RadioGranular is one of the most unusual free instruments in the Creature From The Black collection. Instead of loading a normal sample, it can receive audio from two live KiwiSDR internet shortwave receivers and feed those signals into a granular synthesis engine.
The result is a constantly changing source of voices, static, coded transmissions, distant broadcasts and atmospheric noise that can be frozen, recorded and fragmented into musical grains. It is available as a free/pay-what-you-want Windows VST3 and standalone application.
Internet required for live radio: RadioGranular connects to KiwiSDR receivers online. Once audio is captured or frozen, the instrument can treat it as granular source material.
What Is RadioGranular?
RadioGranular combines radio reception and granular synthesis in one instrument. Shortwave radio is particularly suitable for experimental sound design because its content is unpredictable: speech, music, interference, fading, noise and digital signals may all appear within a few seconds of tuning.
Granular synthesis then divides that incoming stream into tiny fragments. By changing grain length, density, position, pitch and direction, the instrument can transform a recognizable broadcast into pads, drones, rhythmic clouds or abstract noise.
At a Glance
- Two live KiwiSDR shortwave receivers
- AM, SAM, USB, LSB and CW reception modes
- Automatic radio scanning
- Grain length up to 2 seconds
- Density, spray, pitch, reverse and octave controls
- Tempo synchronization
- Record and Freeze functions
- Multimode filter
- Ping-pong delay, reverb and saturation
- Four syncable LFOs with 11 shapes
- Modulation matrix and visual scopes
- Windows VST3 and standalone
Two Live Radio Sources
Using two independent receivers allows RadioGranular to layer different frequencies, stations or reception modes. One side might carry speech while the other captures static or music. The contrast can create dense stereo material before the granular engine even starts processing it.
Support for AM, synchronous AM, upper and lower sideband and CW modes expands the range of material that can be received. Automatic scanning is useful when the goal is discovery rather than carefully tuning a specific station.
Granular Controls
Grains can extend up to two seconds, so the instrument is capable of both microscopic textures and more recognizable chunks of radio. Density controls how many grains are generated, spray introduces positional variation, pitch and octave controls transpose material, and reverse creates backwards fragments.
Tempo synchronization lets grain behaviour follow the project, making a chaotic source easier to integrate into rhythmic music.
Record and Freeze
Shortwave is ephemeral. A station can fade or disappear immediately, so Record and Freeze are essential features rather than conveniences. When an interesting moment appears, the buffer can be captured and used as stable source material.
This also means RadioGranular is useful even if a producer does not want live unpredictability throughout a track. Find a compelling fragment, freeze it, then design the patch around that captured sound.
Filter, Delay, Reverb and Saturation
The built-in multimode filter can remove excess hiss or isolate a useful frequency band. Ping-pong delay expands rhythmic motion, reverb creates atmospheric depth, and saturation can make thin radio signals denser.
Four tempo-syncable LFOs with eleven shapes and a modulation matrix provide enough movement for long evolving patches. The source is already alive, so subtle modulation often works better than turning every destination into a carnival ride.
Creative workflow: Auto-scan until something interesting appears, Freeze it, reduce the grain size, then slowly increase Spray and reverb. The radio becomes a texture rather than a broadcast.
Best Uses
RadioGranular is ideal for ambient, drone, experimental electronica, industrial, musique concrète, cinematic sound design and game audio. It can also produce unique transitions, risers and atmospheric beds for more conventional tracks.
Because the source is live, every session can begin with different material. That gives the instrument a built-in form of inspiration that conventional sample libraries cannot really imitate.
Video Demo
Creature From The Black has published a RadioGranular demonstration highlighting its shortwave textures and granular processing.
Compatibility
- Format: VST3
- OS: Windows 64-bit
- Standalone: Included
- Internet: Required for live KiwiSDR reception
- Type: Granular synthesizer / radio instrument
- Price: Free / pay what you want
How to Download RadioGranular
- Open the official Ko-fi product page.
- Choose the available pay-what-you-want amount.
- Download the Windows package.
- Install the VST3.
- Launch the plugin with an internet connection to access live receivers.
Final Verdict
RadioGranular has a strong identity because its source material is never fully under control. Live shortwave reception supplies a stream of accidental sounds, while the granular engine turns those accidents into playable and recordable material.
For experimental producers, it is less a synth preset machine and more a portal into whatever the ionosphere happens to be serving today.
Download RadioGranular for Free
