Strokes by Cong Burn

Please see the associated guide for your DAW

V3.15 – Released April 2025

• Add push 2 support

V3.13

Microtonality / Alternate tunings

– Import a 7 or 12 note scala file

– Edit the tuning from within the app, save a copy under a new name

– Imported scalas are saved in the plugin/app, so you can optionally delete your .scl files once imported

– When you load a project, the tuning you were using for that project will be loaded up

– The last tuning you use is carried over next time you open the app/plugin. So if you like a scl file you can set it and forget it

There’s an interesting discussion on tuning here -> https://cdm.link/2022/03/ableton-releases-free-microtuner-but-tuning-is-more-than-spaces-between-12-semitones/

8 new synth engines ported from Plaits v1.2

– Classic waveshapes with filter

– Phase distortion and modulation

– 3 x 6-operator FM synth with 32 presets

– Wave terrain synthesis

– String machine

– Chiptune

Matrix / Weights randomizers

Hit the “i” button to find these. Use a fader to morph between the value in the pattern, and the random value. So you can dial in a touch of random, or roll the dice. When you close the info view your changes are stored in the pattern.

Other changes

– 3 new themes/skins

– Mute / Solo / Inv are all accessible from the performance page

– You can edit the modulation sources for each voice from the performance page (use the samples dropdown to display this)

– You can edit the tuning from the performance page (FX dropdown)

– Replaced one of the demo projects

– Lower the reverb/delay levels for a default pattern

V3.12

• Added the Performance View – this page provides a high level overview of your jam where you can smoothly interpolate (or crossfade) between patterns, sounds and project files.
• Samplers upgraded. Each has 5 sub-samplers enabling you to use different samples per pattern. If a slot is empty when switching pattern, it auto-fills with the current sample.
• Bus saturator & glue compressor and main stereo outs
• Hit the channel label on the voices page to copy settings between patterns/voices
• Sync button added to accent section. After hitting sync, when the accent reaches the end of it’s loop all the grid channels will realign/reset to 0
• Keyboard modal for note selects and root notes only appears on a tap (600ms hold)
• Kit/pattern separation is deprecated. Patterns now contain all necessary data making patterns interchangeable between project files

V3.11.2

• Redesigned, higher quality A/D amplitude envelopes. They now function as an AD rather than ADSR. What this means is that the entire attack & decay stages will play on each note event. If another note trigger occurs during the attack stage, it won’t reset to the beginning of the attack. If a note trigger occurs during the decay phase, it’ll reset to the start of the decay stage. This might sound a little weird with your existing projects but the benefits are worth imo : less clicks, full attack phase if you leave some room between trigs, and you can go nearly full drone with long attack & decay. Still working on making the envelope a modulation source…
• Load a sample button now asks for confirmation if you have a sample already loaded
• When changing from euclidean to step mode, copy the euclidean rhythm to step mode if steps are blank.
• Fixed an issue where setting decay high and adding modulation would destroy all the synth voices.
• Keyboard modals display current note / root note.
• Change naming of voice modulation params for Matrix.
• Tutorial overlay play button displays at correct resolution.

V3.11

• Strokes is now a multi output VST3/AU/AUV3, each voice (synth or sampler) can be routed to an individual audio channel for further processing & recording. 
• Added a built in tutorial to help you create your first rhythm, melody and pattern variation. Access this on the info “i” menu.
• Hovering over / tapping a parameter on the sequencer page will display the parameter’s name in the header.
• Weights delays are now sample accurate.
• Matrix sequencer only advances a single step when on ⅛ or ¼ clock rates.
• Fix sync when looping in Cubase & Studio One.
• Fix AU/VST3 project export.
• Fix an issue where outgoing MIDI notes would get stuck at slow bpms / clock rates.

