One major reason I love MeldaProduction is that their updates are free-for-life, which is amazing considering the fact that other plugins charge a ridiculous amount for their updates, it isn't only about the update, they also make super awesome plugins, to avoid beating around the bush, let's get on to the review of MGranularMB.
MGranularMB is a flexible granular resynthesizer that splits your audio material into many small pieces, which in turn creates a whole new material from them. Whether you want to create a powerful rhythmic drum or want your lead to sound like a pad, or you want to create a stylish flute, MGranularMB is the right tool for creative granular effects.
Let's Take a Look at Some of Its Features...
Dual User Interface
If you are an avid reader of exclusivemusicplus plugin reviews, you’ll know that I am obsessed with easy and super simple interfaces, which is what I love about this plugin, it provides 2 user interfaces - an easy screen and an edit screen.
The first screen is a simple interface with several predefined modes, but just a few controls, this lets you get started quickly with little to no knowledge, and the second screen features an advanced mode with advanced features for unlimited creativity. Use the Edit button to switch between the two.
Fully Configurable Independent Bands
Another useful feature of MAutopanMB is the fully configurable bands, it comes with 1-6 independent bands built on 3 perfectly transparent crossover algorithms (analog, linear-phase, and hybrid) with fully adjustable limits and input gains.
The Crossover is an algorithm that splits a signal into multiple bands, which when mixed back together, conjoins the original signal, it provides several types of Crossover, such as:
Analog Crossovers are based on the classic analog components you can find in speaker systems, Linear-Phase Crossover is a fully digital crossover with a high slope (frequency-dependent), it is desirable for mastering, and the Hybrid Crossover is a blend between the analog and linear-phase crossover. There are more crossovers, but these are the main ones.
The Band Panel
The band panel features parameters of a specific band, it contains Dry/Wet for the ratio between a dry, and a wet signal, Cross-fade controls the cross-fade region, think of it like hearing sound gradually as another disappears, or to put it simply, fade in one sound as another is faded out. Grain size defines the size or minimal size of the grain. Understanding how the grain work is really important, here is a little explanation:
Once you've added a source material, it split the audio material into many small pieces, which is where the 'Grain' word comes from, it defines how small you want to split the audio material, I hope this helps out.
Lastly, we have the Random, which controls the maximum size of the grain. Every grain's size is from Grain size to Grain size + Random.
Voice Selector
Voice selector is a further way of customizing how the grain works, e.g when you activate the pitch button in the voice panel, it displays the pitch sequencer setting, this can be used to change the pitch of individual grains. If you are used to a step sequencer (Fl Studio guys :)), you'll quickly get an idea of how this works, what I love specifically about the sequencer is that you can specify one or more pitches in every step. It moves one step every time a certain number of grains are processed. The processor chooses a pitch for each created grain according to the Mode parameter.
Don't toy with this feature if you don't know what you are doing, it is the fastest way to mess things up.
Also, there also feature such as Copies, Side-Chain, Pitch, Pan, and Delay for creative possibilities.
The interesting thing is that you can switch between the voices, I'll urge you to start with a preset, as this section might be confusing, but at least, it is for me.
► Key Features:
- Dual user interface
- 1-6 fully configurable independent bands built on 3 perfectly transparent crossover algorithms
- Continuously adjustable oscillator shape
- 4 global modulators - in each instance you can have up to 4 fully-featured modulators that can modulate any set of parameters including other modulators! I
- Up to 8 channels of surround processing - It can handle not only mono and stereo signals but also up to 8 channels of surround audio, making them ideal for audio production for movies, games, etc.
- Full randomization - using a single button you can generate completely new settings.
- Automatic gain compensation (AGC)
- Adjustable up-sampling 1x-16x to minimize aliasing and get an even clearer sound. Includes both minimum-phase and high-quality linear-phase algorithms.
- Extremely advanced and easy-to-use user interface
- MIDI controllers with MIDI learn - you can map any parameter to any MIDI controller or MIDI keyboard and control it realtime or record and automate it.
- Very fast, optimized for SSE and SSE2 processors.
- Global preset management and online preset exchange
- Fully automatable.
► System Requirements:
Windows
- Windows Vista / 7 / 8 / 10 (32-bit or 64-bit)
- VST / VST3 / AAX compatible host (32-bit or 64-bit)
- Intel/AMD processor with SSE2 support
Always use 32-bit plugins in 32-bit hosts or 64-bit plugins in 64-bit hosts!
Note: 64-bit plugins can't work in 32-bit hosts even if the operating system is 64-bit. Do NOT use 32-bit plugins in 64-bit hosts. They would have to be bridged and can become slow and unstable.
Mac OS X
- Mac OS X (10.7 and newer, 32-bit or 64-bit)
- VST / VST3 / AU / AAX compatible host (32-bit or 64-bit)
- Intel/AMD processor with SSE2 support