Granular synthesis

Using granular synthesis, it’s possible to create an entire symphony from just a few tiny fragments of sound. Mark Cousins finds out if small is indeed beautiful...

!ranular synthesis has increasingly become the buzzword of contemporary music production, with a constant stream of artists revealing granular synthesis as the secret weapon in their audio armoury. Despite its origins in the academia of university music departments, granular synthesis is now fully embraced by a generation of musicians wanting to explore more extreme and exciting forms of sound creation. Indeed, artists such as Autechre, Aphex Twin and Richard Devine are more likely to be found dissecting and mangling existing sounds using granular techniques than they are to be hunched over a dusty old modular synthesizer.

This feature first appeared in Music Tech Magazine issue 31
Filed under Ten Minute Masters

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