Scaler 3 vs The Phil

The world’s most popular music theory workstation, Scaler 3, is now available on iPad — updated to Scaler 3.3 with Multi-Bind, improved Detection, enhanced workflow and desktop interoperability. With a redesigned workflow, expanded creative potential and powerful new capabilities, Scaler 3 helps you discover chords, explore harmony and build complete musical ideas. The workflow doesn’t have to end with your finished chord progression - Scaler 3 can host AUv3 plugins and features a full arranger and mixer, letting it fit into your existing setup or become your entire creative environment for music theory. Browse Draw from over 1000 chord sets, keys and modes, organised by mood, artist and genre. Build chord progressions by dragging and dropping chords, and receive intelligent suggestions for what could come next. Create Explore harmonic possibilities using tools like the Sketch Pad, Explore page, Circle of Fifths and Modulation pathways. Scaler’s creative tools and music theory assistance help you move beyond common progressions and discover new musical ideas. Arrange Turn your progression into a full musical sketch with tracks for chords, bass, melodies and custom MIDI patterns. Use Multi-Bind to perform and loop multiple lanes at once, creating fast composition ideas and live performance workflows. Scaler 3 can generate MIDI for all sorts of instruments and adapt it to the needs of your song. Host AUv3 plugins to play your parts, transforming Scaler 3 into a powerful composition and MIDI production environment. Key Features • Discover your music’s key with MIDI and audio detection and explore compatible scales, modes and chord sets • Access over 1,000 chord sets, keys and modes organised by mood, genre and artist inspiration • Build intelligent chord progressions with automatic voice-leading • Use Scenes and the Arrange Page timeline to structure full musical ideas • Transform chords into melodies, basslines, arpeggios and phrases using Scaler’s Motions library • Explore harmony using the Circle of Fifths, chord substitutions, inversions and voicing tools • Experiment with modulation suggestions to move between keys • Record ideas directly with User Track and edit them in the piano roll • Perform one-finger chords and melodies using Bind MIDI • Route generated chords and performances to other music apps using AUv3 and MIDI output • Play progressions using internal instruments including pianos, synths and orchestral sounds • Works standalone or alongside apps like Logic Pro for iPad, GarageBand, AUM and Cubasis • Move between Scaler 3 on iPad and desktop by sharing presets, chord progressions and files Content • Thousands of chords, scales and harmonic possibilities • Artist chord sets created by musicians including Carl Cox, MJ Cole and The Temper Trap • Generate MIDI with hundreds of melodic phrases, basslines and performances • Internal instrument library including pianos, synths and orchestral sounds Perfect For • Songwriting • Music production • Composition • Learning harmony and music theory • Exploring new musical ideas What People Are Saying “Scaler 3 is an incredibly powerful music theory tool. It's a gamechanger for both beginners and seasoned producers.” -David Wills (Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Phil Collins) “Scaler 3 opens up a whole new world of possibilities… a fantastic gateway into harmony and composition.” -Daryl Bennett (Grammy-nominated composer) “Scaler 3 has evolved into a fully-fledged compositional toolkit. A triumph.” -Sound On Sound “Scaler 3 delivers the most comprehensive, powerful set of composition tools you can get.” -Attack Magazine “Scaler 3 takes everything that made Scaler 2 brilliant and makes it even better.” -The Sound Test Room Awards • KVR Readers Choice Awards - Winner 2025 • Plugin Boutique Awards - Best Music Theory Software 2025 • Sanjay C #1 Tool - Top Plugin of 2025 • #1 Music Theory App - Future Music Magazine 2024

Fancy a synth that actually feels like a "traditional" instrument, but still able to push things a little weirder? The Phil is a fast, expressive AUv3 plucked string synth that brings proper physical modelling to your DAW, no faffing about required. Poke it, pluck it, let it ring out, and it responds like a real string, all wrapped up in a neat little AUv3 plugin for your DAW. Tucked inside is a built in arpeggiator, designed to create "human" feeling patterns without touching a step sequencer. Add in a solid handful of controls over decay, brightness and damping, themselves with "humanize" controls to mimic how a real hand would move on a string and you can go from delicate acoustic plucks to properly synthetic, metallic textures in no time at all whilst also having the option to turn down the robot vibe if you like. What you get: Physical modelling synthesis for genuinely plucky, stringy tones Built in arpeggiator for patterns that keep things moving Real time controls to shape decay, brightness and character Full AUv3 support, slots straight into your host Light on CPU, so it won't grind your session to a halt Plays nicely with AUM, Logic Pro, Loopy Pro, Cubasis and GarageBand Whether you're building layers in the studio or winging it live, The Phil is the sort of instrument that surprises you a little every time you touch it. In a good way. Search for decibelboy83 on YouTube for a walkthrough video. Works with: AUM, Logic Pro, Loopy Pro, Cubasis, GarageBand, and any AUv3-friendly host.