Plugins are getting more sophisticated all the time, but when do their abilities go beyond a tool and just start making music for you?

A new MIDI plugin from developers Re-Compose could be music-maker’s best friend of worst enemy, depending on how you view it’s abilities. Their I2C8 plugin is in Re-Compose’s words an “innovative real-time MIDI generator and MIDI sequence generator for both studio and live application” and in other words, a chord generating plugin.

The plugin uses music intelligence algorithms to create patterns and chords in MIDI, essentially composing a chord sequence or even an entire song depending on how you use it. Now this could be used as a really valuable tool for producers who focus more on sound design but it takes away from one of the core elements of creating music – in fact even the core part of writing a song. But music has changed.

Now there’s still room for personalisation. You input options to decide how it creates it’s progression and then, once it has spat out it’s results you can customise each chord manually as much as you like. The plugin uses patterns to determine it’s creations and adding or changing pattern symbols automatically generates new chords for positions and creates a set of eight alternative chord sequences for your current symbols.

It’s easy to see a plugin like this as an attack on music traditionalism, or simply talent and skill. Whilst a chord generator does take away a very human element of creation, it opens up possibilities for a whole new generation of music making. In the age of electronic production music has transformed in many ways and sound design can be just as, if not more important, in certain producers workflow. This plugin isn’t meant to replace musicians but instead aid less traditionally experienced musicians.

If you’re interested in Re-Compose’s IC28 it’s available for pre-order at 30% off it’s $69 price, for just $39 until October 15th. Pre-order and find out more about the plugin here: www.re-compose.com/i2c8-chord-generator-software.html