Recently (April 2024) I uploaded a successor video entitled 'SWAM instruments playing Mozart, Schubert, Brahms and Ravel string quartet excerpts' that demonstrates the classical music solo strings sound of version 3.7.3. Watch: th-cam.com/video/-0CZRSEdoWY/w-d-xo.html
Great demo. Excellent point about the decade old sensor technology, you are also pushing the edge of what a wind controller is capable of but the new version is doing quite well.
@Erik Hiser. Thanks for the comment. Do you have the same experience with the EWI? For saxophone players it seems a most appropriate Midi controller, but, oh boy, I am fighting this outdated technology frequently. Which makes the potential of the recent SWAM string instruments even more impressive.
@@FransAbsil what I have found is that wind controllers (the EWI included) regardless of the synth or VST, it requires dedicated patch by patch tweaking if you want to use it for performance and get the maximum response out of the device. If I am using it to get ideas into a DAW or notation program, I know that I am still going to need to tweak the resulting MIDI as I would if I were playing a keyboard controller. The time and dedication to that tweaking increases the further away from the "base instrument" concept you get. As much as I would like it to be something else, it's because the wind controller (EwI) is it's own instrument. You can simulate playing a bass or violin, or even a trumpet, but it will be a simulation at best. At its heart the EWI is a boehm based fingering system with an impulse system like a recorder. So you are in some ways (like with a piano keyboard) able to play impossible things for the sound you are using, and in other ways you will never be able to play it as simply as it would be played by the original instrument regardless of the technology behind it. But with what you have demonstrated, you can still get close.
@isik akad Thanks for commenting on this video. Well the 'scientific' character is caused by the fact that I want to use the maximum potential from these revolutionary instruments (the 'art' part). At times I am disappointed by the performance limits when playing EWI. Then I want to find out: is it user error (me), is it the hardware (EWI) or the virtual instrument (SWAM)? I've communicated my findings with the Audio Modeling company, where they take this most seriously, and I hope that other users may benefit from my findings.
@@FransAbsil you make an awesome work here as a result of an awesome person for sure ! thanks for the kind reply, we look forward for the more from you :)
@ewiben Thanks for the positive feedback; glad to hear that my showing the EWI settings was helpful. If you find the mouthpiece bite sensor more responsive to pressure than I do, then you might as well control CC1 (vibrato) with bite (the default). There is more about EWI settings and controller values in my recent YT video about playing the AM Brass instruments. Good luck!
As a violin player the old v2 sounded more realistic to me with the staccato notes. V3 has the "sucking" attack sound with a sudden drop that makes it sound artificial to me. When playing fast staccato on a real violin, changing fingers sometimes is not synchronous with the "jumping" bow and sometimes the bow fails to "jump" and sticks notes together, just like It is shown at 7:20. Those tiny errors make it sound more realistic to me.
@Avalo Tikeshwara Many thanks for this comment and the detailed observations on string staccato playing with an EWI! As you mentioned, indeed the breath signal envelope may have a detrimental effect on the violin staccato attack/release. As a wind player in case of a rapid succession of notes, it is impossibe to execute more precise control; from the breath signal the EWI determines the note on/off, velocity and expression values, that are then sent to the SWAM instrument. As has been observed by others, we are reaching the limits of this Midi controller technology.
@arthurmee Thanks for your comment. The problem with these reviews is that they get outdated as newer versions are released. Which is the case for Audio Modeling SWAM instruments; they are under constant development and now updated to V 3.5.1 (Jul 2022) with enhanced controller mapping, better response to breath controllers (such as the EWI) and an improved sound engine. I am using the solo string frequently these days, still learning how to create the most suitable presets, and which are the most relevant parameters for realtime control (to minimize Midi piano roll editing).
@@FransAbsil I'm very new to the instruments having relied heavily on sample based instruments until recently. I find the level of control aon being able to do things impossible with samples is a true delight. I'm enjoying the process of learning to use the two SWAM instruments I have right now.and to hopefully eventually get to realise their potential.
