Client: Self
Year: 2009
Role: Sound Design, Instrument Design
Metasynth’s SpectrumSynth could build lush textures, but it was an offline process. I wanted that capability live. Kakalak is a Reaktor ensemble I built to get there.
It has two modes: a granular rhythmic sequencer and a grain cloud generator.
Rhythmic Sequencer
You see the actual waveform of the sample. Pick specific points in it, set time divisions against the master clock, and Kakalak generates rhythmic patterns from the grains. Pitch and duration of each grain can be changed on the fly.
The humanizer adds small amounts of randomness so patterns don’t sound mechanistic.
Grain Cloud Generator
This mode is my answer to Metasynth’s SpectrumSynth. Select any part of the waveform, generate a cloud of grains, and manipulate them in real time. The textures evolve as you play.
No Recording
Kakalak has no built-in recording modules. You play it and record the output externally, like you would with any other instrument. No MIDI, no automation. You have to perform it.
I built an entire album with it: Sleeping.