Thanks / Acknowledgements  Professor Heinrich Taube (UIUC)   Professor Hernando Lopez-Lezcano (Stanford)   Daniel Swilley (UIUC)   Professor Curtis Roads (UCSD)  Introduction CM/Grace Grani Grani+

Microsound by Curtis Roads  Discussion of time scales  History of Microsound  Survey of granular synthesis techniques  Aesthetics of composing with microsounds  Musical examples Introduction CM/Grace Grani Grani+

Agenda  Introduction to granular synthesis  CM/Grace  Grani  Grani+  Questions? Introduction CM/Grace Grani Grani+

Introduction to Granular Synthesis Introduction CM/Grace Grani Grani+

Introduction to Granular Synthesis  Dennis Gabor – engineer (grains)  Iannis Xenakis – tape / acoustic  Curtis Roads - digital  Barry Truax – real time  Use in commercial software  Examples (excerpts)  Analogique B – Iannis Xenakis (1958)  Sculptor – Curtis Roads (2001)  Gomphotherium – Kurt Werner (2009) Introduction CM/Grace Grani Grani+

Common Music / Grace  Professor Taube  Common Music  Language for algorithmic composition  Scheme (dialect of LISP)  Grace  Graphical front end for Common Music 3  Scheme  SAL1 / SAL2 Introduction CM/Grace Grani Grani+

Common Music / Grace   MUS 404A1  Algorithmic Design of Music I   MUS 404A2:  Algorithmic Design of Music II  Introduction CM/Grace Grani Grani+

Grani   Granular synthesis of an input sound file  1 - Pick start points of grains  2 – Pick grain parameters  Originally made by Fernando Lopez-Lezcano and Juan Pampin in 199 Introduction CM/Grace Grani Grani+

Grani  How does it work?  Overall parameters:  Start-time, duration, amplitude, file  Envelopes over the entire note  Amplitude-envelope, grain-duration, srate, grain-start, grain-density, reverb-amount, grain-distance, grain-degree  Envelopes over individual grains  Grain amplitude envelope  Any parameters can be either an envelope or a scalar  All parameters also have “spread” control – randomness Introduction CM/Grace Grani Grani+

Grani Introduction CM/Grace Grani Grani+

Grani  A few pieces using Grani:  Soundstates – Ching-Wen Chao (1998/2001)  Granularization of marimba and others  Aeolian Harp – Heinrich Taube (2000)  Time stretching with expandn  A Very Fractal Cat – Fernando Lopez-Lezcano (2008/10)  Marriage of the Basilisk – Kurt Werner (2010)  Granularization of sustained tones and percussive sounds Introduction CM/Grace Grani Grani+

Grani  Strengths  Runs fast  Most important parameters  Easy to place many grains with few parameters  Weaknesses  Missing envelopes over individual grains (except amplitude)  Limited to envelopes and randomness (spray paint)  Independent parameters Introduction CM/Grace Grani Grani+

 Design intent  Self-consistent  FLEXIBLE  Algorithmic control  Backwards compatible  What’s new?  Able to envelope parameters over individual grains  Sample rate, panning, distance, reverb amount, amplitude  Algorithmic control  Replace any envelope with your own functions (SAL or Scheme)  Pass arguments to function through grani  Parameter linkage  Grain parameters need not be independent Introduction CM/Grace Grani Grani+

Introduction CM/Grace Grani Grani+

 A few examples of Grani+  Markov chain control of pitch and grain selection, duration linked to grain selection  Recursive equation controlling linked parameters  “Regranularization”  Multiple runs of fractal gestures + convolution  “Granular double tracking” – original: granular:  Works in Progress  Daniel Swilley  Arctium Minus excerpt – Kurt Werner Introduction CM/Grace Grani Grani+

 Strengths  Envelopes for all individual grain parameters  Flexible, simple SAL code expands existing functionality  Parameter Linkage  Backwards compatible – only use the parameters you need! Others retain default behavior  Weaknesses  The more functions called per grain, the slower it runs  Algorithmic control beyond “spray paint” approach not always necessary  Mono/Stereo (for now!) Introduction CM/Grace Grani Grani+

 Future Work, more possible expansions  Outside of design intent, but could be cool in the future  Updated grain density control  > 2 channel output  Updated spatialization (Dlocsig?)  “Bonus Features”  Filters  Convolution  Ideas? Introduction CM/Grace Grani Grani+

Recap  Common Music / Grace   Grani   Grani+  Talk to me   Will post to CAMIL software page, and listserv with link to code and documentation Introduction CM/Grace Grani Grani+

Questions?