k2k audio Parameters
[Parameters not yet documented — likely declared in source outside register_animatable(). Add an override in _overrides/ if needed.]
Additional controls
Density — Grain overlap multiplier. The node automatically computes the grain firing rate from this and grain_size so adjacent grains overlap by the specified factor. 1× is barely-overlapping (sparse, choppy, you can hear individual grains); 2× is the default smooth cloud; 4× is heavily overlapped, dense, smeared. Higher density costs more CPU but produces a more continuous texture. The audible effect interacts with grain_size — long grains at high density start to sound chorused; short grains at low density sound rhythmically broken.
Grain Size — Length of each grain in milliseconds. Short grains (10–30 ms) sound granular and fizzy, like a noisy synthesis — individual grains are too short to perceive as pitched. Medium grains (50–150 ms) sound naturally pitched and are the bread-and-butter for time-stretching and pitch-shifting. Long grains (200–500 ms) sound more like overlapping loops than grains — useful for slow, evolving textures and freeze effects. Pairs with density to set overall texture.
Pitch — Pitch shift in semitones, from −24 (two octaves down) to +24 (two octaves up). Granular pitch shifting works by replaying each grain at a different speed, which doesn’t change how often new grains fire — so you get pitch change without time change. Extreme shifts produce the characteristic granular artifacts (especially audible on transients). Combine with pitch_jitter for a less locked-in, more organic shift.
Envelope Type — Window shape applied to each grain. Hanning is the standard smooth choice (raised-cosine, soft attack and release) — most musical for general use. Gaussian is even smoother with slightly slower edges, good for very dense clouds where grain edges shouldn’t be audible. Triangle has linear ramps that produce a slightly sharper, more present grain attack — better when you want the rhythmic pulse of grains to come through.
Pitch Jitter — Random pitch variation added to each grain, in cents (1 cent = 1/100 of a semitone). Small amounts (5–20 cents) thicken the cloud and humanize a static pitch shift. Larger amounts (50–100 cents) push the texture toward chorused, detuned, or unstable territory. Stacks on top of the pitch setting.
Amp Jitter — Random per-grain amplitude attenuation, in percent. Each grain is randomly attenuated by up to this amount — the louder grains stay near full volume while quieter ones drop in level. Adds a sparkle and a gentle rhythmic irregularity to the cloud. At higher values the texture starts to feel patchy and broken — useful for stuttering or glitchy effects.
Time Jitter — Random delay added to each grain’s start time, in milliseconds. Smears the grain firing pattern: 0 ms is metronomic and locked; small amounts (1–10 ms) loosen the cloud; larger amounts (30–50 ms) destabilize the rhythmic feel and push toward an asynchronous, free-flowing texture. Useful for hiding the artificial regularity of synchronous granular synthesis.
Mix — Equal-power blend between the dry input (0%) and the granulated output (100%). Useful for parallel-style use: keeping the original signal forward while the granular cloud sits underneath as added ambience or shimmer. At 100% you only hear the cloud.
Gain — Output gain in dB. Granular synthesis stacks many grains, which can push peaks past full scale — use this to bring the level back into shape. The processor applies a hard limit at ±1 internally as a safety net against grain stacking, so very hot levels will clip rather than distort the rest of the graph.
About Grain Cloud
Grain Cloud is K2K’s flagship granular synthesis node — the source’s audio is chopped into short windowed grains and re-fired into a continuous cloud, with independent control over grain_size, density, pitch, envelope_type, and three jitter dimensions (pitch / amplitude / time). Use it for: pitch shifting without time change (sustained pad → octave-down drone), time stretching without pitch change (lock pitch, stretch density), texture creation (long grains + heavy pitch jitter = ambient bed from any source), Buchla / GRM-Tools-style sound design, freeze effects (very long grains + slow density), or for transforming pitched material into pure texture (short grains + high jitter = source becomes unrecognizable). The interaction between grain_size and density is everything — short grains at low density = rhythmic broken texture; medium grains at default density = smooth musical re-firing; long grains at high density = dense layered drone. Three jitter parameters humanize the otherwise-locked synchronous granular pulse — even small amounts (5–10 cents pitch, 1–10 ms time) make the cloud feel organic instead of mechanical. Compare with Paulstretch for extreme single-shot time-stretching (different mechanism — phase-randomized FFT, designed for very long stretches), and Time Quantize / Time Warp for non-granular time manipulation.
Generated 2026-05-05 from K2K_Dev@96730bdc by scripts/gen_lexique.py. Edit _intros/ or _overrides/, not this file.