How to use the granular synthesizer
- Load a source: drop any audio file in, or press Record a sample and capture a sound with your mic.
- Pick a preset — Frozen Pad, Shimmer, Granular Echo, Glitch or Drone — or shape your own with the grain size, density, spray and pitch sliders.
- Start the engine and perform on the XY pad: horizontal movement scans through the sample, vertical movement bends pitch.
- Open the record panel to capture your performance, then download the take.
This granular synthesizer online turns any sound into raw material for ambient pads, cinematic drones, shimmering textures and broken glitch rhythms — the kind of sound design that usually needs a modular rig or a pricey plugin. The whole grain engine runs on the Web Audio API in your browser: adjust grain size from 20 to 500 milliseconds, fire up to 100 grains a second, randomize position and pitch, then glaze the result with echo and hall reverb sends. Producers mine it for intros and transitions, game and film sound designers sketch atmospheres, and synth-curious beginners get a hands-on feel for a classic technique — free, private and with no upload.
FAQ
What is granular synthesis in simple terms?
Granular synthesis plays a sound back as a cloud of tiny overlapping slices called grains, each lasting tens of milliseconds. By changing grain size, density, position and pitch you can freeze a single vowel into an endless pad, smear a chord into a drone, or shred a drum loop into glitch textures.
What sounds work best as source material?
Almost anything — a sung note, a guitar chord, rain on a window, even speech. Harmonically rich, sustained sources make lush pads and drones, while percussive sources turn into rhythmic glitch material. You can drop in a file or record a sample with your microphone.
How do I record what I play on the XY pad?
Start the engine, perform your sweeps and freezes, and use the record panel to capture the live output. The recording happens inside the browser, and your take can be played back and downloaded as an audio file when you stop.
Is this granular synth free to use commercially?
Yes — the tool is free with no account, and textures you create from your own source material are yours to use in tracks, games, films and sound design libraries. Everything is generated locally, so no terms of a cloud service apply.