The 9 Best Melody Generator Plugins (2023)

A melody generator plugin is a music-production tool designed to create quasi-random melody and chord patterns on the go. Usually driven by some form of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, melody generator plugins are supposed to help musicians to come up with new melodic and harmonic ideas.
Melody generator plugins are useful because they can help with writer’s block. If you’re finding it hard to start a new song or come up with an interesting chord progression, melody generator VSTs allow you to get the inspiration you’re missing. Phrases and patterns can later be edited according to each producer’s preferences, and they should be used merely as a guideline.
In this article, I will list the best melody generator plugins on the market and give you an overview of what each one’s capable of. Some can be used to create melodies, other chord progressions, and others simple riffs; either way, they’re all very useful for both beginner and advanced music composers.
1. Melody Sauce 2
Since Melody Sauce 2 can create musical phrases based on genre, it offers a decent amount of control to music producers. Some of the listed genres include hip-hop, EDM, and even reggaeton. More than just a MIDI-based plugin, Melody Sauce 2 also features its own sounds (and even a few built-in effects), which means it's very easy to preview melodies and chords.
2. Scaler 2
MIDI articulation is small editable automation that can, among other things, make a virtual instrument sound much more realistic and expressive. If you're working exclusively inside a DAW, this is a game-changer. Unlike Melody Sauce 2 - designed to fit the needs of producers who know nothing about music theory - Scaler 2 is very comprehensive when it comes to theory, to the point of featuring an interactive circle of fifths.
3. Melodya
A big pro of using Melodya is the fact that its interface is very familiar. It uses a piano-roll style window, meaning you won't have to convert Melodya-generated melodies and chords to MIDI to get access to all the edit features you're used to. It also features three powerful rhythm generators, so you can easily enhance previously-generated musical phrases with groove changes.
4. Chordjam
Chordjam's progressions can feature as many as five voices, can be snapped to a certain tempo, and can be adapted to many scales. The built-in velocity function is also great for adding groove and expression to chord progressions. While it is not as comprehensive as some of the other melody generators on this list, it stands out for being simple, straight-to-the-point, and getting the job done.
5. Riffer
A no-nonsense music-composition assistant app, Riffer is very easy to use. Just select a key, choose a root note, and generate a random, short melodic phrase. You can change the velocity, quantization, and shuffle so the generated riffs fit your pre-existing song flawlessly.
6. AudioCipher
The idea behind AudioCipher is very simple: you type a few words inside a box, select a root and scale, and get a corresponding pseudo-random melody. Melodies created inside AudioCipher can easily be converted into MIDI and dragged into your DAW of choice.
7. RapidComposer
You can use RapidComposer to create melodies and chords that can be immediately converted to MIDI or extensively edited inside the plugin. The fact that melodies and chords can be generated according to instruments (bass, piano, etc.) is a great plus, as it should provide you with a decent amount of control.
8. Forager
Another big pro is the fact that Forager is compatible with MIDI instruments, meaning you don't have to drag generated chord clips to different tracks. You can select a VST (such as a virtual piano or synthesizer), use Forager as an effect, and start having fun on the go. It's great for auditioning results without the hassle of working with two tracks simultaneously.
9. Chordz
You can adapt the attack and decay of up to five voices, as well as make changes to each one's velocity. While it isn't exactly what you'd expect from a melody-generator tool, it's great for coming up with new sounds while playing a virtual instrument with a MIDI keyboard. The number of available presets (over 40 chord templates and 50 chord types) is also pretty impressive.
Summary
Melody Generators are great tools for creating new ideas and concepts for songs. They provide a creative spark that can help you write better melodies and chord progressions. While some Melody Generators are more powerful than others, they all have their unique capabilities that can be useful in the right situation. Whether you’re looking for inspiration or just want to experiment with new sounds, a Melody Generator can help you get the creative juices flowing and take your music to the next level.