Strum

Strum is a multiband delay plugin that approaches spectral processing with uncommon clarity and usability. Rather than forcing users through complex routing matrices, it divides the incoming signal into evenly distributed frequency bands and applies independent delay and feedback parameters to each. This straightforward architecture makes spectral delay production accessible without sacrificing sonic sophistication.

The plugin operates in both free and sync modes, with the latter locking delay times to your DAW's tempo and time signature for rhythmically locked effects. The modulation section offers flutter and random modes with frequency-dependent skew control, allowing you to bias modulation characteristics across the spectrum. This prevents the artificial quality that often plagues multiband processing, where modulation hits all frequencies equally regardless of musical context.

Strum's Factor Band control system, borrowed from Lese's Sweep and Recurse, lets you shape delay behavior across the frequency range using familiar point-and-drag editing similar to EQ adjustments. The underlying crossover uses a proprietary filter bank with flat frequency and phase response, meaning Strum won't introduce coloration when simply splitting and routing signals.

The plugin suits producers working with ambient and textural music, mixing engineers needing surgical control over delay artifacts in specific frequency ranges, and sound designers exploring spectral effects. Its transparent crossover design makes it particularly valuable in contexts where phase coherence matters. While multiband delay exists in various forms across the plugin ecosystem, Strum's combination of intuitive control and technical rigor positions it as a serious alternative to more opaque competitors. The optional overlay visualization can be toggled in the menu for those preferring uncluttered workspace aesthetics.