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AudioSwift by Golden Frog Music Review

Users of modern Kontakt libraries are looking for a way to add movement and realistic tones to Synths and Kontakt libraries. These libraries and synths support more and more these days an X/Y pad.

AudioSwift transforms your Apple Magic Trackpad or MacBook trackpad into a MIDI control surface that you can use your DAW. With Kontakt libraries like Thrill, Haunted Spaces and others the tone is driven mainly by working an x/y pad.

AudioSwift can be used in as a pad, mixer fader. To trigger sounds – most composer will stick with the x/y pad function. Golden Frog Music did send a review copy with no strings attached.

Installation

You download the App and drag it to your Applications folder.

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AudioSwift requires an Apple Magic Trackpad or MacBook trackpad with a MAC running macOS 10.11 or newer. According to the vendor AudioSwift is currently supported by Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Ableton Live, and Reaper (Reaper support was added in version 1.2).

Usability and working with the tool

AudioSwift helps to generate more realistic sounding tracks with help to improve your score. With the tool, you can use the trackpad to write midi automation. This Midi information is used to inject live and movement or just changing between different sounds (all depending on the library or synth used). The developer is continuously enhancing the app; recently version 1.2 was made available. There are many tutorial videos available to get you started and help to address issues you discover.

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In AudioSwift preferences, you set up the behavior of your Trackpad to work with the different DAWs and on how information is transferred to your DAW and the receiving Instrument. I use the tool since Jan 2018 and it helped me already with Kontakt libraries and different soft Synths to better control them and as a result to achieve more realistic sounds.

The alternative is an iPad with a different application, but the pad is already at your desk to use it in your DAW.

AudioSwift Features:

  • Four controller modes: Mixer, Trigger, Scale, and XY.
  • User configurable preferences settings.
  • Compatible with several DAWs (see requirements).
  • Compatible with MacBooks, Magic Trackpads 1 and 2.
  • Force Touch and Touch Bar support

Technical Requirements:

  • Requires macOS 10.11 or newer.
  • A Macbook, MacBook Air, and MacBook Pro with built-in multitouch trackpad, or any Mac with a Magic Trackpad 1 or 2.
  • Force Touch support requires a compatible trackpad.
  • Touch Bar support requires macOS 10.12.2 or newer.
  • Mixer Mode currently supported in Logic Pro, Pro Tools, and Ableton Live (more DAWs to come).
  • Trigger, Scale and XY Mode works with any DAW just like any MIDI controller.

Rating:  Five out of five stars

AudioSwift works excellent after you use it a couple of minutes. The Audioswift approach is simplistic and gives your Apple Trackpad a meaning beyond moving the mouseor using MACOS related shortcuts. For me, it is solely an x/y pad that I use when I record movement in my DAW with various Kontakt Libraries. It is priced at $24 with a 30% discount using coupon GOLDENFROG30 until March 2, 2018. If you do not have one this is a reason to buy a trackpad.

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