If you produce melodic house, you’ll already know that the chord progression is often the foundation upon which the rest of the track is built.

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Most of the melodic house tracks I’ve released over the past few years started with chords. In lots of my tracks, the bass, the melody, (and sometimes even the groove) were built around a single progression.

I’ll often find a progression by experimenting on the keyboard, but I also sometimes lean on a MIDI pack of chords for inspiration.

So are MIDI packs actually worth it or are they just shortcuts that make your music sound generic? I’ve used both custom-written MIDI and third-party packs in released tracks. Here’s my honest take.

What a melodic house MIDI pack actually is

A MIDI pack is simply a collection of pre-written chord progressions, basslines or melodies that you can drag into your DAW.

Unlike audio loops, MIDI doesn’t contain sound — just note information. That means you can change the key, choose any sound you want, adjust the voicing and edit it to your liking. This is why MIDI is so flexible and useful.

When MIDI packs are worth it

I personally have never used MIDI from a pack for basslines or melodies, but I have leaned on chord ideas from packs because I’ve found that they can help to spark inspiration. From my own experience, these are some of the situations where a MIDI pack has genuinely helped.

1) When you’re stuck in a loop with no way out

You’ve built the drums and percussion. You’ve got a bass groove. But harmonically, nothing quite feels right. A good MIDI chord progression can break that paralysis and give you direction and inspiration. Sometimes that’s all you need to get momentum back.

2) When you want chord and bass interplay that already works

This is where genre-specific MIDI packs matter. In melodic house, the relationship between the chord voicing and the bassline is crucial. When that movement is right, everything else feels easier to build.

3) When actually finishing tracks is your priority

There’s a difference between learning and experimenting endlessly and actually finishing tracks and releasing music. I learnt that very clearly in 2025, when I challenged myself to release a new song every two weeks (it was tough at times, but I managed). If MIDI chords from a pack help you to finish more tracks, that alone can make it worth it.

When MIDI packs are not worth it

Having covered all of that, it’s important to also realise that MIDI packs are not “silver bullets”. They are not for everyone and every situation.

Chords from MIDI packs are probably not your best option if:

• You expect instant results
• You don’t tweak the voicings, key or edit them in any way
• You rely on them instead of developing your own ear
• You use generic, unfocused packs

Generic MIDI Packs vs genre-focused ones

I personally feel that it’s really important to choose a MIDI pack that is specifically focused on the genre of music you want to make. In my case, it’s melodic house. I’ve owned packs that contain hundreds of progressions in multiple keys — this can be overwhelming and lead to it being difficult to find one that fits your track.

When I’m in a production flow, I want to remove as much friction from the creative process as possible, so that’s why having a pack of a small number of chord progressions you can rely on can be really helpful. I feel that quality is more important than quantity in this case.

Another issue I’ve sometimes found with generic MIDI packs is that the chord voicings used can sometimes make it tricky to find the corresponding bass notes for each chord. Of course, you can spend time working out each note, but for me there is huge value in having a MIDI pack that also contains a separate MIDI file with the bass notes for each chord progression. This just helps to speed things up and keep things running smoothly.

Melodic-house focused chord progression MIDI packs are designed to help create emotional tension and have been crafted to work at the right BPM for the genre, which is typically 118-125 BPM.

Are MIDI packs better than learning music theory?

If you’re producing music in a genre like melodic house, I believe that learning music theory is really important. That being said, using chord progression MIDI packs is not the “opposite” of learning and using your own music theory.

Music theory explains why something works, while a MIDI chord pack can show you what works in practice. I see MIDI packs as a shortcut for both speed and inspiration. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t learn music theory and apply it to your productions as you develop as an artist.

Why I made my own melodic house chord progression MIDI pack

After trying some generic packs, I realised that there aren’t many that are built specifically for melodic house, which is actually quite a niche genre. Many of them were built for “EDM” or “electronic music”.

These chord progression packs are often packed with too many options, with little emotional direction and no separate MIDI file with the bass notes.

That’s why I created my own:

25 Melodic House MIDI Chord Progressions (with Bass)

It’s not a huge pack. It’s 25 carefully chosen progressions — each paired with a separate bass MIDI file that works in melodic house. These are progressions that I’ve actually used in my tracks. Every progression is something I would personally build a track around.

Who this pack is for

It’s likely to be a good choice for you if:

• You regularly produce melodic house
• You often start your tracks from chord progressions
• You prefer a small curated selection over 1,000 random files
• You want separate MIDI files with the corresponding chord bass notes
• You care about finishing tracks

It’s probably not for you if:

• You want fully finished songs
• You never edit or rewrite MIDI (like changing the key, voicing or rhythm)
• You expect instant results without effort

How I recommend using it

The way I use MIDI (including my own pack):

• Drag in the progression.
• Test it immediately with my sounds.
• Adjust voicing to fit my synths and consider changing the key.
• Reshape the bass to suit the groove.
• Build melody and arrangement from there.

Treat it as a foundation, not a template — a starting point to spark inspiration and build on.

Final verdict: are melodic house MIDI packs worth it?

Yes — when used properly. I regularly use MIDI packs and I think they are definitely worth it if you use them as a source of inspiration before adapting them to suit your style. A chord progression MIDI pack is a great way to spark ideas and can help to speed up your workflow and keep you in the zone creatively.

That being said, MIDI packs are not complete shortcuts that mean you won’t have to put effort in yourself. You’ll need to know the basics of music theory and also be willing to adjust the chords yourself, using them as a starting point rather than a finished idea.

In short, I see MIDI packs as tools. Used properly, they can help to spark inspiration, finish more tracks and learn faster along the way.

And if you want something specifically designed for melodic house — not generic EDM — you can check out my chord progression MIDI pack.