@isik akad Thanks! And as it turns out, today (16APR2021) Audio Modeling released an update of the SWAM Solo Strings and Solo Brass. From the release notes I conclude that they have addressed the EWI response issues for brass. Which implies that I'll have to do further 'scientific research'.
@Tobbe Bergman Go to the Audio Modeling site, blog and TH-cam interviews. The new product timeline indeed includes an update for the Woodwinds (with the new UI and sound engine, fully model-based if I understand their announcements properly), and they are considering string ensembles. So a clarinet makeover is to be expected.
Thanks for this excellent, informative video! I'm just starting out with the EWI and this kind of information is super useful. I was wondering what you thought of Aaron Venture's Infinite Brass and Infinite Woodwinds? He hasn't released any strings yet, but as far as the brass or woodwinds are concerned, have you tried using them with an EWI? Do you think they compare well to Audio Modelling instruments as far as responsiveness and playability are concerned?
@Sam Garrone Thanks for the positive feedback. I use both Infinite Brass and Woodwinds; the sound and controllability are great. However, CC control is easier to draw in a MIDI editor than realtime performing on the EWI. The attack phase and legato transitions require close coordination between CC1 and Note-On velocity, which I find impossible to achieve with the EWI mouthpiece and/or a thumb slider. My alternative for the Aaron Venture collection is the combination of a keyboard and an iPad TouchOsc controller (others use breath controllers). Hope this helps.
@@FransAbsil Thanks for the quick reply! I just got an EWI USB, but currently only have traditional sample libraries, so I'm essentially trying to figure out which VSTi to buy that works well with the EWI, preferably without manual MIDI editing after playing. I was set on Infinite Brass, but it sounds like that might not work so well in practice. I'm particularly grateful for your perspective because these are things that would otherwise be impossible to know without spending the money on Infinite Brass and trying it. My thoughts on Infinite Brass were to set the Attack Range knob to 0, and articulate the attack manually on the EWI, using breath or tonguing instead of relying on velocity. This would mean that velocity is only used for legato speed. As best I can tell so far, the less the instrument relies on velocity, the better it is for the EWI. However, I'm guessing you've tried exactly this, and the above problems you mentioned with coordinating attack and legato transitions are the result? I suppose it also might be more difficult than I realise to manually control the attack with the EWI mouthpiece. Despite the issues with multi-tonguing fast passages that you've explained in the video, do you think the Audiomodelling suite otherwise works well with the EWI? If not, are there any other VSTis that you'd recommend for the EWI? I totally appreciate that no VSTi is going to come close to mimicking a real instrument, but I'm just wondering which VSTis you think work well on the EWI.
@Sam Garrone. The Aaron Venture (AV) Infinite Series, a hybrid approach with samples and modeling, involves very clever Kontakt scripting. However, like the Sample Modeling (SM) instruments, this affects the response to EWI playing. In the case of SM there is a wind controller mode, but for the AV collection Note-On velocity is essential. And that is where the outdated EWI sensor technology meets its limits. Touching the keys generates MIDI pitch, Note-On and Note-Off, but all other sensors (breath, sliders) generate CC and thus continuous signals. That leads to a fundamental problem. Besides, the heavy scripting requires the DAW to be in MIDI delay compensation mode when recording. (I hope AKAI will one day release a new EWI generation with up-to-date sensor technology and input signal processing.) The SWAM instruments have that problem solved in the modeling software. The first versions were suboptimal for EWI and wind controllers. I have been contacting the company, sent EWI MIDI test recordings with detailed problem description, and pointing them to my YT videos. They have been working on this aspect regularly and I must say that the EWI playing, in particular the staccato tonguing attack response (and the low CC11 Expression sound threshold) has significantly improved. So they are my favorite daily EWI practice virtual instruments. Still the timbre for various SWAM instruments needs improving, but I believe in the modeling potential. CPU load for me has not been a limiting factor, not even for orchestral sections. Hope this information is useful to you. Good luck with your purchase decisions.
