in a window no larger than half a mouse pad.

I have Patchwork for Pro Tools sessions, in logic you can insert on the MIDI slot, pass through enabled. It's also intuitive, no small feat considering the options at hand, I have all the P.I.B. MIDI tools, I found limitations or study requirements in most, this thing gets you flying in the first few seconds, I was surprised to find an absence of reviews and felt a quick summary was deserved by way of a heads up to the MIDI community, in time this will be the standard go to, rock solid build which has yet to crash on Monterey back to Mojave

Outstanding.

Honestly one of the greatest plugin inventions of this decade, any genre you want to make, any chord(s) you give it will transform them into something with more movement & life, without even adding extra effects (but you can, to make it even better).

Hat's off to Hauke & FeelYourSound.

Very useful even for just single note basslines. I bought it right after release and the updates have been substantial, adding presets and functions.

This thing is dope... More usable than the captain chords stuff. If the developer is listening a great feature to add would be MIDI export for each of the 4 modules. That way you could drag the lower octaves to your bass instrument and the higher octaves to your keys ect... Anyway, love it.

INTRO
Sundog Scale Studio by FeelYourSound is a fantastic song composition tool that helps song writers of all levels quickly and easily build chord progressions, harmonies, and melodies. It's a stand-alone application that transmits MIDI note data to digital audio workstations. According to the developer,"The main focus of Sundog lies on writing harmonic songs from scratch without having to worry too much about music theory."

FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The purchase, download, install, and activation process is simple. Upon launching, users will notice a flat, modern, neatly designed GUI. The color scheme is an eye-pleasing mix of creamy grays, white, yellow, and red. The interface is not intimidating; it is well thought out and inviting. It can be resized to accommodate various screens, workspaces, and needs. There is also a reset UI to default command. The top red bar houses the following selectors: tempo (30-299), swing (%), chords (viewed as text or on a KB), bar length (1-16), basenote (root note), and scale. The yellow Pattern Trigger box is for playing individual notes and chords. The light gray Pattern box at the bottom is for creating rhythms over sixteen steps. Users can even use up to 64 steps by setting the Length to anything from 1 to 64 steps. The arrow in the pattern box is used to go from one 16-step-page to the next. There are Instrument blocks in the middle of the screen that transmit MIDI to different channels. Users can create a limitless number of song parts. Each song part consists of 15 instrument boxes, and each instrument has an own pattern trigger area and a pattern box. Users can create parts (1-16 bars) that can be linked together to create an entire song. The free-standing area on the right includes: solo, mute, source (scale notes, chord notes, etc.), octave (0-9), channel (1-16), instrument (general MIDI assignments), fixed note (general MIDI note assignments for drums), velocity (0-127), and a pattern area with many pattern presets. The transport bar is on the top and features MIDI, a timeline, play and record.

SETTING UP
The setup process can be a little challenging for those less experienced with configuring Audio/MIDI connections on their computer. It requires that a virtual MIDI cable be connected to a DAW. A quick-start video tutorial illustrates how to achieve this in each of popular workstations:

http://feelyoursound.com/sundog-quickstart/.

In some cases, users will need to access the Audio/MIDI Setup found in Applications/Utilities. There are step-by-step instructions:

http://feelyoursound.com/setup-midi-os-x/.

There is also a clear and concise user manual:

http://feelyoursound.com/sundog-manual/.

Once setup is completed, the fun will begin! Note: The entire setup process took me 11 minutes, so it's either easier than it sounds, or I've been doing this stuff for a long time — probably both are true.

WHY DO I NEED/USE THIS SOFTWARE?
I'm lucky, or perhaps blessed. .. or maybe cursed — I always have melodies bouncing around my brain, but converting what's in my head into a song is another story. After several college theory classes and lots of ear training, I still can't get it right. Even if by some miracle I accurately work out the correct notes, it's nearly impossible for me to choose the appropriate key and create a chord progression. My songs usually sound nothing like my original inspiration. Sometimes they are better, but most of the time my translations are a flop! Sundog is one of the rare pieces of software that can help get struggling composers like me from point A to B to C. For the more fortunate and gifted, Sundog will increase workflow, thereby speeding up the creative process. The Scale Finder feature is one of my favorites. It identifies possible scales for notes entered.

