MPC Progression Builder vs maxChord
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
MPC Progression Builder
Create and export musical chord progressions for your music production workflow. Features include keyboard, scale-based, and circle of fifths modes for building and refining harmonic ideas. Export directly to MPC devices or as standard MIDI files for use in any DAW.
- Virtual keyboard for direct chord input
- Build progressions with up to 16 chords
- Scale-based chord suggestions
- Circle of Fifths progression builder
- MPC-ready .progression file export
- Standard MIDI file export
- Instant playback and auditioning
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Progression Builder for MPC is a powerful yet intuitive tool for producers who want to build rich, musical chord progressions and send them straight into their workflow. Designed with AKAI MPC users in mind, it also exports to standard MIDI files, making it equally useful for DAW producers, composers, and beatmakers alike. Build your progressions your way: - Keyboard Mode: Tap out chords directly on the built-in virtual keyboard and hear them instantly. - Progression Builder: Arrange up to 16 chords into full progressions you can audition, refine, and export. - Scale-Based Mode: Explore chords that naturally fit your chosen scale — perfect for clean harmonic flow. - Circle of Fifths Mode: Craft progressions using classic relationships that sound balanced and musical. Every chord pad can be customized, rearranged, or saved for later — giving you a flexible sketchpad for harmonic ideas. Whether you’re working on a soulful lo-fi loop, a jazz-inspired sequence, or a cinematic score, Progression Builder for MPC helps you find the right chords fast. Export your ideas with ease: - MPC-Ready Export: Generate .progression files compatible with MPC Live, X, One, and Force. - MIDI Export: Drop your chords into any DAW, sampler, or synth. - Instant Playback: Audition and tweak voicings, inversions, and timing before you export. - Clean, efficient, and tuned for real production environments, Progression Builder for MPC bridges the gap between music theory and creative flow — helping you stay in the zone.
maxChord
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Chords under your thumb. maxChord turns chord progressions into something you play with one hand. The pads are laid out in whatever key you choose, so everything you touch is already in tune. Tap one to play it. Hold it and drag, and the chord morphs — sevenths, sus, diminished, extensions — each one a direction rather than a menu. Common notes keep ringing while the rest move, so a progression bends instead of jumping. Then build the song. PLAY • Eight chord pads, in key, labelled with roman numerals • Drag any pad in eight directions to morph it live • Chord Lock keeps a variation as the pad's new resting chord • Inversions, slash chords, and automatic voice leading • Three modes: Chords, Arpeggiator, and Lead SEQUENCE • Multi-track sequencer built from chord tiles, not a note grid • Split, resize, and drag tiles to build rhythm by feel • Sixteen patterns, chained into sections to arrange a whole song • Per-track instrument, octave, volume, arpeggiator rate, and effects • Record from the pads or from a MIDI controller in real time SOUND • Sampled instruments: grand piano, upright, Rhodes, Wurlitzer, vibraphone, harp, strings, brass, nylon guitar, church organ, and choir • A fifteen-voice analogue synth bank with real filter envelopes and oscillator detune • Eight effects — drive, filter, chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, delay, reverb — per track and across the whole mix, each swept with a single thumb CONNECT • MIDI in and out, including per-track output • Clock sync in both directions • Play maxChord from a controller, or drive Logic, Ableton, or GarageBand from it maxChord has no account, no ads, and no analytics. It does not collect your data, and it works entirely offline. Your songs live on your device and can be exported to a single file whenever you want them somewhere else. Made for people who hear the chord before they can name it. — maxChord Pro unlocks everything after a 3-day free trial: €1.99/month, €9.99/year, or €22.99 once for lifetime access. Subscriptions renew automatically unless cancelled at least 24 hours before the period ends, and can be managed in your Apple Account settings. Privacy Policy: https://maximumschmidt.github.io/maxchord-site/privacy.html Terms of Use (EULA): https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: maxChord at Free against MPC Progression Builder's $2.99. MPC Progression Builder's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 3). On ads, device support and iOS requirement there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
maxChord is free to download; MPC Progression Builder costs $2.99 up front. maxChord sells 3 in-app purchases, starting at $1.99 per month. MPC Progression Builder asks for nothing beyond the download.
| Parameter | MPC Progression Builder | maxChord |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $2.99 | Free — better |
| Rating | 5.0 (2 ratings) — better | — |
| Number of ratings | 2 — better | — |
| Update frequency | — | Every 10 days |
| Ads | No | No |
| In-app purchases | No — better | Yes |
| Monetization | Paid | — |
| Devices | iPhone, iPad — better | iPhone |
| Requires iOS | 16.0 — better | 17.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 2 MB | 317 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | David Jones | Maximilian Schmidt |
In-app purchases
MPC Progression Builder
No in-app purchases
maxChord
- Monthly3 Days trial$1.991 Month
- Yearly3 Days trial$8.991 Year
- Lifetime$19.99
Questions
Is MPC Progression Builder free?
Is maxChord free?
Do MPC Progression Builder or maxChord have ads?
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