hello

I was looking for some tools that would help me composing interesting chord progressions, or just get a different approach and some inspiration, here is what I found so far

Band in a box, Windows and MAC
http://www.pgmusic.com/

Harmony Navigator, Windows and MAC
http://www.cognitone.com/products/nav/intro/page.stml

Pro Chords, Iphone, but a Window/MAC version is on the way
http://prochords.dk/w/?p=330

The AXiS-64 pro MIDI controller, Hardware
http://www.c-thru-music.com/cgi/?page=prod_axis-64

other suggestions ?

Buy a music theory book or learn an instrument. It's not wise to depend on computers for the inspiration for the actual musical component of your productions. Plus by FAR the best way to get inspired is to learn new things and then apply them.

glitchhop-production/sacred-sounds-t2753.html

saw this further down the thread, I didn't really like the explanations of chords and note relations but it is at least interesting basic theory which is hard to come by!

yea i agree with the_woof don't bother with software that composes your music, they often sound generic and predicable

Haven't tried it yet but I'm always down for tech-tech-tech-technology. Often just finding a different note/scale layout can be inspiring. Myself and i'm sure others of us develop subconscious patterns through muscle memory and end up playing a lot of the same patterns, and to just have a new layout/interface is inspiring. (i.e. drum pad grid for me was a welcome change in writing melodies vs. on a keyboard)
But I definitely am into learning much more about theory, especially harmonic progressions. I can find stuff that sounds ok, but would love to learn the language as in using chords (and how the relate to each other) as words....but I geuss thats the fun right, figuring it out while simultaneously never figuring it ALL out.

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pretty much this is the way. Any instrumental theory will essentially give you the idea of how it works.

yup!
generally you compose on piano or guitar....etc. then orchestrate to various instruments.
cant beat the piano for learning composing/theory/etc.

Yep. I was reminded yesterday, too, of all the inspiration there is to be had when you ignore your theory for 5 seconds and just hit keys in sequence until it sounds cool. A lot of the time I also hear chords, write them as I hear them, and then figure them out theory-wise afterwards. Basically sometimes it's good to learn and sometimes it's good to forget.

no knowledge = extreme saying out of the box!

when you know too much theory its really tough to separate yourself from what you think you "should" be playing.