Harmony-Wheel

1 article tagged "Harmony-Wheel"

How chord detection works in Harmony Wheel

May 2026

Plugin chord detection that runs entirely on your machine — open-source model, no cloud, no AI scraping. The story of what we tried, what didn't work, and what shipped.

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- OFFICE HOURS: Worked through sound design and production feedback with a student exploring industrial-influenced beats built around filter automation and Serum. Covered level automation, ear candy placement, long-phrase repetition hooks, harmonic vocabulary, and the value of a single signature sound that sets a track apart. Also addressed questions about educational software licensing and discussed the school's local SEO and live event strategy.
- OFFICE HOURS: We talked about mastering chains in Logic. We talked about limiters, and how to use them, as well as meter your loudness for mastering. Were talked about compression and Eq choices, and why you might order them a certain way in your mastering chain. We looked at examples using Logic, and made a custom template to share in the chat using the examples we discussed.
- WEEKLY-BEAT-CHALLENGE: We reviewed submitted beats and songs from the weekly challenge, including pieces from John, Paul, and Christian. Feedback covered stereo widening and phase techniques, guitar tone development, arrangement structure, and the relationship between lyric writing and production direction. The session expanded into a broader conversation about songwriting process, writing exercises, and how to build a lyric vocabulary over time.
- OFFICE HOURS: Covered the technical architecture behind the chord-detection and key-identification plugin currently in development — including FFT analysis, Spotify's pitch-detection library, harmonic series decomposition, and a weighted key-matching algorithm using the Harmony Wheel. Shared a prototype build with attendees for testing and discussed plans for a standalone version, a DAW audio plugin, and a MIDI effect variant. Also touched on the origins of the Harmony Wheel as a teaching tool and the broader workflow of using AI-assisted development to build music software without a traditional coding background.
- WEEKLY-BEAT-CHALLENGE: Reviewing student work in progress, discussing the importance of silence in creating drama, call and response, and power before the drop.
- OFFICE HOURS: Worked through a synthesizer build in progress, troubleshooting an unexpected filter behavior where a VCF was producing an audible chirp or tick even when its envelope depth was set to zero. Traced the issue through envelope routing, noise filter settings, and filter coefficient behavior. Also explored just intonation vs. equal temperament as a byproduct of the patch, and experimented with harmonics shaping, unison detune, and pluck/noise elements toward a piano-like sound design direction.
- INSTRUMENT-GYM: We worked through melismas — vocal runs and riffs — starting with "Mary Had a Little Lamb" as a simple melodic vehicle for isolating and practicing ornaments. Covered how to find a run, practice it slowly, apply it across all syllables of a song, and then dial it back to build taste in placement. Also addressed how word stress, syllable integrity, and language affect where a melisma can appropriately land.
- THEORY-GYM: We used "Strawberry Fields Forever" as a full analysis vehicle, working through its unusual pitch center, the opening line cliché, and the chord-by-chord breakdown of the intro progression. Concepts covered included passing tones versus functional harmony, borrowed chords, chromatic median motion, secondary dominants, and the historical context of the Mellotron as an early sampler. We also discussed songwriting process — specifically whether melody or chords tend to come first, and how the song's harmonic choices serve its lyrical theme.
- OFFICE HOURS: Covered streaming loudness targets and master fader signal chain in Pro Tools, walking through EQ, compression, hardware compressor, limiting, and metering in sequence. Discussed studio acoustic treatment — bass traps, early reflections, diffusion, and material choices — with reference to a specific room setup shared by a student. Also addressed the current state of commercial recording studios, the shift toward home-based production, and how that has affected mentorship pipelines in the industry.
- OFFICE HOURS: Covered bass line construction in the context of Afrobeat and Afrobeats production, including how to conform bass notes to chord roots and the relationship between bass lines and chord progressions. Introduced funklet.com as a resource for studying classic drum patterns and groove analysis. Also discussed Afrobeat vs. Afrobeats as distinct genres, with reference to key artists and historical context.
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Upcoming Resident Events
- Office Hours: Cinnamontal
  May. 24, 1pm (PT) | 4pm (ET) | 9pm (UK)
- Ear Training: Nathan
  May. 26, 7am (PT) | 10am (ET) | 3pm (UK)
- Office Hours: Cinnamontal
  May. 26, 10am (PT) | 1pm (ET) | 6pm (UK)
- Theory Gym: Nathan
  May. 26, 5pm (PT) | 8pm (ET) | 1am (UK)
- Production Gym: Scott Hampton
  May. 27, 8am (PT) | 11am (ET) | 4pm (UK)
- Weekly Beat Challenge: Nathan
  May. 27, 6pm (PT) | 9pm (ET) | 2am (UK)
Learn more about Residency
Upcoming Courses
- Apr 19, 2026 Theory: Musician Basics
- Apr 22, 2026 Mixing: Effects, Synths & Tools
- Apr 27, 2026 DAW Core Skills
- Apr 27, 2026 FL Studio
- May 23, 2026 Logic Pro 1-Day Intensive
- Jun 10, 2026 Hardware & Recording Primer
- Jul 8, 2026 Hardware & Recording Primer
- Jul 12, 2026 DAW Core Skills
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Harmony-Wheel

How chord detection works in Harmony Wheel

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