GuidesChords

Detect the chords of your song and show them in the video

Chord detection listens to one of your takes and finds its chords, the beat, the bars, the tempo and the key. The chords appear as a lane on the timeline, where you correct one with a circle of fifths, and they can appear in the picture in 15 looks, among them a guitar grip and a piano keyboard. Chord detection, the chords in the video and Autogenerate are part of Musaic Pro.

Detected chords on the timeline and in the picture

You need: Musaic Pro. A take in which the chords can be heard, for example guitar or piano. The audio of that take is sent to my server for the analysis and is not kept.

Steps

  1. Start the detection

    In the Timeline, tap + and choose Chords. Or open Add layer, Autogenerate and Detect chords + beat ("Reads the selected layer. Takes about ten seconds.").

  2. Check the chord lane

    Every chord is a coloured block on the timeline, with beat ticks and bar lines below it.

  3. Correct a chord

    Tap a chord to select it and drag its edges to change its length. Tap it again for Edit, Split or Delete. Edit opens a circle of fifths: major chords outside, minor chords inside, the chords of your key tinted. Every tap plays the chord.

  4. Show the chords in the video

    Turn on Show chords on video, then drag the chord label where you want it and pinch to resize it.

  5. Pick a look

    Choose one of the 15 looks, and set a capo or a transposition if you play with one.

The 15 chord looks

  • Name only Pro

    Minimal, Box, Next (with the next chord beside it), Up next and Ring.

  • Coloured Pro

    Halo, which flares on the beat, and Ribbon.

  • Guitar grip Pro

    Guitar and Guitar wide show the chord as the grip you play.

  • Keys Pro

    Keys and Keys wide mark the chord's notes on one octave; Wheel lights them on a ring.

  • Visualizer Pro

    Bars, Ribbons and Radial show the chord tones as moving shapes.

  • Capo and transpose Pro

    Shift the shown chords by 0 to 11 semitones, labelled Capo N, Transpose +N or not at all.

Good to know

  • What does it need to hear?

    Chords that ring clearly: a guitar or a piano works best. A vocal alone has no chords to find.

  • Where does the analysis run?

    On my server. The take is sent over an encrypted connection, analysed and not kept.

Try it

Musaic - Recording Studio is free on the App Store for iPhone and iPad. Musaic Pro adds lyrics, animations, chord detection and Fix audio, and removes the watermark.

Download on theApp Store

Related guides

Written for Musaic 1.4.0.