The audio for this video was made using granular synthesis techniques. The raw sounds used for synthesis were crashing glasses, bells, and welders noise. New granular sounds were produced by altering the parameters available in the GranuLab software (see "GranuLab" below). After selecting the best ones, they were imported into Protools and synchronised with the video. Different layers of sounds were built in order to generate textures. Also, low frequency layers were added to contrast with the bright timbre of the granular sounds.
Grain Concept and Granular Synthesis
A grain is a very short sound particle, approximately between 1 and 100 milliseconds long. Its waveform is shaped by an amplitude envelope, and its duration and frequency approach the threshold of hearing perception.
Grains less than 2 ms long sound like clicks. However, by varying their frequency and waveform parameters, different click tones can be produced. Tone variation in different clicks may cause huge impact within a sound cloud of grains, producing new sonorities and textures.
Granular Synthesis is the process of combining and manipulating granular sounds in a sequence to produce complex and larger sound pieces. A granulator produces grains by applying an envelope to a sampled sound or sine waveform. It can be classified depending on the method used to distribute grains in time:
• Asynchronous Granular Synthesis – Grains are distributed through a random function in terms of grain density.
• Synchronous Granular Synthesis – Distributes grains in real time.
Granular Synthesis parameters are envelope, duration, waveform, frequency, band, density and spatial location.
Reference:
Roads, Curtis. (2001) Microsound. Cambridge, Mass. London: MIT. pp.64, 65, 69, 87, 88, 302
A grain is a very short sound particle, approximately between 1 and 100 milliseconds long. Its waveform is shaped by an amplitude envelope, and its duration and frequency approach the threshold of hearing perception.
Grains less than 2 ms long sound like clicks. However, by varying their frequency and waveform parameters, different click tones can be produced. Tone variation in different clicks may cause huge impact within a sound cloud of grains, producing new sonorities and textures.
Granular Synthesis is the process of combining and manipulating granular sounds in a sequence to produce complex and larger sound pieces. A granulator produces grains by applying an envelope to a sampled sound or sine waveform. It can be classified depending on the method used to distribute grains in time:
• Asynchronous Granular Synthesis – Grains are distributed through a random function in terms of grain density.
• Synchronous Granular Synthesis – Distributes grains in real time.
Granular Synthesis parameters are envelope, duration, waveform, frequency, band, density and spatial location.
Reference:
Roads, Curtis. (2001) Microsound. Cambridge, Mass. London: MIT. pp.64, 65, 69, 87, 88, 302
GranuLab
The GranuLab software is a granular real- time synthesizer that allows to control the following parameters:
1. Soundfile playback: Controls which part of the original sound will be looped and processed.
• Start
• Length
• Rate - Time-streching parameter. It makes the selected sound be longer or shorter.
2. Grain density:
• Frequency - Determines how often new grains are generated. It is measured in grains per second. The higher the frequency, the more continuous is the sound. If the frequency is lowered, the audio sample sounds more fragmented. When increasing too much the frequency, a high pitch may be produced that mixes with the original sound.
• Length - Length of the grains that affects the texture of the sounds. Shorter grains result in a more particulated texture.
3. Grain Pitch:
• Pitch – Pitch of the produced grains.
• Gliss – Produces a glissando effect.
4. Envelope: Controls the grain's amplitude shape. The resulting effects sound like fades in and fades out of each grain.
• Attack
• Decay
5. Output:
• Amplitude – Global amplitude output
• Panning – Spatialization of the resulting sound
The GranuLab software is a granular real- time synthesizer that allows to control the following parameters:
1. Soundfile playback: Controls which part of the original sound will be looped and processed.
• Start
• Length
• Rate - Time-streching parameter. It makes the selected sound be longer or shorter.
2. Grain density:
• Frequency - Determines how often new grains are generated. It is measured in grains per second. The higher the frequency, the more continuous is the sound. If the frequency is lowered, the audio sample sounds more fragmented. When increasing too much the frequency, a high pitch may be produced that mixes with the original sound.
• Length - Length of the grains that affects the texture of the sounds. Shorter grains result in a more particulated texture.
3. Grain Pitch:
• Pitch – Pitch of the produced grains.
• Gliss – Produces a glissando effect.
4. Envelope: Controls the grain's amplitude shape. The resulting effects sound like fades in and fades out of each grain.
• Attack
• Decay
5. Output:
• Amplitude – Global amplitude output
• Panning – Spatialization of the resulting sound
