Chords Pro by W.A. Production is a MIDI effect plugin that generates chord progressions, offering 30 chord types, intelligent randomization, A/B comparison, and drag-and-drop MIDI export for creative music production.
Purpose and Overview
Chords Pro is a MIDI effect plugin designed to simplify chord progression creation, building on the original Chords plugin with expanded features. It acts as a creative assistant, generating musical ideas from single chords to full 8-chord riffs, aimed at electronic music producers but adaptable to various genres.
The plugin functions by sitting ahead of any MIDI-triggered audio instrument in your DAW, generating looped chord sequences that sync to the host tempo. You can then drag the resulting MIDI directly into your project for further editing, making it a practical tool for overcoming writer’s block or exploring new harmonic directions.
Key Capabilities
Chords Pro nearly doubles the chord types from the original, offering 30 distinct shapes including triads and extended chords like Cmadd9 or Am7b5. The refreshed programming ensures progressions sound musical and natural, with a large library of detailed factory presets providing ready-to-use motifs.
Intelligent randomization allows the plugin to suggest unique sequences based on your starting chords, while an A/B toggle lets you compare two versions and copy or paste between them. Global controls adjust inversion, length, speed, and root key for the entire riff, while per-segment controls offer detailed editing of individual chords.
Workflow and Control
The interface supports up to eight segments, each with independent chord type, inversion, velocity, and note count (one to four notes). Inversions range from -6 to +6, allowing you to transform chord shapes by shifting root notes up or down octaves. Segments can be added or removed easily, and playback locks to the DAW’s BPM.
You can click any segment for granular editing, choosing from 30 chord types categorized as Tonic, Subdominant, or Dominant. The global controls enable quick adjustments to the entire sequence, making it easy to experiment with different keys or rhythms on the fly. A preview mode lets you hear the progression before exporting.
Practical Applications
Chords Pro is ideal for quickly generating harmonic foundations for tracks, whether you need a simple four-chord loop or a complex eight-chord progression. Producers can use it to spark creativity, then drag the exported MIDI into their DAW to edit, transpose, or chop up the suggestions to fit their style.
The plugin is particularly useful for EDM production, where fast idea generation is key, but its flexible chord shapes and controls make it suitable for pop, hip-hop, or any genre requiring chord progressions. The factory presets serve as starting points, and the intuitive interface supports rapid experimentation without manual music theory calculation.
Key features
- 30 chord types including major, minor, and extended shapes
- Intelligent randomization based on starting chords
- A/B toggle with copy and paste for comparing versions
- Global and per-segment control over inversions, velocity, and length
- Drag-and-drop MIDI export to your DAW
- Preview mode for in-plugin playback
- Expanded factory presets with detailed labels
Best for
Electronic music producers and songwriters seeking a fast, creative tool for generating chord progressions and MIDI patterns, especially those who want to avoid manual music theory and explore new harmonic ideas with randomization and A/B testing.