The main Sundog interface is the key element to allowing users to freely work within a scale without fear of going off-key and dissonant. It somehow keeps all notes within the chosen chords and/or the scale. This feature reminds me of bowling with bumpers along the side rails that prevent the ball from going in the gutter. When it comes to creating music, I'd like to hit the right notes as much as possible. Note: Advanced users may over-ride in-key protection to add odd, off-key chords:

http://feelyoursound.com/sundog-manual/#chromatic_chords.

For times when the creative juices are dry, Sundog helps provide instant inspiration through experimentation with new harmonies and melodies. Users may also choose from over 300 scale presets that include everything from major and minor to suspended pentatonic and all in between. Most modern Western music is in major and minor; yet, experimenting with non-traditional progressions could lead to something new and exciting. Swapping chords in an existing chord progression is a great way to generate more interesting, original songs. An added bonus — Sundog is also a very educational software — subtly teaching composition and theory along the way.

WORKFLOW
The basic way Sundog works for creating new compositions from scratch:

1. Launch Sundog
2. Launch DAW and assign appropriate instrument to track (s)
3. Choose a scale and a base-note. All notes can easily be auditioned along the way
4. Users may also choose from an extensive collection of scale presets
5. Preview possible chords, all of which will automatically fit chosen key
6. Create a chord progression, which serves as the "harmonic base of the song"
7. Parts may be combined to create a "song"
8. Melodies can then be created. Note: If you go back to the chords view and change some chords all your melodies will simultaneously update to suit the new chords
9. Once you have some ear-pleasing chord progressions and melodies, simply hit the record button on your DAW or export a song part or the entire song to MIDI and then Drag and drop into the DAW
10. Arrange, edit, mix, master, and become famous.

FAVORITE FEATURES
• Neat, clean, modern GUI
• Easy to navigate interface
• Intuitive workflow
• Excellent online video tutorials
• Over 300 scales presets
• Scale finder
• Fantastic for generating unique arps with the Pattern box
• Standard MIDI export for drag and drop into DAW
• Small footprint (45MB)
• CPU friendly
• Great price and never have to pay again — "Buy once, get updates forever"
• Enthusiastic, responsive developer.

FEATURE REQUESTS
• GUI has different scaling levels available with a reset to default, but scaleable would be even sweeter
• Helpful hints that pop-up when hovering the cursor over a feature
• Be truly standalone — include a built-in piano for times when I'm too lazy to launch my DAW. In the meantime, I setup GarageBand with a simple piano track. Others might not mind launching their big DAW
• Additional swing percentage options
• MIDI Import via drag and drop. This would make the DAW integration more symbiotic and fruitful. Unfortunately, this is probably a very difficult feature to incorporate.

SUMMARY
Sundog Scale Studio is designed assist in the process of generating compelling chord progressions, marvelous melodies, brilliant bass lines, and sizzling sequences. It's simply a indispensable, must-have tool for songwriters. It's fun, fast, and furious. It turns an often labor intensive chore into creative bliss. For some it will be an amazing sketchpad; for others it will open up new harmonic and melodic possibilities. It's extremely useful for anyone creating music on a computer, regardless of theory level. There are more complex options available for harmony assistance, but for the price range, Sundog is hard to beat. If concerned about compatibility, suitability, or workflow, I suggest trying before you buy. There's a fully functional demo available on the FeelYourSound website. I highly recommend this software to any electronic composer, working in any genre. I give Sundog Scale Studio a big thumbs up. Great stuff.

NOTE: The following user review is based on the Mac version 2.4.0.