I'm a big fan of using all the new Midi tools out there. Making my ideas go from my head to daw with the lease path of resistance. Since I'm not classically trained and don't know all my chord inversions and crazy scales off the top of my head.

I wanted to start a thread on what plugins and tools do people use to artificially make them a faster and arguably a "better" musician. I hope this thread will help others learn and "hack" their music creating process.

1. EZkeys - https://www.toontrack.com/ezkeys-line/

• Good for creating great chord progressions
• real-time Midi File browser
• adapt a Midi Files one playing style with another
• realtime midi out

2. Scaler - https://www.pluginboutique.com/meta...ic-Theory-Tools/6414-Plugin-Boutique-Scaler-2

• Creating chord progressions
  
• many playing styles
• midi and audio file analysis
• Almost every scale imaginable

 

The top for me is Scaler, Captain Chords (yes I know it requires always online but it's still amazing), EZkeys, and Chord Prism.

Honorable mentions are Riffer and Phrasebox.

One that's popular that I don't like is Midi Madness.

 

Cthulhu, Improvisator and a few InsertPizHere plugins.

 

CodeFN42 Plugins: Great and absolutely FREE MIDI effect Plugins (Windows only though). Clean and easy to use interface, rock-solid across DAW's. Get shit done type of plugins.
I used them a lot especially Chordz (chord generator), RandARP (super arpeggiator) and VeloScaler (MIDI velocity plugin). Check them out!

https://www.codefn42.com/

Kirnu Cream is also pretty good. I never learnt it fully though so never got the most out of it.

 

For my Ableton users Here are some of my favorite Max for Live Midi devices:

1. The Poser - White keys only in scale - https://maxforlive.com/library/device/2297/the-poser
2. J74 Progressive - A Max for Live tool set for Chord Progression and Harmonic Editing - http://fabriziopoce.com/progressive.html
3. 16 Scales - every note is in key with scale - https://maxforlive.com/library/device/1630/16-scales
4. SS4V-inversionChords - wraps notes back around when out of range. added Humanizer - https://maxforlive.com/library/device/3064/ss4v-inversionchords

 

Nothing is embarrassing about using tools. Horses for courses. Using MIDI effect plugins is not 'nonsensical'. As long as they are not creating entire songs for you and you use them as just tools, its all good.

 

@Nought
I can do what i want.

 

Two previous threads
https://audiosex.pro/threads/favorite-midi-generating-midi-manipulating-plugin.52144
https://audiosex.pro/threads/software-for-inspiration-in-musical-composition.51464

 

Thanks for this! I did a search and I tried a few titles for this post and couldn't find anything. Cheers!

 

Technology comes along and we adapt and use the tools. I'm sure you have used your smartphone to help navigate you to a location. Or do you still print out mapquest directions? or use a map and a compass?

I understand if you're not the type to be an early adopter? Some people see technological advancement to be the path of least resistance to an outcome. That Porch & Cane old head energy only holds you back while the youth use it to further the

If cheap drum machines and synths weren't around House wouldn't have been created. If a sampler wasn't invented Hip Hop wouldn't be here either.

The invention of autotune created a whole new sound and vibe to tracks. used properly and improperly.

 

I'll agree with @curtified.
It's what you do with stuff that matters.
Technology is neutral - sometimes a bad choice sometimes a good choice.
You can use tech to be lazy and boring or you can use it to be creative - it's always your choice.
Creative people will use anything and everything they can get their hands on.
Old tools and new tools are all very welcome.

I seem to remember that 'tools' like a piano and a guitar had an impact on my musical brain too.
I guess @Nought will have to describe these tools as 'depleting my musical brain',
because now, in a harmonic sense, my brain explores only a 12 tone subset of all the possibilities.
(not mentioning bending guitar notes microtonally)
Does that make me lazy?, musically depleted brain?, or just conforming to limited Western music conventions?
Do I blame the piano?

 

Last edited: Jul 29, 2020

Def not still interested keeping it real goes wrong attitude

 

Nought, I wish there was a 'Stupid' rating, or an 'Illogical, Captain!" rating.
If you were able to understand how to use Scaler for instance, your music theory knowledge would go up, as it has helped students I know to learn. Most people want to do it all themselves eventually, you know?
The music you have posted would be, uh, more musical if you used a plugin such as that.
The only place you seem to have "arrived" in is your own asshole.
If you have not left I will tell you.

 

my next favourite will be this baby

https://www.vochlea.co.uk/

 

not rich successful, but successful nonetheless

have a listen

 

Sorry, but you're wrong – just the results count.

 

Euclidean sequencer is cool, it works on melodies and on drums also

 

First off MIDI Effect are not Only Chords, Steps sequencers and Arps.

I think it's a big difference if we talk about such tools as MIDI Chord, Arps etc . (I could understand your opinion a bit here . Special in Pop music same chords gets used too much, maybe because thanks to such tools as scaler and co )


But MIDI CC tools are a whole other topic . If your fav. Synth only got 4 LFOS . (Rapid Synth just to name one) And a MIDI learn this can give you the extra Modulation you'll need for your sound.
I would love to get a good MIDI CC LFO. But there are not so many and most of them are still broken stuff or unhandy to use .
Only one I found with really impressive features is MCCGenerator (still waiting for a sale for the free Bundle upgrade )
And then there is also architect a modular MIDI Toolkit with similarity to MAX and Reaktor

 

Pluginguru Unify...