Chord Track / Arrangement Track.

I’ve long been interested in the idea of the chord track on hearing that Cubase had one. I’ve long used tools like ‘Insert Piz Here – MidiChords’ which is a one finger to play a chord tool. There now seems a stack of these available, Cthulhu, scaler, chordz etc. I find these to be great ways to come up with different chord progressions and using a selection of voicings  (Inversions, open and closed, drop 2, rootless, etc). There is also EZKeys approach to do the same, and these tools seem far more common and accepted than a few years back.
 
I saw some reaction to Cubase’s chord track as ‘dumbing down’ musical intelligence and just letting the computer do all the work. Seemed largely based on the suggested chords, function, but these are just that, suggested. So much music and musicians often use similar chord progression, so I didn’t see a change here. I think chord tracks offer the potential of doing the opposite of ‘dumming down’ create options to break away from familiar patterns and help expand musical ideas, and learning.
 
Although we have these existing above tools, I do not see them as a replacement of the want for a chord track, but more something that can feed into the project and help define a basic shape, and for the chord track to take that further. Jamming out ideas breaks away from picking chords from the chord track approach, but the chord track can then harmonically shape and progress them further.
 
When Melodyne created tempo extraction and Studio One had it, we wanted it (and got it). ARA2 is going to have chord tracks, and more DAWs are adopting ARA. From Melodyne’s website.
 
“With ARA 2, the exchange of information between DAWs and plug-ins is even more comprehensive, which makes additional applications possible. The new ARA 2 specification allows, among other things, the simultaneous editing of multiple tracks, the transfer of chord track information between the DAW and the plug-in, seamless clip borders that make the manual setting of crossfades superfluous, Undo interlocking with the DAW, and much else besides.”
 
DISCLAIMER: I have never used Cubase or a chord track, so any of my ideas are based through thinking what is possible, These may be functions that Cubase already does, or ideas utilizing it further. I watched a number of youtube videos, but most seem to be trying to achieve some nice pads, arpeggios or buy a guitarists that never thought of using anything else than triads.  But from what I can gather the gist is:

1. Define the chords of the bar, or part of the bar.
2. Select different chords.
3. Use a circle of fifths tool to make intuitive selections.
4. Add extensions to the chord.
5. Play chords freely and have these analysed to create the chord track
6. Extract the chords for other tracks to use.
7. Trigger arpeggios from these chords.
8. Change the chord and all related tracks change to harmonically match.
9. Play freely, but have the chord tracks transposed the notes to fit the chord track and stay in the progression.

What I’d like it to do:

1. Not just define the chord, but also define the mode. The song may be in the key od C Ionian, but bar/measure 7 may step out of the key without changing the key of the song. Maybe it’s a Cmin7, and maybe that Cmin7 is from Dorian, Phrygian, or Aeolian mode.
2. When in PRV, Staff View or TAB view, have shortcut keys that do the following when moving notes.

a)      Press nothing = Move chromatically (Or Snap to Scale – being the scale se in the Inspector, when this is switched on. (This is the key of the song the master key, not the mode of the bar, although often these are the same)
b)      1^st Short Cut = move diatonically to the mode from the chord track.
c)       2^nd Short Cut = Move to the chord tones of the chord track
d)      3^rd Short Cut = Move one octave.
 
With these short cuts I think creating melodies, bass lines and harmonies that fit the chord progression will be far more intuitive, change the voicings of chords to improve voice leading, dropped notes, open chords in lower registers and closing in higher, and adding in other colours and passing notes.
This is why I don’t see chord tracks as dumbing down, but as expanding potential, improving creativity more variation and less. Probably help with ear training too.
 
