Comparison

SWAM Violin Section vs Gamelan Lab

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

SWAM Violin Section

Create realistic and expressive violin section performances on your mobile device. This app uses physical modeling to generate sound in real-time, offering unparalleled control over dynamics and articulations without relying on pre-recorded samples. It's ideal for composers, producers, and live performers seeking flexibility and efficiency.

Highlights
  • Physical modeling sound generation
  • Real-time expressive control
  • Individual section control
  • Standalone and AUv3 plugin support
  • MIDI & MPE compatibility
  • Smart Room Simulator 'Ambiente'
  • Customizable sound and playability
Read full description

SWAM Violin Section for iOS: The Next-Level String Section Experience SWAM Violin Section for iOS brings the power of Physical Modeling technology to your mobile device, allowing you to create realistic, expressive, and fully customizable violin section performances on the go. Whether you’re a composer, producer, or live performer, this revolutionary app delivers unmatched realism, efficiency, and flexibility in a lightweight and intuitive package. Unlike traditional sample libraries, SWAM Violin Section doesn’t rely on pre-recorded articulations. Instead, it generates the sound in real time, reacting dynamically to your playing style, whether you're working in classical, cinematic, jazz, or modern electronic music. Why Choose SWAM Violin Section for iOS? Unparalleled Realism – Each violin section is fully controllable in terms of expression, vibrato, bow pressure, bow position, tremolo, and more. No need to switch between different articulations—just play and shape the sound in real time. Enhanced Efficiency – No more endless searching for the right articulation or sample. With SWAM Violin Section, you have immediate access to every possible playing technique at your fingertips. Faster Workflow – Control velocity, expression, and phrasing seamlessly while switching effortlessly between staccato, legato, spiccato, or pizzicato just by playing. Smart Room Simulator “Ambiente” – The built-in room simulator ensures that all violin sections in your mix interact naturally, allowing for a centralized UI to position every section in a shared acoustic space without tweaking each plugin separately. Top Features at a Glance Individual Section Control – Adjust the expressivity of each violin section independently, fine-tuning vibrato, bowing techniques, dynamics, and more. Standalone & AUv3 Plugin – Use SWAM Violin Section as a standalone app for real-time performances or integrate it as an AUv3 plugin in your favorite DAW. Customizable Sound & Playability – Personalize the tone, resonance, and bowing articulation to match any genre or style. MIDI & MPE Compatibility – Play expressively with MIDI controllers, MPE devices, wind controllers, or even directly from your iOS device’s touchscreen. Seamless Integration with DAWs – Perfect for mobile music production, SWAM Violin Section works effortlessly in Logic Pro for iPad, Cubasis, AUM, GarageBand, Camelot Pro and more. Lightweight & Powerful – Thanks to state-of-the-art Physical Modeling technology, you get a realistic and highly responsive string section without the need for massive sample libraries. Who is SWAM Violin Section for iOS Designed For? Film & Game Composers – Achieve lifelike, expressive violin section performances directly from your iPad or iPhone. Music Producers – Use real-time expressivity to shape your sound instantly, without limitations. Live Performers – Integrate SWAM Violin Section into your live setup for dynamic, high-quality string section performances on the go. Orchestrators & Arrangers – Create and refine rich, full orchestral arrangements with deep control over every section’s expressivity. Important Notes For the best experience, we recommend using a device with an Apple Silicon chip (M1, M2, M3, or later) for optimal responsiveness and real-time performance. Like the solo SWAM Strings instruments, SWAM Violin Section is monophonic, as it accurately replicates real bowed string instruments, allowing only double stops where realistic fingerings permit. To fully explore the expressive power of SWAM Violin Section, a MIDI controller capable of continuous expression (such as an MPE device, breath controller, or expression pedal) is recommended. Take your string section to the next level with SWAM Violin Section for iOS and redefine the way you create, perform, and produce music—anytime, anywhere!

