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Audio setup

Grainulator runs either as a standalone app with its own audio engine, or as a plugin inside your DAW. This page covers both paths and the host-compatibility matrix.

Audio interface selection (standalone only)

Open the standalone app and choose Settings → Audio I/O. The dialog lets you pick:

  • Driver — Core Audio on macOS, ASIO or Windows Audio on Windows. ASIO is strongly recommended on Windows for usable latency.
  • Input device — used by the Live Input mode on each layer. Leave it on your interface's stereo input, or set it to "None" if you don't need live input.
  • Output device — where the grains play back. Select your audio interface here, not the built-in speakers, if you want low latency.
  • Channel count — Grainulator is stereo in and stereo out. Pick the two channels on your interface you want to use.

Sample rate and buffer size

The standalone app defaults to 44.1 kHz. You can change the sample rate from the same Settings → Audio I/O dialog. As a plugin, Grainulator always follows the host sample rate, so there's nothing to configure.

Buffer size trades latency for CPU headroom:

  • 128 or 256 samples — good for live playing and MIDI performance.
  • 512 samples or higher — good for mixing, bouncing, and dense patches with heavy grain density.

If you hear crackles or dropouts, raise the buffer size first. If latency feels sluggish, lower it.

Sample-rate auto-resampling

When you load an audio file, Grainulator resamples it to the current session sample rate on a background thread. A 48 kHz file dropped into a 44.1 kHz session plays back at the correct pitch — no manual conversion required. The resample happens once at load time, so there's no ongoing CPU cost.

DAW host compatibility

Grainulator is tested against these hosts:

  • Logic Pro — AudioUnit. Insert on an instrument or audio track via the channel-strip plugin slot.
  • Ableton Live — VST3 or AudioUnit. Drag from the Plug-ins browser onto a track.
  • Reaper — VST3 or AudioUnit. Use the FX button on any track.
  • Studio One — VST3 or AudioUnit. Drag from the Instruments or Effects browser.
  • FL Studio — VST3. Add from the Channel Rack or the Mixer's plugin slots.
  • Bitwig Studio — VST3. Drag from the browser onto a track.
  • Cubase / Nuendo — VST3. Add from the Instruments or Inserts rack.
  • Pro Tools — AAX support is planned for v1.6.

If your host doesn't see Grainulator after install, force a plugin rescan — most DAWs only look for new plugins at startup or when you press a Rescan button. See the troubleshooting page if the plugin still doesn't show up.

Instrument vs. effect

The default Grainulator build is a MIDI-controlled instrument: load it on an instrument track and send MIDI notes to trigger pitched playback. The separate Grainulator FX build is a plain insert effect that processes whatever audio is on the track, with no MIDI required. Both builds share the same granular engine and UI.