How AlphaTheta Chordcat puts 110,000 chords at your fingertipsAd feature with AlphaTheta
For producers ready to move beyond simple beats and start building full songs, harmony often becomes the stumbling block. Music theory — especially chord construction and progression — can feel like a foreign language. Chordcat, a new groovebox from AlphaTheta, aims to bridge that gap.
Unlike other beatmaking hardware, Chordcat puts harmony right at the centre of the creative process. Whether you’re using one of the 145 onboard sounds or controlling an external synth, its intuitive system lets you explore 110,000 possible chord combinations, all without needing to know what a secondary dominant is.
What is Chord Cruiser?
Chord Cruiser is Chordcat’s big idea: one part music theory hack, one part harmonic adventure. Simply load up a chordset, and the unit starts suggesting musically related chords based on what you’re playing. Each time you trigger one on the touchstrip, the X/Y pad gives you compatible alternatives that can be auditioned on the fly.

Chordcat doesn’t try to force you to pick the ‘right’ chords. Yes, there’s a logic to its suggestions, but you’re always free to go off-course and bend the rules a little. It’s reactive, rather than prescriptive, which encourages improvisation and exploration. Of course, you’ll want to trust your ears, but fostering a sense of what sounds good is an important part of the production journey.
Once you’ve found a chord you like, save it to the touchstrip, and Chordcat will update its suggestions accordingly. It’s quick, playful, and incredibly easy to lose track of time jumping between options. Ready to commit? Play or program your chords into the sequencer. Each pattern can last up to 8 bars, so there’s plenty of scope for musical twists and turns.
Chordcat’s Chord Cruiser. Image: MusicTech
Chordcat’s Chordsets
If Chord Cruiser is Chordcat’s engine, chordsets are its fuel — 18 curated collections of chords based on genre and function, each offering its own flavour. Five are focused on basic major and minor families, providing a clean slate for experimentation. The other 13 take cues from genres such as house, R&B, and future bass, leaning into stylistic norms like minor 9s and sus chords for electronic genres, and seventh-heavy voicings for pop and soul.
These chordsets are a smart way to sketch out harmonic direction, especially for producers used to building from samples or loops. And because the system reacts dynamically to each chord input, it’s easy to stumble into unexpected territory. Even without knowing the names of the chords being played, progressions tend to feel connected and intentional.

To keep things fresh, Chordcat often throws non-diatonic suggestions into the mix — chords that stray outside your chosen scale or key. It’s an easy way to add jazz-y or neo-soul inflections to a progression, without needing to know why it works.
Chord Voicing
Chordcat also pays close attention to voicing — the way individual notes in a chord are arranged. Rather than defaulting to root-position triads, it leans into more expressive shapes that often mimic the choices a skilled pianist might reach for.
By favouring smooth voice leading and minimising big leaps between chords, progressions feel immediately musical, even when you’re throwing in extended harmonies or borrowed chords.

Simple menu options let you tweak voicings and inversions on the fly, so you can shape things based on what sounds good to you. And if you’re curious about the underlying mechanics, these voicings can help you understand how chords are built and connected.
Scales and Keys
The chords are in place, but what about melody? Chordcat’s scale and key functions ensure any notes you play fit with the chosen tonality. Choose E minor blues, for example, and only the notes from that scale are mapped to the touchstrip. With clashing notes effectively removed, you can play around without overthinking.
Scale mode is also an intuitive way to explore modal tonality and the feelings it can evoke. For a dreamy and ethereal vibe, Lydian’s a solid bet. Creating something darker and more ominous? Give Locrian a try.
From Beats to Songs
Grooveboxes aren’t typically known for their chord-creating abilities, and that’s where Chordcat breaks from the pack. Its deep integration of chords, scales, and voicings helps you with sketches but also actively encourages full song building.

With the pattern chain function, it’s easy to flesh out simple ideas into structured arrangements: intros, verses, choruses, whatever the track calls for. It’s a natural progression from beatmaking to proper songwriting territory.
By lowering the barrier to harmonic exploration and offering tools that react musically, Chordcat makes it easy to follow an idea from spark to structure, even without a formal music education, giving producers a fast and accessible way to bring chord-driven music to life.
For a hands-on look at the workflow, sounds, and sequencing, check out AlphaTheta.com
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