Morpheral Machines Introduces The Swarm, A New Approach To Wavetable Synthesis
Morpheral Machines, a new software instrument developer founded by Renoise creator Eduard Müller, has introduced The Swarm, a polyphonic wavetable synthesizer built around a different approach to oscillator behavior.
The Swarm, a wavetable synthesizer that uses up to 24 independently moving oscillators per voice. The new instrument combines flocking behavior, extensive modulation, and evolving wavetable textures.
Rather than using conventional wavetable playback, The Swarm generates each note using a group of virtual ‘birds’, called ‘boids’, with each boid controlling its own wavetable oscillator. The boids move across a two-dimensional grid of single-cycle waveforms, with their individual positions determining the waveforms being played.
The movement of these oscillators is governed by flocking behavior. Each boid responds to its neighbors and the surrounding environment, producing groups that can move together, spread apart, or follow different trajectories across the wavetable grid.
The result is a synthesis engine in which the movement and organization of the oscillators become an integral part of the sound.
The Swarm supports between one and 24 boids per voice, with up to 12 voices of polyphony. An attractor can guide the flock’s movement, while up to nine predators can disrupt its formation. Twelve different attractor types are available, with movement that can operate freely or synchronize to the host tempo.
The synthesizer’s wavetable editor uses a grid ranging from 3 x 3 to 13 x 13 single-cycle waveforms. Users can draw waveforms directly onto the grid, morph between them using six different methods, or import WAV, FLAC, and WT wavetables.
The software can also analyze audio files and recordings, extracting their most distinctive cycles and arranging them across the grid so that similar waveforms are positioned near one another.
The Swarm also uses the behavior of its oscillators as a modulation source. Each voice measures characteristics including flock alignment, separation, distance from the attractor, and position on the grid. These parameters can be routed to other synthesis functions or used to influence the flock’s behavior.
The instrument includes 32 modulation routings per voice, with 17 modulation sources and 28 destinations.
Features:
- Up to 24 band-limited wavetable oscillators per voice, each with its own optional FM modulator.
- Polyphonic operation with up to 12 voices, including mono and legato modes.
- Flocking behavior in which individual oscillators respond to neighboring oscillators and their environment.
- 12 attractor types for controlling oscillator movement, with free-running and tempo-synchronized operation.
- Up to nine predators that can disrupt the formation and movement of oscillator flocks.
- Two-dimensional wavetable grid with between 3 x 3 and 13 x 13 single-cycle waveforms.
- Waveform editing with direct drawing and six different morphing methods.
- WAV, FLAC, and WT wavetable import, with the ability to generate waveform grids from audio recordings and samples.
- 17 modulation sources and 28 modulation destinations, with 32 routings per voice.
- Flock-based modulation sources including alignment, separation, distance from the attractor, and X/Y position.
- Sub oscillator and white, pink, and brown noise generators.
- Five filter models, including state-variable, Sallen-Key, OTA, transistor ladder, and diode ladder designs.
- Waveshaper with soft and hard clipping, sine and triangle wavefolding, and pitch-locked crushing.
- Tap-cloud delay with eight independently moving delay taps per voice, capable of producing chorus, echo, and reverb effects.
- Seeded randomness with four independent seed domains and options for resetting random behavior on the first note, every note, or with the host transport.
- MPE, CLAP, and VST 3 note expression support, along with MTS-ESP microtuning.
- Approximately 50 factory presets covering basses, keys, leads, pads, and other sounds.
Morpheral Machines The Swarm is available now for Windows, macOS, and Linux in VST 3 and CLAP formats, with AUv2 support for macOS. The software supports native Apple Silicon processors.
The introductory price is $59 / €59 through November 30, 2026. After the introductory period, the regular price will be $79 / €79.
Additional information, audio demonstrations, and downloads are available from the official Morpheral Machines The Swarm product page.
