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Free MIDI Effect · VST3 / AU / AAX / Standalone

Strum Plate.

Turn your mouse or pitch wheel into an Omnichord-style strumming plate. Hold a chord with one hand and strum the notes into existence with the other.

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macOS & Windows · VST3, AU, AAX, standalone · email optional

The idea

Separate the notes from the rhythm.

Strum Plate is a MIDI effect that decouples what you play from when you play it. Inspired by the touchplate on the classic Omnichord, it lets you hold a chord in one hand and strum those notes into existence with your mouse or pitch wheel.

01

Hold a chord

Press any chord on your keyboard. You will not hear it yet. The notes wait in a buffer for your command.

02

Strum the plate

Swipe across the on-screen plate (or use your pitch wheel). As you move, the notes of your chord trigger in real time.

03

Shape the sound

The mod wheel changes note length from tight plucks to long sustains. Octave Range turns a triad into a full harp run.

Strum Plate interface
Compatibility & setup

It plays your own instruments over MIDI.

Because Strum Plate outputs MIDI into an instrument, the routing is a little different in each DAW. Tap a screenshot to enlarge it.

Pro Tools (2024+)

Pro Tools setup

Make an Instrument Track. Load Strum Plate in the first insert (A), then your instrument (like GCS Spectral) in the second (B).

Logic Pro

Logic Pro setup

Load Strum Plate in the MIDI FX slot in the channel strip inspector, above the instrument slot. Not as an Audio FX.

Ableton Live

Ableton Live setup
  1. Track 1: your instrument. Set Monitor to In.
  2. Track 2: a MIDI track with Strum Plate on it.
  3. On Track 1, set MIDI From to Track 2.
  4. Below that, pick Strum Plate (Post FX).

FL Studio

  1. Add Strum Plate and your instrument to the Channel Rack.
  2. On Strum Plate, click the wrapper gear icon, open plugin settings, and set MIDI Output Port to a free number (say 5).
  3. On your instrument, open the same settings and set MIDI Input Port to that same number.
  4. Select the Strum Plate channel, hold a chord, then strum the plate or use the pitch wheel.

Standalone app for GarageBand and older DAWs

For GarageBand, older Pro Tools, or any DAW without MIDI FX support, use the included standalone app (Mac only) with a virtual MIDI port.

Step 1: make a virtual port (Mac)

  1. Open Audio MIDI Setup (Applications, Utilities).
  2. Double-click the IAC Driver.
  3. Check "Device is online".
  4. Add a port named "Strum Port".

Step 2: connect

  1. Open the Strum Plate standalone app.
  2. Set MIDI Input to your keyboard.
  3. Set MIDI Output to "Strum Port".
  4. In GarageBand, set the track input to "Strum Port".
Download

Get Strum Plate.

Add an organic, human strum to your piano libraries and synths. It pairs especially well with the GCS Spectral Synthesizer.

Download Free

Free · macOS & Windows