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Free expansion by Notewerks LLC

StepStrum Essentials Vol. 1

32 Expressive MIDI Patterns. Four Musical Styles. Free.

Explore new ways to perform your chords with 32 carefully crafted MIDI patterns across four musical styles. From acoustic picking and driving rock rhythms to syncopated funk and cinematic pulses, Essentials Vol. 1 helps turn simple chord progressions into expressive performances.

Download Free Expansion PackExplore StepStrum Pro

Requires StepStrum Pro 1.2 or later.

Free, permanently. No signup required. All four banks in one file.

What's included

4 banks. 8 patterns per bank. One expansion pack file.

  • Acoustic / Indie Folk

    Natural strumming, picked chord tones, and expressive rhythms for acoustic and indie arrangements.

    Acoustic Rhythm

  • Rock / Alternative

    Driving guitar rhythms, energetic choruses, dynamic transitions, and restrained breakdowns.

    Driving Rhythm

  • Funk / Pop

    Syncopated chord stabs, rhythmic accents, and interplay between strums and individual chord notes.

    Syncopated Rhythm

  • Electronic / Cinematic

    Rhythmic pulses, chord-tone ostinatos, evolving movement, and energetic transitions for synthesizers and cinematic instruments.

    Pulses & Ostinatos

These are MIDI performance patterns. Bring your own chords and instrument sounds.

Built for songwriting

Each bank follows the same eight musical functions, so you can find the right pattern as your arrangement develops.

  1. 1.Intro
  2. 2.Verse
  3. 3.Verse Variation
  4. 4.Pre-Chorus / Lift
  5. 5.Chorus
  6. 6.Breakdown
  7. 7.Fill / Turnaround
  8. 8.Outro

Move between Intro, Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, and other patterns using StepStrum Pro's pattern slots or MIDI pattern keyswitching, without manually programming every MIDI event. Patterns stay responsive to the chords you play. The slot names suggest musical uses; they do not automatically follow or create song sections.

Install and start playing

  1. Install StepStrum 1.2 or later and activate your Pro license.
  2. Download StepStrum_Essentials_Vol_1.stepstrumpack. This single file contains all four banks.
  3. Open StepStrum Pro in a compatible DAW.
  4. Open Banks... and choose Install Expansion Pack....
  5. Select the downloaded file. After installation, open Banks... > Expansion Packs and choose a bank.

StepStrum Lite cannot load expansion packs. To keep your own changes, use Banks... > Save As... to save an editable user bank copy. The installed source banks remain read-only.

Frequently asked questions

Is Essentials Vol. 1 really free?

Yes. Essentials Vol. 1 from Notewerks LLC is free, permanently. No purchase or account registration is required to download the pack. A StepStrum Pro license is required to use it.

Do I need StepStrum Pro?

Yes. You need StepStrum Pro 1.2 or later. The free StepStrum Lite edition cannot load expansion packs.

Does the pack include instrument sounds?

No. It contains MIDI performance patterns, with no sampled instruments or audio loops. StepStrum is a MIDI effect. You supply the chords and instrument sounds; StepStrum performs your chord notes according to the patterns. It does not generate chord progressions.

Can I edit the patterns?

Yes. Installed source banks are read-only. Use Banks... > Save As... to save a user bank copy for your edits while preserving the original pack.

Can I use these patterns with different instruments?

Yes. Route StepStrum's MIDI output to a compatible instrument in your DAW. Try guitars, keyboards, synthesizers, or cinematic instruments with the chords you play.