Sylphyo and GeoShred app

reff

There are now six new world class Swam instruments as inapp purchases on the iOS GeoShred app, 16.99 euros each, including the Swam sax (the Swam sax for a computer costs 250$!) There is a midi setup in the app specifically for the Sylphyo. Anyone tried this yet?

Support_AODYO

@reff Let us know if you try it we are curious about this!
Do the sounds work well with Sylphyo ?

Maxence
Aodyo Instruments

reff

@Support_AODYO I'm waiting to hear from someone else before I buy them ;-)

fcred

I bit the bullet and bought the GeoSWAM Flute.
The short answer is no (or not yet - see below). :-(
The long answer:
Before buying the GeoFlute I read the warning that it requires a MPE so I first tried experimenting with the GeoShred Pro using its MPE Midi input setting. By setting the Sylphyo to channel 2 and setting breath to CC7 I was able to play the GeoShred.

So far so good.

I also read that MPE uses Channel Pressure as Aftertouch. Sylphyo has Aftertouch but no Channel Pressure. However, I noticed that Respiro has a MPE-Aftertouch option for breath control. When I set Respiro to this and tried with Sylphyo set to Aftertouch for breath control it worked!
So was the Respiro MPE option mislabelled or was MPE using Aftertouch after all?
The only way to check was to buy GeoFlute and try. Which I did and you know the answer already. it doesn't. :-(

Some good news, if I use Sylphyo Inertial mode on Midi channel 2, the GeoFlute plays. This is because the MPE spec has global CC commands on channel 1 and note and expression commands on channels 2-16.
Hence I have the hope that if the fine folk at Aodyo were to add Channel Pressure to the list of breath control options, then it will be possible to play the GeoFlute with Sylphyo using channel 2. How about it @Support_AODYO ?

Fred

fcred

Please disregard my previous post, GeoFlute with Sylphyo does work! :-)

If you want to know how and are not interested in my continuing ramble, please go to the end.

I was determined to get GeoFlute working.

So since I already have Audiobus on my iPhone, I bought a MIDI converter, mfxConvert, with the aim of converting Aftertouch to Channel Pressure.
Activating the converter in learning mode, I discovered that the Aftertouch of the Sylphyo is really sending MPE Channel Pressure all along!
So what gives?

In the end the problem was really simple. GeoFlute only starts from C4 and covers 3 octaves. So simple that it initially didn't occur to me. I had been spoiled by the 5+ octaves of the Sylphyo. :-)

Once I started playing above C4, the result was spectacular. It is the closest sound I have gotten with my Sylphyo to my real flute up to now. I am amazed that a iPhone 6S can generate such a realistic sound. I still have to learn how to control the sound better but I am very optimistic.

I am not sure if some of the other CCs from the Sylpho will need to be remapped from channel 2 to channel 1 to conform to the MPE spec but I have mfxConvert if I need to.
Maybe @Support_AODYO can add a MPE output option in the future and save all this hassle?

So, in short, to start playing GeoFlute with Sylphyo, set Sylphyo breath control to Aftertouch, Sylphyo MIDI channel to 2, Sylphyo base note at C4 and the GeoShred MIDI to SWAM. I also recommend that the Echo and Reverb of the GeoFlute be turned off, at least at first.

Fred

reidid789

Hi Fred,
Thank you for this clear message, very interesting and which gives the solution to the use of the Swam app. I am a flutist and looking for a good realistic flute sound but not at the price of Swam for PC or Mac that I can't stand (for original presets I'm a die-hard Respiro fan).
I have an iphone 6s plus but have so far never used it for music judging my studio to be better than an iphone which otherwise does wonderful service.
You make me want to test the GeoFlute app with the sylphyo but how do you use the output sound of the iphone: only with headphones or do you use the mini jack output on a professional mixer? and if so what is the quality?

reidid789

This post is deleted!

fcred

@reidid789 I connect the mini jack output to a Roland Mobile Cube and I am very happy with the quality of the sound.

