6 Malström

The Malström Graintable synthesizer offers a whole new range of sounds, distinct from what you experienced with Subtractor in Chapter 4. Rather than producing sound by emulating analog oscillators (as is the case with Subtractor), the Malström uses Graintable synthesis, which is Propellerhead’s hybrid of granular and wavetable synthesis. You will hear the difference because many of the sounds really sound like a human voice, or thunder, or some other real sound. It’s not a sampler, however. The Malström Graintable designers start with a sample, chop it up, detonate it into a zillion grains, and slap it back together (as a Graintable) so that sound can be manipulated and warped in ways a simple sample might run and hide from.

In this chapter you will learn how to: