Microfiltration applies a unique filter to each grain for spectrally animated textures

Microfiltration couples granulation with per-grain filtering: each extracted grain passes through a separate bandpass or bandreject filter with individually randomized center frequency and Q within user-specified limits. This injects spectral coloration into each grain independently, producing lively scintillating textures from otherwise static source material. The filters articulate microvariations that foster heterogeneity inside the sonic fabric. When filter Q and density are high, the granular stream has a liquid quality. This technique is distinct from static equalisation (which applies a fixed filter to the whole signal) - the variation between grains is the key feature.

Examples

Roads’s GranQ program: density=80 grains/sec, grain duration=30ms, constant-Q filter Q=4, filter frequency randomized between 200-2000 Hz per grain. Result: liquid, scintillating cloud.

Assessment

How does microfiltration differ from standard parametric EQ applied to a granular cloud? What perceptual effect does per-grain filter variation produce that static filtering cannot?