Topic: Some Grainz, Anyone?

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
  • #2867
    The Telenator
    Participant

    That’s right, yet another freeware synth. This one does granular synthesis, something I’m not all that keen on but had to post it from KVR today nevertheless. The reason for posting is below. Now, you do see an awful lot of weird GUI designs lately. Consider the so hip it’s goofy Mausynth, if you will. But this one, this ‘Grainz’? It reminds me of one of those multi-colour, multi-fabric, multi-button artsy fartsy shirts from the late ’70s. At least the 53 colours it uses are all rather soft tones. I present Grainz, the WAV eating granular synth:

    http://www.kvraudio.com/product/grainz_by_sknote

    #22644
    thcilnnahoj
    Participant

    Haven’t heard of Grainz, but I’ll try to make time and check it out.

    I love granular stuff and actually have just picked up New Sonic Arts’ Granite (http://www.newsonicarts.com) before Christmas, which is very nice. 8) I don’t think the offer is still on, but even at €65 it’s worth it.

    One of my other favorites is the free +bubble by Soundhack, which works as insert effect, though.

    #22646
    The Telenator
    Participant

    These, not being my first choice for synthesis, have me unfamiliar and in the dark. I do love the name of that one, though — Soundhack.

    On further reading, installing Grainz is a tad tricky. Among placing folders in various places and carefully named — or else! — one requirement is that the user must place one folder of something or the other into WindowsSystem 32 directory. I didn’t care to hear that, and Ive never come across this before, either.

    Heard of this sort of thing as regards granular synths?

    #22648
    The Telenator
    Participant

    Talk about stumbling onto things outrageously good for the lot of us! I really just posted the GUI of this granular synth Grainz above for its aesthetically interesting entertainment value for our readers. I mean, this one was first released in 2006 or so, making it not even recent and no big deal, right?

    Well, I went back to the web page to learn a bit more about this unusual instrument and this ‘grain’ business. I’d never heard of the software sound company SKNotes before. . . .

    Little did I know, but this SKNotes — owned by designer Quintino Sardo and living right next to MT. Etna in Sicily — but this guy is responsible for all sorts of free and very affordable instruments and effects plugins. I checked a few reviews to discover his VSTs have earned praise all around. He has, for example, a highly rated compressor that sells for round $30. He has a Time Stretcher currently in free beta that he claims will be finished before long. It’s called ‘Traks’. Have a look at these other links beyond KVR that I found:

    http://www.sknote.it/download.htm [the freeware page]

    http://www.sknote.it/ [the affordable commercial plugs]

    Isn’t it interesting what you find sometimes when you really aren’t looking to find anything new?

    Cheers!

    #22650
    thcilnnahoj
    Participant

    @The Telenator wrote:

    On further reading, installing Grainz is a tad tricky. Among placing folders in various places and carefully named — or else! — one requirement is that the user must place one folder of something or the other into WindowsSystem 32 directory. I didn’t care to hear that, and Ive never come across this before, either.

    Heard of this sort of thing as regards granular synths?

    Yeah, that seems a little dodgy at first, I admit. It has nothing to do with being a granular thingy, though – the developer just chose to not directly add some required libraries (one to use PNG images, one for compression) into the finished VST package, and instead relies on them being available in a common place on the user’s system.

    Just for your information, +bubbler is available at http://www.soundhack.com/freeware/, and you can hear it in action in the video on the Zynewave.com home page, for example. 😉 Be warned that I do remember it needing some .NET package installed to work, however.

    #22655
    The Telenator
    Participant

    Oh, yes, thanks for that link! It’s a musician physicist’s dream come true. It’s been a while since I installed any major upgrades from Microsoft, so I had to look in the installed programmes folder. It turns out I am up to date through the latest .NET 4 Framework plus an add-on or two, which is a real relief because I do want some of those.

    Did you see about the chebyshev polynomials this Dr. Soundhack employed for his distortion plugin called +compand? Being low-order it gives the user the ability to control whether odd or even harmonics are added into the distortion and also to what degree. That’s bloody marvelous! I’ve never seen anyone employ this means before, and only a small few would even think of that! I’m nabbing that plugin and the +bubbler straight away after I sign off here.

    I also am auditioning one called ‘Smear’, a very post-modern-looking UI of a thing that does just as its name states using granular. The maker is called ++audio if you haven’t heard of this one and found at https://ccrma.stanford.edu/~adam/++/index.php?page=effects&effect=smear. Yes, that’s the Stanford University and, yes, dabbling in physics is more than a hobby for these chaps too. I now have all three of their small, very efficient and rather charming plugin FX, and I think you’ll like Smear if you hven’t already come across it.

    While I’m here, I should also give a shout out about energyXT being released today in version 2.7 with major improvements (It’s almost a real DAW now!), and the very fine RMS-type/backward-looking comp TDA Feedback Compressor that has got mention in the forums in Podium. It is out today as well in a most beautiful-looking new beta with some internal improvements also. It’s also on KVR or go to Tokyo Dawn Labs.

    I currently set aside a couple of hours each week to read the recording news and check for the many updates that are flying out to the public as fast as I can read up on them. What’s going on about freeware plugins these days in quality and choice is nothing short of stunning!

    Cheers!
    Tele

    #22668
    kingtubby
    Participant

    I really like granular synthesis and tried grainz a few years ago but failed to get anything pleasing (at least to my ears) out of it.
    I own granite which is by far my favourite and well worth the asking price.
    Smear is a new one to me and I thought I’d heard of everything granular, so thanks for that link.
    Also agreed about SKnote – some terrific stuff there at a very reasonable price – no demos though.

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)
  • You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
© 2021 Zynewave