@@FransAbsil This has been incredibly insightful. I had no idea of how important the wind controller mode was for SM (and I presume SWAM, too), the practical limitations of the EWI due to no note-on velocity, and how much attention Audio Modelling have paid to improve performance with a wind controller. A huge thank you for your invaluable perspective, patience in explaining everything, and also for helping to make SWAM instruments more responsive on an EWI. I was previously closely watching Infinite Brass, but that most certainly wouldn't have worked out the way I'd hoped on the EWI, and would have been a very expensive mistake. Now I'm looking at the SWAM Cello, as well as maybe the Violin and one of their woodwind products later on. Thanks again for being so helpful :)
Unfortunately, around Jul 3, 2021, YT once again did not pass on a comment on this video. I could only read the first part, but was not able to reply. Sorry if this seems impolite,
@manosprotonotarios5187 Sorry for the late reply. Is the conclusion that you prefer the SWAM v2 sound over v3 based on your own experience? If so, what controller and instrument presets did you use? My own tests are done with either EWI or MIDI keyboard + iPad TouchOSC controller. I find that the sound keeps improving as the Audio Modeling developers update SWAM; in particular the timbre during the attack phase and the realtime response to MIDI CC control. Also the set of instrument parameters in the MIDI CC mapping has increased. I would say that some instruments (brass in particular) would benefit from further development. Also I do lots of a posteriori CC editing to achieve the most realistic effect in MIDI mockups (most for Solo Strings). My testing videos are all about the realtime response to EWI. Thanks for the feedback.
@@FransAbsil sorry, my comment is based only on how it sounds on the video. I dont have a personal experience of how one coule tweak the sound better in one or the other. I find that the timbre in v2 is much more natural and not so artificially consistent as in v3.
I have a EWI5000 but I want to use only for wind instruments. However, I just bought the Artiphon Instrument 1 and will try the SWAM String instruments with it. I am new at electronic midi instruments (I do play acoustic wind and string). Have you opinion/experience with the Instrument 1 (midi electronic stringed with no moving strings)? I am about to purchase the SWAM String bundle and will try it, but since I'm not experienced with synth I really will not be a good judge, no matter how they sound to me. I would appreciate and love your opinion!
@Robert Thompson, Thanks for the comment. To be honest I had never heard of the Artiphon Instrument 1, and did some research today. It may be more suitable for staccato string playing than the EWI, but from the specs and features I am not sure it has a comparable set of realtime controllers (EWI: breath, bite, glide plate, pitch bend). In the Instrument 1 I find Tilt as CC1 and Pressure for pitch-bend, which is only 2 sensors. So for expressive, lyrical string phrases (same for woodwinds and brass) the EWI result probably will be more realistic. Couldn't find this controller in the SWAM Midi preset list either. But somebody more knowledgeable might chime in. Let me know how you will be getting on with the Instrument 1 for SWAM.
Robert, I was wondering if you had anything to share about your experience with the Artiphon Instrument 1 over the past eight months? Is the Instrument 1 a good MIDI controller for live, expressive string playing, or are there areas it falls short in compared to the EWI? Also, how responsive and accurate do you find the fingerboard? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
@Arnold Veerman Thanks for this interesting remark. Does this mean that you hear no difference for only a specific performance aspect of the SWAM Strings or in general? I myself do notice timbral differences and a modified response when playing EWI. Of course the staccato multi-tonguing is the borderline case. Could the listening environment be involved (headphones, monitor speakers, other)?
Recently (April 2024) I uploaded a successor video entitled 'SWAM instruments playing Mozart, Schubert, Brahms and Ravel string quartet excerpts' that demonstrates the classical music solo strings sound of version 3.7.3. Watch: th-cam.com/video/-0CZRSEdoWY/w-d-xo.html
Great demo.
