Artium InstrumentsThe Swarm Polyphonic Supersaw Synthesizer

Artium Instruments The Swarm

The Swarm from Artium Instruments is an eight-voice desktop supersaw synthesizer with onboard effects, providing massively rich waveforms for powerful drones, hoover-esque pads, and plenty more nostalgic and unconventional tones. At the core of The Swarm lies its 7-wave supersaw oscillator, capable of moving from subtle, detuned thickness to tremendously buzzing textures with a simple turn of the Detune control. While the low-pass filter has a fixed resonance, it is voiced to provide plenty of audible juice for your filter sweep squeezing without sounding harsh or squelchy. Controlling the synth is easy using a USB MIDI connection or the onboard arpeggiator, offering numerous ways to encounter The Swarm.

While the huge sound of the synth core in Polyphonic MIDI mode is plenty to write home about, The Swarm shows off its unique personality when utilizing the arpeggiator and multiple onboard effects. The arpeggiator may be driven from an internal clock with knob and tap-tempo controls, or synced via MIDI to external devices. Controls for arpeggiator direction, octave range, and a hold function give ample tools for creating performed sequences on the fly, making The Swarm a compact powerhouse in live situations and studio sessions alike.

The effects in The Swarm range from both essential to experimental, adding tons of sound design potential to this compact instrument. No supersaw would be complete without a formidable chorus, and The Swarm's stereo 4-voice chorus creates the perfect degree of stereo depth and modulation to keep you happily awash in its tidepool of shifting sound. Reverberation is added via another single-knob control, adding a sweet mist of high end diffusion which accentuates the synth sound without overpowering it. A clockable delay synchronizes with the arpeggiator clock, which may be further multiplied to create in-between beats and echos. Last but certainly not least, a Freeze effect can be used to capture a circular buffer of 1 second of audio, looping your stored sample beneath your live playing to create lush pads and smooth transitions. If you appreciate the unmistakable sound of supersaw synths, The Swarm from Artium Instruments is ready to show you what all the buzz is about.

The Swarm Features

• Desktop 8-voice polyphonic supersaw synth with onboard effects
• Synth core features 7 stacked sawwaves per oscillator with detune control for massive tones
• Fixed resonance filter voiced for the perfect filter sweep
• Attack / release envelope
• Arpeggiator with clock speed, tap tempo, hold, direction, and octave controls
• Delay effect with mix, feedback, and time control
• Delay time based on arpeggiator clock with a multiplier for tempo-locked echoes
• One-knob reverb controls size and mix simultaneously
• Chorus effect with subtle LFO modulation for classic supersaw sounds
• Freeze effect with overdub amount and tappable toggle
• USB MIDI control
• Octave switches on back panel shift incoming MIDI notes
• Stereo inputs for using the effects with external gear