Quick start
Prologue generates MIDI. Route it to an instrument for sound.
- Load Prologue and send MIDI channel 1 to a polyphonic instrument.
- Open Mood Generator. Choose a mood, key, and Bars, then Generate 5.
- Select a section, choose All in Output, and start the DAW transport.
- Adjust the layers, then save through Projects.
Generate 5 replaces all current sections. Save first to keep them. Set tempo in the DAW; Prologue’s suggested BPM does not change it.
Create and edit a progression
Click an empty progression to add a chord. Click a chord block to edit; hold it to audition. Right-click → Edit progression opens text entry.
Use Easy for suggestions or Expert for root, quality, slash bass, REST, and duration. + Before / + After add chords. While editing, right-click a chord to insert or delete. Apply & Close commits the draft; Cancel discards it.
| Token | Meaning |
|---|---|
Cmaj7 | C major seventh, one bar |
Dm9:2 | D minor ninth, two bars |
C/E | C major with E bass |
R:0.5 | Half-bar rest |
The piano roll previews the resulting notes and supports chord editing. Change voicing or octave by dragging their controls; right-click for exact choices. Smooth is a useful starting voicing.
Global Key and Scale update harmonic context across all sections without transposing their chord symbols.
Cmd/Ctrl + Z undoes progression or chord-draft edits; Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z redoes them. These shortcuts do not cover every plugin setting.
Sections and projects
Each of up to 32 sections stores its chords and layer settings.
- + creates an empty section.
- Right-click a section to Rename, Copy, or Delete. Copy appends a duplicate; deleting the only section resets it to empty A.
- Drag section chips to reorder them.
| Playback choice | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Auto-Advance off | Repeat the current section. Clicking another queues it after the current section finishes. |
| Auto-Advance on | Follow the DAW timeline through every section, then wrap. The cycle starts at the timeline’s beginning; section lengths follow chord durations. |
| DAW Section automation | A named section switches immediately and repeats. Auto-Advance resumes timeline-based playback. |
During Auto-Advance, clicking a section changes the editing view only. The editor follows playback again at the next section transition; the playing indicator shows what you hear.
Projects saves sections, the selected section, and playback mode as local JSON. Output and Sync stay local to the instance. The DAW session retains the broader plugin state. Name the Project, confirm any overwrite, and use the folder control to locate files for backup. Fill or remove empty sections before saving. Reload a Project changed outside Prologue before overwriting it.
Arrangement layers
| Layer | Controls |
|---|---|
| Bass | Octave, +Oct (lower octave), +5th, Legato |
| Body | Voicing, octave, Root, 5th, Shimmer color tones, Legato |
| Shimmer | Mode, voicing, octave, Legato |
Select a layer to edit it. Legato ties shared notes across chords; switch it off for a fresh attack.
| Shimmer mode | Notes sent |
|---|---|
| Off | None |
| Top | One high note; works with triads |
| Color | Written sevenths, extensions, and add tones; plain triads can be silent |
| Halo | Color notes plus an anchor; falls back toward Top without color tones |
Body’s Shimmer switch includes written color tones in Body independently. Enable it with Color/Halo to hear those tones in both layers; disable it to keep a low Body clear beneath the separate Shimmer lane.
MIDI routing and export
| Channel | Notes |
|---|---|
| 1 | Output selection: All, one layer, or a pair |
| 2 | Bass |
| 3 | Body |
| 4 | Shimmer |
For one instrument, receive channel 1. For separate instruments, route channels 2–4 as shown. Receiving every channel doubles the combined mix and its layer copies.
Drag an All, Bass, Body, or Shimmer export icon into your DAW. Right-click for Copy or Save to Disk.
- Exports contain one active playback section. While playing, this may differ from the section you are editing.
- All exports channel 1 plus channels 2–4 and resets live Output to All. Individual exports keep their channels: Bass 2, Body 3, Shimmer 4.
- Files use the section name:
Intro.mid,Intro - Bass.mid. Save to Disk adds aPrologue-prefix to the suggested name.
Sync between Prologue instances
Set one instance to Leader and others to Follower. Followers receive its sections, harmony, arrangements, and playback mode, while keeping their own Output selection. Edit shared musical controls on the Leader.
Only one Leader is active; taking over requires confirmation. Leaving Follower restores the instance’s previous musical state.
JSON and AI-assisted ideas
Open {} to copy the current palette or paste JSON, then APPLY. A preset object replaces all sections with one; an array replaces them with several. Save first. Project Library/MCP documents use a different container; load them through their respective workflows.
The ChatGPT and Gemini buttons open optional assistants. Manual editing and Mood Generator work without them.
Isorek MCP can edit a loaded instance even with its editor closed, or manage saved Projects without loading the plugin. Select the intended instance; target the Leader when using Sync. MCP changes musical data, preserving local Output and Sync. Its last edit can be undone until that musical data changes again.
Troubleshooting
- No sound: Check MIDI routing, monitoring, and the receiving channel.
- Silent Shimmer: Enable its lane and use Top, or add written extensions for Color.
- Wrong exported section: Stop transport, select the intended playback section, then export.
- Disabled musical controls: Edit the Sync Leader or leave Follower mode.
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