Trance MIDI generator plugins compared
I make TranceTools, so I'm not neutral. Here's what each trance-friendly MIDI generator actually does, what it costs and who it suits, including when another one is the better buy.
The quick version
Checked 31 October 2026 on each maker's own website. Prices change and sales come and go, so check the link before you buy.
| Plugin | What it writes | Price | Systems | Formats | Try first |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TranceEngine | Leads, arps, basslines, plucks, acid, pads and chords, over your chords | €49 ($57) Standard | Mac, Windows | VST2, VST3, AU | Demo |
| Scaler 3 | Chord progressions, plus melodies, arps and basslines from them | On their site | Mac, Windows, iPad | VST, VST3, AU, AAX, standalone | Free trial |
| Cthulhu | Chords from single notes, and an arpeggiator | $39 | Mac, Windows | VST, AU, AAX | 15-minute demo |
| Captain Plugins | Chords, melodies, basslines and drums (five plugins) | £99 | Mac, Windows | Plugins for Live, Logic, FL Studio, Cubase, Studio One, Pro Tools | Not stated |
| TranceTools | Eight parts at once: chords, pad, bass, arp, pluck, lead, acid and drums | Free in beta, then £29 | Mac only | VST3, AU, app | Free beta |
TranceEngine (FeelYourSound)
The most trance-specific of the established plugins. Give it chords, your own or from one of its progression generators, and it writes phrases over them: lead melodies and hooks, arps, rolling, galloping and offbeat basslines, plucks, acid lines and pads. Everything stays in key with your chords. It has 541 presets, and the Standard licence lets you use what it writes in your own songs and for clients. Pro (€392) adds a mass exporter and the right to sell the MIDI.
One thing to know: FeelYourSound says the separate TranceEngine plugin is no longer updated, and TranceEngine is now part of their free SongEngine plugin as an extension. SongEngine itself is free, with chord tools and over 60 presets.
Good for: trance phrases over chords you already have, on Mac or Windows. feelyoursound.com
Scaler 3
Scaler is a music theory workstation rather than a trance tool. It's very good at chords: suggesting progressions, voice leading and showing you why chords work together. Its Motions turn those chords into melodies, arps, basslines and phrases, and a bass track can follow the chord roots. There are no trance presets as such, so you'll do more of the genre shaping yourself.
Scaler Music didn't show a price on the Scaler 3 product page when I checked; Scaler 2 owners can upgrade for $29.
Good for: learning and exploring harmony in any genre. scalermusic.com
Cthulhu (Xfer Records)
Cthulhu doesn't write ideas for you. It plays a whole chord from a single key, from over 150 presets or chords you record or import, and feeds them into a step-sequenced arpeggiator. That arp is why it's been a trance favourite for years: chords in, rolling trance arps out, with you choosing every note.
Good for: playing chords and building arps by hand, cheaply. xferrecords.com
Captain Plugins (Mixed In Key)
Five plugins for sketching songs: Captain Chords for progressions, Captain Melody for melodies and arps over them, Captain Deep for basslines that follow the chords, Captain Beat for drums, and Captain Play for playing in key from your keyboard. It's aimed at songwriting in any genre rather than trance, and it exports MIDI and audio. The price above is what the site showed for UK visitors.
Good for: a general songwriting kit that covers drums too. mixedinkey.com
Free options
SongEngine from FeelYourSound is free, with chord progression tools and over 60 presets for basslines, arps and melodies. If you want trance ideas without installing anything, the free browser tools on this site cover each part on its own, all exporting MIDI:
- Chord Lab for progressions, heard as a supersaw trancegate.
- Arp Generator to turn chords into trance arps.
- Bassline Generator for offbeat, rolling and galloping bass.
- Trance Studio for a whole idea with drums in one click.
