NAMM 2025: It's been a regular assist in the MusicRadar studio for years, and now the third version of Scaler Music/Plugin Boutique's theory-treasure trove Scaler is set to get us out of even more creative ruts. Its wider feature set promises to provide more intuitive assistance for those searching for songwriting and music theory support
Scaler 3 is no marginal update. The whole UI has been fully re-built from the ground-up, yet also retains many familiarities with Scaler 2 so existing users shouldn't feel daunted. Also with this third version comes the ability to launch the whole thing as an entirely standalone program.
The UI is divided into the three main pages: Browse, Create and Arrange.
The Browse page is where users can discover chord progressions, sequences and scales and try variations of their own. The Create page is the natural second port of call, wherein users can assemble new musical forms from this diverse raw material. Next, the Arrange page is where users can get their ideas structured into solid song forms.
The Arrange page now features a multi-lane timeline view (familiar to all DAW users) however in the Scaler 3 universe, the lanes are dedicated to core components, such as chords, melody, bass and phrases. All of which are in-sync with the main chord track.
Scaler 3 brings a couple of further pages into play, Explore and Colors. Explore allows users to navigate a wide range of chords that corellate to a specific scale. These are helpfully categorised by genre, and feel.
The Colors page gives a wider view of every chord voicing and their numerous harmonic alternatives in one view, providing substitution options and alternative chordal voicings to diversify your arrangement
Scaler's internal organisation of its core components has been fully refined for this release, grouping Scaler 2's Phrases, Performances, Melodies and Basslines under the 'Motions' monicker. Each of which is now tagged according to mood. A range of which have been designed by a group of professional musicians.
Further additions to Scaler 3 include deeper note editing and harmonic modifiers, enhanced categorisation and a wider array of compositional elements to incorporate into your developing arrangement.
Scaler 3 will launch in March. If you've yet to take the plunge and are curious to explore what Scaler has to offer, then you can purchase Scaler 2 now for £49 and receive Scaler 3 absolutely free upon its release. Upgrade pricing will be announced in March 2025.
An iOS version is set to be launched later in the year (Q2, according to Scaler Music's website). More info on Scaler 3 is set to be dropped in the run-up to its launch, so make sure you keep checking the official website for the latest.
