arranger keyboard style midi in DAWs?

[Kiiryu]

Arranger keyboards have styles that adhere to chords you play. Is there anything like that which you can download as a VST? Basically sending midi out on different channels for each part.

[Brausbaer]

As far as I know, there is no vst-plugin that can do that. But with a daw which have good routing possibilities like Mulab and the free Blue Arp-VST you can at least create your own accompaniment, for example with bass (left hand), hammered chords, chord- arpeggios, and chord pads (right hand). Of course this is not the same than playing with premade professional styles.

[FapFilter]

I always thought it's silly that workstations only came with Arpeggiators, while Arrangers had imo much superior ways to create complete arrangements and transpose them intuitively in real time
Nobody ever forced you to only use the pre-made Bossa Nova rhythm that came with your Arranger in the same way noone is forcing you to only use the one finger instant techno factory presets of Massive for all your songs.

Yes, nice feature, would be great if something like this existed in DAW-land

[tatanka]

As far as I know there was only one VST in that way called "Catanya", it was really great in my opinion but devellopment have been ceased long ago, it has lots of problems/bugs but I really dont know why it has been ceased cause it was really that. So many styles to choose from (instrument based), editing options....

[Kiiryu]

Before now I had never tried keyboards with accompaniment, so I never really "got it" (I just used midi controllers). However I recently found a Casio PMP-700 at a thrift store for 19$ and it's been a blast, which is why I'm looking.

If it can't be done in Vsts, I'll definitely start considering modern arranger keyboards though. It adds a lot of fun.

[Tj Shredder]

Wasn’t Band-in-a-Box something like that?

[Music Bird]

Band-in-a-Box and One Man Band. I wonder if ORG 2019/2020 are on PC/Mac.

[BlackWinny]

Perhaps ChordPulse ?


As they write "ChordPulse is a handy backing band software for music practice, inspiration, improvisation, and pure fun with music. Play and sing along with ChordPulse. Use it as a full accompaniment, a drum machine with bass, a metronome with chords, and more.".


See especially the list of features below, I thinkthat it speak by themselves, notably those I highlight in bold.


Benefits

• Enjoy your music practice. Create your own backing tracks.
• Be inspired as a songwriter: experiment with styles, chords and chord progressions.
• Use ChordPulse for improvisations.
• Improve your playing techniques as an instrument player.
• Improve your accuracy and intonation as a singer.
• Improve your timing.
• Improve your versatility with various music styles.
• Try different styles, tempos and keys instantly.
• A backing band software you can install in seconds, use in minutes.
• Jam with your friends and ChordPulse.
• Motivate children to practice more with creative backing tracks.
• Get new music styles for free!
• Get all future software upgrades for free!

Features

• the software works as a full accompaniment, a drum machine with bass, a chords-only background, and other combinations
• 178 music styles to build your backing tracks
• 36 chord types + inversions + slash chords
• exceptionally easy-to-use and responsive interface
• change music styles on the fly
• change chords, tempo, song key on the fly
• arrangement points to define breaks, endings, or variations at any beat in your backing tracks
• repeat all/page/off modes + optional fade out
• precount and loop functions
• metronome with optional bass and chord notes
• master tune + reference tones for tuning instruments
• export your backing music to standard midi files
• 100-step undo, redo and action history
• smooth chord transitions with automatic inversions
• chord length can be changed in 1/4 bar steps
• structure chord progressions effectively on chord pages
• 36 chord pages, 80 slots in page sequence per session
• each chord page can hold up to 16 bars of music
• over 60 preset chord progressions
• over 70 sample sessions (including 15 technical examples)
• small installation footprint (5 MB)

System requirements

• Windows XP/Vista/7/8/10 operating system
• Administrator rights to install and run ChordPulse
• Works only with the English alphabet for folders, file names, and any text input/output in general
• General MIDI compatible software or hardware synthesizer
• 1 GHz or faster processor
• 1024x768 or higher resolution monitor
• 64 MB of free RAM

ChordPulse Help

Download ChordPulse (Fully functional 14-day trial)

The price is only $29 (less than $0.17 per style).
The licence type is simply a key file (so you can use on several computer).


