Sustained Inversions 1 & 2 is a comprehensive, 2-library, 4-disc set of chord progression creation tools for ACID™ and other loop-based recording applications. This set features over 80 voice packets, each consisting of two voicings of 8 different chords: A, G, D, E, Am, Gm, Dm, Em. This structuring allows the user to create unlimited chord progressions without ever having to transpose more than two semi-tones.

Frequently, loop libraries fall short in chord offerings due to limited samples and lack of material to allow realistic transition/voicing betwen chords in a progression. What makes Sustained Inversions 1 & 2 different is the fact that the release/decay tails of each chord are included in the loops. The majority of the chords are 12 beats long - 8 beats of sustain with a 4-beat tail. A smaller number of chords are twice the length - 16-beat hold/8-beat tail - due to their more lush nature.

By taking a little time, Sustained Inversions 1 & 2 will allow you to create customized, natural-sounding chord holds & progressions like never before possible in a looping environment.

Past Limitations

Most chord loops you find do not loop naturally. Because of the loop's attack, abrupt ending, or both, you end up with results that are far from smooth. LISTEN
 

Because Sustained Inversions loops contain the voice's tail, you can now get a more natural sound "repeat" by creating the next instance on a second track. LISTEN

The same problem exists when going between two chords (that is, if you have a "major" version of the voice to begin with). LISTEN

With Sustained Inversions, you can eliminate the "looping" sound when going between two or more chords, by using the tails to creating a natural sound. LISTEN

Application

It's easy to shorten chords to the length you want. First, set up two tracks with the same loop and draw them out the full 12 (or 24 for double-length loops) beats.
 

Next, split each loop at the 8-beat (or 16-beat for double-length loops) mark, select the tail of the first and the body of the second and delete.

Finally, resize the top loop to the length you want (in this case, 4 beats). Drag the tail to begin at that point. Extend the top loop and "crossfade it" with the bottom. (Depending on where in the loop you are, you may need to extend the tail further back and create a longer crossfade and/or play with different fade types to make it sound more natural.) The result is now a 4-beat chord, instead of 8. LISTEN TO RESULT
 
 
 

Create Any Kind Of Progression

With the ability to shorten chords naturally, you can create any kind of progression with any kind of synchopation and variation. Let's say we want to create a synchopated progression in A minor: Am-Em-G-D. We want it to repeat 4 times. The scond time, we want to hold the G and not go to the D. The last time, we want to go from G to E, instead of D. We set up our chords and then CTRL+Drag them to the other places we want them. In a matter of a minute or two, we have this:

We render the progression, leaving in the tail of the last chord (E, at the bottom). LISTEN
 

Now we bring our new, customized chord progression loop into our song and add a smooth & natural dimension to it. LISTEN TO DEMO SONG

(Bass in Demo Song from SYNTHETIC BEATS & BASSES; Drums from DRUM MODULE SAMPLES)

Questions: loops@harkproductions.com