THE_HACK | Phil Speiser products (2023)

Will THE_HACK work with my system?

All you need to use THE_HACK is a copy of Ableton Live 11 (Intro, Standard, or Suite) on your Mac or PC. No need for external plugins or Max4Live. Simply unzip the download, copy the devices to a folder of your choice, and drag and drop them onto any midi track in Ableton Live to get started.

Can I use it with my favorite instruments?

Yes! You can use THE_HACK with any external synth plugin like Serum, Massive... but of course also with any internal live instrument.

Do I need a midi keyboard and knowledge of music theory to use THE_HACK?

Nope! A basic understanding of music theory never hurts and I will always recommend learning the basics. But... You don't need to know how to play the piano or have knowledge of music theory to compose great chord progressions and melodies with THE HACK. You don't need a midi keyboard either. You can use your computer keyboard to improvise chords and melodies, or you can draw notes in Live.

Why did I create THE_HACK?

I have been playing the piano for over 20 years and have developed a fairly solid understanding of music theory. However, I have always been interested in chord and midi plugins. Especially when I don't have a full size midi keyboard handy, I wanted a source of inspiration that would surprise me with different results that I wouldn't have gotten if I had been playing around on the piano. So I basically bought and tried every option available on the market. And to be honest, I've never really used them. Not because they don't necessarily deliver what they promise, but it never felt intuitive and easy enough to really land in my daily workflow. Now, with THE HACK, I finally have the music theory plugin that I can drag onto any synth track and start playing - no setup, no routing, no internal recording. It even gives me the ability to later change the key of my entire project in seconds without even opening a midi clip. I'm so glad that I was able to solve this problem in such an effective and simple way, and I can't wait for you to change the way you compose forever.

Why THE_HACK over other music theory plugins?

THE_HACK is completely based on the internal structure of Ableton Live - this is the only way to add it before any instrument or VST. This does not work with external plugins. External Music Theory plugins should be placed on a separate track and their midi output routed to another track and recorded internally. This is not only very tedious and complicated, but also makes it impossible to seamlessly integrate them into your workflow. With THE HACK you can easily use it directly on every track, from chords and melodies to bass lines. Change the key of your entire project in a few clicks. Use different chord voices for different layers. Over the years, I have written and composed several top 10 records and songs that have reached hundreds of millions of streams on Spotify. I have recorded all the combinations of chord voicings and progressions that have worked for me as the basis for very successful recordings.