Make it grain
Refractalizer is a new kind of synthesizer that makes granular synthesis more musical. It lets you bend time, transform samples, and morph effortlessly between rhythmic chopping, granular sound-scapes, and conventional synthesizer sounds. It’s a playground for sonic explorers: a temporal modulation workstation where drum loops become chords, voices become synth leads, and simple ideas morph into entirely new musical worlds.
$149
Refractalizer FX
V1.2 OUT NOW
The Refractalizer 1.1 update expanded our flagship VSTi into the realm of real-time processing, with 1.2, you get the best of both worlds: a dedicated Refractalizer FX plugin for direct track processing and an updated VST instrument capable of capturing audio via sidechain – PLUS all of these fresh additions.
Capture and refractalize audio in real-time with the new live rolling buffer. Layer multiple buffers of different lengths to create evolving variations, then use Commit to save any moment as a sample or Freeze to lock your loops in place. With dedicated Mix and Feedback controls, Refractalizer FX performs like a granular delay or looper, all while remaining fully playable via external MIDI.
New in 1.2:
- Four new FX modules: Filter, Chorus, Flanger and Phaser. A complete onboard effects section for sculpting, smearing and animating your grains, with a new LPNotch filter mode for resonant motion that you can’t get anywhere else.
- A new on-screen keyboard with pitch bend. Play and audition Refractalizer directly inside the plugin window, with configurable upper and lower Pitch Bend bounds for fast performance setups.
- Modulatable switches with Unipolar and Bipolar modes. Switches, including Reverse, are now fully modulatable, so you can automate, randomise and morph them with LFOs and macros. Combined with the new uni/bipolar modulation modes, this unlocks a huge new layer of sound design depth.
- New presets and factory content. A fresh wave of presets built around everything 1.2 can do, from textural beds and evolving pads to glitchy rhythmic chops.
Plus plenty more under the hood: a new Grain Length/Rate ms/hz/sync toggle, a max grain count parameter, an expanded Record Length range, a gain-based mix control, and a long list of UI polish and fixes.
This update is FREE for current owners. If you already own Refractalizer, this update is yours at no extra cost.
The Ultimate
Time Warper
Discover hidden depths of your sounds between the milliseconds with Refractalizer’s core magic: the ability to slide seamlessly between rhythms, tones, and textures.. Refractalizer’s custom granular engine can accommodate any scale of time-stretching no matter how extreme, with subatomic resolution that captures every microsonic detail with sample-accurate precision. Unlike typical granulators that rely on randomness, Refractalizer’s grain rate can be controlled by MIDI notes allowing you to play the grains as a synth.
One Sample, Infinite Variations
Throw in a single sound and bend time to reveal hidden harmonics, micro-textures, and unexpected musical moments. By slowing down the buffer playback while grains overlap, you can transform tiny slices of audio into pads, drones, shimmering atmospheres, or rhythmic phrases. It’s the ultimate elaboration machine, perfect for exploring and manipulating existing musical ideas without layering more and more parts.
Multiple Samples, Infinite Dimensions
The multi-buffer system lets you load an unlimited number of samples and fade smoothly between them. Morph between drum hits, switch between variations of a loop, or blend bass layers into one evolving super-sound, all with true interpolation and no abrupt switching. It also works tonally: stack synth voices, vocal snippets, or orchestral hits and move between them like an infinite wavetable made from your own sample library.
Multi-modal Morphing
Refractalizer lets you slide between tempo-synced rhythmic divisions and audio-rate modulation. Go from 16th-note chops to pitched tones to exponential bouncing ball FX with a gesture. Then widen the sound using our unique stereo grain cycling – grains bounce between left and right channels, creating rich phantom-center images and stereo harmonics you can’t get from chorus, EQ, or widening plugins.
Watch the walkthrough
Under the hood
BPM <> Hertz
Interpolation
Most devices force you to choose between rhythmic subdivisions or arbitrary millisecond timing. Refractalizer unifies them, allowing interpolation between BPM-locked divisions and precise Hz values. Sweep seamlessly from 1/16 notes into a melody, or create endlessly evolving textures that drift in and out of time.
Polyphonic
Grain-Rate Synthesis
Granular synthesis is most often used as a texture generator. Refractalizer turns it into a polyphonic instrument. Grain rate can be controlled directly by MIDI notes, allowing grains themselves to become the oscillator. You can play leads, basses, chords, and percussive parts with the precision of a synth but with all the character of micro-sampled audio.
Multi-Buffer
Interpolation Engine
Load multiple samples and interpolate smoothly between them manually or automated with an LFO. A cross between Granular and Wavetable synthesis, the multi-buffer interpolation engine opens up wild new possibilities for sound design.