V3.10

– Adds 16 internal synth engines, derived from Mutable Instruments’ Plaits (C. 2016 Emilie Gillet, https://github.com/pichenettes/eurorack, https://www.congburn.co.uk/eula)

– Pitch sequencing and a quantizer, per channel

– Fully customisable modulation matrix, any modulation source can connect to any sound parameter

– Bit crushing & sample rate reduction added to sampler, as well as start/loop point modulation

– Panning & fine tune

– Improved stability & performance

V3.9.4

– Make the scope visible

– Display filename correctly after switching from sampler->sequencer->sampler views

V3.9.2

– Note offs are now sent on the correct channel

– Modulation buses for some sampler voices are connected to the correct modulation sources, as labelled

– Fixed some occasional drop outs and crash when tweaking sample start/end/loop

– Note learn no longer requires the keyboard modal to be open

– Use responsive thickness for line drawing, hide euclid/step buttons based on active mode

– Double clicking weights dials resets them to center, rather than their default value 

– Logic now has separate MIDI FX and instrument builds

V3.9

– Added 8 x samplers, each sampler consists of:

– Attack/decay amplitude envelope

– Sample start/end/loop controls (drag top/bottom of waveform)

– Root note for setting pitch of sample

– Multi mode resonant filter LP/HP/BP

– Two FX sends

– 4 mod buses to receive modulation from the sequencer

– Added a reverb and delay, both with their own mod buses (and nice animations!).

– Implemented Ableton Link.

– Added cross platform file sharing.

– Created over 100 factory samples that you are free to use in your tracks. Sampled from my Machinedrum, Monomachine, Nord Drum 2 & more. Processed with Bugbrand Stereo Compress & Elektron Analog Heat.

V3.8

– Fixed a few bugs relating to notes & pattern save/recall

– Matrix XY modes now reference the correct logic modes

– Fixed a bug on some devices where the plugin window would fail to load

V3.7

• Fixed logic section

V3.6

iOS!

V3.5

NOTE LEARN

Very excited about this! 

The NOTE LEARN button is next to Patterns section. When this is enabled, the last clicked seq channel is selected (and underlined), sending in a midi note to strokes via midi kb/midi clip will reassign the strokes channel to the incoming MIDI note. 

When you’ve assigned the first strokes channel, the next strokes channel is selected, so you can hit CH1, press a midi key, it’ll auto switch to CH2, press another key etc.. This works really well with synths where it functions like a mega-arpeggiator – leave NOTE LEARN enabled and go wild on some chords and it’ll cycle channel/notes like a korg monopoly

CONFIG VIEW

– Added min/max CC ranges so we can fine tune modulation. These work pattern changes so imagine you are tweaking the amp decay of a drum using CC, pattern A can have short decay, pattern B can have long decay.

– Added a scrollbar to the MIDI input section to handle MIDI interfaces with loads of inputs

PATTERN / NOTE SELECT

– Added copy/clear functionality to Notes (just like patterns)

– Added progress bars for clearing notes / patterns, hold down a pattern/note slot to clear

– Added indicators to Notes that display whether there is data in the note slot

– When clearing a Note slot, you’ll notice all of the channels are set to BLANK. When you change into a new note slot, any blank notes are overwritten by the previous note slot. This lets you copy/paste individual channels between note slots

TRANSPORT / STANDALONE

– Added MIDI clock out. There is some jitter in the clock which I’m still solving (only in standalone)

– Added a progress bar for the stop button

STEP MODE

– Added an MPC pad style button for CH1-4 & accent so you can fingerdrum rhythms by hand

– Swapped the position of the strokes/shift dials. The MPC pad needs some room to stop any accidental taps, had I added the pad in the old strokes position there’s a risk of misclicking and switching back to euclid mode which would suck. I am willing to sacrifice 3yrs muscle memory for this, apologies in advance.

MISC FIXES

– Fixed an issue where sometimes notes wouldn’t swing. Changed the swing range to a more useful/musical range

– Matrix/Weights dials reworked and less CPU intensive

– new app icon