As seen on the home page of the website, the last update was released the September 6, 2017. So, not that old for such tool.

You can watch it in videos here.


I don't have it, but if I were you I would take it. It's certainly not a huge expense, and for the price it is sure that you will have all what you want to emulate an arranger keyboard.

[BlackWinny]

I find other tools in the website of NTONYX. They seem to be old, with a GUI similar to Band-In-A-Box. Much older than ChordPulse, it seems... So I'm not sure that the support will be as responsive in case of need.

[tatanka]

BlackWinny: thats a good one, but as I would claim for Band-in-a- box and OneManBand:

- no VST, not useable directly in your daw

It is really kind of strange for me that on the one hand somethin like Catanya (which was even 64 bit with all its bugs and problems) had failed (in case of persisting on the market at least financially) but there is nothing else jumped into this.

All that there is and has been develloped over the last years (like UJAM for example) is instrument specific or kind of pattern/phrase based OR something (like Chord Pulse etc.) standalone only.

[BlackWinny]

One Man Band seems to be another solution.

Despite a website with a very amateurish look, the seem to have rather up-to-date versions.

The version 10.3, a bit old but that they still sell ($49.95... plus VAT for EU citizens):

• One Man Band - MIDI arranger - Auto-accompaniment software with realtime chord recognition

The current version 12 (same price : $49.95... plus VAT for EU citizens):

• One Man Band - Virtual arranger keyboard and style editor

And a version for iOS ($29.99 in the App Store):

• One Man Band for iOS - Realtime auto accompaniment

This solution and ChordPulse are probably the most recent and the most reliable. I would certainly not even try the tools from NTONIX (but it's a personal feeling, of course).

[BlackWinny]

BlackWinny: thats a good one, but as I would claim for Band-in-a- box and OneManBand:

- no VST, not useable directly in your daw

It is really kind of strange for me that on the one hand somethin like Catanya (which was even 64 bit with all its bugs and problems) had failed (in case of persisting on the market at least financially) but there is nothing else jumped into this.

All that there is and has been develloped over the last years (like UJAM for example) is instrument specific or kind of pattern/phrase based OR something (like Chord Pulse etc.) standalone only.

Yes, you're right. I think that these solutions are "in wait of better" with a virtual MIDI cable (it works very fine when you don't have VST equivalents of things). But I think that if in a hypothetical day something better is released by someone, it will be probably for a much more expensive price.

Humbly, I've just made a rapid glance on the web. To help you but also to have for myself an up-to-date view of what's on the market about arrangers. Band-In-A-Box is a very comprehensive tool (I used it to compose before 2013, in alternation with Avid Sibelius, before going definitively to RapidComposer) but it is a nightmare to use, even with their arranger/workstation tool, its RealBand. When I definitively went to RapidComposer I said "Wow ! Never more Band-In-A-Box !"... but RapidComposer is not an arranger, only a (~n awesome) composing tool.

[BlackWinny]

I just stumbled on this: KVR: callisto by Fanan Team - Arranger VST Plugin

Perhaps you could have a glance (I don't know at all this tool).



I see that the same guy made also this for drums accompaniments : KVR: Boo Boom Arp by Fanan Team - Drums arranger VST Plugin

I'm not sure that these two things are of high level...

[BlackWinny]

Perhaps Independence Free by MAGIX could make the job. They write that it works itself as VST (and having its own step-sequencer it may perhaps be used as an arranger...). And there isn't probably any risk to test it given that it is free (and commercial use allowed).

[Kiiryu]

I just stumbled on this: KVR: callisto by Fanan Team - Arranger VST Plugin

Perhaps you could have a glance (I don't know at all this tool).

I'll take a look at Callisto. Being able to build up a personal library user created styles would also be very helpful.