Play, create, and explore: Chordcat, the groovebox that sparks your musical creativity

Discover Chordcat: a new type of portable groovebox from Alphatheta that helps producers instantly find fresh inspiration for chord progressions and enables musicians to quickly capture and develop their ideas.

During its initial pre-launch in Japan, Chordcat received enthusiastic feedback, with a wide variety of music creators, from beginners to experienced producers, selling out all available units. Riding this wave of positivity and momentum, Chordcat is now expanding globally so even more people can use it to boost their creativity.

Designed to evoke the freedom of musical exploration, the Chord Cruiser function suggests smooth, intuitive chord transitions, putting harmonic creativity at your fingertips. This way, you can intuitively select recommended chords as you play to compose your own tracks without needing advanced musical knowledge.

Chordcat includes an 8-track sequencer to record and play back multiple performances, along with 145 instrument sounds, 16 drum sounds, and advanced music arrangement tools to experiment with. All this gives you the freedom to create not only chord progressions but also melodies and rhythms exactly as you imagine them.

Wherever inspiration strikes—at home, in the studio, or on the go—Chordcat helps you turn your ideas into music. From intuitive chord creation to versatile sound design, this groovebox is your ultimate tool to unlock your creative potential and fuel your musical imagination.

Product description

• - Product category: 8-track groovebox
• - Model name: Chordcat
• - SRP: €279 VAT included
• - In-store date: Available now

Key features

Chord Cruiser mode: easily create unique chord progressions

Chordcat suggests up to 110,000 chord combinations you can use to create your own progressions. Activate the groovebox’s Chord Cruiser mode, and a proprietary algorithm will select and suggest multiple musically compatible chords from its database. You can listen to these chords and assign your favorite to the keyboard, which automatically triggers the next suggestion. With this intuitive workflow at your fingertips, enjoy a simple process to create original tracks. Chordcat also includes 18 predefined chord progressions called Chordsets—13 inspired by diverse music genres such as house and future bass, and 5 basic chord presets like major and minor. You can use these presets as they are or as a starting point to inspire your own ideas. From there, Chord Cruiser mode gives you the freedom to create completely unique chord progressions.

Versatile arrangement functions and intuitive instrument control

3 Built-in effects

Add unique touches to your music with 3 powerful effects: Arpeggiator, Delay, and Ducker, all of which you can intuitively control using the XY pad.

• - Arpeggiator: Create melodies from chords.
• - Delay: Add depth to sounds and spatial dimension to your music.
• - Ducker: Add dynamics and emphasis, creating a sense of movement in your tracks.

Running direction function

Break the boundaries of your compositions. With Running Direction, you can change the playback direction of 4x4 step-sequenced patterns at the press of a button. Choose from 4 options—right, down, clockwise, and counterclockwise—to discover new phrases and rhythms. This feature opens the door to fresh ideas, letting you create innovative chord progressions or explore rhythms from different genres.

Sound presets and tone-shaping tools

Inspire new ideas during your creative process by switching between 145 sound presets and 16 drum kits designed for a wide range of genres. You can fine-tune your sound presets to your liking using the low-pass filter and amp envelope. These parameters can be automated per pattern so your sounds evolve dynamically throughout the track. This lets you go beyond static presets and create expressive, energetic phrases that bring your music to life.

Key and scale settings

Play with creative freedom and never hit a wrong note. By setting a key and scale in Chordcat, only notes that belong to the selected key and scale are assigned to the keyboard. For example, if you set the key to E and the scale to minor blues, the notes of the E minor blues scale will be arranged on the keyboard so you can improvise freely, knowing any note you play will harmoniously fit your melody. The compatibility of suggested chords in Chord Play or Chord Cruiser modes, along with the selected key and scale, is indicated by LED lights. This makes it easy for both beginners and professional musicians to produce music efficiently and creatively.

Chordcat key features: a groovebox to inspire you and bring your creative vision to life

Extensive workspace: 8 tracks, 16 patterns, and 128 steps (8 bars)

Chordcat offers an intuitive, flexible workspace for your music production, including:

• - 8 tracks: Play up to 8 different instruments or sounds simultaneously, such as drums, bass, and synthesizer, with independent control for each track. You can also adjust track volume and panning to balance left and right audio channels.
• - 16 patterns: Create and save up to 16 unique phrases per track and build dynamic arrangements for your songs. You can also use the Pattern Chain function to play patterns in a designated sequence for smooth transitions.
• - 128 steps (8 bars): Arrange sounds precisely within a setup of 16 steps (1 bar) x 8 pages, allowing detailed sequencing and timing for your compositions.

Versatile connectivity: expand your creative horizons

It’s easy to integrate Chordcat with external synthesizers and DAW software on PC/Mac thanks to its MIDI OUT/THRU, MIDI IN, and USB Type-C ports. Use Chord Play and Chord Cruiser modes to effortlessly control and perform with your connected devices.

Enhanced DAW integration with Chordcat Manager, plus an Ableton Live Lite license

Seamlessly import and export sequence patterns between Chordcat and your PC/Mac with the dedicated Chordcat Manager software. Export patterns created on the hardware to your DAW to tweak sounds, or import patterns from your DAW to Chordcat to experiment with arrangements. A free license for Ableton Live Lite music production software will also be available for customers who register their Chordcat product. Using Chordcat with Ableton Live Lite lets you create a smooth workflow from sketching ideas to full-scale music production.

Flat design focused on portability

Its flat design with no knobs or protrusions makes it easy for Chordcat to fit in a small bag. You can take it anywhere and create music wherever inspiration strikes—at the studio, at home, or on the go—thanks to its compact, lightweight construction.

Battery or USB power: freedom to create anywhere

Chordcat runs on 6 AA batteries so you can make music anytime. The groovebox also supports USB Type-C power for longer sessions when connected to a PC/Mac. With Chordcat, you can instantly capture and develop your ideas without missing a beat.

Chordcat specifications