Melody Sauce 3 is a VST3/AU plugin that generates unique melodies, chord progressions, and bass lines inside your DAW. Its algorithms create an unlimited supply of original musical ideas, played by the plugin’s 300+ internal sounds or through your own instrument plugins loaded inside MS3. A range of editing features let you tweak melodies inside the plugin, or you can drag them as MIDI or rendered audio directly into your DAW.

Not at all. Melody Sauce 3 is designed to help any producer — from beginner to pro — create great-sounding music regardless of their theory knowledge. The style presets handle everything for you. If you prefer to use theory, you can build your own chords from the 13 available chord types and Melody Sauce 3 will create melodies to fit them.

Yes. Melody Sauce 3 comes with a licence to use the output however you want in your own productions. See our Terms and Conditions below for full details.

No — every melody is generated fresh when you click a generator pad. The algorithms can produce millions of different melodies. The chord progressions draw from over 1,000 progressions across 8 genres, combined in unique ways each time.

Not in the sense the word is used today. Melody Sauce 3 is a rule-based algorithmic system, which gives a music maker all the flexibility they need. It isn’t trained on other people’s music at all. Instead, the rules for each genre were developed with professional music producers, and every melody, chord progression and bass line is generated from those rules — so the output is unique each time and yours to use.

Melody Sauce 3 is designed for anyone who creates music with a computer. While the internal sounds include some acoustic instruments, it’s focused on current electronic styles: Hip-Hop, Trap, R&B, Pop, EDM, House, Techno, and Latin/Reggaeton. The styles and algorithms have been developed with the help of professional producers who work in these genres.

MS3 is a major upgrade with several entirely new capabilities: chord progression generation, bass line accompaniment, 8-bar melodies (vs 4-bar), a built-in piano roll editor, MIDI import with chord detection, and new Movement and Chord Fit controls. It also includes 300+ sounds, 350 new style presets, upgraded FX including the new “Wobble” effect, and a completely redesigned interface.

Melody Sauce 3.1 is a free update for all Melody Sauce 3 owners. The main new features are:

• Plugin hosting: load your own plugins inside MS3 and play the melody, chords and bass directly through them.
• Chord voicings: change the feel of chords with over 100 voicings, from simple 2-note chords and tight stacks to wide-open spreads.
• Phrase lock: lock part of the melody and generate a new melody around it.
• Audio export: render WAV stems, with an optional audio tail.
• Improved piano roll: with an expanded view and more editing features.
• Improved generative algorithms
• More chord progressions: now over 1,000.

Other additions include sound scenes and sound locks, style favourites, Chord Lock that keeps your chords when you change style, a Play button in the top bar, and Export MIDI… in the Settings menu. The Phrase Editor has been renamed Variations. See the User Guide for full details.

Melody Sauce 3 is available as VST3, AU, and AU MIDI FX (Logic only). It’s compatible with all major DAWs on both Mac (including Apple Silicon M1–M4 native) and Windows.

Specifically supported DAWs: FL Studio 20+, Ableton Live 10+, Logic Pro X+, Cubase 9+, Studio One 4+, Reason 11+, Reaper 5+, Bitwig 3+, Maschine 2+, MPC Beats, Samplitude, and GarageBand. Generally any DAW that supports VST3 or AU plugins should work.

Inside MS3 you can also load your own VST3, VST2 and AU (Mac) instrument plugins (not available in the AU MIDI FX version) — see “How do I use my own plugins inside MS3?” below.

Absolutely. The easiest way is to load your own instrument plugins directly inside MS3: the melody, chords and bass play straight through them, with no MIDI routing needed, and you can use a different plugin on each layer (see “How do I use my own plugins inside MS3?” below).

You can also set MS3 to output MIDI only and route that to any software instrument in your DAW, or drag any generated melody, chord progression, or bass line as MIDI directly into your arrangement and use it with any VST instrument, sampler, or hardware synth you like.

Download and run the installer for your platform (Mac or Windows). Once complete, restart your DAW and rescan plugins (see the Troubleshooting section below for rescan instructions).

When you first load the plugin you’ll see a licensing window:

New customers: Enter your serial code in the “New Licence” tab.

Upgrading from MS1 or MS2: Select the “Upgrade” tab and follow the on-screen steps to verify your existing serial and activate your MS3 upgrade. See “My serial code is invalid” in the Troubleshooting section if you run into any issues.

You can find download links to the Mac and Windows installers in your original order confirmation email, and also in your account at accounts.evabeat.com. If you purchased through Plugin Boutique, the installers will be available in your Plugin Boutique account instead.

