SugarBytes - Graindad

[Despondo]

New FX vst from SugarBytes:

https://sugar-bytes.de/graindad?fbclid= ... J2K3abRyR4

[EdGrip]

That's right up my cup of tea, GUI-wise.

[huggermugger]

That's right up my cup of tea, GUI-wise.

I love Sugar Bytes UI design.

[BRIGGS]

stunningly brilliant design

[Steedus]

They've come a long way baby ...

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[integerpoet]

I know this is blasphemy, but… I just don't "get" grain-tables, be they effects or instruments or whatever.

They invariably sound to me like a bunch of sharp edges colliding and I don't understand why I would care about which sample that destruction came from.

On one hand I want to say that's fine; if it doesn't sound good to me then it doesn't sound good to me and I shouldn't overthink it.

But enough people seem to be in love with this notion that I wonder what it is that I'm missing.

[platzangst]

I know this is blasphemy, but… I just don't "get" grain-tables, be they effects or instruments or whatever.

Well, technically (as I understand it) a "graintable" isn't an effect, it's an instrument's resource, much as a wavetable is. (The Malström synth uses graintables.) Are you more broadly referring to granular processing in general?

One thing to keep in mind is that a lot of effects processing is granular in nature even if it isn't specifically labeled as such; methods of pitch-shifting, for example, involve breaking down audio into small chunks to process them on the fly. Playing around with Reason's own time-stretching function for audio tracks will reveal a very granular-sounding and stuttering effect if taken to extremes.

Whatever floats your boat; some might enjoy the glitchy aspect of some granular sounds, but it could be noted that the harsher edges can be rounded off to provide very ethereal and droney soundscapes. Imagine a very rapid echo effect.

[platzangst]

They've come a long way baby ...


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Oh, boy, this was one of the very first mega-arguments about REs back in the PUF days. It should be noted that the designs are somewhat based on one of their multi-effects plugins from about the time - Turnado, maybe? I forget off-hand - where in the VST, each effect had a distinctive color/pattern-coded button. But of course, at that time REs were nowhere near able to handle VST-style graphics. People were hoping for a lot from Sugar-Bytes at the time, but the REs were a big disappointment for both users and the developer. They may have been the first developer to to just throw up their hands and abandon REs, even as they were being rolled out for the first time.

[integerpoet]

I know this is blasphemy, but… I just don't "get" grain-tables, be they effects or instruments or whatever.

Are you more broadly referring to granular processing in general?

That does seem to be the case.

…some might enjoy the glitchy aspect of some granular sounds, but it could be noted that the harsher edges can be rounded off to provide very ethereal and droney soundscapes. Imagine a very rapid echo effect.

Even with rounding, the individual grains dominate. To me it feels a bit like a super-crappy reverb.

Far be it for me to tell someone else what to like; that would be dumb. And I might not even notice grains in somebody else's piece if I weren't looking for them and I didn't hear the source sample and know where the result come from. And I might be overthinking; I do that. But for me as a practical matter, granular processing doesn't sound good in my own productions in the moment. It's not inspiring; it creates a problem to be solved.

[platzangst]

Far be it for me to tell someone else what to like; that would be dumb. And I might not even notice grains in somebody else's piece if I weren't looking for them and I didn't hear the source sample and know where the result come from. And I might be overthinking; I do that. But for me as a practical matter, granular processing doesn't sound good in my own productions in the moment. It's not inspiring; it creates a problem to be solved.

I recently had surgery; I was told to avoid lifting over 15 pounds for some time. As that original time was drawing to a close, I asked the surgeon what sort of lifting I would be able to do afterwards, as I would be returning to my job, and he basically said, "well, if anything hurts, don't do that."

Granular might just not be for you. And without being able to step into your ears and identify what exactly you notice/dislike about it, I doubt there's going to be a lot anyone could do to persuade you otherwise beyond offering broad suggestions. There's a metric butt-load of video walkthroughs and audio examples out there to showcase what granular processing can do, and if none of it appeals in any way, then, well - if it hurts, don't do it.

[Jackjackdaw]

I get what @integerpoet is saying. A lot of duff noises can come out of Granular synths. I really dig the sweet spots though, and getting familiar with what source material will work goes a long way to getting good results. I think the synth engine can make a big difference too. I love Grain in Reason and Samplr on iOS but I don’t really get on with Fritz and I really dislike Padshop by Steinberg.

[integerpoet]

I recently had surgery; I was told to avoid lifting over 15 pounds for some time. As that original time was drawing to a close, I asked the surgeon what sort of lifting I would be able to do afterwards, as I would be returning to my job, and he basically said, "well, if anything hurts, don't do that."

There's an old (Vaudeville?) joke that goes something like…

Patient: Doctor! Doctor! It hurts when I hit myself in the forehead with this hammer! What should I do?

Doctor: Uh… Maybe don't… hit yourself in the forehead with a hammer?