SWAM Solo Horns and Tubas

Name: SWAM Solo Horns and Tubas
Price: 166.83 USD
Author: Audio Modeling

by Audio Modeling · Instrument · Physically modeled French horns and tubas

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SWAM Solo Horns and Tubas by Audio Modeling

SWAM Solo Horns and Tubas is Audio Modeling's physically modeled set of French horns in F and Bb, euphonium, Eb tuba and bass tuba, played in real time rather than from samples.

The instruments respond to breath, lip tension and valve or slide movement as you play. The set costs $249 with a 15-day trial.

Best for: Acoustic Instruments. Genres: Ambient & Cinematic, Jazz, Acoustic & Classical.

Keywords: brass, physical modelling, tube, film & game audio, monophonic, smooth.

What it does

SWAM Solo Horns and Tubas is Audio Modeling's physically modeled set of low and mid brass. Each instrument is computed in real time rather than played from samples, for "natural articulations and detailed dynamic control."

Five instruments: French horn in F, French horn in Bb, euphonium, Eb tuba and bass tuba.
Physical modeling: the model responds in real time to breath, lip tension and valve interaction, so dynamics and attacks change smoothly as you play.
Hand in bell: a hand-in-bell control shapes the French horns' timbre, as a real player's hand does.
Extended techniques: pedal notes, plus valve or slide play modes and a choice of mutes.
Tone and tuning: Expressivity and Timbre controls, master tuning and transposition, and micro tuning.
Room and effects: built-in effects and acoustically modeled rooms in several types, materials and sizes.
MIDI and presets: MIDI learn with curve remapping, and a preset manager with save, duplicate, import, export and sub-sets, plus a parameter search.

NKS is supported. The interface supports the system accessibility tools for blind and visually impaired users. A 15-day free trial is available.

Source: Audio Modeling product page

When to use it

SWAM Solo Horns and Tubas is one modeled player per instance, where orchestral libraries such as BBC Symphony Orchestra Core and Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition give you recorded horns and tubas in a hall, ready to play as part of a full section. Its dynamics, legato and tone follow your controller continuously, so an exposed horn solo or a moving tuba line can swell and phrase like a real musician. It uses a tiny fraction of the RAM of a sample library. It does ask more of you, since the best results come from a breath controller or careful CC work, and reviewers note sampled brass can have more bite in a dense mix. For quick, layered brass textures it is less simple than Arturia's Augmented BRASS.

Best for: solo French horn lines, tuba and euphonium parts, and low brass with real dynamic range.
Genres: film and game scoring, classical, jazz arranging and brass band writing.
Look elsewhere if: you need loud, aggressive section brass to cut through a pop or trailer mix; a sampled library such as Hollywood Orchestra Opus Edition is quicker.
Tip: ride CC11 (expression) from faders or a breath controller, and stack several instances, varied slightly, for an ensemble sound.

What producers say

Reviewers praise the expressive control and natural legato, with the main caveats being setup effort and a softer edge than sampled brass.

SonicScoop (2020, Solo Brass Bundle) found the control over the horns, euphonium and tuba "staggering" and the legato "among some of the most natural" it had heard; it noted pop and film work may need more intensity to cut through a mix.
Synth and Software (2025) was "totally blown away" by the SWAM range and said the bass tuba "will shake your house."
Criticisms: both reviews say it needs controller setup and MIDI CC work, and Synth and Software had to adjust the Wind Controller Release Mode for its breath controller.
Tips: SonicScoop added reverb and some distortion for character, and Synth and Software suggests choosing the controller preset that matches your hardware.

Where to buy

AudioDeluxe: $166.83
Audio Modeling: $249

Tutorials and reviews

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