Choose a genre and style, then hit a generator pad — a melody, chord progression, and bass line will be generated for you instantly. If you’d rather not use the built-in styles, try Free mode and dial in your own settings.

There are lots of ways to edit the results inside the plugin, or you can drag them to your DAW’s arrangement for further editing.

Tip: Hover over any control in the plugin and a tooltip will appear at the bottom of the interface explaining what it does.

MS3 can host your own VST3, VST2 and AU (Mac) instrument plugins, so the melody, chords and bass play directly through them — no MIDI routing needed. (Plugin hosting is not available in the AU MIDI FX version of MS3 in Logic.)

1. Scan for plugins: open MS3’s Settings menu (gear icon) and select Scan Plugins. MS3 will search the standard VST3, VST2 and AU plugin folders on your system for installed plugins. Once the scan completes, any compatible plugins found will be available to load and use directly inside MS3.

2. Load a plugin: open the Melody, Chord or Bass sound menu and choose Plugins, then select a plugin. Use the search box to find it quickly. You can load a different plugin on each layer.

3. Adjust its sound: click the Open Plugin Window button next to the plugin name. The plugin window opens in front of MS3.

Run Scan Plugins again whenever you install new plugins. Rescan Plugins scans everything again from scratch and can take several minutes.

Please note: DAW stock/built-in instruments can’t be loaded, as they aren’t separate plugins. MS3’s internal effects apply to internal sounds only, not to external plugins. Some firewalls or security software may block or interrupt the scanning process — see “MS3 can’t find some or all of my plugins” in the Troubleshooting section below.

No. The MIDI FX version only sends MIDI and doesn’t produce sound. To play MS3 through your own plugins, load MS3 as an instrument and choose Plugins in the melody, chord or bass sound menu. Or keep MS3 in the MIDI FX slot and load your plugin as the track’s instrument.

Yes. Click the Audio button at the top of the Melody Bank to render the current clip to WAV — a full mix plus separate melody, chord and bass stems. When rendering is complete, the button changes to WAV: drag it into your DAW. You can also select Export Audio Stems… (wav) in the Settings menu to save the files to your computer.

Audio exports are exactly 8 bars long by default so they loop cleanly. To include the reverb/delay tail, select Render audio tail in the Settings menu. Audio export works with internal sounds and hosted plugins.

Because of the way FL Studio handles pattern lengths, you may need to create an 8-bar MIDI region in your arrangement to hear the full output. Alternatively, increase the pattern length by clicking and dragging the top-right corner of the pattern selector (in the top-right of the Channel Rack) and set it to 128 steps, which equals 8 bars — the full length of Melody Sauce 3’s melodies.

Important: Make sure the option “Always Sync to DAW” is deselected in MS3’s Settings menu (in versions before 3.1 this option was called “On DAW play, start melody from bar 1” and needed to be selected). FL Studio handles looping differently to other DAWs, and with MS3 synced to the DAW playhead it can force MS3 to loop for 1 bar only.

Mac — MS3 sounds too fast or too high: check that the sample rate in FL Studio’s Audio Settings matches your device’s Format in Audio MIDI Setup. Open Audio MIDI Setup (Applications → Utilities), click your output device (e.g. MacBook Pro Speakers), and set the sample rate to the same value as FL Studio’s Audio Settings — usually 44100 or 48000 Hz. This affects all sounds in FL Studio, not just MS3.

Cubase doesn’t currently support dragging MIDI from MS3. Instead, select Export MIDI… in MS3’s Settings menu (gear icon) to save the current clip as MIDI files (separate Melody, Chord and Bass files), then import them into your Cubase project.

Drag and drop a MIDI file containing chords into Melody Sauce 3’s piano roll. The plugin will automatically detect the key and chords, which are then applied so you can generate melodies to fit.

For best results, the MIDI file should contain full chords (3+ notes) that are cleanly arranged. Single-note melodies or two-note intervals may not be detected accurately, as there isn’t enough harmonic information. Similarly, a file containing a mix of melody, chords, and bass could lead to inaccurate detection.

Yes. In MIDI In mode, MS3 receives MIDI from your DAW on 3 separate channels: Melody on Channel 1, Chords on Channel 2, and Bass on Channel 3. This means you can drag MS3’s 3 MIDI layers into your DAW, edit them there, and route all 3 layers back to the same single instance of MS3 to play using its internal sounds.