TranceTools (mine)
The TranceTools app writes a whole idea in eight parts at once, chords, pad, bass, arp, pluck, lead, acid and drums, with genre presets from uplifting to hard trance, breakdowns and builds with transitions, and trance gates and pump on each part. It plays the idea on the synths already in your project, as a VST3 or AU plugin in any DAW, or as an app linked to Bitwig Studio and Ableton Live. Then you drag the parts in as MIDI. You can also import your own chords, or give it a melody to continue.
What it doesn't do: there's no Windows version yet, it doesn't have a piano roll (your DAW already does), and it won't make your sounds for you; there's a built-in sound for sketching, but it's meant to play your synths. It's free during the beta, then £29 one-off from 10 November (£19 until 10 December).
Good for: a complete trance starting point on a Mac, played on your own synths.
Which to pick
- You're on Windows: TranceEngine, or SongEngine for free. TranceTools is Mac only for now.
- You want to understand harmony: Scaler 3.
- You just want great trance arps from your own chords: Cthulhu.
- You write in lots of genres: Captain Plugins or Scaler 3.
- You want trance phrases over chords you already have: TranceEngine.
- You want a full eight-part trance idea with drums on a Mac: TranceTools.
- You don't want to spend anything: SongEngine and the free TranceTools browser tools.
Whichever you use, the ideas are only as good as what you do next. The chord progression guide and how to make uplifting trance will help you turn a generated loop into a track.
Questions
Is there a free trance MIDI generator?
Yes. FeelYourSound's SongEngine is a free plugin with chord tools and presets for basslines, arps and melodies. The TranceTools browser tools, Chord Lab, Arp Generator, Bassline Generator and the Trance Studio, are free and export MIDI. The TranceTools Mac app is free during its beta.
Do these work in Ableton Live, Bitwig and FL Studio?
All five run as plugins, so they work in any DAW that hosts their formats and takes MIDI from a plugin, or you can drag or export the MIDI. Check each maker's site for your DAW. TranceTools picks tracks for you only in Bitwig Studio and Ableton Live; elsewhere it runs as a VST3 or AU plugin.
Do I need to know music theory?
No. All of them keep notes in key for you. Scaler 3 is the one to pick if you want to learn the theory as you go.
More guides
How to make uplifting trance
Chords to drop in order: 138 BPM, minor keys, supersaws, gates, breakdown and build.
How to write trance chord progressions
Numerals, why trance lives in minor keys, the raised V and voice leading.
How to write a trance melody
Call and answer, chord tones on the beat, rhythm, range and the peak note.
Trance basslines
Offbeat, octave, galloping and rolling: the four patterns and the sound.
Trance arps and plucks
Arp patterns and rates, the pluck sound, the dotted delay and layering.
How to make an uplifting trance lead
Unison, the octave layer, filtering, delay and the mix tricks that make a lead huge.
How to make a trance pad
Slow attack, long release, width, chorus, reverb and movement.
Trancegate settings explained
Patterns, smoothing and where the reverb goes, for gates that chop cleanly.
Acid in trance
The 303 sound, accents and slides, and the filter movement that makes it talk.
Programming trance drums
Four to the floor, the offbeat hat, velocity, swing, fills and sounds.
Trance track structure
Section lengths, timings at your tempo, and why DJs need the first and last 32 bars.
The trance breakdown
What to strip away, revealing the melody, and keeping it moving without a kick.
How to make a trance build-up
Snare rolls, risers, filter sweeps and the gap before the drop.
Mixing kick and bass in trance
Tuning, timing and frequency: a low end that hits hard without fighting.
Sidechain settings for trance
Depth, release and what to duck, for a pump that breathes with the kick.
Mastering trance for the club
Loudness targets, true peak, the mastering chain and streaming.
Getting your trance track signed
Picking labels, sending demos, premasters and what happens when a label says yes.
Trance MIDI generator plugins compared
TranceEngine, Scaler 3, Cthulhu, Captain Plugins and TranceTools: what each writes and costs.