Clouds is a granular audio processor – with a couple of twists.
Unlike
granular sample players, Clouds is focused on the realtime
granularization of incoming audio signals, and the acquisition of
textures from them.
Classic controls such as grain position,
size, and pitch are provided. Clouds can superimpose many grains
simultaneously (at least 40, depending on the CPU used by its other
features) and thus create thick textures. Control over texture density,
independently of grain size, is thus provided. An external trigger input
allows grains to be seeded in sync with LFOs or rhythmic generators.
To
provide a richer variety of timbres, Clouds allows the shape of the
grain’s envelope to be morphed – from sharp rectangular edges to a
smooth bell curve. In addition, a diffusion network can further dissolve
the edges of grains into blurry textures.
Finally, to cover
various applications of granular synthesis without the need for
additional modules, Clouds’ comes with four “blending” settings for
mixing and re-routing its output signal: dry/wet balance, random panning
amount, feedback amount, and reverberation amount. Voltage control over
one of those four parameters is possible.
Clouds’ delay memory ranges from 1s to 8s depending on audio quality settings.
Other
surprises have been packed in Clouds, including alternative looping
delay and pitch-shift/time-stretch modes… and a very strange spectral
buffer freeze/glitch.
CV range: +/- 5V. CVs outside of this range are simply clipped.
Internal
processing: 32kHz, 32-bit floating point. RAM Recording buffer uses
16-bit (high quality) or 8-bit µ-law (low quality) resolution.
Open-source hardware and firmware and easy firmware updates through an audio interface.
Width is 18-HP. Current consumption: +12V: 120mA ; -12V: 10mA.