Stereo
Grain Cycling
Instead of spreading the signal with modulation, Refractalizer distributes successive grains across L and R channels in selectable patterns. At slower rates this adds movement and a natural pulse; at high grain rates the ear can’t localise the switching which creates phantom harmonics and a psychoacoustic widening effect.
“Refractalizer is an insane piece of software that can do things I’d been looking for in a plugin for years. Incredible, mind bending sounds.”
— Beardyman
“I’ve spent countless hours exploring Refractalizer, and I still feel like I haven’t even scratched the surface. This thing is super powerful and currently my new obsession.”
— Oddkidout
“FINALLY a vst that can morph my exponential rhythms into playable notes without having to do yucky math.”
— Flintwick
“Refractalizer is unlike any other granular plugin I’ve used. Features like keytracked grain sizes, smooth interpolation between different source material, and modulation control over nearly everything lead to wild sound design results without losing musical control.”
— Erothyme
“The freshest take on granular synthesis in nearly a decade. Tuned grains are tickling my brain in completely new ways.”
— Frequent
“Refractalizer FX opens up fresh possibilities like using it in real time on synths & drum machines, or using it on sequences of manually chopped samples, or applying it to entire groups of tracks, or trying it in the middle of longer FX chains… there’s a lot to explore here!”
— Erothyme
“One of the most impressive and fun tools I’ve used in a long time. It’s fast, intuitive, and full of unique, future-focused features geared toward both experimental and melodic sound design–a truly fresh take on granular synthesis!”
— eliderp
Refractalizer is not just “another granular plugin”. It’s a new category: a temporal modulation instrument, a sample-morphing synth, a playground for serious sound designers. It offers features and workflows that simply don’t exist anywhere else, and that uniqueness is exactly what sets it apart.
If your work revolves around texture, motion, hybrid sounds, cinematic design, experimental music, or simply pushing audio into new territories, this plugin is exceptional.
For me, it’s the best granular synth on the market right now – and one that fully deserves the Sounds of Revolution Award.
Refractalizer is not just “another granular plugin”. It’s a new category: a temporal modulation instrument, a sample-morphing synth, a playground for serious sound designers. It offers features and workflows that simply don’t exist anywhere else, and that uniqueness is exactly what sets it apart.
If your work revolves around texture, motion, hybrid sounds, cinematic design, experimental music, or simply pushing audio into new territories, this plugin is exceptional.
For me, it’s the best granular synth on the market right now – and one that fully deserves the Sounds of Revolution Award.
Hear it in action
Refractalizer is a new kind of synthesizer that makes granular synthesis more musical. It lets you bend time, transform samples, and morph effortlessly between rhythmic chopping, granular sound-scapes, and conventional synthesizer sounds. It’s a playground for sonic explorers
$149
Get the Refractalizer, Concatenator, Concatenator Mini and Combobulator + 1 Artist Brain* in one yummy bundle and save 40% compared to buying them individually. Existing owners of DataMind Audio plugins save even more and the more plugins you own, the more you save. Login to see your upgrade price.
*The Combobulator ships with Artist Brains from Rob Clouth, Encanti and Popbot, and our Nature Models SFX Brain for free. Buy the Explorer Bundle and receive a coupon to choose an extra Artist or SFX Brain of your choice.
$399 $219
Get the Refractalizer, Concatenator, Concatenator Mini and Combobulator + All Artist Brains in one yummy bundle and save 40% compared to buying them individually. Existing owners of DataMind Audio plugins save even more and the more plugins you own, the more you save. Login to see your upgrade price.
$599 $299
System requirements
MINIMUM
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 or later / macOS 10.15 or later
Processor: i5-2500 / AMD FX-6300
Memory: 4 GB RAM
Graphics: 720p monitor resolution
Storage: HDD with 600 MB available space
Additional Notes: Internet connection required for initial activation
Recommended
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 or later / macOS 10.15 or later
Processor: Ryzen 5600x / i5-12600 / Apple M1
Memory: 16 GB RAM
Graphics: 1080p monitor resolution
Storage: SSD with 600 MB available space
Additional Notes: Internet connection required for initial activation.
– Available as a VST and AU plugin for Windows 10 or newer and MacOS 10.15 or newer
Frequently
asked questions
What is Refractalizer?
What is a multi-buffer system?
Can I put my own sounds in Refractalizer?
How is Refractalizer different from other granular and samplers?
What does it mean to morph between tonal and rhythmic time domains?
Try the Demo
We’re delighted to let you take it for a spin. Enjoy a time-limited demo to see if this is the right fit for you.