Chord lock: one key, a whole progression

The feature in LEADR people mess with first is chord lock. The idea is simple: you press one key, and instead of one note you get a full chord. Move to the next key, you get the next chord that fits. So you can play a whole progression with one finger.

If you know theory, it's a fast way to sketch. If you don't, it means you can write something that sounds right without learning what a min7 is first. Both are fine. I use it both ways depending on how lazy I'm feeling that day.

Three modes, not one stiff voicing

There are three chord modes, so it isn't the same canned voicing every time. You can go from simple triads to fuller, more colored chords depending on the mood of the beat. Same one-finger playing, different harmonic weight. A drill beat and a soul loop want very different chords, and you can get both without changing how you play.

WATERFALL

Then there's WATERFALL. When you hold a chord with it on, LEADR cascades the notes instead of hitting them all at once, and rolls them into a sustained wash you can ride under your beat. It's where a lot of the "how is that one plugin" sounds come from. Hold a key, let it bloom, record it.

How I actually use it

I throw chord lock on, find a key that feels good, and just walk up and down the keyboard until a progression jumps out. Two minutes, tops. Then I lock that in, switch chord lock off, and play the lead melody on top by hand. The plugin handled the hard harmonic part so I could spend my time on the part that's actually fun.

And you don't need a MIDI keyboard for any of this. It works clicked into the piano roll too, one note per chord. Draw in a four-note line, get a four-chord progression.