RESOURCES
- Apply dynamic, probabilistic MIDI mapping to virtual instruments and hardware synthesizers.
- Use intuitive Chaos sliders to control how often notes change, how far they drift from their origin, and how strictly they obey key and scale rules.
- Utilize the Unison engine to generate harmonic anchors and motifs by having notes copy the exact pitch, parallel movement, or inverted direction of their neighbors.
- Balance randomness and structure by defining the exact percentage of notes, and which type, that snap to the selected scale. Choose from dozens of factory scales or create your own.
- Instantly generate new patterns, randomize specific parameters within user-defined limits, and cycle through variations to break out of creative ruts.
- Use the built-in editor to freeze specific regions or manually draw in exact pitches.
- Store up to 48 states per file and drag-and-drop presets between files.
Open Keys is a probabilistic MIDI mapper and editor. It takes an input (MIDI Note 0-127) and maps it to a new output note based on a set of rules. These can be edited and customized for a variety of musical purposes.
This plugin does not generate sound on its own; it controls existing virtual instruments or hardware synthesizers.
The following sections are described below:
- Main Controls
- Randomization Controls
- Edit Controls
- Menu Controls
- Other Controls
- DAW and Hardware Integration
Main Controls
This is the main section of the plugin, used for introducing controlled randomness into the system. These parameters work together to define a set of notes, shown in the visualizer at the top of the screen. By default, the notes are defined as 0-127 (C-2 to G8), and Middle C = C3.
Key: Sets the root note (tonic) for the selected Scale.
Scale: Defines the set of intervals relative to the Key that, when applicable, determine the specific notes available for generation.
Octave Tracking (On/Off): When enabled, each successive repetition cycle (set by Length) is shifted one octave higher.
Octave Transpose (Up/Down): Shifts the pitch in octave increments.
Length (1-127): Sets the number of notes in a repetition cycle that repeat across the keyboard.
If Length is 12, the cycle repeats every 12 steps.
Drift (1-126): Sets the randomization search radius in ± semitones. It does not trigger randomization itself; it defines the pool of available notes if randomization happens. A value of 1 allows notes within ±1 semitone of the original note.
Chaos (%): The probability that a given note will change to a new note. If Chaos is 0%, the engine never enters the Drift stage and the note is locked to its original value. If Chaos is 100%, the engine always attempts to select a note from the Drift pool, subject to the rules of the active Chaos Mode.
Scale Chaos (%): The probability that the system will enforce Key/Scale (diatonic) constraints, subject to the logic of the active Chaos Mode. When Scale Chaos is 0%, the Chaos generation is chromatic and Chaos Mode constraints are ignored. When Scale Chaos is 100%, the system strictly enforces the logic determined by the active Chaos Mode.
Chaos Mode: Determines how the system handles Key/Scale constraints when Scale Chaos is triggered.
- Mode 1: When Scale Chaos is introduced, only the notes generated by Chaos are subject to the Key/Scale constraints. The original notes are not changed.
- Mode 2: When Scale Chaos is introduced, the entire pattern is subject to the Key/Scale constraints. If a note does not fit into the selected Key/Scale, it changes to the nearest valid pitch.
- Mode 3: When Scale Chaos is introduced, the entire pattern is subject to the Key/Scale constraints. If a note does not fit the selected Key/Scale, it becomes silent.
- Mode 4: Randomly alternates between Modes 1, 2, and 3 for each individual trigger.
Unison (%): The probability that a note will abandon its independent calculation and instead derive its pitch from another step in the repetition cycle. If Unison is 0%, every note behaves independently. At 100%, the engine attempts to link every note to a neighbor determined by the Unison Mode.
Unison Mode: Determines how the note copies its neighbor when Unison is triggered:
- Mode 1: Replaces the current note with the exact pitch of a different step within the active repetition cycle. This creates a behavior where specific pitches from the cycle reappear.
- Mode 2: Copies the movement (interval shift) of another step in the repetition cycle rather than its absolute pitch. This causes the current note to move the same distance and direction (in semitones) as the source, creating parallel movement.
- Mode 3: Copies the movement of another step in the repetition cycle but inverts the direction.
- Mode 4: Randomly alternates between Modes 1, 2, and 3 for each individual trigger.
Scale Unison (%): The probability that a note generated by Unison is forced to fit the selected Key/Scale. When Scale Unison is 0%, Unison may result in a note outside the Key/Scale. At 100%, Unison forces the resulting copied note to fit into the selected Key/Scale.
Randomization Controls
Randomize Parameters: Randomizes the value of all enabled parameters.
Randomization Enable: The buttons next to each of the main parameters (the square yellow buttons shown to the right) enable or disable randomization when Randomize Parameters is clicked.
Note: Chaos Mode and Unison Mode do not have Randomization Enable Buttons visible, but randomization can be enabled or disabled for them in the top OPEN KEYS menu or by shift-clicking the Scale (C) and Scale (U) text.
Randomization Range Sliders: The bottom slider for each of the 6 main parameters (Length, Drift, Chaos, Scale Chaos, Unison, and Scale Unison) sets the range (minimum and maximum values) of a given parameter when Randomize Parameters is clicked.
This can be especially useful for containing Drift randomization values, as large differences in pitch can be difficult to work with.
Randomization Pattern: Randomizes the notes using the existing settings of each parameter.
Randomization Interval: Randomizes the interval that sets the Scale.
Randomization Preset: Randomizes the preset when 2 or more presets are saved.
Edit Controls
Select: Allows the user to select a group of notes to further edit.
New Pattern From Selection: To make a new pattern from the selected area, right-click on the selection in the visualizer and click New Pattern From Selection.
