ChordU vs Roland Chord Director

ChordU identifies chords in audio and aligns them with musical notation. Users can also find a song on YouTube, copy its link and search for it in ChordU. A song may have simplified, advanced, bass or edited chord arrangements, as well as treble-clef and bass-clef note versions. Chord diagrams cover guitar, piano, ukulele and mandolin. On the website, users can obtain PDF chord and note sheets, MIDI files and synthesized notes in WAV format. MusicOnly mode provides controls for vocals, bass, drums and other instruments, and can export a mixed audio download. Local music uploads and MusicOnly for those uploads require Premium; Premium also permits chord downloads without a stated monthly limit. The Free plan has limited access, while Premium costs $5.00 per month. ChordU is available on Android, iOS and the web. Its terms limit song and chord use to personal, non-commercial purposes.

Roland Chord Director is a free companion app for Roland’s GO:KEYS 3 and GO:KEYS 5 keyboards. It supplies additional ready-made chord patterns that can be loaded into a connected keyboard with a touch. The touch interface also lets users change keys and edit chord patterns, or create new patterns from their own chord progressions. The app links to the keyboard through Bluetooth and is listed for iOS and Android through the App Store and Google Play. Roland describes it as a way to use chord patterns for favorite songs and new compositions with a full-band sound. A free Roland Account is required to access pre-made patterns. Roland says GO:KEYS 3 and GO:KEYS 5 added support in system program version 1.11. Product questions go to Roland’s Knowledge Base, with product support handled through BACKSTAGE. Google Play reports possible collection of personal information, app activity, and device or other IDs; it also reports encryption in transit and deletion requests.