SaltyGrain

SaltyGrain is a real-time granular audio effect plug-in. It can create a large variety of different sound types, and is ideal for creating strange or spooky effects in movie productions, vocal effects, weird background sounds, lush pad sounds, rhythmic distortions, live sound modifications, etc.

Incoming sound is fed into a delay line from which small pieces of various durations and at different moments in the past are selected. Each of these pieces is then amplified, panned, transposed, filtered and enveloped to form a "grain". Sound can be frozen in time, the grain stream can be fed back into the delay line and the mix is sent out to a stereo output stream.

A valuable granular synthesis sound effect tool for musicians, sound designers, (film) music composers and producers.

Features:

• per-grain filtering for adding an "organic" feel to the sound.
• delay line freezing for live sampling and sound modifications.
• feedback of granulated output back into the delay line for dense and shifting structures.
• up to max. 40 simultaneous grains.
• plugin parameters controllable via MIDI.
• play melodies with captured sound fragments.
• density control by number of grains and grain duration.
• additional grain stealing option.
• grain envelope control.
• split pitch option for restricting the transposition to only the min or max value.
• typical granular slow motion effect by freezing and gradually moving through the delay line (forwards and backwards).
• 74 presets to get started (including presets by sound designer Richard Devine and producer Matias Monteagudo).

Demo version

A demo version is available so you can try before you buy.

Specifications

This plugin is currently available in the following formats:

• Windows 10 - 11: VST2 (32/64-bit) and AAX Native (32/64-bit).
• macOS 10.9 - 14.3: VST2 (64-bit), AU (64-bit) and AAX Native (64-bit).

The Mac versions are Universal 2 binaries, which means that they can run natively both on Intel-based Macs and on newer Apple silicon-based Macs.

Artist quotes

"SaltyGrain is one of my most used granular plugs. You can do anything from subtle scrambling to crazy effects with ease. Finally it's available as an AAX version as well, so now it's time to put the plug into overtime use." (Charles Deenen, computer/video game audio director, music composer, sound designer, and mixer + half of legendary C64 audio production pioneers Maniacs of Noise).

"TimeFreezer and SampleSumo's SaltyGrain = Not conventional instrument plugins, these both act as audio effects but are unusual, weird, and can be applied directly to audio tracks. SaltyGrain gets more use over here. Capable of really wild stuff." (Charlie Clouser, keyboardist, film and TV music composer, record producer, remixer and former Nine Inch Nails member).

"In the few weeks I've been using SaltyGrain, I've found it extremely intuitive, easy to use and powerful." (Mike Raznick, award-winning composer/producer).

"It stayed on my basic selection of bus strips for the entire film." (award-winning film music composer Henry Jackman on using SaltyGrain in Captain America: The Winter Soldier).

"Best non-free granular fx on PC and Mac: Crusher-X by @accSone and SaltyGrain by @SampleSumo" (Felix Petrescu aka Waka X of Makunouchi Bento).

"Then I've got SaltyGrain by SampleSumo, which I've used for years, and that is just a really good granular cloud maker. So it gives you that kind of crystal shimmer effect, if you wanted to. Or it can kind of, you know, iteratively feedback into these kinds of weird atonal clouds of noise, which is horrifying and I love doing." (Beardyman, mad genius of live electronic music improvisation, using SaltyGrain as part of his setup).

"SaltyGrain is really cool, it will inspire you. I was looking for a granular manipulator that could give me immediate results, especially on my guitar tracks, and SaltyGrain does that and more." (Rod Abernethy composer of RAGE, TERA, Alpha Protocol, Star Trek and The Hobbit, Bafta Award winner/Dead Space).

"It's perfect for the nano bots I'm designing." (James Fonnyadt, award-winning sound designer for movies & TV series (Child's Play, Every Breath You Take, Phil, Snowpiercer (Netflix series), ...)).

"Your plugin has been used extensively on literally hundreds of tracks, it's a real creative go to of mine now - so thank you for designing an amazingly inspiring tool." (Tom McCarthy, co-founder / ex creative director at Ultraphonic, composer, sound designer and music producer Ultraphonic - concepts 01-20).

Credits

Original sound samples used in the examples section: "Laugh" by Bulbastre, "Countdown" by ckvoiceover, "So tell me" by michellelindemann1.

Plugin inspired by the great DLGranulator effect in Ross Bencina's AudioMulch.