GranSample - Granular Sampler
Beat Pad, FX & Step Sequencer
Free · In‑App Purchases · Designed for iPad. Not verified for macOS.
1.2.2: AUv3 Pro unlock — actually reliable now. 1.2.1's cross-process fix had a race that left some buyers with locked plugin pads. Properly closed in 1.2.2.
A 16-pad sampler with a granular engine underneath. Standalone app + AUv3 plugin for GarageBand / Logic / AUM / Drambo / Loopy Pro. Tap pads, sculpt textures, sequence patterns. Same instrument either way.
Free to try. GranSample Pro ($3.99, one-time) unlocks all 16 pads and WAV/M4A export. No subscription, no ads, no telemetry.
■ AUv3 PLUGIN — NEW IN 1.2
Load "GranSample" under AU Instruments in any AUv3 host. Same 4×4 grid, same 10 factory Kits, same engine. 420 host-automatable parameters cover master + every per-pad slider. Sequencer locks to host transport; tempo changes propagate. MIDI in routes through the host; MIDI out emits NoteOn so pad taps can drive other instruments. Kit + pattern + sliders persist in the host project.
■ LIBRARY — NEW IN 1.2
Tap the project name in the top bar to open the Library. Ten factory Kits + your own saved Projects in one place. Load, tweak, save as your own. Red dot tells you when work is unsaved; loading another Kit prompts to save first.
■ GRANULAR ENGINE
Eight knobs per pad. Position scans through the sample. Grain size + density set the texture from pebbles to glass. Pitch + jitter, spray + stereo spread, four window shapes, Freeze for infinite sustain. Up to 128 grains per voice; lock-free render so it stays musical when you push it.
■ CHROMATIC MODE
Pick any pad as the root and the grid plays as a chromatic keyboard. Every pad shows its note.
■ STEP SEQUENCER
Per-pad patterns at 16, 32, or 64 steps with per-step velocity, drag-to-paint. Standalone runs its own clock; the AUv3 plugin syncs to host transport.
■ SAMPLE EDITOR
Waveform view, drag the grain region, trim playback range. LINEAR or GRAN preview at the top bar. Loop, reverse, normalize per pad. Inside the AUv3 plugin too — handles bound to host-automatable parameters.
■ ADSR ENVELOPE (PRO)
Per-pad attack/decay/sustain/release. Drag the live chart.
■ EFFECTS — REWORKED IN 1.2
Per-pad AND master bus. Reverb, Delay, Distortion, EQ, Compressor, Chorus, Filter. Master FX is now one tap from the top toolbar. Each effect ships ~5 hand-tuned factory presets (Plate / Hall / Slap / Punchy Drum / Bass Boost / LP Sweep…); save your own and recall per pad or master. EQ and Filter draw their transfer curve in real time — drag the handle to set frequency + gain together. iPad pinches the curve for bandwidth. Up to 8 effects per chain, automatable from any DAW.
■ MIDI
USB or Lightning MIDI keyboard, Bluetooth MIDI via the built-in browser, or virtual MIDI from other apps. Inside the AUv3 plugin, MIDI in routes through the host; the plugin emits MIDI out for taps + future sequencer triggers. MIDI Learn on every knob standalone. Per-pad channel routing.
■ RECORDING
60 seconds from the built-in mic straight into a pad (standalone). Full master bounces to WAV/M4A (Pro).
■ 10 FACTORY KITS, 16 SAMPLES
Late Night Room, Outer Space, Neon City, Forest Stream, Toy Factory, Midnight Dub, Tape Machine, Crystal Cave, Sunrise Choir, Dark Matter. Each Kit wires drums / melodic / textural samples with bespoke granular settings. Browse from the Library; reload, fork, save your own.
■ UNDER THE HOOD
AVAudioEngine. Lock-free atomic parameter bridge. Hermite pitch interpolation. Per-voice declick. Cross-pad RMS compensation. BT-aware IO buffer negotiation. Zero-allocation render path. AUv3 sample-accurate trigger, host-clock sync, full state preset.
■ FREE TIER
Pads 1–4 (Kick, Snare, Hi-Hat, Sub Bass) — same restriction in standalone and AUv3 plugin. Full granular engine, effects, sequencer, mixer, MIDI in/out.
GRANSAMPLE PRO — $3.99, one-time
All 16 pads unlocked everywhere (Bass, Piano, Rhodes, Guitar, Synth Pad, Vocal, Strings, Rain, Bowl, more) — standalone AND AUv3 plugin
Per-pad ADSR envelope editor
WAV / M4A export
Made by one person who wanted a granular beat pad that fit on a phone — and now in their DAW too.
1.2.2 — bugfix release.
AUv3 PRO UNLOCK — properly fixed
1.2.1 was supposed to make standalone Pro purchases propagate into the plugin without needing a DAW restart. It worked for most users, but a race in the cross-process entitlement check could leave some Pro buyers with their plugin pads still locked. 1.2.2 closes the race: the unlock check is now write-once-true (it never downgrades on a transient StoreKit cache miss), concurrent checks single-flight instead of fighting each other, and the retry budget covers slow cross-process propagation. If 1.2.1 left you with locked Pro pads in your DAW, this release should fix it with no extra steps on your end.
UNDER THE HOOD
The AUv3 plugin's audio render path no longer takes any locks while reading MIDI settings or host transport state. Lower priority-inversion risk under tight IO budgets — most relevant for Bluetooth audio routes and low-latency host projects.
NEXT
Still working on sample chop-to-pads (slice a long sample across the grid, transient-aligned).
The developer, Chih Han Lin, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Collected
The developer does not collect any data from this app.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
- Seller
- Chih Han Lin
- Size
- 14.6 MB
- Category
- Music
- Compatibility
Requires iOS 16.0 or later.
- iPhone
Requires iOS 16.0 or later. - iPad
Requires iPadOS 16.0 or later. - Mac
Requires macOS 13.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later. - Apple Vision
Requires visionOS 1.0 or later.
- iPhone
- Languages
- English
- Age Rating
4+
- 4+
- In-App Purchases
Yes
- GranSample Pro $3.99
- Copyright
- © Nonotoday LLC
