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Granular synthesis is a sound synthesis method that operates on the microsound time scale. It is often based on the same principles as sampling but often includes analog technology. The samples are not used directly however, they are split in small pieces of around 1 to 50 ms (milliseconds) in length, or the synthesized sounds are very short. These small pieces are called grains. Multiple grains may be layered on top of each other all playing at different speed, phase and volume.

The result is no single tone, but a soundscape, often a cloud, that is subject to manipulation in a way unlike any natural sound and also unlike the sounds produced by most other synthesis techniques. By varying the waveform, envelope, duration, spatial position, and density of the grains many different sounds can be produced.

The result is usable as music, sound effects or as raw material for further processing by other synthesis or DSP effects. The range of effects that can be produced include amplitude modulation, time stretching, stereo or multichannel scattering, random reordering, disintegration and morphing.

Dennis Gabor researched how human beings communicate and hear. The result of his investigations was the theory of granular synthesis, although Greek composer Iannis Xenakis claimed that he was actually the first inventor of this synthesis technique (Xenakis, Formalized Music, preface xiii).

Curtis Roads is often credited as the first person to implement a digital granular synthesis engine. Canadian composer Barry Truax was one of first to implement real-time versions of this synthesis technique.

Contents 1 Books 2 Articles 3 Further reading 4 Software 5 Programming Languages

• Roads, Curtis (2001). Microsound. Cambridge: MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-18215-7. 
• Miranda, E. R. (2002). Computer Sound Design: Synthesis Techniques and Programming. Oxford: Focal Press. ISBN 0-240-51693-1. 

• Granular Synthesis by Eric Kuehnl

• Digital signal processing
• Micromontage audio montage on the time scale of microsounds

• [1] Real-Time Granular Synthesizer X (for Mac OS X).
• [2] thOnk_0+2. Granular synthesis without having to think at all. Free. Non-realtime. Mac OS 9.
• REplay PLAYer generative granular synthesis software for Mac
• Granulab real-time granular synthesizer for Win32
• Chaosynth (link) cellular automata granular synthesizer by Eduardo Reck Miranda.
• Vocal Modeler Special vocal effect for Reaktor that uses grenular synthesis.
• crusherX-Live! granular synthesis system for Windows
• CDP granular synthesizer from the Composer's Desktop Project
• WSOLA time scale modification of audio using granular synthesis
• White FX White FX is a granular effect for Reaktor
• Audiomulch Audiomulch is a real-time audio processing tool which has some "contraptions" which offer granular synthesis.

• Csound comprehensive music software including granular synthesis
• SuperCollider programming language for real time audio synthesis
• Max/Msp graphical authoring software for real-time audio and video
• Puredata (Pd) graphical programming language for real-time audio and video
• ChucK audio programming language for real-time audio synthesis

Sound synthesis types

Frequency modulation synthesis | Phase distortion synthesis | Scanned synthesis | Subtractive synthesis | Additive synthesis

Sample-based synthesis: Wavetable synthesis | Granular synthesis | Vector synthesis

Physical modelling synthesis: Digital waveguide synthesis | Karplus-Strong string synthesis | Formant synthesis