Yes. MS3 outputs audio as 3 stereo pairs — one each for Melody, Chords and Bass. In your DAW, set the audio input of 3 separate tracks to each receive audio from either the Melody, Chords or Bass audio outputs provided by MS3. This allows you to apply different effects, EQ, and mixing to each layer independently. It works for layers played through your own hosted plugins too.

Yes — there are two ways:

1. Plugin hosting (easiest): load your instruments directly inside MS3 by choosing a different plugin in each of the Melody, Chord and Bass sound menus. No MIDI routing is needed, and you can still send each layer to its own audio track using MS3’s multi-channel audio outputs (see above).

2. MIDI Out: set MS3’s MIDI Settings to MIDI Out. MS3 sends Melody on MIDI channel 1, Chords on channel 2 and Bass on channel 3. Create 3 instrument tracks in your DAW, set each track’s MIDI input to Melody Sauce 3, and set them to receive channels 1, 2 and 3 respectively. The exact steps depend on your DAW — please refer to your DAW’s documentation.

Some DAWs, such as Logic Pro, can’t route MIDI from an instrument plugin to other tracks. In these DAWs, use plugin hosting instead.

After installing any new plugin, restart your DAW and rescan your plugins. Here’s how in the most popular DAWs:

Ableton Live: Go to Preferences → Plug-Ins. Make sure “Use VST3 Plug-In System Folders” is enabled (and AU on Mac). Click “Rescan”. For a deep rescan, hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while clicking Rescan.

Logic Pro: Go to Logic Pro → Settings → Plug-In Manager. Find Melody Sauce 3 in the list. If it shows as unvalidated, select it and click “Reset & Rescan Selection”.

FL Studio: Go to Options → Manage Plugins. Make sure the correct plugin folder is listed with a checkmark. Click “Start Scan” (or “Find more plugins”). Once scanned, locate Melody Sauce 3 in the list and enable it by clicking the checkmark.

Cubase: Go to Studio → VST Plug-in Manager. Click the gear icon in the bottom-left corner and select “Rescan All”. If the plugin has been blocklisted, check the Blocklist tab and reactivate it.

Studio One: Go to Studio One → Options (Windows) or Preferences (Mac) → Locations → VST Plug-Ins. Make sure “Scan at startup” is checked. Click “Reset Blacklist”, then restart Studio One.

First, make sure you’ve run Scan Plugins from MS3’s Settings menu (gear icon). Then check whether all your plugins are missing, or just a few.

No plugins found, or the scan doesn’t complete
1. Security software, firewalls and antivirus — depending on your security settings, software such as Norton, Bitdefender, McAfee, Windows Defender or Windows SmartScreen can block MS3 from scanning your plugins. Temporarily disable it, or add MS3 and your DAW to its list of allowed/trusted applications, then run Scan Plugins again. On Mac, check any antivirus software you have installed in the same way.
2. Restart and scan again — close your DAW, reopen it in a new empty project, load MS3 and run Scan Plugins. If plugins still don’t appear, remove MS3 from the track and load it again.
3. Try a full rescan — select Rescan Plugins to scan everything again from scratch. This can take several minutes.
4. Windows: run your DAW as administrator — right-click your DAW, select “Run as administrator”, then scan again.
5. Check your plugin folders — MS3 scans the standard VST3, VST2 and AU plugin folders, so plugins installed in other folders, or in a cloud-synced folder such as OneDrive, won’t be found. Reinstall them to the standard folders, then scan again.

Only some plugins are missing
• DAW stock plugins (instruments built into your DAW) can’t be loaded, as they aren’t separate plugins.
• Plugins that need activating or show a pop-up when they load may time out during the scan. Open the plugin once in your DAW and complete any activation, then run Scan Plugins again — it retries plugins that failed previously.
• “Shell” plugins such as Waves WaveShells contain many plugins and can be slow to load. Run Scan Plugins again, or try Rescan Plugins.
• Moved, updated or damaged plugins — reinstall them using the manufacturer’s installer or manager (e.g. Native Access), then scan again.
• 32-bit plugins are not supported, and Intel-only plugins on Apple Silicon Macs can only be loaded when your DAW runs under Rosetta.

If a plugin still won’t appear, email support@evabeat.com with the plugin name, version and format (VST3, VST2 or AU), your operating system and your DAW.

MS3 sends notes to hosted plugins on MIDI channel 1. Make sure your sound is set to channel 1 or Omni / Any. In Omnisphere, load it into Part 1. In Kontakt, set MIDI Ch in the instrument header to Omni.

