Reflection: MIDI + Chord Viewer

Reflection: The chords you're playing, big and bold, on any screen.

Reflection came about because I always wanted a plugin with a giant piano and chord viewer that I could see from across the room. My MIDI keyboard isn't in front of my computer, it's next to it, and I'm still (always) learning piano and music theory. None of the existing plugins were big enough for me to see.

Once the basic plugin was built, I thought, why not have that broadcast to my iPad? My other app, Grip (for Ableton Live), already had a desktop companion to connect over Wi-Fi, so I reused it for Reflection. And why just one device? A phone and a tablet, or a whole classroom of piano students with iPads, could all show the same thing. Plus, why not be able to teach or share over the web? So, sharing, Jackbox-style, is a part of Reflection too.

Reflection has three parts: a free plugin (VST3, AU), a mobile app (iOS, Android in beta), and a desktop app (Mac, Windows). They all have:

• Real-time chord detection from MIDI.
• Piano keyboard, grand staff, and equivalent guitar chord notation.
• Key signature and mode.
• Tap, type, or (on mobile) speak a chord name to see how to play it.
• The mobile and desktop apps also have a built-in piano and other sounds, so they work without a DAW.

Chord analysis plugins aren't new. What's different about Reflection is seeing the same thing on multiple screens at once:

• Producer: Stick your phone on your keyboard and see what's playing through your DAW without turning around.
• Band/jam/collaborators or teachers & students: All of you can see what's being played in your own devices, e.g. to follow a band leader as they play. Either real-time over Wi-Fi in the same room, or over the web.

I've got lots of ideas for how to extend this, either into the teaching/learning space, or more for live use, or for production. But starting with the basics and want to hear from producers, teachers, students, and others about what would make Reflection useful to you.