Alchemy granular element controls in MainStage

Source components are shown only in advanced view. Click the Advanced button to switch to advanced view, then click the A, B, C, or D button on the left below Global to select the source you want to edit.

The parameters in this section are shown when the Granular button is active in a source subpage. The Granular section is available only when you import an audio sample using either granular or sampler mode. See Alchemy Import browser in MainStage.

Note: The sampler and granular engines are mutually exclusive: you can use one or the other within a single source, but not both together. You can, however, turn on further sources if both engines are required simultaneously.

Granular synthesis

Unlike a conventional sampler that plays back a loaded audio file as-is, the granular synthesis engine in Alchemy generates sound from many small fragments called grains—tiny, windowed pieces of the original audio. Instead of a single linear playback, grains are continuously generated from around the current playhead position in the sample, often overlapping to form a continuous sound. You can adjust the duration of each grain (2–230 milliseconds) and the rate at which grains are produced with the available controls. Each grain is shaped in amplitude and can be modified in pitch and pan before being mixed into the output. Additional taps introduce parallel grain streams, offset in time or position, allowing for more complex and spatially rich textures.

You can modulate all those parameters, including grain position, timing, and pitch, allowing for continuous variation of the resulting sound. Through modulation and the interaction of these controls, even a simple source sample can be transformed into a wide range of textures.

In addition to the granular parameters themselves, the resulting sound is also influenced by other controls in the Source section, such as playback position, speed, and loop modes, which determine how the sample is scanned and therefore where grains are generated from. See Alchemy source subpage controls in MainStage.

Modulations of the granular element update with each new grain. For an example of the impact this has, modulating the source Coarse Tune parameter with an LFO causes the stream of grains to rise and fall in pitch, but does not create pitch sweeps within each grain. If a large Size value is used in conjunction with a low Density value, modulations of source parameters such as pitch may sound stepped, rather than smooth.

You can choose between two granular modes, classic and sync. In granular sync mode, also referred to as pitched grains, you can control the formant modulation of the grain’s pitch.

Main granular element parameters

Waveform display: Displays the waveform of the loaded audio sample. The white vertical line indicates the current playback position and serves as a reference for where grains are generated from within the sample. Depending on the settings and modulation, this position may move, remain static, or vary dynamically. The scale above the waveform shows the duration of the sample in seconds.
On/Off button: Turn on to use the granular element in the source.
Sync button: Click to switch the granular engine between classic mode (Sync button inactive) and sync mode (Sync button active).
In granular sync mode, the Size knob and Density knob are replaced by the Formant Shift knob that you use to adjust the formants of the sound.
Volume knob: Set the volume of the granular element, independent of other source elements.
Size knob: Adjust the duration of each grain from 2–230 ms, which determines the length of the audio signal extracted from the sample around the current playhead position in the waveform overview.
Density knob: Determine how frequently grains are generated from the audio sample around the current playhead position in the waveform display. The perceived result depends on the Size setting. Lower density values produce fewer, more separated grains, while higher values increase the number of overlapping grains.
The Size and Density parameters interact with each other. When the Density value is 1, a single grain is sent to the output stream. As soon as one grain finishes, the next one is sent. A Size value of 100 msec sends a new grain every 100 msec.
Increasing Density to 2 adds a second grain that is sent in between those of the first, resulting in a new grain every 50 msec, assuming a Size value of 100 msec. The first and second grains overlap each other. Higher Density values inject additional new grains into the output stream. These new grains occur more frequently and overlap more heavily.
Setting Size to around 100 msec and Density to around 5 grains is often suitable for smooth pad sounds with no sharp transients. Setting Size between 40 and 80 msec and Density to around 2 grains is useful for drums and other sounds featuring sharp transients. Small Size values tend to produce a buzz that masks the original pitch of the sample. Large Size values tend to break up the sound. You can counteract both tendencies by increasing the Density.
Note: Also important to the Size and Density parameters is the shape chosen in the Grain Shape pop-up menu. This can have a significant or subtle impact on sonic artifacts that may be introduced in the stream of grains.
Formant Shift knob: Adjust the formants of the sound, up to a maximum shift of 36 semitones up or down.
Use an LFO to modulate the formant shift parameter to achieve interesting results. RTime should be set to 0% to have a really clear effect.
Note: The Formant Shift knob is only available when the Sync button is activated.
RTime knob: Add a small random offset to grain extraction positions in the sample. The default value is 3% because a small amount of randomization helps to smooth the output of the granular element.
RPan knob: Add a random offset to the stereo position of each grain. The source Stereo button next to the Edit button must be on for RPan to have an effect.
Grain Shape pop-up menu: Choose the envelope shape that is applied to each grain. At a basic level, this applies a small fade-in and fade-out to each grain, but some shapes may have a more significant impact, depending on the current Size and Density values (and the source material). You can also step through the available grain shapes with the Previous and Next buttons (the arrows).
This function is primarily intended to reduce or remove glitches, clicks, and crackles in the playback of a stream of grains, but it can introduce buzzy gaps between grains and can affect the tonality of grains. The effect of the chosen grain shape can also be quite subtle in many cases, particularly when you avoid extreme Size and/or Density values. There are no fixed rules when it comes to the choice of grain shape, given the infinite variety of source audio material. Therefore, you may want to experiment to achieve the required results.

Tap parameters

The granular engine generates grains from the audio sample, primarily controlled by the Grain Size and Density parameters. This produces a continuous audio stream of overlapping, envelope-shaped grains, as defined by the selection from the Grain Shape pop-up menu. To create more complex textures, the Tap controls introduce additional parallel grain streams. Each stream follows the same settings but can be offset and varied using the available tap parameters, resulting in a denser and more spatially complex sound.

Num Taps knob: Set the number of parallel grain streams (layers). Each tap generates its own grains using the same settings but with positional offsets, increasing density and creating a thicker, more diffuse sound.
Note: Taps that fall within a looped area are retriggered on each loop cycle.
Tap Interval knob: Choose a value of up to 12 semitones so that the second and subsequent taps are pitched up or down. You can set values between the quantized semitones with modifier shift while dragging the control.
Tap Delay knob: Set the time, up to 0.30 seconds, that each tap (set in the Num Taps knob) is delayed from the previous tap.
The volume of the initial and subsequent taps is fixed as tap 1: 100%, tap 2: 92%, tap 3: 87%, tap 4: 78%, tap 5: 71%, tap 6: 65%, tap 7: 57%, tap 8: 50%.This isn't editable.
Tap Spacing knob: Set the positional offset between the parallel grain streams (taps). Each tap reads from a different point in the sample, spaced according to this value, which is expressed as a percentage of the total sample length. Higher values distribute the taps more widely across the sample, while lower values place them closer together.
StOffset knob: Offset the stereo position to create a wider sound. The source Stereo button must be on for Stereo Offset to have an effect.

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