SUGAR BYTES Graindad

Graindad from Sugar Bytes is a granular effect for high quality realtime audio manipulation. Freeze, texturize or reorganize and slice your audio, triggered by transients, clocks or MIDI notes. A complex modulation system with intelligent randomizers provides astonishing results. Filters, reverbs, delays and the all-at-once manipulating Harvester complete the package. With up to 64 grains, Graindad offers extensive possibilities to define your sound in realtime. With 12 main parameters, quick and powerful access to granular synthesis is provided. There are basically 2 modulation systems: a classical system with modulators like step sequencers, lfo and envelope, for familiar access. Plus, a modulation system called Harvester, which provides an easy and playful way to control multiple parameters at once in a visual manner. These two modulation systems can then be mixed for uniquely complex results.

The heart of Graindad is the Grain Engine. While audio is being recorded, it can simultaneously be played back up to 64 times via so-called grains. Organizing and defining these grains is the core task of the engine. The 12 main parameters provide the power to achieve various effects like looping, stuttering, time stretching, pitch shifting, reversing or harmonizing. As important as the playback is, recording also plays a huge role in defining the overall result. Graindad can record in sync to your host clock or be triggered directly via MIDI. It can even dynamically start recording depending on transients in your audio material.
In addition to envelope, LFO and a classic step sequencer with step repeat, the Harvester, various randomizers and MIDI notes can be used as modulation sources. Even the intensity and source of modulation can be controlled by randomizers, and can do so in different modes. Plus, the Modmix Control crossfades between the Harvester and Main Page modulation for surprising results.

Whether it's classic effects like filters, reverbs and delays, Graindad's effects section has everything you need in order to add a new dimension to your sound. Filter types include lowpass, bandpass, band reject and highpass. Choose between three reverb effects: HQ reverb, spring reverb and shimmer. The delay section offers not only different delay types, but also flanger and chorus modes. Dry/Wet controls make it easy to blend filter sweeps into the image or use the bandpass as a peaking EQ to emphasis certain frequencies.