Can anyone recommend a good VST granular synth?

ichabod

ichabod

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Have been playing with the one in Fruity Loops and it is pretty awesome (great for shpongle style vocals :) ).
Surely there must be something like this for VST... apart from Reaktor. Also.. can Kontakt do anything like that?

Cheers
Dan
 
most granular synths and effects work in a very different way. because the fruityloops one does not work in realtime (you have to load a sample into it), it can then draw on the whole thing for random granules etc. every other granular synth/granuliser i have come across accepts a realtime audio input so can only process what it is being given at any point in time.
theres a couple on kvr that are worth checking out, but ive never got much use out of them. i still use the fruity one loads tho, it rocks :badger:
 
Kontakt will do granular-style things if you use one of the alternate playback algorithms like "time machine". You could also try the GRM Tools granular plugin (can't remember what it's called off the top of my head). The other alternative is the Maelstrom synth in Reason which can do some great granular lead noises etc, but of course you don't get the option to load in your own samples.
 
yeah the fruity granulizer is quality... being a fruityloops user i haven't bothered looking that hard for a vst plugin that does the same thing, but i haven't seen anything that comes close yet - damn good effect that is.

think the roland v-synth might be able to do similar stuff? could be utterly wrong though, only played with it a couple of times down in sound control... it does have some fairly mad sample based synthesis stuff though..
 
I've had a go with Kontakt in time machine mode but can't get the same effects as from Fruity Loops. The GRM tools shuffler seems to be a bit too random and out of control to get good effects from. Also - as Double_Helix pointed out - the real time input limits it in what it can do. (Same for buffer override). I didn't know Absynth could do granular stuff - I'll have to check it out, are there any particular patches or setups you know the names of?

I have been playing with Reaktor a bit more... the Travelizer seems to do more or less what the fruity loops synth does but somehow just doesn't sound the same. Maybe its time to get my hands dirty with the inner workings. It would be an interesting project (yet another distraction from actually finishing a tune... I know!) Maybe its worth exploring the web to see if anyone else has made any good Reaktor instruments which would fit the bill... I'll also go and check out KVR.
 
here's some freeware to check out.

well, both of them have freeware versions, and also payware versions with extra features / removed limitations etc.

Granulab
stupendously powerful, but somewhat awkward in terms of UI and usability. for heavens sake - turn down your speakers when playing with this because many (most?!) of the possible settings result in speaker-destroying, ear-destroying insanity!

CrusherX
Never really used this meself, my exhousemate did but by then i was tried of trying to coax usuable stuff from offline granulators. It is slicker and fuller-featured than granulab, as i recall, but i think the restrictions on the free version are more annoying in this case.
 
well patches are difficult to export for the granular bits of Absynth, because of the samples involved.

Basically, it just replaces an oscillator with a granular sampler, and then you control the nature of the oscillator sound with the density length and random pitch controls.

You may also want to try out KTgranulator which is an insert effect (free) and can really mash up sound.

There are some very nice reaktor 4 patches out there on the user database. Particularly laserbrew, which i suspect i granular in origin.
 
The other alternative is the Maelstrom synth in Reason which can do some great granular lead noises etc, but of course you don't get the option to load in your own samples.
Click to expand...
It would be great if propellerheads brought out some kind of recylce software that allowed you to use your own samples in the maelstrom. Apparently it would be 'too complicated' at this stage, as the average sample in the maelstrom has 20k grains!
 
as well as Absynth 2 and 3 Reakor 4/5 has a number of Garnular toys..Traveliser and Grainstates being the two can remember...also Kontakt 2 has some granular stuff too
 
cameron-nagualsound said:
as well as Absynth 2 and 3 Reakor 4/5 has a number of Garnular toys..Traveliser and Grainstates being the two can remember...also Kontakt 2 has some granular stuff too
Click to expand...

Well the FL gran is shweat as!!!! the buffer over ride is awsome as well, I have used it in a few of my tracks in break downs. I kept the of timeness from the BO and it worked a treat but you can get the Buffer Override sounding just the way you want it....Once you have recorded your automation with the BO just in your index bar on the left habd side and go to "channel project" and then slect "automation" and all the automation on all your synths will be there....find buffer override and you can fine tune you X and Y axis and get the buffer stuttering exactly how you want it, it fuggin awsome!!!!!!! for an example right at the end of this track is a buffer over ride break down and it sound alot more spontaniouse than slicing up your beats in time..I think its a much more psychedeli c effect.....so go the FL gran and learn the art of the buffer, its awsome...

here is a copy of the track with the buffer working in 2 breaks at the end of the track

http://www.psypneumatix.com/audio/BIONIC_EMPIRE-KINDOM_OF_HEAV.mp3
 
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