Playing SWAM Instruments
with a Gamepad
Audio Modeling's SWAM instruments are built for continuous, expressive control. So is a gamepad. Gamepad MIDI v1.4.0 ships a template that maps the two together: breath, vibrato, expression, and pitch bend, ready to play in one click.
One template covers all 15 SWAM instruments. They share the same CC layout.
Why SWAM and a Gamepad Go Well Together
SWAM (Synchronous Waves Acoustic Modeling) instruments by Audio Modeling are physical-modelling plugins that simulate acoustic instruments: saxophone, violin, cello, trumpet, flute, clarinet, and others. Unlike sample-based plugins, they respond in real time to breath, bow pressure, embouchure, and vibrato data. The more expressively you control them, the more alive they sound.
Most people drive SWAM with a breath controller and a sustain pedal. A gamepad gives you the same continuous axes (triggers for breath, sticks for vibrato rate and pitch), plus melody notes across the face buttons and D-pad, all in one handheld device.
Breath control
Right trigger (R2) maps to CC11 (expression). Squeeze harder to play louder and brighter. Back off to trail away.
Vibrato
Left trigger sets vibrato depth (CC1). Right stick X sets rate (CC19). Dial both in for the amount and speed you want.
Pitch bend
Right stick Y sends pitch bend up/down. Push up to slide sharp, pull down to slide flat, release to snap back.
The Template
Find it under the Expressive category in the Templates dialog. Loading it creates a new preset and automatically activates the SWAM device profile so CC labels show up by name in the UI.
Full Mapping
| Control | Mapping | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Right Trigger (R2) | CC11 (Expression) | Breath / dynamics |
| Left Trigger (L2) | CC1 (Vibrato Depth) | Amount of vibrato |
| Right Stick X | CC19 (Vibrato Rate) | Speed of vibrato |
| Right Stick Y | Pitch Bend (Up/Down) | Pitch inflection |
| Left Stick X | CC10 (Pan) | Stereo position |
| L1 Button | CC64 (Sustain/Legato) | Legato mode |
| Face Buttons (A/B/X/Y) | Notes C4, D4, E4, F4 | Melody notes |
| D-Pad (Up/Right/Down/Left) | Notes G4, A4, B4, C5 | More melody notes |
One template, all 15 instruments
Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Soprano Sax, Cello, Violin, Viola, Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Trombone, Horn, Bass Trombone, Clarinet, Flute, Shakuhachi, Didgeridoo. They all use the same CC layout, so this one preset works across the entire library.
SWAM Device Profile
The template activates this automatically, but you can also load the SWAM device profile on its own when building custom mappings. It replaces raw CC numbers in the mapping UI with readable parameter names.
CC Labels
Get Started
The SWAM template is available now in Gamepad MIDI v1.4.0 for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Gamepad MIDI