Musiclab Rhythm'n'Chords


...a little background info

This is the first ever review on midiwarez.net, a few weeks ago Musiclab emailed us the registration details for some of their software. We were a little confused at first because we hadn't registered any of their products, it seems we missed their initial email which asked us to review their software. After the confusion was resolved we were pleased that someone would send us anything to review so we set about re designing the site to accomodate reviews....now on to the first review.


Intro

Rhythm'n'Chords is a plugin available for Cakewalk and Cubase (we are reviewing the Cakewalk version). It is essentially a tool for creating rhythm guitar parts but I guess with a little experimentation you might be able to use it for other instruments also.
Along with the plugin itself there are pattern libraries containing strumming and picking patterns for various styles of music. There are currently 19 pattern libraries available ranging from basic picking and strumming to jazz, pop, rock, reggae, latin, world, and even techno.


Registration, download, and installation

After registering you will be sent a registration code and link by email, clicking on the link takes you to a screen where you enter your registration code, which takes you to a download screen containing the products your registration entitles you to use.
Rhythm'n'Chords 2.031 Pro for Cakewalk is just under 7mb in size, the 19 pattern styles range in size from 220k to 330k, you can download the patterns individually or all at once. It is not a huge download time even on dialup.
The downloaded files are all self extracting exe files, clicking each one launches the installer and prompts you for your user name (which you should get in your email from musiclab, save that email somewhere).
This process was pain free and I had no problems at any stage.


In Use

Rhythm'n'Chords works in a similar way to Cakewalk's session drummer, select a midi track, click in the plugins section and pick it from the list.



The interface can be split up into 3 sections,
The settings area which consists of some menus, selection tabs and buttons,



the song structure area which looks just like a guitar chord chart,



and a chord design and audition function.



To use it you choose a pattern and drag and drop it onto the song structure, you then choose the chord by clicking in the song structure or design your own from the chord designer at the bottom of the screen.

     

There are a whole range of options to play with to make your sound more interesting, you can adjust the arpeggiation speed, dynamics, palm muting, etc.
There is also full midi control available, you can split your controller into zones and assign different zones to different functions.
Whole songs can be transposed easily (if your singer cant hit the high notes), and a comprehensive help file is also included.


Who should use it?

I occasionally play guitar myself and even with my limited skill I cant see myself giving up and letting Rhythm'n'Chords do it for me anytime soon, what it is useful for is backing for vocalists or as a practice aid. If you have chord charts for popular songs (which can be found easily on the internet) it is a quick process to build an arrangement, coupled with Cakewalks session drummer you can have a whole band performing without being able to play any instrument yourself.
Basic knowledge of music theory is certainly an advantage when using Rhythm'n'Chords, there are also a number of demo songs included to give you an idea of how to use it.


How does it sound?

I decided to make a quick demo of Rhythm'n'Chords in use, to do this I used only basic tools which I think represent what the average customer would have. I used an sblive with a free soundfont available from hammersound.net, Cakewalks session drummer provided the drum parts and the lead guitar is me playing through a Line 6 pod.

midiwarez.net Rhythm'n'Chords demo mp3


How much does it cost?

Rhythm'n'Chords for cakewalk plus all 19 pattern libraries will cost you $234, alternatively you can purchase just the plugin for $59 plus $19 each for the pattern libraries.
Click here if you would like to purchase.


Conclusion

Rhythm'n'Chords is a well designed product, I feel that the market for it is limited, but if you are a vocalist or maybe a music teacher who needs backing tracks this may be for you. If you ever purchased midi files of popular songs Rhythm'n'Chords may form part of an alternative which will help you to create quality backing tracks for popular songs as well as more obscure songs which may not be available in pre made midi format.