New to crusher-X? The crusher-X Tutorial series explains granular synthesis step by step: short videos that each build one thing from an empty program, to follow with the free demo.
Start here: Not one filter: a 24 dB Ladder filter for every grain
Until now a grain was given its place when it was launched and kept it until it faded. The In-Grain Panner sets every single grain in motion while it sounds: Pan carries it from one side to the other, Center Pan swings it from the center out to both sides and back, so a grain starts and ends in the middle. How far it travels, and in which direction, is set by the Panner Grain Modulation - and since that modulation can give every grain a value of its own, a cloud of long grains turns into a field of independent movements instead of a row of fixed positions. In the Stereo and Multichannel modes the pan runs between left and right; in the immersive and Atmos modes it works on top of the 3D Panner and moves each grain around its place on the 3D path.
Every grain in crusher-X has a filter of its own, and the new 24 dB Ladder switch gives that filter a second character: Lowpass, Highpass, Bandpass and Bandstop then cut 24 dB per octave instead of 12, with the resonant sound of a ladder filter. Filter Cut and Q drive it exactly as before, so every Grain Modulation that sweeps or scatters the cutoff now does it with a steeper, more resonant edge - grain by grain. The switch is stored with the Program and morphs along with it.
The editor now follows the performance: a parameter changed by host automation, MIDI, OSC or an Adore or Macro knob brings up its tab, never while you hold the mouse, and the moves of a learned MIDI or OSC controller are now recorded as DAW automation, just like a mouse move. The mapping editor gets a right-click menu that also moves MIDI mappings between the global list and the one stored with the Program, and the Settings Tab is sorted onto three pages - Global, Instance and Connectors. On top of that comes a long list of fixes: X-Crush no longer cracks or bursts, the DCO waveforms play exactly at the set frequency, the curve editors, the mapping editor and Program copy, export and switching behave as expected, and a number of rare freezes and crashes are gone - among them the Binaural Processor crash on Intel Macs.
Enjoy!
Binauralization is what turns a normal stereo mix into a believable space over plain headphones: each sound is rendered with the directional, distance and height cues our ears use in the real world, so a crusher-X grain cloud is heard as a true three-dimensional event that moves around you instead of a flat, wide stereo image. The Binaural Processor pairs specific generated HRTFs, selectable for different head sizes, with a BRIR-based convolution room simulation - and both are tuned in crusher-X specifically to carry its grain generation, so every grain keeps its own position and distance as the cloud drifts, and the space stays clean and natural rather than the blurred, phasey result binaural effects can otherwise produce.
FLAC files now load anywhere WAV and AIFF do, and the Wave buffer saves as FLAC - lossless at about half a WAV's size - while several MP3 sample rates that used to fail now load correctly. The reworked Pitch Tracker delivers higher-quality, cleaner pitching of both voice and instruments: its two new Sync modes, Tune Sync and Base Key Sync, lock grains to the sung or played note without warble, while steadier tracking removes phantom notes, holds the right octave on bright notes and reaches from bass low E up through the full range at 96 kHz. Under the hood the whole grain engine got quicker and lighter: idle filters, unused sends and output routing now cost nothing, Programs and patches load while the editor stays live, an open instance uses less memory, and every view, fader and knob costs a fraction of before, so faders stay smooth while the engine keeps its headroom. On top of that a long list of sound-quality fixes removes clicks, warble and colour errors across grains, samples, the compressor and the audio-file loaders.
Enjoy!
Release Notes:
- Adds Mix level into Feedback and Aux output level to prevent sound leak into the Granulizers input
- macOS: Fixes duplicated Cocoa identifiers
In this tutorial, we break down how to set up and use multichannel routing with the Crusher-X 12 plugin in Ableton & Bitwig. Whether you're working on sound design, or complex surround sound setups, this guide will help you get all the outputs of crusher-x routed for your needs.
crusher-X 12.11 is here, bringing smoother and more reliable plug-in parameter and automation management. This update enhances control responsiveness with refined MACRO behavior while ensuring better synchronization between plug-in parameters and loaded programs.
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