These are the best free chord VST plugins to use with your favorite digital audio workstation. I’ve included chord plugins for Windows and Mac.
In this collection of free chord plugins, I’ve added plugin details, screenshots, and demo videos.
What Is A Chord VST Plugin? A chord plugin can be used to combine multiple notes to create chords for different musical instruments. A chord plugin can help play and identify popular chords in your music software if you don’t know any chords.
Best Chord VST Plugins
- Ripchord
- Chordz
- Tonespace
- Harvest Mini
- Stochas
- midiChords
- ChordworX
- Simple Chord Detection
- Chordator
- Chordit
- Dirty Chords
- kawaChord2 free
- ChordMem
- WhatChord
- ChordSpace
- Chord Cadenza
Chord generator plugins are powerful tools that can help musicians and producers to create better and more complex music quickly and easily.
I have experimented with hundreds of free VST plugins, and these stand out as the best free chord VST plugins.
Chord generator plugins offer several benefits for musicians and producers. Here are some of the most significant advantages:
- Speed Up The Music-Making Process: Chord generators can help speed up the process of creating chord progressions and melodies by suggesting chord variations and progressions that complement each other.
- Provides Chord Suggestions: These plugins suggest chords that fit well together without needing a background in music theory.
- Create Complex Chords: Chord generators can easily create complex chords, saving users time and effort in building them manually.
- Enhance Creativity: Chord generator can inspire new musical ideas and help users experiment with different chord progressions and variations.
Instructions: Click the links below to visit each Chord VST plugin. Look around each website for the download link or button. Do not install any suspicious software.
1. Ripchord
Ripchord is the ultimate chord progression plugin, letting you quickly and easily create progressions by playing single notes. With its massive library of community presets, you can load up any chord progression imaginable in seconds.
You can also create your own chord presets from scratch. You can also import MIDI files that contain chords for even faster results. Once you have a chord preset loaded, simply play single notes on your MIDI controller to trigger full chords.
Ripchord is one of the top chord VST plugins if you’re looking for an easy way to create chord progressions that sound great. It will spark your creativity and help you make better chord progressions than ever before.
Features:
- Easy chord progression creation
- Large community preset library
- Custom preset and MIDI import
- Play mode for triggering chords
- Edit mode for preset customization
Pros:
- Sparks creativity in music
- Quick chord progression setup
- Free and open-source
- Intuitive user interface
- Supports AU and VST3 formats
Cons:
- No VST2 support is available
- Requires DAW with full VST3 MIDI
- Limited to chord progressions
- Depends on external MIDI controller
Plugin | PC / Mac / AU / VST3
2. Chordz
Chordz is a VST plugin that allows you to trigger full chords by playing single notes. Each chord may consist of any number of notes, and each trigger note is associated with a separate chord.
You can play complicated chord progressions with one finger, with a MIDI keyboard or drum pad, or trigger chords from single notes added to your DAW’s piano roll. This is one of my favorites on this list.
Features
- Includes 40 scale and chord templates
- Library with 50 chord types
- Randomization Chord Feature
- MIDI Controller Support
Plugin | Windows
Related: What is a Chord?
3. Tonespace Free Chord VST
Tonespace is a chord generator and visualizer with tons of features to help you play the chords with ease.
Some of the things that make Tonespace so great include the chord grid, chord piano keyboard, and MIDI input.
The chord grid displays chords and scales on a grid, making it easy to understand their structure. This makes it easy to find chord progressions and experiment with new chord combinations.
The chord piano keyboard displays chords on a piano keyboard, making it easy to play them.
This is really useful for beginners who are just starting to learn chords. You can also view chord diagrams and notes on the keyboard.
This plugin is a great free alternative to Cthulhu by Xfer Records, Captain Chords, and chord plugins on Plugin Boutique.
- Chord Generator & Visualizer
- Display Chords & Scales on Grids
Tonespace | Windows / macOS / Linux
4. Harvest Mini
Harvest Mini is a chord VST plugin that helps musicians develop chord progressions.
No more tedious and complex chord charting; play the chords with your mouse or keyboard and see the chord diagram update in real time.