The MIDI FX version sends melody, chords and bass on channels 1, 2 and 3. Plugins like Kontakt and Omnisphere only play channel 1 by default. Set the instrument to Omni (Kontakt) or Any (Omnisphere) to hear all three layers through one sound. Or load separate sounds on channels 1, 2 and 3 to give each layer its own sound.

After updating, if FL Studio’s Plugin Manager shows Melody Sauce 3 as “ok” but an older version loads when you open the plugin, try this:

1. Close FL Studio (and any other DAW).
2. Go to your VST3 folder:
• Mac: /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/VST3/
• Windows: C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3\
3. Look for all Melody Sauce 3 VST3 files (e.g. Melody Sauce 3.vst3).
4. Delete all of them.
5. Reinstall Melody Sauce 3 using the latest installer.

Reopen FL Studio, open Plugin Manager, and click Find installed plugins to do a full rescan.

First thing to check: Windows Controlled Folder Access
If you’re experiencing any issues with files, presets or samples not loading, this is often the cause.

1. Open Windows Security → Virus & Threat Protection
2. Scroll down to Ransomware Protection → Manage Ransomware Protection
3. Under “Controlled Folder Access”, click “Allow an app through Controlled Folder Access”
4. Add your DAW’s executable file (e.g. Ableton.exe)

Then restart your DAW and try again. If this doesn’t resolve your issue, see the specific error sections below.

Windows Updates
Install any pending Windows updates, including any graphics driver updates. Outdated graphics drivers in particular can prevent MS3 from operating correctly. Go to Settings → Windows Update → Check for Updates, install everything available, then restart your computer and try again.

Error 126

1. 64-bit vs 32-bit — Make sure your computer is running 64-bit Windows and you’re using the 64-bit version of your DAW. Melody Sauce 3 does not support 32-bit systems.

2. Rescan plugins in your DAW — Quit and restart your DAW, open a fresh new project, and rescan plugins in your DAW’s Plugin Manager (see “I can’t see or load Melody Sauce 3 in my DAW” above for instructions).

3. Antivirus / Firewall — Try temporarily disabling any firewall or security software such as Norton, Bitdefender, McAfee, Windows Defender, or SmartScreen, then reinstall MS3. You can re-enable these once installation is complete. Then restart your DAW and rescan plugins.

4. Missing Visual C++ Redistributables — MS3 requires Microsoft Visual C++ runtimes, which are normally part of Windows but may be missing. Go to this Microsoft page and download and install both the x64 and x86 versions of the 2015–2022 redistributable, then restart your DAW.

5. OneDrive — If you use OneDrive, its “Known Folder Move” feature can silently redirect folders to cloud storage, interfering with how Windows loads plugins. Try:
• Pause OneDrive sync, then reinstall MS3 and test in your DAW
• Make sure MS3’s install path is not inside a OneDrive-managed folder (it should be C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3)
• Make sure your DAW’s plugin scan path is local, not cloud-synced

6. If none of the above help, contact us — Windows Registry corruption is another known cause of Error 126.

“No internet connection” during activation (when internet is working)

1. Disable any VPN or proxy and try again
2. Check your system date and time are correct (Start → Settings → Time & Language → Date & Time)
3. Try running MS3 as Administrator (right-click your DAW → “Run as administrator”)
4. If still stuck, contact us — your firewall or ISP may be blocking MS3’s validation server

DAW freezes when loading MS3If you have an Nvidia graphics card on Windows 10:

1. Open Device Manager (right-click the Start button → Device Manager)
2. Expand “Display adapters” and right-click your Nvidia GPU
3. Select “Update driver” → “Search automatically” — or choose “Uninstall device”, restart your PC, and let Windows reinstall the driver automatically
4. If the issue persists, try rolling back to an earlier driver version from the Nvidia website

Installer fails

1. Go to Settings → Windows Update → Check for Updates. Install everything available, restart, then try again
2. Right-click the installer and select “Run as administrator” → click Yes when prompted
3. Temporarily disable antivirus, firewall, and SmartScreen, then try again
4. Press Win+R, type %temp%, delete as many files as you can, then try again
5. If still stuck, contact us with your MSI log: open an Administrator command prompt and run msiexec /i [installer-filename].msi /lv c:\setup.log, then send us the resulting file

Make sure you’re connected to the internet — an internet connection is required for serial activation.

