If you are looking for fresh ideas and new inspiration then chord progression plugins are high on the list. Sample Packs often can include MIDI loops (chord loops or melody loops) which music producers can tweak and adjust. MIDI is a great tool and one of the most versatile aswell when it comes to finding new inspiration for music producers.
1. Mixed in Key - Captain Chords Epic
Captain Chords Epic offers you over 96'000 chord progressions for more than 27 music genres. It also features a great humanization feature called Pianistic Style. It also offers over 120 of those Pianistic styles which help you to play chords not only as plain chords but more realistic like a piano player would play them. This feature makes Captain Chords stand out as a very useful and professional tool for songwriters and music producers.
Artists like David Guetta, KSHMR and Kaskade all use the plugin within their productions.
- Chord generator plugin
- VST, AU, AAX
2. Audiomodern - Chord Jam
Chordjam is a new chord progressions plugin that allows users to create unique chord progressions through intuitive user-guided randomized combinations of chords.Unlike other chord generator plugins Chord Jam uses user-guided randomization to create new chords. Some of its features are the generation of random chords, an arpeggio mode and the option drag and drop chords or patterns.
- Chord generator plugin
- VST, AU, AAX
3. Xfer - Cthulu
Cthulu was one of the earliest chord generator plugins around. You can add new MIDI content to its library and basically have an arsenal of all kinds of MIDI chords.With Cthulu you have a large MIDI library of chords which can also be used as an arpeggio when you turn on the arpeggio feature. The plugin is simple and intuitive to use and was developed with the EDM artist deadmau5.
The plugin includes a Chord and an Arpeggio module and comes with a library of classic Bach chord progressions.
Xfer Records offers a free demo version which is limited to 15 minutes.
- Chord generator plugin
- VST, AU, AAX
4. Plugin Boutique - Scaler 2
Scaler 2 is a persuasive and strong music inspiration workstation that gives you admittance to a universe of novel ideas, articulations and melodies.With strong MIDI and audio detection, Scaler 2 can figure out what key and scale you're in and propose harmonies that match your music. The module assists you find the ideal tune with performance articulations, and might propose ways of changing starting with one vital then onto the next.
Scale 2 also features over 200 artist chord sets from the likes of Carl Cox, MJ Cole, The Temper Trap, Mitekiss, CeCe Rogers and Mike Huckaby.
The plugin makes finding chords and progressions intuitive and fun.
- Chord generator plugin
- VST, AU, AAX
5. MIDI Chord Packs
This last suggestion is not a plugin but it helps you to find inspiration on the fly. Check out these free MIDI packs that bring you MIDI chords and melodies.You can drag and drop these MIDI files into your DAW and start tweaking them to create your own compositions.
ROQSTAR now offers over 175 Free Sample Packs and quite a few of those offer free MIDI loops.
If you can't spend a few dollars on a MIDI Chords pack feel free to explore the free options.
- MIDI loops
- MIDI (works in any DAW)