This patch is mostly an attempt to demonstrate the potential of multiple instances of the granular module as a pitchshifter/harmonizer/pixelator/rainbow buddy. I think it sounds good, but I think there are oodles (to use the slang of today) of ways to take the concept.
What you hear are 3 different instances of the granular module, all with 8 grains, maximum size, texture, and density. At 100% speed, they overlap, and it’s difficult to discern that you are hearing anything at all (there is a slight phasing effect). But as their speed increases or decreases, the grain size starts being too short or too long for this effect to persist, and you get a sort of… harp effect.
I love harps, so I’m wild about this. You can exaggerate it by feeding the granular module back on itself, which causes the notes to ring out in trills (and also rises in pitch, creating continually rising or falling pitches). For those looking to experiment with this idea, a word of warning: a little feedback goes a LONG way. All of the feedback in the sound clip is capped out at about -17 dB. Much more than that, and things get potentially very loud as the feedback loop keeps building and building.
Onto controls:
Footswitches:
Left, momentary: cycles through five settings for the granular modules
1. Chorus/detune. (I thought it was a good idea to start off with something not so crazy, plus I wanted to experiment with the setup for a detune/anti-chorus configuration. It sounds pretty good!) Low feedback.
2. -1 octave, -1 octave, -4th. Medium feedback.
3. +1 octave, +2 octaves, -1 octave. High feedback.
4. +1 octave, +2 octaves, -1 octave. No feedback.
5. +1 octave, +minor 3rd, +perfect 5th. No feedback.
Middle, latching: freezes the second and third granular modules.
Front panel:
…[Mix]…[Grain position]…[Freeze indicator]…
………….[Setting indicator pixels 1-5]………………
I added grain position for a diagnostic test. It functions a little like a pre-delay for the effect, a little like a shape, in that it tends to cut the transients off notes. I think it actually has the most interesting effect on the detune setting, where it causes… it’s hard to describe. I should have recorded it.
Revision 1.1:
Quite a bit has been added to this revision. All of the controls of the granular modules have been pulled to the front panel, as has the feedback control. They are labeled, so they should be easy to identify.
The controls of the granular module are quite interactive. Adjusting them can result in everything from soothing undulation to bit crushing cacophony. Additionally, the feedback control has been given a lot (too much in many settings) of play: I would recommend going no higher than .5, unless you are ready to adjust things quickly. (It’s still set to -10dB at its max, because feedback on the granular module is _insane_.)
The footswitch presets have been changed slightly, too. Settings 1-3 remain. Setting 4 was removed (access to the feedback control makes it redundant), and setting 5 has taken its place. The new setting 5 is user-definable; below the pixel marking the 5th position are three value modules labeled “Interval.” Use these to define the fifth setting. If you are unfamiliar with using value modules to set note values, .1 = 1 octave within ZOIA. So, setting a value of .1 on one interval and -.1 for another interval would result in pitches one octave above and below. Other intervals have values of their own (e.g., .058 is a fifth). Meanwhile, values between semitones create… interesting, often very unmusical sounds (especially with feedback). I won’t say bad. I will say interesting.
Finally, the right footswitch has been given an assignment, because it was open. It is latching, and when engaged, it slowly drops the pitch to its minimum (five octaves below), and when released, it slowly raises the pitch. This can create some tape stop/speed up effects. It’s not very sophisticated, but it can be neat to play around with.
Sound clip:
I run through each of the settings, in order. There is a little grain position used for the second setting (-1 oct, -1 oct, -4th), otherwise the only thing effected is mix.
The fifth setting–I’m not sure it’s as successful with intervals as it is with octaves and cents. That said, I did find a cool little groove that reminded me of something RZA would turn into an entire track so….
Hi Christopher. Don’t know if you were aware of it but Sarah Lipstate (Noveller) mentions one of your patches: https://youtu.be/iaQBscuDwm0?t=441