Excellent point about the decade old sensor technology, you are also pushing the edge of what a wind controller is capable of but the new version is doing quite well.
@Erik Hiser. Thanks for the comment. Do you have the same experience with the EWI? For saxophone players it seems a most appropriate Midi controller, but, oh boy, I am fighting this outdated technology frequently. Which makes the potential of the recent SWAM string instruments even more impressive.
@@FransAbsil what I have found is that wind controllers (the EWI included) regardless of the synth or VST, it requires dedicated patch by patch tweaking if you want to use it for performance and get the maximum response out of the device.
If I am using it to get ideas into a DAW or notation program, I know that I am still going to need to tweak the resulting MIDI as I would if I were playing a keyboard controller.
The time and dedication to that tweaking increases the further away from the "base instrument" concept you get.
As much as I would like it to be something else, it's because the wind controller (EwI) is it's own instrument. You can simulate playing a bass or violin, or even a trumpet, but it will be a simulation at best. At its heart the EWI is a boehm based fingering system with an impulse system like a recorder. So you are in some ways (like with a piano keyboard) able to play impossible things for the sound you are using, and in other ways you will never be able to play it as simply as it would be played by the original instrument regardless of the technology behind it.
But with what you have demonstrated, you can still get close.
i love your reviews just like a scientific seriousness but with art inside :)
@isik akad Thanks for commenting on this video. Well the 'scientific' character is caused by the fact that I want to use the maximum potential from these revolutionary instruments (the 'art' part). At times I am disappointed by the performance limits when playing EWI. Then I want to find out: is it user error (me), is it the hardware (EWI) or the virtual instrument (SWAM)? I've communicated my findings with the Audio Modeling company, where they take this most seriously, and I hope that other users may benefit from my findings.
@@FransAbsil you make an awesome work here as a result of an awesome person for sure ! thanks for the kind reply, we look forward for the more from you :)
This was so useful for me, I was wondering how to map my parameters on the AKAI EWI and you explained it so clearly. Thanks a lot.
@ewiben Thanks for the positive feedback; glad to hear that my showing the EWI settings was helpful. If you find the mouthpiece bite sensor more responsive to pressure than I do, then you might as well control CC1 (vibrato) with bite (the default). There is more about EWI settings and controller values in my recent YT video about playing the AM Brass instruments. Good luck!
As a violin player the old v2 sounded more realistic to me with the staccato notes. V3 has the "sucking" attack sound with a sudden drop that makes it sound artificial to me. When playing fast staccato on a real violin, changing fingers sometimes is not synchronous with the "jumping" bow and sometimes the bow fails to "jump" and sticks notes together, just like It is shown at 7:20. Those tiny errors make it sound more realistic to me.
@Avalo Tikeshwara Many thanks for this comment and the detailed observations on string staccato playing with an EWI! As you mentioned, indeed the breath signal envelope may have a detrimental effect on the violin staccato attack/release. As a wind player in case of a rapid succession of notes, it is impossibe to execute more precise control; from the breath signal the EWI determines the note on/off, velocity and expression values, that are then sent to the SWAM instrument. As has been observed by others, we are reaching the limits of this Midi controller technology.
SWAM instruments are superb.
@arthurmee Thanks for your comment. The problem with these reviews is that they get outdated as newer versions are released. Which is the case for Audio Modeling SWAM instruments; they are under constant development and now updated to V 3.5.1 (Jul 2022) with enhanced controller mapping, better response to breath controllers (such as the EWI) and an improved sound engine. I am using the solo string frequently these days, still learning how to create the most suitable presets, and which are the most relevant parameters for realtime control (to minimize Midi piano roll editing).
@@FransAbsil I'm very new to the instruments having relied heavily on sample based instruments until recently. I find the level of control aon being able to do things impossible with samples is a true delight. I'm enjoying the process of learning to use the two SWAM instruments I have right now.and to hopefully eventually get to realise their potential.
old version was like a flute at high notes which was horrible, but we could hear a great example from your amazing review that has changed !
