StepStrum Lite
Turn chords into natural strummed patterns.
A free MIDI strumming plugin for turning held chords into realistic, tempo-synced strummed patterns with simple control over timing, groove, and feel.
What StepStrum Lite lets you do
Sketch natural strummed MIDI parts quickly, using your own chords and any instrument that responds to MIDI.
Turn chords into strummed MIDI
Play a chord and hear a tempo-synced strummed pattern immediately.
Shape the feel
Adjust timing, swing, gate, humanize, and velocity response from one place.
Build pattern slots
Create and switch between up to eight rhythmic ideas.
Program the rhythm
Turn steps on or off and choose up/down direction per step.
Sketch faster
Create guitar-style rhythm parts without drawing every MIDI note by hand.
Core controls
Shape how your strums feel:
Spread
how wide the strum is in time
Gate
how long notes are held
Swing
groove and rhythmic feel
Humanize
natural timing variation
Velocity Mode
how dynamics are applied
Time Division
rhythmic grid resolution
Chord Window
how played notes form chords
Restart Mode
how patterns retrigger
Latch
sustain playback without holding notes
These controls let you dial in anything from tight rhythmic patterns to loose, expressive strumming.
Pattern workflow
Use pattern slots
to store variations
Toggle steps on/off
to define rhythm
Set direction per step
for up/down strums
Keep timing tight
while experimenting freely
Upgrade to Pro
When you want deeper control:
Add modulation lanes
for per-step shaping
Control velocity, gate, and variation
per step
Save and load pattern banks
Build reusable workflows and presets