The Lowdown
The Chordcat is AlphaTheta’s attempt to bring more usual software chord progression tools into portable hardware form. This eight-track groovebox centres around its “Chord Cruiser” algorithm, which AlphaTheta says offers over 10,000 possible chords to help producers overcome creative blocks. At $249, it’s positioned as an affordable “ideas machine” for mobile music creation, though you’ll need some production background to get the most from it.
Video Review
First Impressions / Setting up
The Chordcat is a remarkably lightweight groovebox that’s clearly built for portability. At just 0.4kg with a flat profile, it slips easily into any bag without the bulk of traditional hardware. The minimalist grey design looks professional, though the lack of a built-in speaker means you’ll need headphones or external monitoring from the start.
The control layout divides logically between sequencer functions on the left and the central XY pad for creative manipulation, plus the mini touch keyboard across the bottom. Around the back, you’ll find headphone and master outputs, DIN Midi connections, and USB-C for power and data. The device powers on instantly and requires no drivers for USB Midi operation.
Getting started is straightforward – the Chordcat essentially works immediately. However, while beginners can use it, you’ll navigate much more quickly with some production background. The learning curve for basic chord progressions is gentle, but constructing full songs through the pattern system requires patience to master the specific workflow, as is always the case with hardware sequencers.
In Use
The Chordcat’s main appeal lies in bringing the chord progression help found in some modern DAWs and specialised composition plugins/software into a portable hardware format. This makes it genuinely useful for creating ideas away from your computer set-up.
The Chord Cruiser algorithm is what makes this device tick. Once you’ve selected your key and scale, it filters suggestions to only show chords that actually work well together – essentially making it impossible to play anything that sounds “wrong”. The workflow involves selecting a root note/scale, activating Cruiser mode, then using the XY pad to browse suggestions. When you find something you like, assign it to a button, and the once again system automatically gives you options for what could come next. When you’re ready, you can hit record and “play” the chord into the unit.
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This works well for producers who struggle with music theory but have good ears. The device includes preset songs across various genres to give you a sense of what it can do, but the real value comes from the suggestion engine helping you discover those esoteric chord types you know sound good but just can’t name.
Practical applications
The eight-track sequencer handles complete song construction, with drum kits, basslines, keys, sound effects, brass etc, all present for you to construct tracks from – although pattern chaining for full arrangements is genuinely fiddly and requires dedication to master (I’m still grappling with it).
The 145 built-in sounds are functional rather than inspiring – they’ll get ideas down but won’t replace your main sound sources. Real-time automation recording through the XY pad works well for adding movement to static progressions.
While the Chordcat is really designed as a Groovebox and not as an out-and-out DJ tool (it lacks Pro DJ Link, for instance), it can connect to DJ set-ups through Midi. Slaving it to a DJM-V10‘s Midi clock would let you do live chord progression jamming in sync with your DJing…in theory anyway. The track mute/solo functions become particularly useful here, letting you drop elements in and out of live performance.
Programmed chord progressions sound mechanical without careful use of the built-in swing and direction settings. You’ll need to work at making sequences feel musical rather than robotic. The lack of a built-in speaker also means you’re always dependent on external monitoring, which limits how “anywhere” you can actually use it – don’t forget your wired headphones (no Bluetooth, either).
Conclusion
The Chordcat occupies a unique position in the market – at this price point, there’s genuinely nothing quite like this combination of hardware chord assistance and portability. It succeeds as a low-risk entry point into hardware-based composition, particularly for producers who want to escape their computer screens for initial idea generation and for whom chords present a problem.
This will appeal most to producers seeking a portable “ideas machine” for mobile music creation, and possibly to DJs wanting to add live production elements to their sets. Anyone who spends time commuting and wants to make it productive will find value here, as will bedroom producers looking for their first hardware groovebox at an accessible price point.
Those expecting a full-featured DAW replacement would be missing the point largely, though, as will producers who need sound design capabilities. The lack of built-in speakers limits its “anywhere” appeal, and musicians with strong chord theory knowledge might find the assisted approach unnecessary. But that’s to miss both its low price and its main purpose – chord progression writing.
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No real alternatives spring to mind. Scaler 2 (and soon 3) offers similar chord suggestion capabilities in software but lacks the tactile hardware experience. The Novation Circuit Tracks (a favourite of ours) at around $400 provides more comprehensive groovebox functionality but lacks specialised chord progression tools. The Teenage Engineering OP-Z offers portable music creation (including synthesis), but it costs much more without dedicated chord assistance.
Ultimately, the Chordcat is a genuinely unique, affordable groovebox that makes chord progression creation accessible through hardware – perfect for escaping the laptop and finding musical inspiration on the go.