Freeze: Freezes the area selected in Select mode, allowing for the editing of unfrozen notes only. The 2 Freeze sub-buttons allow the user to switch back and forth between freezing the selected and unselected notes. When the area between the vertical selection bars is frozen (left sub-button is on) the frozen selection can be moved with the 2 selection sub-buttons above the Freeze sub-buttons.
Reset Unfrozen Notes: When the area between the vertical selection bars is frozen (left sub-button is on) and you want to reset the unfrozen selection to default parameters, right-click on the selection in the visualizer and click Reset Unfrozen Notes.
Draw: Allows the user to edit notes with the mouse or sub-buttons.
- Mode 1: Edit the pitch of a single note:
- Select the note: Use the mouse, play the note on the keyboard, or shift-click the Mode 1 sub-buttons.
- Use the 2 sub-buttons to change the pitch.
- Mode 2: Draw mode using the mouse.
Invert: Inverts the pattern.
Menu Controls
The Open Keys button allows the user to do the following:
- Reset: Resets all main parameters to their defaults, disables Edit modes, and deletes any manual note edits or drawn notes currently on the grid.
- Default: Resets everything to default and clears presets.
- Open File: Open a saved file.
- Save File: Save a file with the current settings and 48 presets bank.
- Compact/Standard View: Switch view mode size.
- Light/Dark Mode: Switch view mode colors.
- Chaos Mode: Select the Chaos Mode and enable randomization for Chaos Mode when the Randomize Parameters button is clicked.
- Unison Mode: Select the Unison Mode and enable randomization for Unison Mode when the Randomize Parameters button is clicked.
- Save Current Scale: When an unsaved interval is active, this menu is available to save the current scale.
- Create New Scale: Create a Scale and save it.
- Manage Scales: Edit and delete user Scales. Enable or disable any Scale from randomization selection when the Randomize Parameters button is clicked and the Scale Randomization Enable Button is on.
- Manage Presets: Move, delete, and copy presets from the preset banks between files.
Other Controls
There are a number of shift-click options that make using the plugin easier. Additionally, double-clicking the main parameters (Length, Drift, Chaos, Scale Chaos, Unison, and Scale Unison) sliders resets the value to default.
| Shift-Click | Action |
|---|---|
| "Open" text | Reset |
| "Keys" text | Change Standard/Compact View mode |
| Visualizer | Change Light/Dark View mode |
| Randomization Parameters button | 1. Hide main control values 2. Hide main controls |
| Randomization Interval button | Hide Randomization Enable buttons |
| Randomization Pattern button | Hide Visualizer |
| Randomization Preset button | 1. Show Preset Bank 2. Show Previous/Next Preset buttons |
| Octave Transpose buttons | Semitone Transpose |
| Randomization Enable buttons | 1. Solo Randomization Enable for a specific parameter 2. Enable Randomization Enable for all parameters |
| "Chaos" text | Select the Chaos Mode |
| "Scale (C)" text | Randomization Enable Chaos Mode on/off |
| "Unison" text | Select the Unison Mode |
| "Scale (U)" text | Randomization Enable Unison Mode on/off |
| Draw Mode 2 sub-buttons | Change the selected note |
DAW and Hardware Integration
In most DAWs, using Open Keys is a straightforward process. Depending on your DAW, you can either load Open Keys directly into a dedicated MIDI FX slot (Logic Pro) or place it on its own track and route its MIDI output directly to the MIDI input of your target virtual or hardware instrument.
Ableton Live and FL Studio handle third-party MIDI effects differently and require the following specific setups:
Ableton Live
Ableton Live has MIDI Effects of its own, but it doesn’t allow third-party plugins to be dedicated MIDI plugins. This means that MIDI plugins like Open Keys need their own track. It is relatively simple to do, but requires a few important steps to work correctly.
- Create 2 MIDI tracks.
- Load Open Keys in 1 MIDI.
- Load the instrument you want to control in 2 MIDI. Note: for analog hardware, you can use the External Instrument.
- In the instrument track MIDI From dropdown selection:
- Change All Ins to 1 MIDI (or whatever named track 1).
- Change Post FX to Open Keys.
- Enable recording in both tracks and make sure Monitor is set to Auto or In.
FL Studio
FL Studio handles internal MIDI routing using "Ports" inside the plugin wrapper settings, as follows:
- Load Open Keys on a channel.
- Click the Gear icon (Wrapper Settings) at the top of the Open Keys plugin window.
- Go to the Settings tab and set the MIDI Output Port to 1 (or any unused number).
- Load your target virtual instrument on a second channel.
- Open its Wrapper Settings, and set its MIDI Input Port to that exact same number (1).
MIDI Mapping
The following parameters are enabled for automation/MIDI Mapping:
- Key
- Scale
- Octave Tracking
- Octave Transpose
- Semitone Transpose
- Length Randomize Range Sliders Min/Max
- Drift
- Drift Randomize Range Sliders Min/Max
- Chaos
- Chaos Randomize Range Sliders Min/Max
- Scale Chaos
- Scale Chaos Randomize Range Sliders Min/Max
- Unison
- Unison Randomize Range Sliders Min/Max
- Scale Unison
- Scale Unison Randomize Range Sliders Min/Max
- Invert
- Chaos Mode
- Unison Mode
- Reset
- Randomize Pattern
- Previous Preset
- Next Preset
- Jump to Preset 1
- Jump to Preset 13
- Jump to Preset 25
- Jump to Preset 37
In Ableton Live, this is done by clicking the Unfold Device Parameters triangle as shown here.