@isik akad Thanks! And as it turns out, today (16APR2021) Audio Modeling released an update of the SWAM Solo Strings and Solo Brass. From the release notes I conclude that they have addressed the EWI response issues for brass. Which implies that I'll have to do further 'scientific research'.
Wonder if they update their Clarinets to this GUI !
@Tobbe Bergman Go to the Audio Modeling site, blog and TH-cam interviews. The new product timeline indeed includes an update for the Woodwinds (with the new UI and sound engine, fully model-based if I understand their announcements properly), and they are considering string ensembles. So a clarinet makeover is to be expected.
Thanks for this excellent, informative video! I'm just starting out with the EWI and this kind of information is super useful.
I was wondering what you thought of Aaron Venture's Infinite Brass and Infinite Woodwinds? He hasn't released any strings yet, but as far as the brass or woodwinds are concerned, have you tried using them with an EWI? Do you think they compare well to Audio Modelling instruments as far as responsiveness and playability are concerned?
@Sam Garrone Thanks for the positive feedback. I use both Infinite Brass and Woodwinds; the sound and controllability are great. However, CC control is easier to draw in a MIDI editor than realtime performing on the EWI. The attack phase and legato transitions require close coordination between CC1 and Note-On velocity, which I find impossible to achieve with the EWI mouthpiece and/or a thumb slider. My alternative for the Aaron Venture collection is the combination of a keyboard and an iPad TouchOsc controller (others use breath controllers). Hope this helps.
@@FransAbsil Thanks for the quick reply! I just got an EWI USB, but currently only have traditional sample libraries, so I'm essentially trying to figure out which VSTi to buy that works well with the EWI, preferably without manual MIDI editing after playing. I was set on Infinite Brass, but it sounds like that might not work so well in practice. I'm particularly grateful for your perspective because these are things that would otherwise be impossible to know without spending the money on Infinite Brass and trying it.
My thoughts on Infinite Brass were to set the Attack Range knob to 0, and articulate the attack manually on the EWI, using breath or tonguing instead of relying on velocity. This would mean that velocity is only used for legato speed. As best I can tell so far, the less the instrument relies on velocity, the better it is for the EWI. However, I'm guessing you've tried exactly this, and the above problems you mentioned with coordinating attack and legato transitions are the result? I suppose it also might be more difficult than I realise to manually control the attack with the EWI mouthpiece.
Despite the issues with multi-tonguing fast passages that you've explained in the video, do you think the Audiomodelling suite otherwise works well with the EWI? If not, are there any other VSTis that you'd recommend for the EWI? I totally appreciate that no VSTi is going to come close to mimicking a real instrument, but I'm just wondering which VSTis you think work well on the EWI.
@Sam Garrone. The Aaron Venture (AV) Infinite Series, a hybrid approach with samples and modeling, involves very clever Kontakt scripting. However, like the Sample Modeling (SM) instruments, this affects the response to EWI playing. In the case of SM there is a wind controller mode, but for the AV collection Note-On velocity is essential. And that is where the outdated EWI sensor technology meets its limits. Touching the keys generates MIDI pitch, Note-On and Note-Off, but all other sensors (breath, sliders) generate CC and thus continuous signals. That leads to a fundamental problem. Besides, the heavy scripting requires the DAW to be in MIDI delay compensation mode when recording.
(I hope AKAI will one day release a new EWI generation with up-to-date sensor technology and input signal processing.)
The SWAM instruments have that problem solved in the modeling software. The first versions were suboptimal for EWI and wind controllers. I have been contacting the company, sent EWI MIDI test recordings with detailed problem description, and pointing them to my YT videos. They have been working on this aspect regularly and I must say that the EWI playing, in particular the staccato tonguing attack response (and the low CC11 Expression sound threshold) has significantly improved. So they are my favorite daily EWI practice virtual instruments. Still the timbre for various SWAM instruments needs improving, but I believe in the modeling potential. CPU load for me has not been a limiting factor, not even for orchestral sections. Hope this information is useful to you. Good luck with your purchase decisions.
