MGranularMB: Grain count and Cross-fade

[anton_s]

I would appreciate it very much if someone could explain "Grain count" to me in a bit more detail. The manual briefly states:

Grain count
Grain count controls the number of grains kept in use by the voice. Although only one grain is played at each moment, the voice can rearrange the grains in time depending on the Mode.

Also, which "Mode" does this quotation refer to?


I am also uncertain about "Cross-fade": What exactly does cross-fade crossfade between? (The bands' border frequencies? The grains's overlap in time? Is this a fade-in and fade-out at the start and end of the grains?)

Cross-fade
Cross-fade defines the cross-fade region size. For 0% no cross-fade is used which may result in clicking and glitches.

EDIT: Another question: When MGranularMB slices the input audio, do the slices randomly overlap, or are the slices in sequence with beginnings and ends perfectly aligned?

[Gone soft]

I would appreciate it very much if someone could explain "Grain count" to me in a bit more detail. The manual briefly states:

Grain count
Grain count controls the number of grains kept in use by the voice. Although only one grain is played at each moment, the voice can rearrange the grains in time depending on the Mode.

Also, which "Mode" does this quotation refer to?

I'm curious about this too, but never got around to asking. I find that explanation quite unclear.

I am also uncertain about "Cross-fade": What exactly does cross-fade crossfade between? (The bands' border frequencies? The grains's overlap in time? Is this a fade-in and fade-out at the start and end of the grains?)

Cross-fade
Cross-fade defines the cross-fade region size. For 0% no cross-fade is used which may result in clicking and glitches.

The overlap in time yes, from zero which offcourse means switching directly to the next grain with no overlap and smoothing beetween them to smooth volume crossfading between grains.

[buing]

I would appreciate it very much if someone could explain "Grain count" to me in a bit more detail. The manual briefly states:

Grain count
Grain count controls the number of grains kept in use by the voice. Although only one grain is played at each moment, the voice can rearrange the grains in time depending on the Mode.

I want to know clearly too, anyone explain please?
I've experienced many times about grain count but still don't know how it works exactly
F1 Key doesn't explain enough.

[DarkStar]

My thoughts:

It looks like "Mode" means the Random Mode in the Pitch Sequencer.

And my guess: say you have multiple grains (Grain Count > 1) the Random mode will affect which grain is used.

Pitch sequencer provides an extremely advanced way to change the pitch of individual grains. It works similarly to a step sequencer, but in each step you can specify one or more pitches. It moves one step every time a certain number of grains are processed. The processor chooses a pitch for each created grain according to the Mode parameter. This feature is rather alchemistic, but it brings unbelievable possibilities to your creative arsenal.

Random mode controls the way the pitch for each grain is chosen. Any pitch (no sequencer) mode disables the sequencer and makes the voice follow the pitch and random pitch parameters. In all other modes the pitch sequencer is used and the modes can be either limited or unlimited. Limited mode means that the pitch selected for each grain should always be inside the range defined by the pitch and random pitch parameters. Conversely in unlimited modes any pitch can be chosen whether it is in the requested range or not.

Random mode selects any of the enabled notes in the pitch sequencer. Lowest mode selects the lowest enabled note and Highest selects the highest enabled note.

Cross-fade? Between playing of one grain and the next?

[levendis]

I would appreciate it very much if someone could explain "Grain count" to me in a bit more detail.

i too am perplexed by this parameter and would opt for DarkStar's submission that it relates to the Pitch Sequencer's Mode. Not sure how though.

pitch sequencer.PNG

Using 'Grain Count' = 3 i wondered if the above pitch sequence would play one of the two supplied pitches on step 1 at least 3 times consecutively. This wasn't the case.
i also noticed that the grains were of greater length, the lower the interval in the pitch sequencer. ie. Step 5 would play the longest, step 4 the briefest, in the pictured sequence. The sequence is thinned out so it would yield a recurring arpeggio, for analysing purposes. The grain size i set to a long-ish duration, for the same reason.

[Gone soft]

Would grain count allow for polyphonic sequences perhaps? Grain count 3 = 3 notes can be heard at the same time somehow? Has anyone made any sense of this?

[levendis]

The Copies parameter seems to generate polyphony, within a single voice(?!)

[anton_s]

The Copies parameter seems to generate polyphony, within a single voice(?!)

I'm not sure that this is correct. The manual states:

Copies
Copies controls the number of voices generated using the same parameters.

Max copy delay
Max copy delay defines the maximum delay of the copies. Delays for each copy are determined randomly depending on this value and range from 0ms to this value.

If I understand correctly, "Copies" is simply the number of times a grain will be played/repeated within the Max delay time.

[anton_s]

I hope that Vojtech himself can give us some insight.

[levendis]

The Copies parameter seems to generate polyphony, within a single voice(?!)

I'm not sure that this is correct.

Though the Cross-Fade parameter has a role to play, i'm sure that Copies has the effect of generating polyphony, pseudo or otherwise.

Here is an fxp (standard VST preset format) which demonstrates so:

MGranularMB -- Copies Polyphony.zip

• Supply the MGranularMB instance with a sound of static pitch for 8½ bars.
  1. There's only one Voice active.
  2. There's a modulator which oscillates the Copies parameter between value=1 and value=3. This allows you to hear the difference every 4 bars.
  3. The Pitch Sequencer is configured to generate an arpeggio at a slow rate.
• You'll notice that when Copies=1 the intervals are stepped through abruptly, when Copies=3 there's polyphony. Admittedly, there's only 2 intervals playing at any one time, but i believe that i've accomplished more with only one Voice active, in the past. That may have been due to having more than one options per sequencer step. i avoided doing so in the example for clarity's sake.
• Increasing Grain Count seems to increase the polyphony. Try manually adjusting that parameter as the preset plays.

[levendis]

Re: Variable grain length courtesy of the Pitch Sequencer.

The Grain Size is 1:1 when Pitch Sequencer step is 0 transposition.
i suspect that +-transposition maintains the contents of a grain with 0 transposition but adjusts playback speed. For example, -12 transposition will repitch down an octave, playing the same contents of sampled window (grain size at 0 transposition) but at half speed, which doubles the grain size.

[masitito]

The Copies parameter seems to generate polyphony, within a single voice(?!)

But why is it not an integer value? I never understood what 3.56 copies should be.

Masi

[Gone soft]

The Copies parameter seems to generate polyphony, within a single voice(?!)

But why is it not an integer value? I never understood what 3.56 copies should be.

Masi

I always assumed that means 3 copies + one copy at 56% volume.

[Gone soft]

Re: Variable grain length courtesy of the Pitch Sequencer.

The Grain Size is 1:1 when Pitch Sequencer step is 0 transposition.
i suspect that +-transposition maintains the contents of a grain with 0 transposition but adjusts playback speed. For example, -12 transposition will repitch down an octave, playing the same contents of sampled window (grain size at 0 transposition) but at half speed, which doubles the grain size.

Grain size shouldn't vary like this no, the very definiton of granular processing is the grain size remains constant while the playback speed within the individual grains still vary as per parameters.

And offcourse taking settings for random variations conserning both size and pitch into account.

[masitito]

No official answer?

Masi