The Roland has a surprisingly good sound when you consider its size. I like the iPhone/Roland combination since it allows me to be as mobile as possible.

Fred

reidid789

Thank you, Fred for this feedback

reidid789

Fred, est-on obligé d'acheter GeoShred à 28€ pour avoir accès au preset Swam à 16€ ou peut on passer par GeoShred Play qui est gratuit mais qui ne semble pas s'installer sur l'iphone ?
Je ne trouve pas la réponse sur le site et honnêtement je n'ai pas besoin de GeoShred ...
Tout cela bien sur pour être joué avec mon Sylphyo

fcred

@reidid789 unfortunately you can only get the SWAM on iOS via GeoShred Pro. Audio Modeling have promised a stand alone iOS SWAM early next year if you have the patience to wait.

I picked up GeoShred Play for free a while back and then upgraded to Pro which was cheaper than buying the Pro version outright. I think that GeoShred Play may be free again for Black Friday.

reidid789

Thank you very much, Fred for that.

Thomas

@fcred

Bonjour,

Merci pour votre recherche et ce post, j'ai essayé cette config geoswam sylphyo sur mon ipad mais je constate plusieurs choses :

le Breath control ne fonctionne pas sur la 1ere attaque du son, qui se fait toujours au même niveau élevé de vélocité, et n'est actif qu'ensuite, en legato.
le bend du Sylphio sur les touches n'est pas pris en compte.
le Sylphyo fonctionne en mode clavier midi à chaque pression des touches.
Faut-il un réglage supplémentaire dans le Sylphyo et/ou Geoshred pour corriger cela ?
Je n'ai pas trouver non plus comment mapper les différents contrôleurs du Sylphio sur Geoshred..

Merci d'avance pour votre réponse.

Thomas

fcred

@thomas You have to set the Sylphyo to use MIDI channel 2 and set the breath CC to aftertouch. The GeoShred MIDI to SWAM (which invokes MPE).
One problem that I had with the GeoShred SWAM was that the attack was too strong.

Since I last wrote on this forum I bought an iPad mini and am using the stand alone SWAM apps. The stand alone apps give much more control and are also easier to interface the Sylphyo to.

I use Audiobus and the Sylphyo sound selections to switch between the SWAM instruments.

Cheers,
Fred

Thomas

@fcred
Hi, thanks and sorry to answer so lately :)
I did the same as you did and finally bought one Ios Swam for trying, the violin.
As you know, the Sylphyo user guide gives some recommendations for Swam instruments but for mcOs platform only and the Ios Swam menus are lightly different with less possibilities I guess.
I can't find the way to get some settings, as a very ppp smooth attack or light release for example...
Could you give some tips and advises for the best use with the Sylphyo ?

Cheers

Thomas

fcred

@Thomas
I get ppp to ff with no problem.

I have adopted most of the Sylphyo SWAM recommended settings or their equivalent due to the updated SWAM 3 interface.
The important thing is to set the SWAM compressor to the minimum otherwise the attack (for wind instruments at least) tend to be too aggressive.
The SWAM compressor setting is in the effects page.

My Sylphyo settings (with the number 2 stopper) for playing with the iOS SWAM (and occasionally the GeoShred SWAM) are:

Midi mapping
Breath CC11
Send to CC11
Plus Aftertouch
Breath Max
per CC On
Delay if needed On
Velocity 127
Slider ctrl CC1
Top slider ctrl CC12
Bottum slider ctrl CC13
Elevation ctrl CC20
Roll ctrl CC76
Compass ctrl CC77
Keybend ctrl 78

Breath
Minimum 40
Range 2100
Curve linear
Filtering Off

Fingering
Flute
Octaves 5(+2)
Invert Octaves Off
Replay Same Note Off
Reaction Time 5 ms
Reaction Time Octaves 30ms
More sensitive On

Cheers,
Fred