


Grains – sets the number of grain samples being played back simultaneously

The degree to which the new sound is recognisable to the original source is determined by several parameters: Granular synthesis is a method of splitting a constant incoming sound into tiny snippets ( 1-50ms in length), referred to as grains, which can then be reconfigured, modulated and resequenced, and spat out the other end as a new, generally quite ethereal sound. We’re rounding up our 10-part Sound Design series with a look at granular synthesis, and take a deep dive into some of the very best granular plugins for breaking your sounds into tiny grain particles and smashing them back together in interesting and never-quite-heard-before ways.