@@FransAbsil This has been incredibly insightful. I had no idea of how important the wind controller mode was for SM (and I presume SWAM, too), the practical limitations of the EWI due to no note-on velocity, and how much attention Audio Modelling have paid to improve performance with a wind controller. A huge thank you for your invaluable perspective, patience in explaining everything, and also for helping to make SWAM instruments more responsive on an EWI. I was previously closely watching Infinite Brass, but that most certainly wouldn't have worked out the way I'd hoped on the EWI, and would have been a very expensive mistake. Now I'm looking at the SWAM Cello, as well as maybe the Violin and one of their woodwind products later on. Thanks again for being so helpful :)
Unfortunately, around Jul 3, 2021, YT once again did not pass on a comment on this video. I could only read the first part, but was not able to reply. Sorry if this seems impolite,
how may i contact you
@@willemvanstraten3860 You'll find the mail address on my Website in the Contact section, somewhat cryptic in order to prevent spam
Why do i like v2 more than v3?
@manosprotonotarios5187 Sorry for the late reply. Is the conclusion that you prefer the SWAM v2 sound over v3 based on your own experience? If so, what controller and instrument presets did you use? My own tests are done with either EWI or MIDI keyboard + iPad TouchOSC controller. I find that the sound keeps improving as the Audio Modeling developers update SWAM; in particular the timbre during the attack phase and the realtime response to MIDI CC control. Also the set of instrument parameters in the MIDI CC mapping has increased. I would say that some instruments (brass in particular) would benefit from further development. Also I do lots of a posteriori CC editing to achieve the most realistic effect in MIDI mockups (most for Solo Strings). My testing videos are all about the realtime response to EWI. Thanks for the feedback.
@@FransAbsil sorry, my comment is based only on how it sounds on the video. I dont have a personal experience of how one coule tweak the sound better in one or the other. I find that the timbre in v2 is much more natural and not so artificially consistent as in v3.
@manosprotonotarios5187 Thanks for clarifying.
I have a EWI5000 but I want to use only for wind instruments. However, I just bought the Artiphon Instrument 1 and will try the SWAM String instruments with it. I am new at electronic midi instruments (I do play acoustic wind and string). Have you opinion/experience with the Instrument 1 (midi electronic stringed with no moving strings)? I am about to purchase the SWAM String bundle and will try it, but since I'm not experienced with synth I really will not be a good judge, no matter how they sound to me. I would appreciate and love your opinion!
@Robert Thompson, Thanks for the comment. To be honest I had never heard of the Artiphon Instrument 1, and did some research today. It may be more suitable for staccato string playing than the EWI, but from the specs and features I am not sure it has a comparable set of realtime controllers (EWI: breath, bite, glide plate, pitch bend). In the Instrument 1 I find Tilt as CC1 and Pressure for pitch-bend, which is only 2 sensors. So for expressive, lyrical string phrases (same for woodwinds and brass) the EWI result probably will be more realistic. Couldn't find this controller in the SWAM Midi preset list either. But somebody more knowledgeable might chime in. Let me know how you will be getting on with the Instrument 1 for SWAM.
Robert, I was wondering if you had anything to share about your experience with the Artiphon Instrument 1 over the past eight months? Is the Instrument 1 a good MIDI controller for live, expressive string playing, or are there areas it falls short in compared to the EWI? Also, how responsive and accurate do you find the fingerboard? I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Great stuff, but it doesn't sound better or different that the former version.
@Arnold Veerman Thanks for this interesting remark. Does this mean that you hear no difference for only a specific performance aspect of the SWAM Strings or in general? I myself do notice timbral differences and a modified response when playing EWI. Of course the staccato multi-tonguing is the borderline case. Could the listening environment be involved (headphones, monitor speakers, other)?