Swarm
by Puremagnetik · Sampler · Particle diffusion sampler
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Swarm loads a .wav or .aif sample, clones a section of it into a flock of 2 to 30 members, and disperses them in coordinated or random patterns.
Section, Shape, Density and Size set up the swarm, and Splatter adds a pitch echo, for $20.
Best for: Sound Design. Genres: Ambient & Cinematic, Electronic & EDM.
Keywords: sample-based, hardware emulation, cinematic, inspired by, sound design, granular.
What it does
Swarm is Puremagnetik's particle diffusion sampler, inspired by "swarm intelligence" and the particle masses of composer Iannis Xenakis. It clones a segment of a sample and sends the copies out as a flock that moves in unified, sometimes random, coordination.
- Source: load a .wav or .aif file to feed the swarm.
- Section: sets how much of the sample is read, measured from the start.
- Shape: ramps the density over the length of the loop; lower values reach full density sooner.
- Density: the swarm size, from 2 to 30 members.
- Size: the average length of each member, from 100 ms to 1 second.
- Splatter: a pitch echo effect that sets the echo type and pitch.
- Mix: blends between the signal before and after Splatter.
Swarm is part of Puremagnetik's Granular Suite. KVR lists version 1.0.0. The product page doesn't mention a demo.
Source: Puremagnetik product page
When to use it
Swarm is a small, cheap way to turn one sample into a dense, moving cloud with only seven controls. Compared with Glitchmachines Polygon 2 or Waves CR8, it has no key mapping, envelopes or modulation matrix, so it won't work as a playable sampler. Unlike Kontakt 8 or HALion 7, it isn't built for realistic instruments at all; the results are deliberately unpredictable. Next to Puremagnetik's Partikl, which granulates live input, Swarm works from a file you load. Not to be confused with Lunacy Audio's Swarm.
- Best for: dense pizzicato clouds and spacey, randomized ambiences from a single sample.
- Genres: ambient, cinematic and experimental electronic music.
- Look elsewhere if: you need a full sampler with key mapping and envelopes (TAL-Sampler, Kontakt 8) or deeper granular control (Polygon 2).
Where to buy
- Puremagnetik: $20
Tutorials and reviews
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