Note Grid - Creating Chords

Alright, by now you’ve hopefully experimented with playing chords in the Note Grid - pressing multiple keys simultaneously and seeing how the Pitch Quantizer affects the notes.

In this lesson, we’re going to try something new: creating multiple notes within the Note Grid even when there’s only one note as input. That means you’ll press a single key on your keyboard or play one note in the Piano Roll, and the Note Grid will generate multiple notes as output, essentially creating chords from a single input note.

We’ll also integrate the Pitch Quantizer into this setup to make it easier to build chords in a specific scale. The goal is to create a small tool that can help you generate chords more easily. Let’s get started!

Currently, we’re only outputting a single note, as we have just one Note Out module in the patch. To expand this, we’ll duplicate the existing setup to start generating additional notes.

Step 1: Duplicate the Setup

  1. Select the Pitch Quantizer and the Note Out module in your patch.
  2. Use the shortcut CTRL+D (or CMD+D on Mac) to duplicate the selected modules.
  3. This will give you a second Pitch Quantizer directly connected to a second Note Out module.

At this stage, both Note Out modules are receiving the same input note, so it doesn’t make much sense yet. But we’ll fix that in the next step by modifying the pitch for the duplicated note.

Step 2: Add a Transpose Module

  1. Drag a Transpose module into the patch.
  2. Place it directly before the Pitch Quantizer in the duplicated chain (the second pair of modules). The Transpose module will shift the incoming pitch signal before it’s quantized.
  3. Set the Transpose module to +3 semitones. (you can ctrl+ click the knob to input numbers via keypad)

Now, any note input will be transposed up by 3 semitones (a minor third) before being corrected by the Pitch Quantizer. The Pitch Quantizer ensures that the transposed note stays in the selected scale. Try playing some notes on your keyboard - if you’re using a synthesizer or VST, you’ll hear how the second note is harmonized as a minor third above the input note.

Step 3: Add a Third Note for a Chord

  1. Select the Transpose module, the second Pitch Quantizer, and the second Note Out.
  2. Duplicate them again using CTRL+D (or CMD+D).
  3. On the Transpose module in this third chain, change the value to +7 semitones.

This will add a fifth to the chord. The input note is transposed up by 7 semitones, corrected by the Pitch Quantizer, and sent to the third Note Out.

Step 4: Play a Major Triad

When you now play a single note on your keyboard, the patch outputs three notes:

Although the Transpose module is set to +3 semitones (a minor third), the Pitch Quantizer adjusts the notes to fit the selected scale. This ensures that the generated chord is always diatonic to your chosen scale, whether it’s major or minor. For example, if you’re playing within C Major, you’ll always produce the correct diatonic chords based on the root note you press.

Why This Works

The Pitch Quantizer automatically corrects the transposed notes to align with the scale you’ve set, transforming what might otherwise be dissonant intervals into perfectly fitting diatonic harmonies. This trick makes it super easy to play diatonic chords with just one key press, and it works regardless of whether the scale is major, minor, or something else.

A fantastic little technique for generating diatonic chords with minimal effort!

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