Granular Synthesis in Circuitry

[BernhardtSynthesis]

Hey everybody,
So I've been using computers and my analog synthesizers or circuit bent creations both in my music recently, and I've been thinking about what I like most about both, and some way to join them. On the computng side, I love Max/MSP, its flexibility, and especially its potentials in granular synthesis. On the synthesizer/hardware end, I love to build them myself, and I love their tangible operation and visual aids.
So I propose: can I, using some form of digital circuitry (I assume) create a circuit that will record and playback microsounds? I don't see a reason for its impossibility, but I'm garbage with digital circuitry. Having this in a relatively compact package, along with a filterbank and a mixer of sorts, would be fantastic. This would be huge for me, as it really would combine my two favorite experimental routes.
If anyone feels like helping me out on this one, it would really mean something to me. Maybe a schematic/reference? I'm no pro with digital circuitry (programming, microcontrollers, etc.) but I'm excited to work towards this.
Bernhardt

[jksuperstar]

I personally would suggest working with FPGAs, as you have the ultimate in flexibility when it comes to real-time manipulation of things. It would require learning some new "languages"...verilog or VHDL, using a tool from Xilinx or Altera (who also make the FPGA chips), getting a PCB that uses a chip from one of those two vendors, and then getting your computer connected to the board (usually a USB dongle cable).

Then, you can start learning how to port your MAX patches over to the FPGA world

[JovianPyx]

Agreed, an FPGA is quite well suited to granular synthesis. As JK mentioned, there is a learning curve.

I got started by purchasing a development board. My first was a Spartan-3E Starter Kit. This board has a 12 bit DAC and 12 bit ADC on board. You'd be very surprised at how nice 12 bits can sound. Other boards may or may not have a DAC or ADC on board, so they may have to be added externally. Even a modest FPGA (such as the one on the Spartan-3E Starter Kit) could quite possibly do polyphonic granular synthesis.

One thing to remember about FPGAs is that they are RAM based - not Flash. This means that there is no "write fatigue" so if you have more than one synth design, you can reload over and over with no worries about wearing out the Flash (this is a concern of many modern microcontrollers and devices like dsPIC). Most dev boards also have a Flash RAM to support loading a useful design at power up, but that has nothing to do with sending a new design to the FPGA after it's powered up.

[BernhardtSynthesis]

Hey guys,
Thanks for the responses. I think this is absolutely the best way to do it, after a bit of research. My main problem is a lack of funds. I wish I had the 400 bucks for this gear, but being a student working part time building synths is not the quickest way to make money. FPGAs seem extremely cool.

I was thinking about how to do this in a more "physical" sense, as I can think much more easily in terms of components and ICs than I can variables and classes.

What I'm realizing is that this idea is really just a delay with a very long decay time whose delay time is in the 1-50m range. Doing it in this fashion would also allow it to resample over time. For instance, if the decay time is 1 minute, it could evolve in a really cool fluid manner over that minute and build up a very very heavy grain cloud. This is not traditional granular synthesis, but it may the route I'm heading with this. Does anyone know of a digital delay IC that could handle reproducing these sounds in this fashion without completely destroying the quality (the PT2399 would absolutely ruin it).

[electri-fire]