Best Granular Synth VSTs & Plugins For Computer Part One
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The Greek composer, Iannis Xenakis, is credited as being the inventor of the granular synthesis technique, although it was the Canadian composer, Barry Truax, who implemented real-time versions of this technique first. Since then, there have been numerous dedicated devices for exploring granular synthesis, with many of them being in the Eurorack modular synthesizer format. Last year we checked out a few iOS options for people who want to delve into granular synthesis without having to invest in expensive hardware (http://www.vintagesynth.com/articles/best-granular-software-synths-ios). However, there are also a few VST & Plugin options available for DAW users interested in granular synthesis.
Ribs Granular FX by Hvoya Audio
Price: Free
Ribs is a free plug-in that is available for both PC and MAC. It is a granular instrument/fx that offers a combination of different features. In addition to playing it as a poly/mono synth in "NOTES" mode, you can also scratch audio like a vinyl record in its "SIMPLE" mode. The most interesting feature is the ability to generate complex polyrhythmic beats with custom grain sizes in "BEAT" mode. In addition, you can use it as a granular FX with polyphonic capabilities. Keep in mind that Ribs does not support saving or loading of captured audio so record your live performances if you do complex processing with it.
PolyGAS by Stone Voices
Price: Free
PolyGAS is another VST instrument plugin for Windows that is completely free of charge. It is based on a granular method of sound synthesis and offers 32-part polyphony. PolyGAS can handle files in WAV and AIFF format, and its granular synthesis engine can then modify the sounds with 18 envelopes, 11 filter types, parameter randomization, built-in reverb and much more. PolyGAS also supports the use of MIDI controllers. Polygon is not free, but it has a number of useful features and is compatible with Windows and Mac OS X.
Polygon Composite Sampler by GlitchMachines
Price: $69
Polygon is a sampler that was designed with electronic music producers and those who love experimental sound design in mind. It features a clean and logical interface along with extensive modulation options. Along with its sample library Polygon also has more than 100 presets to get you going. In addition to 4 monophonic sampler modules Polygon also has 3 FX processors, 4 mod envelopes, 8 LFOs, and a granular mode.
Biotek 2 Organic Synthesizer by Traktion
Price: $199
BIOTEK 2 is not a cheap option, but what you get for your money is a powerhouse sampling and synthesis workstation. A recent addition to BIOTEK 2 is its granular oscillator, which extracts sound grains from the sample of your choice and then redistributes them into dense clouds, scattered drops or just about any density you want in-between. A useful visual reference for how the grains relate to the source sample makes it easier to manipulate as it shows the playback position and pitch relationships. BIOTEK 2 is available for MAC, Windows and has also been tested on Ubuntu. A free trial version of the software is available for testing.
Crusher-X 8 by AccSone
Price: €289,00
Crusher-X 8 is another option that doesn't come cheap, but it does offer the world's first live granular synth with Grain Controlled Oscillators. There is a reason why Crusher-X 8 is one of the industry leaders when it comes to granular synthesizers, but this is not the product to get if you just want to casually dabble with this form of synthesis. It even allows you to bind Grain Modulations to Envelope Followers and has introduced a micro-tuned scaled arpeggiator for speed, GCO pitch and Filter Cuts in the latest version. Crusher-X 8 is available for MAC or PC and demo versions can be downloaded for both formats.
Quanta by AudioDamage
Price: $99
We looked at Quanta for our iOS roundup, but it is also a full-featured ten-voice true stereo granular synthesizer for Windows and MAC. It offers up to one hundred 1000ms grains per voice, of up to one second long, and gives you full control over the grain state. You also get direct randomization along with modulation of most of the parameters in Quanta. Working with Quanta is as easy as dragging and dropping your samples, which can be in WAV, AIFF, Ogg, or FLAC format onto the window. It also has dual multi-mode filters, flexible envelope generators, flexible low-frequency oscillators, modulation matrix, MPE and much more.
Kaivo by Madrona Labs
Price: $129
Kaivo by Madrona Labs is a semi-modular software synthesizer that actually combines granular synthesis and physical modeling. Although it is not free, it can be used in demo mode until registered. The unregistered version plays a reminder sound every minute or so and you cannot save patches made with it, but it will give you a good indication of what to expect from the full product. Kaivo comes with a decent selection of samples, but you can load your own ones of up to 8 seconds in length. You can create up to 16 grains per voice and almost all of the controls in the Granulator can be modulated. Kaivo is available for both Windows and Mac OS.
Conclusion
In the second part of this article, we will examine a few more options for anyone interested in granular synthesis on PC or Mac.