New orders:
1. Enter your MS3 serial under the “New Licence” tab in the plugin’s licensing window
2. Check there are no spaces at the beginning or end of the serial when you paste it
3. Click “Activate”

Upgrades:
1. Click the “Upgrade” tab
2. Enter your Melody Sauce 1 or 2 serial in the first field
3. Click “Verify” to check your existing serial is valid
4. Enter your Melody Sauce 3 upgrade serial in the second field
5. Click “Activate”

Please note that an MS3 Upgrade serial requires a valid Melody Sauce 1 or Melody Sauce 2 serial.

If you still have problems with your serial code, email support@evabeat.com — this will create a support ticket and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours, often much quicker.

Just your MS2-to-MS3 serial. After upgrading, it becomes your only active code and unlocks both Melody Sauce 3 and Melody Sauce 2. Use it any time you need to re-activate either plugin — for example after reinstalling or switching computers.

You don’t need to re-enter your original MS2 serial, and you don’t need to go through the upgrade again.

You only need your MS2-to-MS3 serial in MS2’s activation window. Entering it on its own will unlock MS2 (and MS3). There’s no need to add your original MS2 serial or redo the upgrade — that one code now covers both plugins.

We use FastSpring for our checkout to ensure security for all payment transactions. Occasionally its security measures may block an order attempt, and we realise this can be frustrating. Please try:

• An alternative payment method (e.g. a different credit card, PayPal, or Apple Pay)
• Purchasing from a different browser or device (e.g. a mobile connection)

If you’re still unable to place an order, email support@evabeat.com — this will create a support ticket and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.

If your melodies are out of sync with your DAW, open the Settings menu (gear icon) and select “Always Sync to DAW” (called “On DAW Play, Start from Bar 1” in earlier versions, where it needed to be switched off). This makes MS3 follow the DAW playhead position rather than always restarting from bar 1, which resolves most sync issues.

Yes! Existing Melody Sauce 1 or Melody Sauce 2 customers can upgrade to MS3 at a discounted price. You can also continue to use your previous version alongside MS3.

We don’t currently offer a demo, but we do offer a 7-day money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with your purchase.

We offer a 7-day refund policy. If you’re not happy with Melody Sauce 3, email us at support@evabeat.com and we’ll process your refund as quickly as possible.

Email support@evabeat.com and this will generate a support ticket. We aim to respond within 24 hours, but we’re often much quicker.

Melody Sauce 3.1 is a free update for Melody Sauce 3 owners. Download the latest installer from your account at accounts.evabeat.com (or your Plugin Boutique account if you purchased there), close your DAW, and run the installer over your existing installation. Your licence and favourites are kept.

If your DAW still loads the previous version, rescan plugins in your DAW. FL Studio users, see “MS3 loads an old version in FL Studio after updating” above.

Yes. We’ll continue to release free updates to fix any bugs, and will periodically update styles, sounds, and algorithms.

Licence Grant. EVAbeat grants you a non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use Melody Sauce 3 on up to four computers that you own or control. The musical output (melodies, chord progressions, and bass lines) generated by the software is licensed to you on a royalty-free basis for use in your own musical productions, including commercial releases, sync placements, and streaming.

Ownership. You own the copyright in any original compositions you create using the output of Melody Sauce 3. EVAbeat does not claim any ownership of, or rights to, your finished works.

No Warranties on Output. The musical output of Melody Sauce 3 is provided “as is” without any warranties, express or implied. Because the software generates content algorithmically, EVAbeat cannot guarantee that any output will be unique or free from similarity to other musical works. It is your responsibility to ensure that your final compositions do not infringe the rights of any third party.

Limitation of Liability. To the fullest extent permitted by law, EVAbeat shall not be liable for any claims, damages, losses, or expenses arising from or related to: (a) the use of any musical output generated by Melody Sauce 3; (b) any allegation that your use of the output infringes the intellectual property rights of any third party; or (c) any decision made in reliance on the output of the software. You agree to indemnify and hold EVAbeat harmless from any claims arising from your use of the software’s output.

Restrictions. You may not redistribute, resell, or sublicence the Melody Sauce 3 software itself. You may not use the raw MIDI or audio output to create competing sample packs, loop libraries, or similar products intended for resale as standalone musical content. You may not reverse-engineer, decompile, or disassemble the software.

Refunds. We offer a 7-day money-back guarantee from the date of purchase. To request a refund, contact support@evabeat.com.

Updates. Free updates may be provided at EVAbeat’s discretion. EVAbeat reserves the right to release future major versions as paid upgrades.

Governing Law. These terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.