Sundog Update Includes 500+ Chord Progressions

sundog-studiosFeelYourSound has released Sundog 2.5.0, an update to the songwriting application that adds support for over 500 popular chord progressions.

Sundog works standalone and connects to any DAW via MIDI. The new version adds many new features to create chord progressions, melodies, basslines, and arpeggios. 

The key new features in version 2.5.0 are:

  • There are over 500 chord progressions included in this release. A dedicated
    chord progression search engine can be used to find the best ones for any
    musical genre. It’s also possible to save and load own progressions.
  • Sundog 2.5 includes a new Live Preview mode. When this mode is active, it’s
    possible to change chords inside the Chords View and directly hear how these
    changes affect your basslines, arpeggios, and melodies.

This video demonstrates the features in action:

Other new features and changes

  • New Chords menu entry: Search chord progressions. Shortcut: Ctrl+F (Mac:
    Cmd+F) in Chords View.
  • New Chords menu entry: Load and save chord progressions.
  • Change chords in Chords View while playing. You can activate the old behaviour
    with “Settings-> Chords View: Follow playback”.
  • Chords View: Use the “-1 octave” switch to play chords one octave below the
    active octave (other options: right click on a chords button; press ‘o’ on your
    keyboard; play on the MIDI keyboard).
  • New shortcuts in Chords View: Insert (insert progression slot); Ctrl+Delete
    (delete progression slot). On Mac: Ctrl+Return (insert); Ctrl+Backspace (delete)
  • New Chords menu entry: Loop chord progression to different length.
  • New Chords menu entry: Stretch chord progression to different length.
  • Timestamps in Windows log file.
  • Bugfix: Prevent crashes on the chords page when the base note is very high or
    low.
  • Bugfix: Paste chord progression with different length.
  • MIDI keyboard input in Chords View: If Chord Mods are active, C# and D# will
    activate the left or right chord mod respectively.
  • Tooltips. Deactivate in “Settings -> Show tooltips”.
  • New shortcut: Switch between Main View and Chords View with Tab.

Pricing and Availability

Sundog 2.5 is available now for US $49 / €44. The update is free for existing customers.

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14 thoughts on “Sundog Update Includes 500+ Chord Progressions

  1. Simply amazing. However, there is the distinct possibility that keyboardist and musicians in general begin to use this as a crutch and limit independent creative thought. Can you imagine concerts in the future where a person simply clicks a button, stands in front of their gear the entire time without moving at all and calls it a performance in the end? I hope such a period never emerges.

    1. We have been in hybrid creative era for quite while,part automatic,part user live playing,If you are going to the trouble of creating a piece of music why would you want to miss the opportunity of taking part in performing it.?Its been an obvious question for a while to anyone who makes electronic music?How .Do you want to express yourself the way your environment interacts with you with music and visuals.Total automatic “push button”performance have invariably been given the thumbs down…I remember maybe 39 ish years in the Uk when the Early Human league tried to do a tour without appearing at the venues,and just arranged for reel to reel tapes to be set up on stage…

    2. I had the same initial reaction when this first came out. Coming up with a chord progression is for me the most gratifying aspect of composition. It can be difficult, but the process and results are fun.

      As it is now, so much music today is boring to me. The chord progressions are often tired and repetitive; the rhythms safe cliches in 4/4 with 16th notes; and the melodies– when present– sound like the bassline 3 octaves higher.

      I’m not criticizing artists for being ignorant of theory or whatever. That’s over-rated. I’m just talking about not being LAZY, not letting the GUI dictate what is made. Of course, some music makers are mastering the new tools and doing great things– cool composition, wild sound design, etc.

      So I’ve come around on tools like this. They can help more inexperienced composers try new chords, learn things, and break out of their comfort zones. Now the skill that is being developed is refining our tastes to hear something new, and wild, but still in the zone of being accessible.

      $50 isn’t too bad for what this seems to offer.

  2. All that’s happening is that music creation is opening up to everyone. Even with an app like this you still need some talent to create something meaningful. We have digital cameras even on pro level with full automation options and photographers are post editing photos to change lighting, composition etc. Photography used to involve waiting for the right time of day at the right time of year and with perhaps a few filters on the lens. Now many just post edit all that stuff. Photography has become more immediate and more accessible. There will still be average versus great photographers even with post editing. Music is no different.

  3. The demos don’t seem to take a song into non-diatonic territory. In other words, the chords are derived strictly from the major scale– which is simple enough to come up with on your own.

    I see in the chord progression picker, there is an option to include non-scale notes in the chords. It would have been nice to hear some of those examples.

    I would also have liked to see the chord table for harmonic minor.

  4. It’s a great product. For me it really opens up creative possibilities.

    Not everyone is good a playing keyboards, knowing scales or understanding music theory. Instead they might be better at things like sound design or creating rhythms. This tool allows them to focus on their strengths and create full musical pieces. I have no problem with people using the tools others have come up with to make their lives easier. Unless you are creating your own musical instruments from raw material you are relying on someone else’s tool for creating music.

    Sundog goes well beyond just a tool for chord progressions. It’s a fantastic deal at the price point.

  5. I am loving the new update with the chord progressions. You guys are continuing to innovate towards having the fastest, most efficient music production tool. However, I would get so much more use out of this if minor scale progressions came up in the search.

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