Fable Granular Soundscape Generator - Onyx Edition

For this year's Black Friday limiteds we've partnered with a company that combines the love of craft and art just as much as we do. Not only have the fine folks at Onyx Coffee Labs created some killer art for this year's pedals, they've specifically branded one of the roasts with limited Onyx / Walrus packaging. As active members of the music community (working with incredible brands on coffee collaborations and many team members who actively create music), we couldn't wait to work together with them to design this year's Black Friday Limited Series.

In the high woodlands of the north, undiscovered by most inhabitants, there ruled a clan of old, mystic Treefolk. On the first new moon of spring, these Treefolk could be heard grafting limbs to grow their young - splicing bits of branches from each generation to produce the next line of Treefolk. These new beings keep the lifeblood of all who came before in their new skin. These sounds are in part very old but in part very new. They are referred to as… Fable.

Let your storybook adventure grow with the Fable Granular Soundscape Generator. The Fable creates new sonic adventures with five granular delay programs centered around sample and chop algorithms. The Fable generates its wonder with a dual feedback path developed by DSP engineers at Walrus Audio. With two DSP chips, your signal is run through two separate effects in series (independently controlled by the Feedback and Regen Knobs), then the signals are run back through both DSP chips again before going through the output. What does that mean? Artists will discover unique soundscapes ranging from smooth, flowing ambience; to bizarre, organic reverberance; to chaotic, glitchy swarms.

What exactly is this granular effect and why is it a magical experience when combined with delay? Granular is a digital processing technique of micro-sampling, wherein short samples called grains are read from a delay buffer. In the Fable, players can adjust these grains by manipulating their sampling length, position, and buffer size from which they’re read. They can be played at double or half speed for pitch shift and time stretching effects, play them in reverse, read from multiple positions, and more, to achieve different effects.

It’s a powerful but complex technique and we’ve created five streamlined programs in the Fable that explore different aspects of its sonic range.

Programs

I. Reverse Delay into Reverse Granular

Program 1 runs a reverse delay into a reverse granular algorithm, in which sampled grains are played backwards. Reversal and re-reversal build up in the feedback paths, creating a complex and organically shifting soundscape. Turn grain size down for long, smooth reversed transients, and grain size up for stuttering reverse glitch madness.

II. Forward Delay into Octave Up Granular

Program 2 runs a forward delay into an octave-up granular program, in which sampled grains are played at double speed. Swarms of double-speed grains build up in the feedback path for bright and airy cascades of sound. 

III. Analog-Style Delay into Octave Down Granular

Program 3 runs a warm, dark analog-style delay into an octave-down granular program, in which sampled grains are played back at half speed. Slowed down repeats combined with analog-style processing to create deep, thunderous footfalls and thick, murky ambience.

IV. Multi-Tap Granular into Multi-Tap Granular (Grain-Verb)

Program 4 runs two multi-tap granular algorithms in series, in which multiple samples are played back from each granular buffer simultaneously. Multiple points of sampled sound build upon each other in the feedback paths to create glitchy clouds and unique organic reverberance. Time in this program controls time-stretching of both granular algorithms, changing both the length and tonal character of the granular effect.

V. Forward Delay into Randomized Pitch Granular

Program 5 runs a forward delay into a randomized pitch granular program, in which each grain is played back at a randomly selected speed and direction, varying between pitched up double speed, pitched down half speed, normal speed, plus forward and reversed playback from grain to grain. Pitch changes with each new grain, so play with the X knob in this program to control the rate of randomized pitch modulation.