Selecting a long-term, high-quality Granular/sound design instrument

[Neon Breath]

Nobody mentioned Reaktor yet? Yes you sort of have to build your own device if you want the end-all-be-all-ultra-mega-granular thing.. but there are tons of awesome ensembles available in the user library from where you can "borrow" ideas.

Indeed, good input. Very powerful for granular synthesis. Although I think it might be a bit overwhelming for someone who just starts with granular, or want something more simple and straightforward. Most Reaktor ensembles are messy and often not very intuitive nor fun to use, in term of workflow.

[jancivil]

thanks for the tutes link Shabdah

[fairlyclose]

I have crusher-x and also Soundmorph Dust - they are both very good and quite different and take some effort to gain an intuitive understanding

[E_Anderson]

Nobody mentioned Reaktor yet? Yes you sort of have to build your own device if you want the end-all-be-all-ultra-mega-granular thing.. but there are tons of awesome ensembles available in the user library from where you can "borrow" ideas.

I've been consciously avoiding Reaktor, not out of actual want for avoidance; on the contary I want to actually get some music-writing done, and I am confident if i get reaktor, I'll wake up one morning and it will have been 12 years and I'll still be fiddling with it, to its credit. As soon as I feel my processes are well in order, you can bet I'm going to explode into Reaktor like that time I exploded into a college auditorium classroom, 30 minutes late for an aural exam.

I'm really grateful for the continued discussion here, as a long-time lurker. The more useable information there is to leaf through in these threads about X-instrument-category, the better informed buying decisions people can make down the line.

Now, even though I am unlikely to be investing in it before a few months from now, I have a crusher-X demo to sit down and learn about. I trust Simon when he says it's the best (non-reaktor/custom VST lol), I just need to figure out why for myself. If it doesn't work with samples, but instead on audio input, then it will be a different beast than I am used to, but Simon's demonstrations have been pretty telling regarding its capability regardless of what I consider easier/more familiar. The matter is really just, is it going to make sense to me and feel good to use after I've bothered to clear myself of anything keeping me from using it fully? If not, I'm more than happy to spend that money on SpecOps/Moodal and explore some of the wonders of resonators/spectral filtering, as the kind of meditative/ecstatic sounds I'm into making with Padshop/Harmor/Phase Plant seem to come into a second flowering with Kilohearts' probably relatively skeletal resonator (tuneable Saw/Square-form harmonic series).

[Sampleconstruct]

Nobody mentioned Reaktor yet? Yes you sort of have to build your own device if you want the end-all-be-all-ultra-mega-granular thing.. but there are tons of awesome ensembles available in the user library from where you can "borrow" ideas.

I've been consciously avoiding Reaktor, not out of actual want for avoidance; on the contary I want to actually get some music-writing done, and I am confident if i get reaktor, I'll wake up one morning and it will have been 12 years and I'll still be fiddling with it, to its credit. As soon as I feel my processes are well in order, you can bet I'm going to explode into Reaktor like that time I exploded into a college auditorium classroom, 30 minutes late for an aural exam.

I'm really grateful for the continued discussion here, as a long-time lurker. The more useable information there is to leaf through in these threads about X-instrument-category, the better informed buying decisions people can make down the line.

Now, even though I am unlikely to be investing in it before a few months from now, I have a crusher-X demo to sit down and learn about. I trust Simon when he says it's the best (non-reaktor/custom VST lol), I just need to figure out why for myself. If it doesn't work with samples, but instead on audio input, then it will be a different beast than I am used to, but Simon's demonstrations have been pretty telling regarding its capability regardless of what I consider easier/more familiar. The matter is really just, is it going to make sense to me and feel good to use after I've bothered to clear myself of anything keeping me from using it fully? If not, I'm more than happy to spend that money on SpecOps/Moodal and explore some of the wonders of resonators/spectral filtering, as the kind of meditative/ecstatic sounds I'm into making with Padshop/Harmor/Phase Plant seem to absolutely blossom even with Kilohearts' probably relatively skeletal resonator (tuneable Saw/Square-form harmonic series).

crusher-X works fine with imported samples (since version 8.58 also via drag and drop) - well one sample at a time - you can mix the sample with the audio input, you can FM/RM the input with the sample and more.

