W.A. Production takes chord creation to the next level with InstaChord 2

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC: W.A. Production, producers crafting creative plug-ins to help anyone achieve studio- quality processing speedily and easily, is proud to announce availability of the InstaChord 2 MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) processing plug-in — initially inspired by how chords are played on a guitar and applying that technique to experience the same feeling from a MIDI controller keyboard and DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) without memorising chord shapes and holding down all the notes to make the chords ring true, then taking the concept to the next level of music-making with notable new features as a chord creation and sequencing tool — as of July 28…

“We were so blown away by the reception to the original InstaChord that we couldn’t resist developing that concept into a fully-fledged chord creator and mini-sequencer; simple enough to be used by anyone, but with the power to make professional music, this dynamic MIDI processing plug-in is the chord creation and sequencing tool that will take your music to the next level.” So — speaking collectively — says W.A. Production by way of an introduction that is as easily digestible as the plug-in itself.

Watch W.A. Production’s informative introductory video for InstaChord 2

After all, when making music, the right chords are needed to set the tone, and InstaChord 2 delivers exactly what was called for... fast! Finding the best chord progression and applying a single pattern to play all of them while easily mastering some of the most difficult chords (in any music key and combination of notes and different voicings), this ideas engine will help to speed up workflow and the creative process. Producers or songwriters alike can use the plug-in in question to generate chord shapes, learn tricky harmonics, and share their creations with anyone.

After releasing InstaChord — itself initially inspired by how chords are played on a guitar (by fretting a chord with one hand and picking the strings with the other) and applying that technique to experience the same feeling from a MIDI controller and DAW without memorising chord shapes and holding down all the notes to make the chords ring true, an oft-requested update was to gain more control over strums and chord playback. Put it this way: with InstaChord 2, W.A. Production took note and ran with it, creating the Pattern Editor as a brand-new interface window, wherein users can create their own patterns and sequences, dragging notes around in a way that is already familiar from working with DAWs — produce soaring synth arpeggios, pounding piano chords, or delicate guitar riffs with full control over Time signature (independently for each of the 24 patterns, providing more flexibility), Play Mode (Loop — keep playing, One-shot — play once, or Hold — sustain the notes), and velocity (with creative editing controls for strum programming).

Turning to InstaComposer — a new-generation MIDI generator plug-in that can conjure up Melody, Rhythm, Bass, Pad, and Chord parts at the click of a button by plying AI (Artificial Intelligence) to create real McCoy musical motifs that are genuinely gainful as the next step in automatic composition — for further inspiration, W.A. Production implemented an AI-GEN button in InstaChord 2, which will take the existing scale and spawn brand-new riffs based on complex algorithms and a touch of randomisation. Results are always musical and inspirational, therefore those new ideas can be tweaked in the same way as any user-created patterns so that they will always fit perfectly into any composition.

Compared to the original InstaChord, the updated version also has many more playback options for fretting and picking notes — five in total, in fact, covering different behaviours for holding notes and toggling chords. Editing existing chords or creating custom ones by selecting intervals between notes is also possible, as is alternatively playing in notes with a MIDI controller keyboard to help InstaChord 2 learn its user’s favourite chord shapes. Since there are over 60 chord shapes to choose from, users are also free to explore inversions, voicings, augmentations, and extensions like never before, making their music sound more interesting and compelling. Choose chords from the extensive collection or hit that AI-GEN button to ask InstaChord 2 for fascinatingly inspirational suggestions. Set up to 24 different chords and switch between them using the Chord keys (for setting the chords and switching between them). It is even possible to transpose the current chords to any desired key with a couple of clicks.

Then there are more ways with InstaChord 2 to play with the Chord keys and Pick keys (for playing patterns) than there ever was with InstaChord, and all are fully customisable in its Pattern Editor. Examples include assigning a key to strum the top three notes of a chord and another to play a riff on the other three notes; needless to say, users could also play individual notes of the chord separately, so it is perfectly possible to manually arpeggiate or strum chords. Integrated into the Pick keys is an Action feature (for setting what the key should do when pressed); Action can be set to transpose by an octave or semitone, so provides an easy way to move chords around when playing live. Indeed, InstaChord 2 is highly customisable, allowing users to change things to suit their needs, such as selecting the size of the GUI (Graphical User Interface), playback type, key configuration, and position.

Programming chords and riffs with InstaChord 2 is simplicity itself, yet it is even easier to use its preset system to take care of things. Ultimately, users will never be stuck for ideas, thanks to having access to so many carefully prepared presets for both chord sequences and patterns that are suited to many types of instruments — all making for ideal jumping-off points for their next composition.

Clearly, then, InstaChord 2 is more than just an upgrade, but rather a complete overhaul of what was already an amazing MIDI processing plug-in that helped make playing chords and chord progressions faster and easier, forming a chord creation and sequencing tool taking music-making to the next level! 

InstaChord 2 is available to purchase for a time-limited introductory promo price of only $26.70 USD (representing a significant 70% saving) — rising thereafter to its regular price of $89.00 USD — as a 64-bit AU-, VST-, and VST3-compatible plug-in for macOS (10.15 or later) and 32- or 64-bit VST-, and VST3-compatible plug-in for Windows (8 or later), as well as an AAX-compatible plug-in for Pro Tools (11 or higher), directly from W.A. Production via its dedicated webpage, which also includes some audio previews, here: https://www.waproduction.com/plugins/view/instachord-2

14-day, fully-functional trial versions of all W.A. Production plug-ins — including InstaChord 2 — are available by signing up for an account for free here: https://www.waproduction.com/users/login