About

Gamelan Lab

Features
Read full description

Gamelan Lab is a real Indonesian gamelan you can play, learn from, and compose with. Built on 281 real recorded notes from a physical Javanese gamelan (Casa da Música, Porto — licensed for reuse), not synthesized approximations. Every degree you tap is the actual tuning of a real bronze instrument — no two gamelan ensembles in the world share the same tuning, and this app captures one of them faithfully. Play • Pélog (7-tone) and Sléndro (5-tone) scales, switchable anywhere • Saron, Bonang Barung & Panerus, Gender, Gambang, Kenong, Kempul, Gong Ageng, and kendhang drums — all real samples • A circular cycle wheel visualizes the colotomic structure (Gong/Kenong/Kempul/Kethuk) as a living clock, with a continuously sweeping playhead — tap any beat to reshape the cycle • Three traditional forms (Lancaran, Ketawang, Ladrang) as starting points, or design and save your own Learn • Kotekan Lab: build a melodic cell and hear the interlocking technique itself — Nyog Cag, Imbal, Kotekan Telu, and Kotekan Empat, with Polos and Sangsih highlighted note-by-note as they play • A 7-article Theory tab (what gamelan is, Java vs. Bali, Pélog & Sléndro, colotomic structure, Kotekan, the instrument family, cultural context) — three articles you interact with directly, not just read • Two real traditional pieces (Gangsaran, Lancaran Kebo Giro) with their cultural context and sources, loadable straight into the sequencer Compose • Multi-track step sequencer with independent subdivision per track (1x/2x/4x), per-track volume/mute/solo, one-tap randomize (per track or all), and undo • Mute the colotomic base to hear your sequenced pattern in isolation • Save and reload full compositions, plus your own custom colotomic cycle shapes Export & integrate • Bounce your piece to audio (4 loops) or as isolated per-instrument stems, ready for a DAW • Export Standard MIDI — multitrack, one named track per instrument, with Pitch Bend measured from this gamelan's own real tuning (not a flattened equal-tempered guess) • A built-in AUv3 instrument plug-in lets you play these exact samples from GarageBand or any other Audio Unit host on iPad/iPhone — its own panel has a mixer with per-track volume/mute, tap-to-edit step pattern, dice randomizer, a live preview button, and an animated cycle wheel • Turn on "Sync sequence to recording" and the plug-in plays your whole piece from the start the moment the host starts recording — timed to GarageBand's own count-in automatically, so a take lines up without any manual setup Designed for iPhone and iPad — Theory opens as a persistent sidebar, controls and the cycle wheel scale up, and layouts use the extra iPad screen space rather than just stretching the phone UI. Whether you've never heard a gamelan before or you're a practicing musician exploring a different tuning system, Gamelan Lab is built to be understood by ear first.

Screenshots

SWAM Violin Section4 screens
Gamelan Lab4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is price: Gamelan Lab at $7.99 against SWAM Violin Section's $44.99. SWAM Violin Section's advantage is iOS requirement (15.0 vs 17.0). On ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

SWAM Violin Section costs $44.99 and Gamelan Lab $7.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

Scorecard2 real differences · 8 level
SWAM Violin Section versus Gamelan Lab: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterSWAM Violin SectionGamelan Lab
Price$44.99$7.99 — better
Rating4.5 (2 ratings) — better—
Positive reviews100.0% of reviews—
Number of ratings2 — better—
Update frequencyMonthly—
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaid—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPod — betteriPhone, iPad
Requires iOS15.0 — better17.0
Further details — not scored
Size194 MB64 MB
Age rating4+4+
DeveloperAudio ModelingMartin Adler

In-app purchases

None

SWAM Violin Section

No in-app purchases

None

Gamelan Lab

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is SWAM Violin Section free?
SWAM Violin Section costs $44.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Gamelan Lab free?
Gamelan Lab costs $7.99, with no in-app purchases.
Do SWAM Violin Section or Gamelan Lab have ads?
Neither SWAM Violin Section nor Gamelan Lab shows ads.

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