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 GranuLab
 
Real-time granular synthesizer for Win32
 
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    GranuLab makes sound in real time by generating masses of short sound "grains" (usually chopped from all over one of your soundfiles).

    Features:
    Real-time control over time-stretching and pitch of a sound.
    Morph between straight playback and fancy synthetic sounds based on a soundfile.
    All parameters can be controlled by MIDI.

    Register GranuLab online at Kagi. (external link) The registered version offers 8 grain streams, and other features.
news?
    newsflash
    (may 2008): Granny 8 update: Record separate soundfile from each stream - jam now remix later (version "T9")
    (march 2008): Granny 1.1 released. This uses the same engine as Granny 8, ie has many interface tweaks, and better sound.
    (march 2008): Granny 8 update: 6-point interpolation for much cleaner sound. Faster engine. (version "T8")
    (may 2003): MIDI updated. Each stream has its own MIDI channel. Better crude/fine control for sliders ("waggle" mode - see help file)
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Overview
          

    What Is Granular Synthesis?

    Granular synthesis is the technique of creating complex sound by playing back many short and relatively simple sound fragments. Usually one starts from a sound sample (music or speech), and play back very short segments of this sound -- sound grains.
    What is it good for? The starting point of grains is controlled separately from the grain playback rate. This means that you can scan the original sound slowly but play back each individual grain fast (or vice versa, or randomly). Thus it is easy (and computationally cheap) to make fairly good time-stretching and pitch-changing effects.
    By gradually changing the parameters for sound grains, or randomizing them, radical transmutation can be made in real time. You can move freely from straight playback of a sound to a variety of effects, and back.

    Here is an a brief explanation by Barry Truax. And an article by Gordon. And yet another, by Eric Küehln.

 
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    Registration

    Register online to get the 8-stream version of GranuLab and all versions up to GranuLab2.
    The fee is $25 for single home users; $50 for pro users.
    Multi-user site licenses are $50 for studios duty-free for artists, or $100 for commercial sites.

    On registration, you will receive GranuLab 8 (a.k.a GranuLab Transitional) described below.
    All versions of GranuLab will be delivered to registered users, up to and including the full projected GranuLab2 functionality is completed and free of faults (as far as I can take it).

    Registration is handled by Kagi.com. See the customer FAQ for answers to your common questions.

 
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    Plans for GranuLab2

    Main features (updated March, 2008). Preliminary and subject to changes.
    No time schedule for when anything will be ready.
    • New interface - horizontal sliders and pretty picture of soundfile.
    • Live input - Capture phrases and/or use a buffer of N last seconds of input sound.
    • More control options - LFO's on all sliders, connect sliders across streams, support BMP units etc.
    • New format for patches and options (XML)
    • New version of GranuLab 1.1, with new interface - After new interface is ready.
      Still free of charge, still single stream, has everything above, except maybe live input
    • Remake MIDI control (partly fixed). Support OSC for interplay between Granny instances on different PC's
    • N-band filter on input sound, each outputs a grain stream
    • external soundfile can control N-band filter; this allows granular vocoder effects
    • Grain frequency modulation (not just up/down gliss)
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    GranuLab 8

    This program has 8 grain streams. GranuLab 8 is only sent out to registered users, though it will at some later time be made freeware. On registration you will get this version, and all versions at least until the feature set of GranuLab^2 (see above) is fully implemented. See registration info above.

    The additional features of this version are:

    • Up to 8 grain streams simultaneously. The streams are completely independent -- like using 8 Granny 1.1's at the same time. Streams can be muted and soloed.
    • MIDI notes and controllers can be directed to streams and sliders. Each stream acts like a monophonic synth.
    • The pro and institutional versions offers separate login for multiple users and projects.
      Soundfile paths, MIDI configuration and other options are stored by login handle.
 
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    Download. Status.

    GranuLab is rarely updated. (last time was in 2003). Register to get the 8-stream version, which is described above.
    The program is built and tested under Windows XP.

    Latest changes to GranuLab:

    • (March 2008): Granny 8 update: 6-point interpolation for much cleaner sound.
      Faster engine ( interpolation at nearly same performance as the old linear - linear is faster yet)
    • (March 2008): Granny 1.1 released. This uses the same engine as Granny 8, ie many many bugfixes, and better sound.
    • (May 2003): Granny MIDI updated. Each stream can act like a mono synth on its own MIDI channel.
      Better crude/fine control for sliders (the "waggle" mode - see help file)

    Download GranuLab 1.1 alpha (March 9, 2008; Size: 337 kB)
    (The "alpha" part means there may be obvious and big bugs, so this version may be updated pretty soon.)

    Historical version: GranuLab 1.0 (August 10, 2003; Size: 118 kB)

 
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    By the way, GranuLab does NOT freeze or lock up. Use the 'Q' key on your keyboard to stop sound output. And keep an eye on density in the status bar.
    Please read about this topic in the help file -- in later versions this will be fixed.
    Thank you. /re
     
        
 COAGULA 
    If you like GranuLab, you may want to check out Coagula, an image synth.