[E_Anderson]

crusher-X works fine with imported samples (since version 8.58 also via drag and drop) - well one sample at a time - you can mix the sample with the audio input, you can FM/RM the input with the sample and more.

Whoa. Okay. I thought FM/AM of samples by samples was limited to PhasePlant/Avenger (even Falcon, I discovered from your video, needs a workaround for audio-rate modulation).

I really need to read that manual before posting here again; as much as I enjoy you making so immediately clear Crusher-X's make-or-break/outstanding attributes, I don't want to be asking too many questions when the answers are not far out of reach, for everyone's sake (then again - any layperson passing through who hasn't yet read the manual can read responses like yours and have their eyebrows shoot up like mine).

Any spirited-ness you have about this software, I am quickly starting to see why. Thanks for taking the time to make sure I'm seeing this software for what it is. I'll post here on the subject of Crusher-X once I've at least touched each handle a few times, knowing what it does. Even if only to gush about how monstrously capable and beautiful it is, then you will know your message got through

[vitocorleone123]

I bought SpaceCraft on Neon Breaths recommendation. I've been having a ball with it

very fun granular synth, with a unique workflow like no other. Have fun!

Buy Spacecraft everyone, if you can (even if just the less expensive version for the iPad) - the developer spent 7 months in the hospital from Covid and just got back home last week. Major issues, still, but alive and with his family.

(Per the Audiobus forums)

[E_Anderson]

Buy Spacecraft everyone, if you can (even if just the less expensive version for the iPad) - the developer spent 7 months in the hospital from Covid and just got back home last week. Major issues, still, but alive and with his family.

(Per the Audiobus forums)

Oh, my... That doesn't sound like what he had in mind. I hope his family is encouraging and loving, that his recovery can be swift and thorough, and that he can get his life back.

[K0rp0]

Alas... I forget Harmor only runs in FL studio for Mac.

I have ImageLine Harmor for Windows as a 64 bit VST2 plugin, bought it legally when it was on sale "officially" for the last time.
As far as I remember, however, the independently sold VST plugins were discontinued when they switched from the "All Plugins Bundle" to the "All Plugins Edition" and focused on selling these plugins as integrated plugins of the DAW only.
Apparently some sites like Sweetwater still sold the plug-in for a while but I'm not sure I could recommend going that route since the wording is so unclear last time I checked. It was well after the "cutoff" date, and I think Harmor even went on sale there once since. Was contemplating getting Cytrus this way, but there was no sale for it.
Anyway, it seems like one would buy a license for something the company has no intention to support or keep working if it breaks, and that may happen any time you upgrade your DAW or system, though often only in minor ways. Not sure DAW devs would focus bug-fixing time on a plug-in they can't easily get or isn't widely sold. Still, great-sounding plug-in!

[E_Anderson]

Alas... I forget Harmor only runs in FL studio for Mac.

I have ImageLine Harmor for Windows as a 64 bit VST2 plugin, bought it legally when it was on sale "officially" for the last time.
As far as I remember, however, the independently sold VST plugins were discontinued when they switched from the "All Plugins Bundle" to the "All Plugins Edition" and focused on selling these plugins as integrated plugins of the DAW only.
Apparently some sites like Sweetwater still sold the plug-in for a while but I'm not sure I could recommend going that route since the wording is so unclear last time I checked. It was well after the "cutoff" date, and I think Harmor even went on sale there once since. Was contemplating getting Cytrus this way, but there was no sale for it.
Anyway, it seems like one would buy a license for something the company has no intention to support or keep working if it breaks, and that may happen any time you upgrade your DAW or system, though often only in minor ways. Not sure DAW devs would focus bug-fixing time on a plug-in they can't easily get or isn't widely sold. Still, great-sounding plug-in!

At this point I'd just recommend Zebra