🔍 Load .als File (Important!)

For full analysis including automation (filter sweeps, volume curves, send levels), you need to load your .als file. Click the 🔍 button in the toolbar (red/pulsing = not loaded, green = loaded).

1. Save your Live Set (Ctrl+S / Cmd+S) so automation is written to the file
2. Click the 🔍 button → overlay opens
3. Click Browse… and select your .als file
4. Click Submit — automation data is parsed and analysis re-runs

You only need to do this once per session. If you add or change automation later, save your Live Set and re-load the file to update the analysis.

Energy Bars

Each bar represents a section's energy level on a 1–10 scale, computed from track activity, MIDI density, automation, frequency coverage, and more.

Colors:

• ■ Green (1–3): Low energy — intros, breakdowns, ambient passages
• ■ Yellow (4–6): Medium energy — verses, builds, transitions
• ■ Orange (7–8): High energy — choruses, drops, peak sections
• ■ Red (9–10): Maximum energy — climactic moments

What to look for: Contrast between sections. If all bars are the same height/color, the arrangement may feel flat. Good arrangements typically show a wave pattern — rising tension followed by release.

Section Pills

Click a section to focus the panels on that section. The active section is highlighted in blue. Pill widths are proportional to section length.

Suggestions (left panel)

Arrangement-wide feedback: flat energy warnings, repetition alerts, structural ideas, and automation opportunities. These apply to the whole song regardless of which section is selected.

Transitions (center panel)

Specific techniques for moving between sections — filtered to the active section. Shows recommended approaches for entering/exiting that section (risers, filter sweeps, fills, etc.).

Notes (right panel)

Your personal notes for each section. Type in the input field and press Enter or click + to add a note. Notes are saved per-project.

Checklist

Auto-generated action items based on detected issues and suggestions. Click an item to mark it complete. Use these as a to-do list while working on your arrangement.

Genre Selection

Selecting a genre adjusts how energy is calculated (different weights for different styles) and tailors suggestions to genre conventions. Energy scores may change when you pick a genre — this is expected.

Analyze Button

Always save your Live Set (Ctrl+S / Cmd+S) before clicking Analyze. The extension reads your saved .als file on disk, so unsaved changes won't be reflected in the analysis.

Re-reads your Live Set and refreshes all analysis. Use this after making changes to your arrangement (adding/removing clips, locators, or tracks).

Automation Detection

Arrangement Coach reads automation data directly from your saved .als file. You must save your Live Set before analyzing for automation (filter sweeps, volume rides, etc.) to be detected. Unsaved changes won't appear in the analysis.

After drawing automation or making changes, press Ctrl+S (Cmd+S on Mac), then click Analyze to get updated results.

Arrangement Score

The Arrangement Score (1–10) in the controls bar measures how well your arrangement's energy flow matches the ideal curve for your selected genre. It compares the shape and absolute levels of your energy curve against the genre template.

Score tiers:

• ■ 8–10 Good — Your arrangement closely matches the expected energy arc
• ■ 5–7 Acceptable — Some deviation from the ideal curve, but the overall shape works
• ■ 1–4 Needs Work — Significant deviation from the genre's expected energy flow

The score updates automatically when you analyze or change genres. Use it as a quick health check — if the score drops after structural changes, review your energy curve for unintended flat spots or missing dynamics.

Automation detection requires access to your saved .als file. Select the file or type its name below. The project folder is detected automatically from your audio clips.

Tip: The file picker shows only the filename, which is fine — the project folder is detected from your audio clips.