Tuple is a free, open-source Max for Live chord device for Ableton Live. It puts every in-key and borrowed chord on a single color-coded grid, always visible, so producers can explore, perform and capture chord progressions without menus or theory friction.
Tuple is not a standalone app and not a VST plugin. It runs inside Ableton Live as a Max for Live MIDI device, sends MIDI notes to the instrument after it, and follows your key and scale workflow.
→ tuple.live · Manual · Interactive demo · Releases
Most chord tools hide the musical space behind menus, pages or generated suggestion lists. Tuple keeps harmony visible and playable:
- every chord for your key stays on one grid
- borrowed chords are always one click away
- color-coded degrees make harmonic function readable at a glance
- Smart Chords suggest where to go next without forcing a progression
- Push 2 and MIDI mapping keep the workflow hands-on
- Progression → Clip captures what you play directly into Ableton Live
Core idea: every chord in your key, always visible.
Windows — Download Tuple-Installer.exe from Releases and run it. The installer pre-fills your Ableton User Library path — confirm or change it. First run: click More info → Run anyway (SmartScreen, unsigned).
macOS — Download tuple-mac.zip, unzip it, then double-click Install Tuple.command. First run: right-click → Open (Gatekeeper). The script copies Tuple to your Max MIDI Effect folder and removes quarantine automatically.
Manual (both OS) — Unzip tuple.zip. Move the Tuple/ folder to Ableton/User Library/Presets/Max MIDI Effect/. Restart Ableton.
After install, Tuple appears in Ableton's browser under Max MIDI Effect.
- Drop Tuple on a MIDI track in Ableton Live.
- Put an instrument after it.
- Choose or sync your key and scale.
- Play chords from the grid, Push 2 or mapped MIDI controls.
- Capture a progression into a MIDI clip when it works.
The device is hand-edited — no build step, no dependencies.
# Device (Max for Live):
# edit device/tuple_chord_engine.js (harmonic logic, autowatch reloads)
# edit device/ui/tuple_ui.html (jweb UI — reopen the device to reload)The website lives in its own repo (
tuple-site, deployed to Vercel → tuple.live).
device/ → Max for Live device (source of truth)
tuple_chord_engine.js → harmonic logic
ui/tuple_ui.html → active jweb UI (strip + full window)
tuple_push2_spike.js → Push 2 integration (device-only)
manual/ → user manual (HTML + PDF, ships with the device)
Git: this repo tracks the device only (device/, manual/, README, LICENSE).
The website has its own repo (tuple-site, deployed to Vercel → tuple.live). Local-only
folders — site/, docs/, brand/, discord/, font/, CLAUDE.md — are gitignored.
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
device/tuple_chord_engine.js |
Harmonic logic (source of truth) |
device/ui/tuple_ui.html |
Active jweb UI (rendering & interaction) |
device/tuple_push2_spike.js |
Push 2 integration |
device/README.md |
Device architecture & dev notes |
- Instant chord access — grid of all valid chords for your key/scale
- Smart Chords — as you play, the grid lights up where to go next, by harmonic function or by voice leading (brighter = stronger)
- Voice leading — 2 modes (ANCHOR / FLOW) for smooth transitions
- 28 voicings — a wide set of playable voicing styles for different production contexts
- Expression — Strum, Velocity Ramp, Humanize
- Borrowed chords — modal interchange & secondary dominants always visible
- Progression → Clip — capture chords as you play, then drop the whole progression into a MIDI clip (one chord per bar)
- Two-window workflow — compact strip + full grid window (one click away)
- Push 2 integration — grab the pad grid (colored by degree), play, velocity
- Ableton Live integration — SYNC button imports key/scale from Live
Tuple is free. If it's useful to you, consider a donation:
MIT