Baby Audio Grainferno is a granular synthesis workstation for all things beautiful to bizarreI’ve developed a soft spot for Baby Audio. Its plugins deliver an addictive immediacy that genuinely stands out in my DAW’s overstocked plugin browser.

READ MORE: Strymon’s NightSky plugin turns reverb into an instrument

Until now, the company’s instrument roster included a CS-01 homage, a quirky drum synth with a techno bent, and a physical modeling synthesizer with a life of its own. They’re unique instruments with focused applications, yet ones I can’t help but reach for any time I’m looking for some spark.
Grainferno is Baby Audio’s fourth, ahem, instrument baby, boldly attempting to breathe new life into tired sample libraries by way of granular synthesis. Can it demystify this dark art?
What is granular synthesis?
For the uninitiated, granular synthesis splits an audio source into tiny parts before playing them back looped, rearranged, and otherwise mangled. Unlike a sampler, which at its most basic plays a sound straight through with minimal tampering, granular synths rebuild their input from the ground up using these miniscule sonic snapshots.
Take this preset, which reconstitutes a woozy synth drone and a stadium-sized guitar solo into something drastically different:

Well-known proponents of granular techniques include Flume and SOPHIE, their productions littered with hazy shimmers and metallic, hyper-detailed artefacts. But given you can feed in literally any audio you desire, granular synthesis is a fundamentally versatile way to make noise.
Getting started with Grainferno
Grainferno Design Page. Image: Press
Grainferno’s interface is relatively simple, with four key knobs defining its most important behaviour. Size controls the length of each grain — on the larger end, they retain a stronger resemblance to their origin, while smaller sizes offer a noisier departure.
Rate adjusts the frequency at which these grains are generated, from rhythmic stuttering at lower speeds accelerating into smeared clouds of particles. Push the knob into audible territory and Grainferno even begins to function like an unstable wavetable synth.

Skimming through a source sample by changing grain position is one of the most gratifying ways to alter the sound of Grainferno. If you’re using a longer audio file — a minute or so works well — it’s like digging for buried treasure, with nuggets of gold hidden among sonic detritus.
Two more knobs add motion. Scan moves the grain generation position backwards or forwards, with negative values working particularly well with longer grains to impart a smooth reversed quality reminiscent of a crystalliser. Scatter is equally useful, providing an organic touch by randomising the grain position.

What do Grainferno’s presets sound like?
While Grainferno is undoubtedly approachable, my initial foray reveals a learning curve. Impatient users might head straight for its compelling and varied preset library. Many of the more experimental sounds come from Galen Tipton, concocter of maximalist hyperpop-infused IDM, as well as EDM wizard Virtual Riot.

For greater immediacy while auditioning sounds, the Play page distils the controls down to four assignable macros:
Grainferno Play Page. Image: Press
Creating a sound from scratch in Grainferno
Grainferno comes with 378 factory samples that can form the basis of a patch, although you can drag in your own sounds too. It’s a broad palette, from sustained synth pads and orchestral gestures to crunchy foley and pitched percussion.
Grainferno Sample Browser. Image: Press
Users can layer two sounds at once and mix them with different algorithms. While grain position is independent for each layer, the four main granular controls are not — this is the only time Grainferno feels noticeably limiting. I pluck out two radically contrasting sounds, meld them together, and feed in some arpeggiated notes:

Grainferno spits out an unmusical mess; a stark realisation that this won’t be as easy as I first expected. I try again, but most of what comes out is whooshing UFO noises better suited to a sci-fi movie than a song — interesting, but not exactly useful.

It’s difficult to predict which samples will complement each other, and my intuition comes up short several times. Given the multitude of variables that go into creating a Grainferno patch — the source samples, the grain position, and the wide-ranging parameters — landing on something worthwhile feels like a long shot, the sweet spot too narrow amid the immense scope of possibilities.
Nonetheless, I persist, embracing the chaos. I’m certain there are fascinating discoveries to be made. Perhaps the key to unearthing them lies in Grainferno’s modulation?
Modulation and effects in Grainferno
Grainferno’s slick array of mod sources is more than enough for detailed sculpting, with three LFOs, three envelopes, and three random mod sources that output new values every time a grain is generated.
These pair perfectly with the grain-level effects, including a compressor, filter, and feedback-based Blur effect. When used on the filter, for example, each individual grain can be assigned a random cut-off value.

This is my breakthrough moment. I find myself treating Grainferno more like a modular synth, letting my curiosity guide the process. Yes, the output is uncertain, but it can be steered — and given just how easy its drag-and-drop workflow is, the journey is joyful, particularly once you arrive at a satisfying destination.
Things do get CPU-intensive at times, particularly with higher rates and more complicated patches, though newer machines should cope okay.
Six post-processing effects provide further potential: a filter, compressor, clipper, delay, reverb, and chorus.
Grainferno FX. Image: Press
I create another patch using a single cello note as the sound source, applying per-grain modulation to Rate, Size, Pitch (set to Octave mode), and Grain Filter Cut-Off. It’s transformed into a majestic string section, commandeering my attention for quite some time:

Alternatives to Grainferno
Granular may not be as ubiquitous as wavetable or subtractive synthesis, but there’s no shortage of capable plugins on the market.
A primary contender is Arturia Pigments, a multi-engine instrument with granular well within its remit. At €199, it’s pricier — but its broader toolkit is worth it if you’re picking up your first soft synth.
For £59, Dawesome’s Love 2 takes a more focused approach. It’s an audio effect rather than an instrument, transforming its input into otherworldly soundscapes through classic granular shimmer that’s easier to steer.
For those less certain or merely looking to dabble, Ribs from Hvoya Audio is a name-your-price granular plugin that can be used as both an instrument and an effect, with a powerful feature set belied by its lack of price tag. Or, for Ableton users, the Studio edition of Live 12 includes Granulator 3 — a Max for Live device that’s conducive to snappy experimentation.
Is Grainferno worth buying?
Grainferno can produce beautiful and complex sounds, but it’s difficult to approach it with a fixed outcome in mind. Even with a solid grasp of its controls, the relationship between input and output feels elusive at times, shaped as much by chance as it is intention.
But that’s also where the appeal lies. Grainferno feels like a playground for sound design, where curiosity and patience are rewarded far more than precision. You probably won’t reach for it if you know exactly what you need — rather, it’s a way to break creative deadlocks, add detail and movement, or inject a track with something more leftfield.
While the £59 intro pricing is compelling, the full £99 sticker is a harder sell, and I’d encourage users to try before they buy to see if it gels. For those willing to embark on a more exploratory journey, Grainferno offers a vast and often surprising sonic landscape that’s as engrossing as it is unpredictable.
Key features

Granular synthesizer with dual sample layers
Plugin and standalone versions
Control grain rate, size, pitch, position, and more
Cross-fade between layers with multiple morph modes
Grain-level effects including filtering, compression, and Blur
Multiple modulation sources including 3 envelopes, 3 LFOs, 3 random outputs, 4 macro controls, and an envelope follower
378 bundled sounds for creating patches (1.5 GB in total)
Extensive presets from well-known artists and creators
Play view for browsing presets and macro control
Design view for editing patches in detail
Post-processing effects page with compression, filter, delay, reverb, chorus, and clipping
Powerful preset manager with tagging system

The post Baby Audio Grainferno is a granular synthesis workstation for all things beautiful to bizarre appeared first on MusicTech.