A span of bars you choose, such as a verse or a chorus, with everything in it: the clips on every track, the automation, the chords and the Arranger band’s blocks. Make it once, then place it anywhere on the BLOCK lane at the bottom of the timeline.

What is the difference between 2-way, 1-way and Copy?

Edit a 2-way copy and every other live copy follows. A 1-way copy only receives: it follows the block, and if you edit it, it waits for you to push the edit to all or go back to the block. A Copy is on its own and never changes with the others.

Can one copy be a little different?

Yes. Take one track out of sync for that copy, such as the keys in the last chorus, and the rest of the copy keeps following. Or pause the copy, and it keeps what it holds until you resume it.

What happens to my automation?

It stays yours. A block brings its automation when you place it, and after that each copy’s automation is its own, so the last chorus can ride hotter than the first.

What if I record a new take into a copy?

It stays in the copy where you recorded it. If you want it in every copy, choose Make part of block, and it appears in all of them.

Which editions include it?

Live Block sync, with 2-way and 1-way copies, is in the Studio edition. See Pricing to compare every edition.

Any time. Switch a copy to Copy, or convert every live copy of a block to plain copies. The music stays exactly where it is.

CORE TECHNOLOGY 08 · BLOCK ARRANGER

Change the chorus once. Every chorus changes.

Most studios let you link a copy of one part on one track. The Block Arranger links whole sections of your song: the drums, the bass, the keys, the chords and the band, together. Build the chorus once, place it wherever the song needs it, and every change you make reaches every chorus.

THE SONG · BLOCK LANE

VERSECHORUSVERSECHORUSCHORUS DRUMS BASS KEYS VOCAL BLOCK VERSE ORIGIN 2-WAY 2-WAY 1-WAY

Every chorus follows an edit made in any one of them
The last chorus follows, but the keys sit this one out
Each vocal take stays in the chorus where you sang it

An illustration: one chorus, placed three times.

BUILD IT ONCE

A whole section of your song, as one block.

Pick the bars of a verse or a chorus and make them a block. Everything in those bars comes with it, on every track at once.

Every track together

The drums, bass, keys, guitars and vocals of the section, as one piece of the song.

The chords and the band too

The chords in those bars and the Arranger band’s blocks travel with the section.

Place it anywhere

Drag the block onto the BLOCK lane at the bottom of the timeline, wherever the song needs it again.

Edit any copy

Add a note, move a clip, change a chord or a fade in any copy. You don’t have to find the first one.

Name and mark each copy

Give each copy its section, a note to yourself and an energy level from 0 to 3, so the shape of the song shows at a glance.

A library of your blocks

Every block of the song in one place, with how many copies follow it and a switch to pause them all.

RIGHT ON YOUR TIMELINE

The shape of your song, in one lane.

The BLOCK lane sits under the chord lane, at the bottom of the timeline. Each copy shows its name, its colour and whether it follows, so you can read the song from verse to outro without opening a thing.

Drag to move a copy, and its music moves with it.
Right-click a copy to change how it follows, or to sit a track out.
Colours for a block and all its copies, or for one copy alone.

The Harmonic Pro Studio timeline with vocal, MIDI and audio tracks, and the CHORD and BLOCK lanes under them — The CHORD lane and the BLOCK lane, under the tracks.

YOU CHOOSE HOW EACH COPY FOLLOWS

Three ways to place a block.

Every copy has its own mode, and you can change it whenever you like.

2-way

Edit this copy and every other live copy follows. Edit any other copy, and this one follows too.

1-way

It follows the block, but your edits here don’t go anywhere until you say so: push the edit to every copy, or go back to the block.

Copy

A plain copy of the block, on its own. It never changes when the others do.

Change your mind

Turn a Copy into a live copy, or the other way round. If its music differs by then, you choose: take the block, or push this copy to all.

Let go of a block

Turn every live copy into a plain copy in one step. The music stays exactly where it is.

Delete, but keep the music

Remove a block from the library and keep its copies on the timeline as ordinary clips.

REPEATS CAN BE DIFFERENT

Linked, but never stuck.

A last chorus is rarely the same as the first. The Block Arranger keeps what should be shared in step, and lets the rest be yours.

Sit one track out

Take one track of one copy out of sync, such as the keys in the last chorus. The rest of that copy keeps following.

Your automation stays yours

A block brings its automation when you place it. After that, each copy’s rides and filter moves are its own.

Takes stay where you sang them

A take you record into a copy stays in that copy. Choose Make part of block, and it appears in every copy.

Music already there stays

Place a block on top of bars that already hold music, and that music stays with the copy. It is never sent anywhere.

Pause a copy

Pause one copy, or every copy of a block. A paused copy keeps what it holds until you resume it.

Long clips are cut cleanly

Drop a file that runs past a copy’s end, and the part inside travels. The rest stays where you dropped it, never shortened.

IT NEVER GUESSES

When it isn’t sure, it asks.

Linking your whole song is only useful if you can trust it. So the Block Arranger never overwrites a change it can’t be sure of.

Two copies, two changes

If two copies were changed in different ways, they wait, marked in amber. You pick the one that wins, or go back to the block.

One undo for everything

One undo takes back your edit and the same change in every other copy.

Recording comes first

While you record, nothing syncs. Edits you made during the take sync the moment you stop.

Locked tracks stay locked

A frozen or locked track is never written to. The copy waits for you instead.

Nimi follows the same rules

Ask Nimi to place a chorus, sit a track out or settle two copies, and it works the same way, with every change yours to undo.

Made for songwriting

Sketch the song with the Arranger band, then make your verse and chorus into blocks. The chords and the band’s blocks travel with them.

Write your song with the Arranger band →

Questions

What is a block?: A span of bars you choose, such as a verse or a chorus, with everything in it: the clips on every track, the automation, the chords and the Arranger band’s blocks. Make it once, then place it anywhere on the BLOCK lane at the bottom of the timeline.
What is the difference between 2-way, 1-way and Copy?: Edit a 2-way copy and every other live copy follows. A 1-way copy only receives: it follows the block, and if you edit it, it waits for you to push the edit to all or go back to the block. A Copy is on its own and never changes with the others.
Can one copy be a little different?: Yes. Take one track out of sync for that copy, such as the keys in the last chorus, and the rest of the copy keeps following. Or pause the copy, and it keeps what it holds until you resume it.
What happens to my automation?: It stays yours. A block brings its automation when you place it, and after that each copy’s automation is its own, so the last chorus can ride hotter than the first.
What if I record a new take into a copy?: It stays in the copy where you recorded it. If you want it in every copy, choose Make part of block, and it appears in all of them.
Can I undo a change that went to every copy?: Yes. One undo takes back your edit and the same change in every other copy.
Which editions include it?: Live Block sync, with 2-way and 1-way copies, is in the Studio edition. See Pricing to compare every edition.
Can I turn it off?: Any time. Switch a copy to Copy, or convert every live copy of a block to plain copies. The music stays exactly where it is.

THE CORE TECHNOLOGIES

They work together.

Everything in Harmonic Pro Studio →

Write your next song with a band behind you.

Download free See pricing