To use the Chord Track in Cubase, add a Chord Track, place chord events along the timeline, then set other tracks to “follow” the Chord Track so their MIDI (and some audio) conforms to your progression. The Chord Track turns harmony into something you can sketch, edit and audition visually.
Learning how to use the Chord Track in Cubase speeds up songwriting: you can lay out a progression, hear it instantly, and have your instrument tracks snap to it without re-recording every part.
Add a Chord Track and enter chords
From the Project menu, add a Chord Track (Add Track > Chord). Select the Draw/Pencil tool and click on the track to create chord events. Double-click a chord event to open the chord editor, where you choose the root note, type (major, minor, 7th and so on), tension and bass note. Lay the chord events out across your song sections to build the progression. If you are still shaky on which chords belong together, our guide on how to make chords for a song covers the theory behind picking them.
Use the Chord Assistant for ideas
If you are not sure what comes next, open the Chord Assistant. It suggests chords that work well after your current one, based on common harmonic relationships, and you can audition options before committing. This is a fast way to escape a blank page or break a writing block, while keeping the harmony musically sensible.
Make tracks follow the Chord Track
The real power is having parts conform to your chords. Select a MIDI or instrument track and set its “Follow Chord Track” option (in the track’s inspector). Choose a follow mode:
- Chords: remaps notes to the current chord.
- Single Voice / Bass: useful for a bassline or a melodic single line.
- Scale: conforms notes to the chord/scale rather than full voicings.
Now when you change a chord on the Chord Track, the following tracks update to match. You can sketch a part once and try it against several progressions. Because the Chord Track works on MIDI data, it helps to be comfortable with how MIDI works before you start chaining tracks together.
Voicings and inspector controls
The Chord Track has voicing settings (for example piano, guitar or basic) that control how chords are spaced and inverted. Adjusting voicings keeps progressions smooth instead of jumping awkwardly between positions. You can also drag chords from the Chord Track straight onto a MIDI track to print them as actual notes you can edit further.
A simple workflow for writing a progression
If you are starting from scratch, a repeatable order of operations helps you stay out of the weeds and keep writing. Try working through these steps:
- Set the project key first. Decide on a key and tempo before you place any chords. Knowing the tonal centre makes the Chord Assistant suggestions far more useful and stops the progression wandering.
- Block out the song sections. Place a small number of chord events for the verse, then the chorus, then any bridge. Resist the urge to detail every bar at first; sketch the skeleton and fill in later.
- Audition with a neutral sound. Route the Chord Track’s monitoring (or a simple piano instrument) so you hear plain block chords. A clean piano tone exposes weak harmony that a busy patch might hide.
- Add following tracks last. Once the progression feels right, set your bass, pads and arpeggios to follow. Now you can swap a chord and hear every part move with it. This is also the natural point to start writing a topline, and our notes on how to make a melody pair well with a Chord Track skeleton.
- Commit and refine. When you are happy, drag the chords down to MIDI and edit voicings, rhythm and inversions by hand for a more human result.
Common mistakes to avoid
A few habits trip up people new to the Chord Track. Watching for them saves a lot of confusion:
- Leaving every track on “Follow Chords”. A drum or percussion part should not be remapped. Only enable following on tracks that play pitched, harmonic material.
- Picking the wrong follow mode. A bassline set to full “Chords” can sound muddy because it stacks a whole voicing. Use Single Voice / Bass for low parts and Scale for melodic lines.
- Over-detailing too early. Defining a different chord on every beat makes editing painful. Start broad, then add passing chords once the core progression works.
- Ignoring voicings. Default block voicings can jump awkwardly between positions. Switching the voicing scheme, or printing to MIDI and adjusting inversions, smooths the voice leading.
- Forgetting it is non-destructive until you print it. Following is a real-time process; if you want the notes to survive bouncing or sharing the project, drag the chords to a MIDI track so they become actual events.
Where the Chord Track fits in a song
Sketch harmony with the Chord Track, commit the parts you like to MIDI, then record real performances over the top — for example vocals using our recording vocals in Cubase guide. Keeping a clear session helps once you add many following tracks, so our DAW project organisation tips are worth applying. When it is time to balance everything, start with the beginner’s guide to mixing your first song.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Chord Track work with audio as well as MIDI?
It is primarily for MIDI and instrument tracks, which remap cleanly to chords. Some audio can follow the Chord Track using Cubase’s pitch features, but the results depend heavily on the material, so treat audio-following as a bonus rather than the main use.
How do I turn a Chord Track progression into editable MIDI notes?
Drag the chord events from the Chord Track onto a MIDI or instrument track. Cubase writes the chords as notes you can then edit, voice and arrange like any other MIDI part.
Why isn’t my track following the Chord Track?
The track’s “Follow Chord Track” option is probably off, or set to a mode that does not suit the part. Open the track inspector, enable following, and pick a mode (Chords, Single Voice or Scale) that matches what the part should do.
Can I use the Chord Track just to analyse a part I already played?
Yes. You can have the Chord Track detect chords from an existing MIDI part, which is handy for working out the harmony of something you improvised. Drop the recorded MIDI onto the Chord Track and Cubase will read the notes and place matching chord events, giving you a quick map of what you played.
Does changing chords affect my recorded audio vocals?
No, not unless you specifically set an audio track to follow and process it with pitch tools. Plain recorded vocals and other audio sit untouched while you experiment with the chords underneath, so you can rework the harmony without disturbing takes you have already captured.
