Granular synthesis breaks a sample into tiny grains - fragments typically tens of milliseconds long - and plays them back in new ways. Pigments' sample engine includes a granular mode that turns any recording into a playable, evolving instrument.
Loading a sample
Load a sample into Pigments' sample engine and switch to granular mode. Any audio works: voices, instruments, field recordings, drum loops. Rich, evolving recordings usually give the most interesting results.
The core controls
- Position - where in the sample grains are taken from. Modulate it to scan through the sound; freeze it to hold one moment.
- Grain size (length) - short grains are buzzy and pitched; long grains keep more of the original character.
- Density - how many grains play at once. Low density is sparse and stuttery; high density is a smooth cloud.
- Pitch - grains can be tuned independently of position and playback speed.
- Spray and randomisation - random variation in position, pitch, timing or pan. Adds movement and diffusion.
- Grain envelope and shape - smooth shapes avoid clicks; sharper shapes add texture.
- Direction - forward, reverse or random grain playback.
Techniques
- Freeze - hold position still and the sample becomes a sustained tone you can play across the keyboard.
- Scan - modulate position slowly with an LFO for evolving pads.
- Rhythmic granular - sync density or position changes to tempo for stuttering, glitchy rhythms.
- Texture layer - a quiet granular layer under a conventional synth adds life and movement.
- Combine engines - layer a granular engine with Pigments' virtual analogue or wavetable engine for depth.
Modulation
Use Pigments' envelopes, LFOs, function generators and random sources on position, size, density and pitch. Macros let you morph a texture from calm to chaotic with one control.
Effects
Granular textures love reverb, delay and modulation effects. A long reverb on a frozen grain cloud becomes an ambient wash; a filtered delay on rhythmic grains becomes a groove.
Do this now
- Load a vocal or field recording into Pigments' granular mode and freeze it into a pad.
- Modulate position with a slow LFO and record eight bars of the result.
- Create a rhythmic glitch texture with tempo-synced density changes and use it in a beat.