Transcript ppt file

Granular Synthesis
Pre-Class Music
Jon Nelson
Scatter
Granular Synthesis Overview
 Any sound can be thought of as containing discrete
particles. (Mosaic or Pointillism)
 A grain of sound typically lasts from 1 to 100 ms.
 Each grain shaped by an amplitude envelope.
 very short envelopes, and envelopes with sharp curves,
produce added frequencies in the spectrum.
 Sound parameters (pitch, panning, duration, envelope,
location in sound file, wave type, etc) change on a grainby-grain basis. Parameters are static within each grain.
High-Level Organization (1)
 Synchronous and Asynchronous.
quality of synchronicity refers to how parameters are
controlled relative to each other, usually grain duration,
panning, amplitude, density of grains, and transposition.
 Pitch-Synchronous Overlapping Streams
Tone Machine in Kontakt. Pre-Analysis needed.
The result is something like a pulse-train, or buzz
generator (think vocal cords), with changing formants.
Works best on soundfiles with changing spectra, and
often turns up in electronica as a rhythmic ostinato.
High-Level Organization (2)
 Quasi-Synchronous Streams
Grain length modified, but grains generally follow at
regular intervals (related to AM). Can be used to timestretch/compress and transpose sounds.
The number of overlapping streams, along with the grain
length of each, can enhance or diminish the AM/tremelo
effect.
 Asynchronous “Clouds”
all parameters independently controlled.
Roads refers to a precisely controllable water jet-spray
nozzle.
Reading
Roads, pp. 168 - 184
Kontakt manual, description of Tone
Machine and Time Machine.