Granular resynthesis - free VST audio effect plug-in download for music production, broadcasting and general audio editing.
For more details, read through the online manual below.
GGrain is a granular resynthesis effect. It randomly takes short snippets (or "grains") from the incoming audio, modifies them, and then reassembles them.
Despite the random element of the process, the resulting sound retains much of the character of the original material.
The GUI features eight knobs and a switch to control all of GGrain's parameters. All of the controls are labelled appropriately.
Grains: This controls the maximum number of grains processed by GGrain at any instant. Using a small number of grains results in a sparse, grainy sound. Using more grains gives a fuller, denser sound. This parameter also has a direct effect on CPU usage, with more grains requiring more processing power.
Size and SizeVar: The "Size" parameter controls the base length of each grain taken from the input. The "SizeVar" parameter allows the grain length to vary randomly for each grain. When GGrain takes a grain from the input, its length will be a randomly chosen value between "Size" minus "SizeVar" and "Size" plus "SizeVar".
Pitch and PitchVar: The "Pitch" parameter actually controls the playback speed of a grain, which consequently affects its pitch. A grain's pitch can be shifted by up to an octave up or down. The "PitchVar" parameter allows the pitch-shift to vary randomly for each grain. When GGrain plays back a grain, its pitch will be shifted by a randomly chosen amount between "Pitch" minus "PitchVar" and "Pitch" plus "PitchVar".
Gain and GainVar: The "Gain" parameter controls the playback volume of a grain. The "GainVar" parameter allows the gain to vary randomly for each grain. When GGrain plays back a grain, its volume will be adjusted by an amount between "Gain" minus "GainVar" and "Gain" plus "GainVar".
Mix: This parameter controls the mix of the original and resynthesised signals. At 0%, GGrain will pass only the input signal, and at 100% it will pass only the resynthesised signal.
High Quality: When this switch is on, GGrain operates in high-quality mode. In this mode GGrain uses better interpolation during playback and employs filters to minimize aliasing. This mode consumes considerably more CPU power than the normal mode.