We Rave You picks granular plugins from Baby Audio, Output and Imaginando

We Rave You published a guide to granular synth and effects plugins on 18 October 2026, written by Hemant Khatri. Its picks include Baby Audio HyperWarp, Output Portal and Imaginando GRFX.

Granular synthesis cuts a sound into tiny pieces called grains, usually 1 to 100 milliseconds long. According to the article, composer Barry Truax needed a dedicated computer in 1986 to run the technique in real time. The guide outlines four core controls: position in the sample, grain size, density and spray, which randomizes where each grain starts.

Baby Audio's HyperWarp is controlled by drawing on a graph that sets speed, direction and stutters. It ships with 190 presets and seven character profiles, each with four macros. It costs $49 as an introductory price until November 30, then $99, with a free trial, in VST, VST3, AU and AAX formats on macOS and Windows.

Output's Portal puts the sound on an animated XY pad, with grain sizes from 0.5 ms to one second, a grain delay, seven effects, a compressor and more than 250 presets. At $149 it is the most expensive effect on the list; it is also part of the Output One subscription at $9.99 a month billed yearly.

Imaginando's GRFX turns a single note into a chord through its Harmonic Triangle, which spreads grains across three pitches set between -12 and +12 semitones. It runs up to 64 grains from a buffer of up to eight seconds, with four LFOs and 60 factory presets.