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

 
 
  

 +1 Cubase type chord track is a great idea, I use Cubase just for that feature, then I import into Sonar.

I didn't realise that the Chord Track in Cubase could process the Audio too, then this came up in my feed.
I started watching......
I got myself ready to be impressed.......
I wasn't!

 
In a way this is anther case for the chord track having the option to change the mode asscociated with each chord.  But then it cud be this users fumbling through, and letting the Chrd track d too much without understanding hw t intervene.  
 
It made me wonder though, what else Meldyne with ARA 2 could offer. If the chord track the Melodyne creates can be in Sonar, but the audio remain as a region effect and create better results when following the Chord track than that Cubase example.
 
I do like t keep my Melodyne regions short though.
 

Try the Cubase Elements free 30 day trial if you really want to see what it is all about.  No dongle required!
https://www.steinberg.net...e/cubase_elements.html
 
From your list above, #8 is probably the key, where a chord track has the power to keep all your tracks harmonically aligned.  This is a huge advantage over using a plug-in for chord ideas, unless you are only working with a track or two, for sketching out ideas.  Plugins are typically limited to just one track.
 
But once you have a more complete arrangement, it is difficult to ripple any harmonic changes you decide to make without a chord track, unless you do a lot of manual editing to each track.  This is probably way more useful that automated chord progression suggestions, although they can be useful for stimulating ideas, even if you understand music theory.

Kamikaze
I didn't realise that the Chord Track in Cubase could process the Audio too, then this came up in my feed.
I started watching......
I got myself ready to be impressed.......
I wasn't!

That's an interesting idea, but probably hard to do well.  I think that chord track is still best suited for MIDI tracks.
 
It will be interesting to see what Melodyne can pull off in this regard, as they are probably best suited for the task!

abacab

Kamikaze
I didn't realise that the Chord Track in Cubase could process the Audio too, then this came up in my feed.
I started watching......
I got myself ready to be impressed.......
I wasn't!

That's an interesting idea, but probably hard to do well.  I think that chord track is still best suited for MIDI tracks.
 
It will be interesting to see what Melodyne can pull off in this regard, as they are probably best suited for the task!

I use the chord track often in Cubase 7.5, and I have to say I haven't had any problems with it, I also find it handy for ideas for writing songs using the chord assistant.  I use Cubase 7.5 almost exclusively for the chord track, then I import into Splat.

bz2838
 
I use the chord track often in Cubase 7.5, and I have to say I haven't had any problems with it, I also find it handy for ideas for writing songs using the chord assistant.  I use Cubase 7.5 almost exclusively for the chord track, then I import into Splat.

I was actually thinking about buying Cubase Elements 9 ($99) for just that reason!

I don't do a lot of song writing in MIDI, so the Cubase chord track is not something I would use heavily.  However, I was very interested in this feature because I would really like to see the various notation programs (especially Steinberg's Dorico) become "chord aware".  I definitely do not see this as dumbing down.  I see it as aids to get the desired result more quickly and with fewer errors.
 
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.
 
Some notation programs do something similar if a note is out of the range of an instrument.  Finale, for example, defines 3 ranged for each instrument: beginner, intermediate, advanced.  I could imagine an equivalent for chords being: strictly inside, common color tones, and Coltrane (with the Coltrane mode more or less allowing any note against any chord.)
 
What we have with Cubase is strictly inside, and that is OK for arpeggiation or writing for genres that don't have much harmonic color (e.g. most pop music.)
 
Bottom line, I think making DAWs ad notation programs more chord-aware is a good thing, but the state of the art is not very advanced yet.

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

abacab
Does varying these options to the follow scale mode allow non chord tones to be used effectively?
Chords & Scales
This maintains the intervals of the original chord or scale as far as possible.

Might do.  I haven't played with that yet. That really goes to what scales are used to correspond with what chord names.  For example, for a Dmi7 in the key of C, you would use the D Dorian scale (or the C major scale.  But if you have E7(#11) you would probably want to use the E Lydian scale.  I am not sure how or if any of this is defined.