Klevgrand says that its Borsta brushed percussion plugin is “a stroke of genius”

Klevgrand’s Borsta is a percussion plugin with a difference in that it’s completely focused on stroke and brush sounds.

To this end, it features an audio engine that supports continuous changes in intensity, the theory being that this will enable you to create realistic brushing phrases that would be impossible to produce with a standard sample-based instrument.

You’re given parallel envelope and events sequencers that enable you to determine when to start a stroke, how its pressure/speed should evolve over time and when it should end. You also get multisampled one-shots with choking capabilities.

18 instruments are supplied, each of which is said to be based on more than 400 samples. You can only play one sequence at a time, but you can switch between these via MIDI and trigger additional one-shot samples on another MIDI track.

Other features include room simulation, reverb, timbre adjustment and a three-band EQ.

Borsta is available now for PC/Mac (VST/AU/AAX; demo available) and iOS (standalone/AUv3), with introductory prices of $36 and $15 respectively. Find out more on the Klevgrand website.

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it. 

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