Granular Synthesis

Pre-Class Music

Jon Nelson

Scatter

Granular Synthesis Overview

Any sound can be thought of as containing discrete particles. (Mosaic or Pointillism)

A grain of sound typically lasts from 1 to 100 ms. Each grain shaped by an amplitude envelope.

very short envelopes, and envelopes with sharp curves, produce added frequencies in the spectrum.

Sound parameters (pitch, panning, duration, envelope, location in sound file, wave type, etc) change on a grain-by-grain basis. Parameters are static within each grain.

High-Level Organization (1)

Synchronous and Asynchronous. quality of synchronicity refers to how parameters are

controlled relative to each other, usually grain duration, panning, amplitude, density of grains, and transposition.

Pitch-Synchronous Overlapping Streams Tone Machine in Kontakt. Pre-Analysis needed. The result is something like a pulse-train, or buzz

generator (think vocal cords), with changing formants. Works best on soundfiles with changing spectra, and

often turns up in electronica as a rhythmic ostinato.

High-Level Organization (2)

Quasi-Synchronous Streams Grain length modified, but grains generally follow

at regular intervals (related to AM). Can be used to time-stretch/compress and transpose sounds.

The number of overlapping streams, along with the grain length of each, can enhance or diminish the AM/tremelo effect.

Asynchronous “Clouds” all parameters independently controlled. Roads refers to a precisely controllable water jet-

spray nozzle.

Reading

Roads, pp. 168 - 184Kontakt manual, description of Tone

Machine and Time Machine.