About Granular Synthesis - Steinberg PADSHOP Manual Del Usario

Padshop Pro
On top of the functions available in Padshop, Padshop Pro allows you to use your own
samples as sources for the grain oscillator. It includes a 3-band equalizer for each
layer that can be used to fine-tune the layers for perfect combinations. And, last, but
not least, it includes a global algorithmic reverb effect that can be fed individually by
both layers, to create even larger spaces and soundscapes.

About Granular Synthesis

Granular synthesis is based on a simple idea: Instead of playing back an entire
sample, only short portions of the sample, the so-called grains, are played. These
grains can be played back in any order. Each time a grain ends, a new one starts. To
avoid discontinuities in the playback and to minimize artefacts, envelopes are applied
to the grains. Granular synthesis can be used to extract interesting spectra from all
kinds of samples, to create sound effects by completely scrambling a sample, or for
low-fidelity time stretching, for example.
Very short grains produce sounds with an individual pitch. For that reason, you can
also use samples without a distinct pitch, such as drum loops, and sound effects, to
extract pitched spectra from them. Sounds with longer grains usually play back with
the pitch of the original sample.
If you play back the same portion of a sample over and over again, the sound may
become too static. You can use the Random, Spread, and Offset parameters to
compensate for this and bring more liveliness into the sound. By adding more grain
streams, the grain and sound density can be increased to produce a richer sound.
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Padshop/Padshop Pro
About Granular Synthesis