- Piano Roll Editor
Harvest Mini | PC & Mac
5. Stochas
Stochas is a chord-creating, randomized sequencer that can make chord progressions. Its intuition and randomness help to produce unique-sounding chord progressions and rhythms.
You can randomly determine whether a note should be played or not, choose between two or more notes to play at a specific time, add slight timing randomness to notes to play slightly before or after their position and add randomness to the velocity and length of notes.
Stochas | PC / Mac / Linux
6. midiChords
This immensely popular chord VST plugin allows you to use the chord input of your choice. You can choose from a keyboard or guitar view, and the chord notes are output to any combination of MIDI channels.
You can also control the velocity with which the chord is played. This is an incredible chord VST for anyone looking for flexibility and control. It also has 128 internal programs, with the option to change the MIDI program.
Plugin | PC & Mac
7. ChordworX
ChordworX is a chord expansion plugin that allows users to create chord progressions of up to 7 notes. This could be helpful for those who want to create chord progressions that go beyond the basic chords.
You can also choose from 98-chord presets, which can be a great starting point for your chord progression. It is one of the most popular plugins and is available for free download.
Plugin | Windows
8. Simple Chord Detection
This chord VST plugin helps users visualize chord information in an organized and easy-to-read way.
There are options to change color and size, making it easy to personalize to your liking.
Simple Detection | Window
9. Chordator
Chordator is one of the best chord generator plugins available in the market. It is a 6-note chord plugin that lets you play chords with just one keypress.
The plugin allows you to play bombastic power chords and complex harmonies.
Plugin | Windows
10. Chordit
This chord VST plugin allows you to trigger chords by playing a single note. You can also use one user-defined octave to switch chords and play the chords with the rest of the keyboard.
Plugin | Windows
11. Dirty Chords
Dirty Chords is the perfect chord VST for those who like to know that their chord tone is on point. You can beef up your chord sounds with dirt, compression, saturation, or EQ.
The plugin has ten chord presets and four noise generators that beef up your chord sounds. Additionally, you control the LFO rate, depth, attack, and release.
The amplitude knob will let you control how loud your chord sounds. This is an incredible chord VST for those who want to add some grit and dirt to their chord sounds.
Plugin | PC / Mac / AU
12. kawaChord2 free
This is a MIDI chord VST plugin that has four editing modes. It can send chord tones to various tracks in your sequencer, chord arranger, or DAW.
You can also use it as a chord player to accompany your singing or playing.
If you are a keyboard player, you can use it to add chordal accompaniment to your playing. It is one of the best chord VST plugins available that you can get for free.
Plugin | Windows
13. ChordMem
ChordMem is a plugin with MIDI input and output. It allows you to record up to seven MIDI chords and play them back by pressing only one key. The chords are saved as presets in the VST.
ChordMem is free and can be used with any host, fully supporting the VST standard. It is sure to help you when composing songs or chord progressions.
Plugin | Windows
14. WhatChord
You are busy performing or finding chords and don’t have time for your chord chart. This VST plugin is the answer to your chord-finding prayers.
The WhatChord plugin identifies chords for you in real time as you play.
This easy-to-use plugin helps you stay focused on your music rather than chord shapes. You can quickly see what chord you’re playing, even if you don’t know the chord name.
Plugin | Windows
15. ChordSpace
ChordSpace is an educational chord VST plugin that helps you explore harmonic space. With a map of 226 chords per key, this plugin provides you with a wide range of harmonic options for your tracks.
Plugin | Windows
16. Chord Cadenza
If you’re looking to spice up your chord progressions with a flare of elegance and orchestral feeling, Chord Cadenza is the chord VST plugin for you.
This plugin is ideal for intermediate to advanced chord progression and orchestration.
The plugin comes with a wide variety of chord voicing, key signatures, and time signatures to get you started.
You can also edit chords on the fly with your keyboard for even more flexibility.
Chord Cadenza also has a slew of features to make chord progression and orchestration easier than ever. With multiple play modes, you can choose the level of MIDI keyboard skill you’re working with.
Plugin | Windows
These plugins are all great free chord alternatives to Captain Chords, Cthulhu by Xfer Records, and paid chord plugins on Plugin Boutique. I hope you found this list of free chord VST plugins helpful.
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