Pro Tools offers many different tools to assist your composition and production process. The Captain Chords MIDI plugin lets you quickly sketch out chord progressions for Instrument tracks, making it easy for anyone to start songwriting regardless of their music theory expertise.
Music Production with Captain Chords in Pro Tools
With the implementation of MIDI plugins in Pro Tools, creating and experimenting with musical ideas has never been easier. The Captain Chords Lite MIDI plugin by Mixed In Key stands out as an exceptional tool for musicians and producers. Available with all paid versions of Pro Tools, this MIDI plugin allows users to effortlessly create chord progressions and explore musical ideas. Here’s an in-depth guide on how to get started and make the most of Captain Chords Lite.
Installing Captain Chords
Before you can use the Captain Chords Lite plugin, it needs to be installed on your system, either through the Avid Link application or through the Avid website (www.avid.com). If you are installing Pro Tools for the first time, Avid Link will install the plugin as part of the Pro Tools installation process. If you’re a seasoned Pro Tools user, you will need to download the plugin manually. It can be found in the Pro Tools "Included Apps and Plugins" section in your Avid account.
When you launch the Captain Chords plugin in Pro Tools, you will be prompted to enter an email address and receive a VIP code. Follow the on-screen instructions to authorize Captain Chords Lite on your computer.
You will only need to authorize Captain Chords Lite the first time you use it on your computer.
Lauch Captain Chords
MIDI plugins can be placed on Instrument track inserts. The Captain Chords Lite plugin generates MIDI data only -“ it is not a virtual instrument and will not generate audio on its own. When instantiating the plugin on an Instrument track, insert the Captain Chords Lite plugin first, then place a virtual instrument of your choice underneath it:
Once you’re comfortable using the Captain Chords Lite plugin, you can start to experiment with more MIDI plugins in the signal chain. For example, you may instantiate an arpeggiator MIDI plugin after the Captain Chords Lite plugin to arpeggiate the chord progression.
Adding Chords
Once you have the Captain Chords Lite and virtual instrument plugins on your Instrument track, you are now ready to start creating chords.
First, look at the top left corner of the plugin window and you will see a section to set your key and scale. It’s essential to set this first so that your chord progression plays back in the correct key.
If you decide to change the key/scale after creating your chord progression, you can do so by adjusting your settings here. Your chord progression will transpose as needed.
You are now ready to start adding chords to the canvas. As you move your mouse across the canvas, you will see plus buttons (+) appear -“ click on these buttons to add a chord to that bar.
The chord that is added to the canvas is set at the top of the plugin window:
The list of numeric chords at the top of the window provide easy access to diatonic chords -“ chords that fit within your chosen key and scale. Underneath the diatonic chords, you have access to different chord qualities and extensions, including suspended chords, seventh chords, and more. Try experimenting with these more complex chords to move beyond basic major/minor arrangements.
To play back your chords, simply press the Spacebar. If you want to loop your chord progression, toggle on the Loop Playback option on the left of the plugin window:
Creating Chord Progressions
In addition to adding chords one-at-a-time, Captain Chords Lite provides wide selection of chord progression presets. The chord progression presets can be accessed by clicking the Edit button in the Chord Progression section on the left:
Once clicked, the Chord Progression dropdown menu will appear at the top of the plugin window. Click the dropdown menu to choose from a list of chord progressions. The chords will automatically be arranged in the canvas.
Editing Chords
After you have added a chord to the canvas, you will see an up arrow above the chord, and a down arrow below the chord. These buttons let you change the chord inversions, or how the notes of the chord are arranged top-to-bottom. This gives you more control over your progression, ensuring that each chord flows smoothly to the next while minimizing leaps between voices.
At the top right of the plugin window, you will see up/down arrows for Octave and Complexity:
The Octave up/down arrows let you transpose any of your chords up or down by octaves.
The Complexity up/down arrows let you "thicken the sound" as desired. When you increase the complexity of a chord, some notes in the chord will be doubled in different octaves, increasing the fullness of its sound.
The Captain Chords canvas is fully MIDI editable, so you can add, delete, move and resize chords and chord notes to your liking using your mouse or trackpad.
- To add an individual note to your chord progression, double-click in the canvas
- To delete a note, double-click it. Or, select it and press Delete (macOS) or Backspace (Windows)
- To move a note, click and drag in the middle of the note and you can move it freely
- To extend/shorten a note, move your mouse to the left or right edge of the note. You can then click and drag to trim it just as you would in the Pro Tools MIDI Editor
Using this workflow, you can create custom melodies over the top of your chord progression:
Captain Chords Lite offers a unique feature called Workspaces, which enables you to create and manage various song sections, such as verses and choruses, independently. To create a new Workspace, click the Create New Tab button at the top of the plugin window and give your new section a name.
Export MIDI
Once you are satisfied with your chord progression, you can move the MIDI data from the Captain Chords Lite plugin to track playlist in the Pro Tools Edit Window. To do so, click the MIDI Export button (at the bottom-right of the canvas) and drag it to your Instrument track’s playlist.
Once your MIDI data has been moved to the track playlist, you can now edit it using Pro Tools’ MIDI editing features, as desired.
From creating chord progressions to customizing and exporting MIDI data, Captain Chords Lite can help you develop rich, engaging musical arrangements. Whether you're crafting a simple melody or a full song, Captain Chords Lite is a useful tool for bringing your musical ideas to life.
Author: Alex Thomen
Composer & Music Technology Instructor
ProMedia Training, LLC
www.protoolstraining.com
888-277-0457
Alex Thomen, Professor at University of Colorado, is also on ProMedia Training's elite group of Avid Pro Tools Instructors. Alex obtained his Masters in Music from the prestigious Belmont University in Nashville, and like many industry professionals, also attended multiple Pro Tools Certifications at ProMedia Training. Alex Thomen is a producer, composer, pianist, mixing engineer, and music educator based in Denver. From small-scale chamber groups and rock bands to full symphonic orchestra, Alex arranges, produces, and mixes for a variety of ensembles and styles. Alex earned a Bachelor's of Music in Music Composition from Kansas State University and a Masters of Music in Commercial Composition and Arranging from Belmont University and is an active composer and arranger for Film/TV/Games.