Arrangement track
In the feature request thread I have seen requests for a tempo track, and that this could look just like a controller (It currently sits in the Multidock, I don’t think you can view in the track View). I have struggled in the past with key signature changes, and incorporating throughout the track (First happened working through The Beatles BlackBird, were there it jumps through 3/4, 4/4 and 2/4)   
So maybe the chord track can be more than that and an Arrangement track with

• Part name –Intro, Verse, Chorus, etc
• Key Signature
• Tempo and Tempo Map
• Key Signature
• Chord of the Bar/Measure
• Mode/Scale of the Bar/Measure (Typically the Key Signature, but free to step outside it).
• Notepad

 
 
  

cparmerlee
 
I have used the Cubase Chord track enough to:

1. Be impressed with its power and depth
2. Find its user interface very non-intuitive and awkward

Cubase does allow you to define which MIDI tracks are suppose to "follow" the chords.  In my case, I work most in the jazz idiom, so we have loads of passing tones and tonalities that can be outside the defined chord.  What I would really like to see in a notation program (or in the Cubase MIDI editor for that matter) is a visual display when a note is not "inside" the chord, which is to say a note in the modal scale that is most associated with the named chord.  Such a note may well be an error, but it might not be, so it would be nice to see it highlighted.
 

Does varying these options to the follow scale mode allow non chord tones to be used effectively?
 
From the Cubase manual:

The following options are available on the Follow Chord Track pop-up menu:

Off
Follow Chord Track is deactivated.

Chords & Scales
This maintains the intervals of the original chord or scale as far as possible.

Chords
This transposes MIDI notes to match the key note and maps them to the current
chord.

Scales
This transposes MIDI notes to match the current scale. This allows a bigger
variety of notes and a more natural performance

I use a dummy midi track as a lead sheet and input chords there looking at it in staff view.  Imputing chords could be easily be made more efficient in Sonar.  Also having the ability to transpose Chords would make my life soooo much better.
 
I've been doing a lot in Cubase and I'm not impressed with how you input chords there either, but at least i can transpose them.  

I noticed an old Cubase AI license from a Yamaha purchase.  Updated to 9.5 for $10 and got it installed.
 
Now I can see what all of this chord track hullabalu is about

abacab
Awaiting your review, Bob! 

Quick & Dirty results:  Meh.  If I didn't already have EZ Keys it might be more exciting.  Mind you I have NOT recorded a buncha parts to tweak either.  I'll obviously have to spend more time with it to truly appreciate it

tobiaslindahl
Stupid question alert:
 
What is the difference between simply playing the chords you want/need yourself and using this chord track thing? 
I looked at some videos and from what I can tell it is like a library of progressions you pick and chose from? Not sure I see the benefit of that, but I am sure I am missing the point as always. 
 
Next logical thing is a similair thing for melodies, and then we can toss our DAW's all together as music creation is nothing more than picking and chosing what the computer tells us. :) 

Stupid question part II:
 
How many DAW users have memorized every scale, mode, inversion, voicing, etc?  What if you are writing for a genre or instrument that you are not familiar with, or have never played?
 
Having a library of the ideas at your fingertips could allow you to experiment outside of your comfort zone, until you hear something that you like.  It is still your composition.  Well unless you're just plugging a chord progression into Band in a Box (just kidding BIAB fans!  ).
 
This question is like saying that having a dictionary, thesaurus, or spellcheck in your word processor is going to write a book for you.
 
Don't be ridiculous! 

The capability of S14 is enabled by Melodyne's ARA2, AFAIK. When CbB implements ARA2, that functionality will be available, but what the front end will look like is unknown. Patience Grasshopper, the grunt work has already been done.

FWIW, Melodyne 2 stored tempo info in exported MIDI files long before the drag/drop to the timeline existed.

Studio one 4 has a new chord track, I'm learning the DAW, love the chord track, hope Cakewalk Bandlab includes chord track, then I would go back to Cakewalk because of the work flow and pro channel, otherwise, I'm sticking with Studio One 4.

bz2838
Studio one 4 has a new chord track, I'm learning the DAW, love the chord track,

My experience so far is it pretty amazing if you use it judiciously.