Vector Grain is a granular looper and polyphonic sampler with a unique modulation system
controlled by a 2D particle simulation.
In this video we'll explore how to make sounds with Vector Grain
and how to use the particle simulation to control elements within the sound.
On the left of the device is the 2D particle system.
This displays particles that are used to affect elements of our sound.
On the right-hand side of the device are additional controls and four tabs we'll use to adjust parameters of the sampler
as well as parameters that control the behavior of particles within the 2D simulation.
We start by dragging a sample into the 2D display.
Here's our sample.
This opens the Sample Parameters tab. When the device is in MIDI Mode, playing a note or notes
will trigger a looping section of the loaded sample.
In the Sample Playback tab, we can adjust some parameters that control the playback of the sample.
Start controls where in the sample playback starts from,
and Size controls the size of the looped section of the sample.
Size can be set in milliseconds or synced Note Lengths.
The Fade controls apply a fade to the beginning or end of the loop.
When Fade's center is all the way to the left, the loop will fade out.
When it's all the way to the right, the loop will fade in.
The sample can also be played in reverse and there is a multimode Filter to process the sound.
At the bottom of the Sample Playback tab are the particle attribute controls.
These let you map particle attributes to control elements of the sound.
Each of the five controls represents a different attribute of the particles within a simulation.
The leftmost control represents a particle's horizontal position.
Let's map this to affect the Panning of the sound.
Note that each particle within the system represents an independent playback of the sample.
And when in MIDI Mode, each note played will create a new particle.
I'll play a chord and notice how the panning of each individual note
is affected by the corresponding particle's horizontal position.
The second attribute control represents a particle's vertical position.
Let's map this to control the Filter.
Again, notice how the Filter setting of each particle is independent.
The middle controller represents a particle's distance from the center. Let's map this to Pitch.
When a control is affecting the Pitch, we can click the S button
to quantize the Pitch to a number of preset scales. Let's go with Octave.
The fourth controller represents the particle Speed.
Let's map this to Size, so the size of the looping section will increase and decrease
as the particle speeds up or slows down.
The fifth control represents the Mass of the particle. We'll map this to the Gain for now.
But you might have noticed that the Mass of the particles, represented in this simulation by the Size of each particle,
doesn't really change much.
Let's head over to the Particle System tab where we can adjust some behaviors of the particle system.
For now, we're just concerned with the Mass control.
You can use this to set a Mass that each new particle will be created at.
We can also define an Amount that the Mass of each particle will be randomized.
Let's set this to the maximum and play some notes.
We'll come back to these controls again later, but for now, let's head over to the third tab,
which controls the forces applied to the particles that affect how they move.
In the center of the display is a white square. This is called the Attractor.
Strength affects how strongly the particles are attracted to or repelled from the Attractor.
At positive values the particles are attracted and at negative values the particles are repelled.
Looking at the particles, we can see that some particles are blue and some are yellow.
These colors represent a particle's charge: blue for positive or yellow for negative.
You can set whether the Attractor attracts or repels only positive particles,
only negative particles,
or both.
Magnetism determines whether oppositely charged particles attract or repel one another.
When Magnetism is in the middle, it has no effect.
Because the particles exist within this dynamic 2D system, each control affects how the others behave.
And tiny adjustments on one can have a drastic effects on another element of the system.
So be sure to play around with these making small adjustments and noticing how the particles are affected.
Vector Grain can also function as a granular looper,
which is great for creating evolving pads, atmospheres and textures.
If we adjust the Grains control, the device is no longer triggered by MIDI
but will generate grains based on the number set on the control.
With Lock off, the grains will play constantly.
If we enable Lock, grains will only play when Live's Transport is running.
By default, once grains are created, they will exist indefinitely.
Let's head back to the Particle Systems tab where we can enable the Emitter.
The Emitter creates and destroys particles at regular intervals.
Rate defines the rate at which new grains are created,
and Life defines for how long these grains will exist before they're destroyed.
The total number of grains that can exist simultaneously is always defined by the Grains control.
So the Grains, Rate and Life controls work together to determine how many grains will exist at any given time.
Remember that because Vector Grain works with samples,
the kinds of sounds you can achieve vary greatly depending on the source material you use.
Be sure to explore different sounds as your source material to see what kinds of results you can get.
There are also many other controls we haven't discussed,
but remember that you can use Live's Info View to discover more about the controls in Vector Grain.
Click the toggle in the bottom-left of Live's window to open the Info View,
then hover over any parameter within Vector Grain to learn more about that control.
Also be sure to explore some of the included Vector Grain presets
to get an idea of the range of sounds possible with Vector Grain.