Graindad is a granular effect for high-quality real-time audio processing. Freeze, texture, or reorganize and chop your sound triggered by transients, bars, or MIDI notes. A sophisticated modulation system with intelligent randomizers ensures amazing results. Filters, reverbs, delays and a Harvester that controls everything at once.
What Graindad Can Do
Graindad, with grit sizes up to 64 grains, offers extensive capabilities to define your sound in real time. 12 key parameters provide fast and powerful access to granular synthesis.
There are basically 2 modulation systems: a classic system with modulators such as step sequencers, a low-pass filter and an envelope for familiar access. And a modulation system called Harvester, which provides a simple and playful way to visually control multiple parameters at once. These two modulation systems can then be mixed to produce uniquely complex results.
Randomization is an important part of Graindad – almost every parameter can have varying degrees of randomization applied to it. In addition, there are special functions for determining when to generate randomization, for example, a transient in your audio signal can trigger the randomizer.
Grain Engine
The heart of Graindad is the grain engine. While sound is being recorded, it can be played back up to 64 times simultaneously using so-called granules. Organizing and defining these granules is the main task of the engine.
12 main parameters provide the ability to achieve various effects such as looping, stuttering, time stretching, pitch bending, reversing or harmonizing.
As important as playback is, recording also plays a huge role in determining the overall outcome. Graindad can record in sync with your host’s clock or be triggered directly via MIDI. It can even dynamically start recording based on transients in your audio material.
Modulation Engine
In addition to the envelope, LFO and classic step sequencer with step repeat, Harvester, various randomizers and MIDI notes can be used as modulation sources.
Even the intensity and source of modulation can be controlled using randomizers, and in different modes.
Don’t forget Modmix Control, which seamlessly switches between Harvester and Main Page modulation for unexpected results.
Effects
Whether it’s classic effects like filters, reverb and delay, Graindad’s effects section has everything you need to add a new dimension to your sound. Types of filters include low-pass filter, band-pass filter, notch filter, and high-pass filter. Choose from three reverb effects: HQ reverb, spring reverb and shimmer. The delay section not only offers different delay types, but also flanger and chorus modes.
Dry/Wet controls make it easy to blend filter sweeps into the image, or use a bandpass filter as an EQ to highlight specific frequencies.
The Harvester
The Harvester modulates all 12 main controls simultaneously. The distance between the Harvester and the parameter objects determines the modulation depth. Parameter objects have “moons” that can be written as automation or randomized for additional layers of motion. On the Auto-Pilot page, Harvester can move between 12 breakpoints, which can also be triggered by MIDI notes for performance control.
The power of Harvester is difficult to describe in words. Expect hours of fun and surprises, as well as endless audio possibilities. Of course, there are many more features that are detailed in the manual.
- Grain Engine with up to 64 grains
- 12 main controller for easy handling
- Harvester: Innovative modulation system
- Freeze, Stutter, Glitch, Texturize
- Multiband transient detector
- Host sync and transient clock
- 16 step trigger sequencer
- LP, BP, HP , Band Reject filters
- HQ reverb, spring reverb, shimmer, delay, flanger, chorus
- Complex dry/wet envelope
- Modulation system with countless random functions
- Morph between Harvester and modulation
v1.0.5
issue with Restart Harvester setting fixed
v1.0.4
VST3 crash on preset change bug fixed
v1.0.3
Steinberg Wavelab compatibility problem fixed
v1.0.2
Native AAX Apple Silicon support
Sliced Position Mode added
v1.0.1
problems with higher samplerate fixed
CC preset isolate option added
save CC map bug fixed
v1.0.0
initial release
