Granulator 3: Turn It Into a Slicing Granular Sampler

Side Brain shows how to convert Granulator 3 into a granular slicing sampler—perfect for remixing loops and generating new melodic material using MIDI note input.

Transform full loops into instant musical ideas with granular slicing in Ableton Live

In this workshop, Side Brain explores how to rewire Granulator 3 into a powerful slicing sampler, perfect for remixing full loops and crafting new material. With a few simple tweaks, this Max for Live instrument becomes a hybrid tool that combines slicing, looping, pitch control and granular texture, all tied to your MIDI input.

How to Set It Up

By default, Granulator 3 plays like a melodic sampler. To convert it into a slicing engine:

• Turn off transposition key tracking so pitch doesn’t affect playback speed.
• Map the position control to key tracking, allowing MIDI note selection to dictate where the sample starts from.
• Adjust the modulation amount (around 45%) for more accurate slicing.

This setup maps each note on your keyboard to a different slice of your sample.

Adding Glide and Variations

Enable mono playback and add glide time to slide between slices for fluid phrase blending. Introduce random variation in looping position to add unpredictability, and experiment with grain size to shape the sample texture.

BPM-Synced Looping

Grain size is measured in milliseconds, not beats—so syncing it to tempo requires a conversion. Use a free BPM-to-MS calculator or Max for Live device to lock in divisions like 16ths or 8ths, ensuring rhythmic consistency with your project.

Granular Slicing Rack

Side Brain’s custom Granular Slicing Rack streamlines the process. Just drop in a sample and experiment:

• Pitch Spread adds stereo variation across the left and right channels.
• Scanning lets you animate sample playback direction and offset using automation or macros.
• Shape, Filter, and Space macros control envelope curves, dual filter settings, and reverb space respectively.

Play long notes with MIDI, automate scan position, and you’ll get unique evolving slices every time.

Jet Phaser and FX Macros

To recreate classic “Jet” phaser effects, a custom LFO controls the frequency of the notches in a phaser with feedback. Combined with spatial and stereo FX, it delivers a rich modular-style experience, right inside Ableton.

The Power of Happy Accidents

Whether triggered chromatically, with generative MIDI, or layered with effects, this setup encourages experimentation. Each note becomes a window into your audio, and with real-time macros, performance and composition blend into one.