Granular Soundscape Generator

Description

In the high woodlands of the north, undiscovered by most inhabitants, there ruled a clan of old, mystic Treefolk. On the first new moon of spring, these Treefolk could be heard grafting limbs to grow their young - splicing bits of branches from each generation to produce the next line of Treefolk. These new beings keep the lifeblood of all who came before in their new skin. These sounds are in part very old, but in part very new. They are referred to as... Fable.

Let your storybook adventure grows with the Fable Granular Soundscape Generator. The Fable gives you five all-new programs centered around sample and chop delay algorithms to create bizarrely beautiful networks of sampled and resampled sounds. The Fable uses a powerful dual DSP architecture to combine
delay programs in series with granular sampling algorithms, each with its own analog feedback path. Find unique soundscapes ranging from smooth, flowing ambience; to bizarre, organic reverberance; to chaotic, glitchy swarms.

So, what exactly is this granular effect and why is it a magical experience when combined with delay? Granular is a digital processing technique of micro-sampling, wherein short samples called grains are read from a delay buffer. In the Fable, players can adjust these grains by manipulating their sampling length, position, and buffer size from which they’re read. They can be played at double or half speed for pitch shift and time stretching effects, play them in reverse, read from multiple positions, and more, in order to achieve different effects.

It’s a powerful but complex technique and Walrus Audio created five streamlined programs in the Fable that explore different aspects of its sonic range.

Programs

I. Reverse Delay into Reverse Granular
Program 1 runs a reverse delay into a reverse granular algorithm, in which sampled grains are played backwards. Reversal and re-reversal build up in the feedback paths, creating a complex and organically shifting soundscape. Turn grain size down for long, smooth reversed transients, and grain size up for
stuttering reverse glitch madness.

II. Forward Delay into Octave Up Granular
Program 2 runs a forward delay into an octave-up granular program, in which sampled grains are played at double speed. Swarms of double-speed grains build up in the feedback path for bright and airy cascades of sound.

III. Analog Delay into Octave Down Granular 
Program 3 runs a warm, dark analog-style delay into an octave-down granular program, in which sampled grains are played back at half speed. Slowed down repeats combine with analog-style processing to create deep, thunderous footfalls and thick, murky ambience.

IV. Multi-Tap Granular into Multi-Tap Granular (Grain-Verb)
Program 4 runs two multi-tap granular algorithms in series, in which multiple samples are played back from each granular buffer simultaneously. Multiple points of sampled sound build upon each other in the feedback paths to create glitchy clouds and unique organic reverberance. Time in this program controls
time-stretching of both granular algorithms, changing both the length and tonal character of the granular effect.

V. Forward Delay into Randomized Pitch Granular
Program 5 runs a forward delay into a randomized pitch granular program, in which each grain is played back at a randomly selected speed and direction, varying between pitched up double speed, pitched down half speed, normal speed, plus forward and reversed playback from grain to grain. Pitch changes with each new grain, so play with the X knob in this program to control the rate of randomized pitch modulation.