Just when you think you’ve had enough granular effects, Imaginando’s GRFX does everything right. That includes fine-tuned harmonies (including microtuning), per-grain effects, and drag-and-drop modulation from four LFOs.
It’s a beautiful combination and the best tool yet from the Portugal-based developer. If you know granular processing, you know the basics of what’s here. But they’ve added some sharp ideas for refining the results musically, not just relying on mushy conventional granular washes and then one big effects bus at the end.
The wonderfully masonic-looking alien triangle in the center gives you three-point chords and arpeggios. Modulation options abound, with four LFOs and cross-modulation. The effects are handy, but even better is the probabilistic routing of grains to each engine, which can be adjusted to taste. Plus, you get continuous and asynchronous options, and synced and un-synced. Too many granular effects opt for one end of the granular spectrum or another; GRFX handles each use case equally. That includes some unique rhythmic applications.
There’s also microtonal support. Swap the Harmonic Triangle into “free” mode and you can tune outside 12-TET. (You’ll need to do so manually, but you get at least two decimal places of precision between semitones, which should be sufficient to make it sound in tune with other content.)
Free mode:
Harmonic Triangle, of course, will be the name of the New Age project I temporarily form while I spend a weekend holiday with GRFX.
Onboard specs:
- Two multi-effects engines
- Dedicated delay and reverb sends plus two multi-effect engines
- Various effect types: filter, distortion, delay, EQ, chorus, phaser, bitcrusher, reverb (on each engine, so with per-grain probability routing grains to each engine)
- Input buffer, freeze, slice, and size controls
- Elegant window adjustments (including more than just your Hanning window, etc. – shape as you like)
- Dedicated mixer
And there are free/synced controls throughout, not just on the LFO and grain frequency. Even the size can be synced, for instance.
Modulation controls:
Effects rack options:
It’s rare to see a granular effect with this much control but that keeps the interface clear, understandable, and minimal. I think GRFX will quickly inspire some granular envy. My only real disappointment is that there isn’t a synth version to go with the effect. Seems those same controls would work perfectly.
Imaginando has GRFX priced at an impulse buy-friendly €39 (with an intro of €29 through April 30th).
macOS, Windows; AU, VST, VST3.
Videos
Introduction:
Full walkthrough:
And here’s me messing around with it a bit: