Understanding the PolySWAM GUI

The PolySWAM interface is designed for speed and clarity: you can manage a complete ensemble without getting lost in menus. The main screen has four areas, from top to bottom:

1. The Header: presets, Scenes, page navigation and global functions.
2. The Central Workspace: the page that you select in the Header (STAGE, RANGES, MIX or MORE).
3. The Conductor: the real-time performance controls.
4. The Action buttons: eight switches for the playing techniques of the preset.

Tip: hover over any control to see a tooltip that explains it. 

You can turn the tooltips off in MENU → Options → Show Tooltips.

1. The Header

• Preset and Scene: the center of the Header shows the loaded preset and, below it, the current Scene. Click it to open the Preset Browser.
• Scene arrows (◀ ▶): load the previous or next Scene of the preset. You can also use the Left and Right arrow keys.
• Save Scene: the save icon saves your changes as a new Scene (Save As...), or overwrites the current Scene if it is a User Scene (Overwrite Current).
• Page selector: STAGE, RANGES, MIX and MORE switch the Central Workspace (see below).
• MIDI MAPPING: enters the MIDI Controller Mapping mode, where you assign your hardware controllers to the controls of PolySWAM.
• PANIC: silences all the notes, for example stuck notes. It can also be triggered by MIDI (default CC 120).
• MENU (…): opens the Main Menu: Audio and MIDI settings (standalone), Options, Keyboard Shortcuts, Window Size, Account & License, About and Tutorial.

2. The Central Workspace

• STAGE: shows the ensemble in the virtual room. Each instrument is a bubble that you can drag to change its position and its distance. Use the room button at the top left to select the room, its absorption (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH) and its size, or to open the Room Catalogue. The rooms are created by Audio Modeling's proprietary room simulator.
• RANGES: shows how the instruments are distributed on the keyboard, with the algorithm of the preset (MULTI POLY, COMPLETE VOICES or MULTI MONO). The instruments light up and show the note that they play while you play. Here you can change the key ranges and the transposition.
• MIX: the mixer of the ensemble: level of each section or instrument, the room (Ambience Amount and Mic Distance), the 8-band Master EQ and the Master Volume.
• MORE: two pages. TUNING: Master Tune and microtuning. ADVANCED: the voice allocation settings, which depend on the algorithm of the preset.

3. The Conductor

The Conductor at the bottom of the screen is the heart of your expressive control. It is always visible while you play.

• Velocity and MODE: the velocity curve and the Dynamic Behavior mode (SWAM CLASSIC, HYBRID, VELOCITY). Click either to open the Velocity page.
• Expression: the main knob. It drives the dynamics of the whole ensemble. Assign it to an expression pedal, a mod wheel or a breath controller (default CC 11).
• Macros: knobs for the expressive nuances of the preset, for example vibrato, bow pressure or character. Their names and functions depend on the preset. The Link button above each Macro makes it follow Expression.
• HUMAN TOUCH: two knobs for the human quality of the ensemble. Pitch sets the intonation spread among the players, Time sets the spread of their attack times.
• POLY ENGINE: Poly & Legato Analysis sets the analysis window of the engine (the resulting Added Latency is shown below the knob). Polyphony Lock locks the voice allocation to the instruments that are playing (default CC 66, Sostenuto pedal).

Collapsed and expanded layout: click the arrow (or the CONDUCTOR title) to switch between the two layouts. The collapsed layout shows Macros 1 and 2, HUMAN TOUCH and POLY ENGINE. The expanded layout shows all eight Macros. PolySWAM remembers your choice.

4. The Action buttons

Below the Conductor, eight Action buttons (I to VIII) switch discrete playing techniques of the preset on and off, for example mutes or a change in the ensemble. Their names and functions depend on the preset; an unused button shows ---. Click a button to toggle it, or assign it to a pad or a switch of your controller (default CC 81–88).

Summary