Playing and using Grain

Loading and saving patches

Loading and saving patches is done in the same way as with any other internal Reason device, see “Loading patches” and “Saving patches” for details.

Like with the other sampler devices in Reason, the patch does not include the actual sample - only a reference to it. Therefore, the sample has to be stored separately (self-contained with the song, or already on disk or in a ReFill on your computer).

Global performance and “play” controls

Key Mode

Here you choose how Grain should respond to MIDI Note data:

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Poly

Select this if you want to play Grain polyphonically. The maximum number of voices is 12. The number of voices is set in the Voices control at the top right of the Grain panel, see “Voices”.

•

Retrig

Select this if you want to play Grain in monophonic mode and always retrigger the envelopes as soon as you play a new note.

•

Legato

The Mono Legato mode is also monophonic. However, if you play a new note without having released the previous one, the envelopes and sample playback position won’t start over.

Also see the description of the “Global Position” parameter. This describes how to play through a sample in a “non-legato” fashion - or polyphonically - in a “sample playback legato” fashion, where new notes will continue at the current sample playback position (and not restart playback).

Porta

Portamento makes note pitches glide from previous notes to new ones, at the time set with the Time knob. Portamento can be used in all Key modes (see above).

•	When On in Poly Key Mode (see above), the pitches will glide from any of the available voices.

The results will be unpredictable since there is no way of controlling from which note(s) the glide(s) will commence. The effect is very nice, though.

•	When On in Retrig or Legato Key Mode (see above), the pitch will glide between consecutive notes.

•	In Auto mode, the pitch will glide between consecutive monophonic notes only when you play legato. If you have selected Poly Key Mode (see above), Auto will have no effect at all.

If you release the previous key before hitting the new key, there will be no portamento effect.

Range

Set the desired Pitch Bend range for the “Pitch” wheel with the up/down buttons, or by click-holding on the display and dragging up/down.

Range: +/-24 semitones (+/-2 octaves) in steps of +/-1 semitone.

Pitch

The Pitch bend wheel can be used for bending note pitches up and down. Grain also responds to Pitch Bend MIDI data from a connected MIDI master keyboard. You set the desired Pitch bend Range with the “Range” control above the Pitch bend wheel.

Note that with some playback algorithms, such as Spectral Grains, the audible pitch depends on the formant rather than the pitch settings (see “Spectral Grains”). For pitch bend to have an effect here, you need to add a Pitch Wheel -> Formant routing in the Modulation Bus, see “The Modulation Bus section”.

Mod

The Mod wheel can be used for controlling almost any parameter in Grain. Use the Mod wheel as a Source parameter in the Modulation Bus section and then route to the desired Destination parameter(s), see “The Modulation Bus section”.

Global output controls

Voices

Here you set the polyphony of your patch, from 1 to 12 voices.

If you want monophonic playback you can use the “Retrig” and “Legato” modes instead of lowering the Voices parameter to 1.

Master Volume

This is the main stereo output volume control.