Skip to content
NotaNota

Nota Grain

Nota Grain is a granular synthesizer. It scans a loaded sample with a cloud of short overlapping grains — freeze on a spot for shimmering textures, scan slowly for evolving drones, or let the keyboard drive the read position. It ships with a procedural default sample, so it makes sound before you drop in your own.

The Nota Grain device card: the sample waveform with the grain window, the scan/position strip, and the Grain tab with grain shape and size/density/spread.

Overview

Section titled “Overview”
sample ─▶ [Position / Scan] ─▶ grain cloud (Size · Density · Spray · Pitch · Spread) ─▶ filter ─▶ amp ─▶ out

A read position moves through the sample. Grains of a chosen size spawn at a density (overlap), each sprayed randomly around the position, pitched by the note and spread across the stereo field. The cloud then runs into a filter and an amp envelope.

Drop a sample from the browser (or Finder) onto the track to replace the default.

Interface

Section titled “Interface”

The card (mockup 2d) stacks a waveform, a scan strip and a tab rail.

  • Waveform — the sample with the current grain window highlighted and live playheads for the sounding grains; a grains-per-second readout sits top-left.
  • Scan strip — the scan mode (Scan · Freeze · Key) and the POSITION, SCAN (speed) and SPRAY sliders, reachable from any tab.
  • Tab rail (left) — Grain · Pitch · Variation · Filter · Amp.

The tabs:

  • Grain — the grain shape (four window shapes) and Size · Density · Spread.
  • Pitch — Coarse and Fine tuning.
  • Variation — per-grain Pos · Pitch · Pan randomisation.
  • Filter — type (LP · HP · BP) with Freq · Reso.
  • Amp — the A/D/S/R amplitude envelope.

Parameters

Section titled “Parameters”
Parameter Range What it does
Scan mode Scan · Freeze · Key How the read position moves: at a speed, frozen, or following the keyboard.
Position 0–100 % Where in the sample grains are read from.
Scan -4×…+4× Read speed (and direction) when scanning.
Spray 0–100 % Random spread of grain start points around the position.
Grain shape 4 shapes The grain window shape.
Size short…long Grain length.
Density 1–8× Grain overlap.
Spread 0–1 Stereo width of the grain cloud.
Coarse / Fine — Pitch of the grains in semitones and cents.
Pos Rnd / Pitch Rnd / Pan Rnd 0–1 Per-grain position, pitch and pan randomisation.
Filter LP · HP · BP · Freq · Reso Subtractive filter after the cloud.
Attack Decay Sustain Release ADSR Amplitude envelope.
Volume / Pan — Output level and pan.

Tips & recipes

Section titled “Tips & recipes”
  • Frozen pad: set the scan mode to Freeze, raise Size and Density, and add a little Spray and Spread for a lush, static cloud.
  • Evolving texture: switch to Scan with a slow Scan speed so the read point drifts through the sample.
  • Playable sampler feel: use Key mode so the read position tracks the notes you play.
  • Grit and shimmer: nudge Pitch Rnd up for detuned, chorused grains.

See also

Section titled “See also”