SCREE SWARM — public beta of a new feedback network 'hive-modelled' synth, looking for ears

[SCREE_AUDIO]

Presets are there, if you click top left where it says 'all presets' you should see a dropdown menu - select 'beta presets' and then click in the box to the right and you'll see them all, about a dozen of them (the preset selector box defaults to empty when the app launches, maybe I should change that so it automatically loads the last preset used when app was closed). Samples included are just a small selection, mostly ones used in the presets - I imagined users would prefer to use their own samples when they started building patches - but if you want to access the included ones directly, they live within the app package, you can find them by right-clicking the app and choosing 'Show package contents'. Sample folder is at: Contents/Resources/Samples/

Then you can just copy that folder to wherever you like so you can get at the samples directly, because you can't access that App folder normally from macOS. Worth noting that SWARM itself always looks to the folder in the App for referenced samples, so if you use your own samples, and then save your patch as a preset, it *will* find the samples again (unless you move them) - but there is a 'collect samples' option in the file menu, what that does is collect any samples that *aren't* in the default samples folder, and copy them all there.

Hope that's clear

[c0nsilience]

Thank you. I'm on macOS Sequoia 15.5 and this is what I am getting when I click in the top left where it says "all presets":

Screenshot 2026-04-22 at 1.58.47 PM.png

When I click it, there is nothing in the dropdown.

I will definitely experiment with my own samples, but I want to be able to check out your presets to see how it works.

[SCREE_AUDIO]

Yeah, when you click in the 'all presets' box, there should be a dropdown from that box showing 'all presets' / 'beta presets' / 'user presets', where you can select 'beta presets' (and then list of beta presets will appear in the box on the right)...are you not seeing that?

[c0nsilience]

Nope, this is what it shows when I click on it:

Screenshot 2026-04-22 at 6.16.26 PM.png

No dropdown at all.

[SCREE_AUDIO]

Nope, this is what it shows when I click on it:

Screenshot 2026-04-22 at 6.16.26 PM.png

No dropdown at all.

That’s very peculiar and requires some specific investigation, because that would mean a very fundamental fuckup lol. Can only apologise. Have you managed to get sound out of it yet otherwise? I’ll be back to you later today about the presets in particular

[SCREE_AUDIO]

OK...so I tested this morning on my own machine (a different one to the one I actually built it on, which obviously I should have done in the first place), and I made a fundamental fuckup when I compiled the original DMG. Apologies - it's totally my bad, but first time I've done this so maybe to be expected Anyway, DMG has now been rebuilt correctly, and GitHub has been updated with the new version. Download this, replace your old version, and all should be hunky dory Let me know how you get on, link to new version here:

https://github.com/screeapps/SCREE-SWAR ... _Beta2.dmg

Manual here if you didn't grab it already:

https://github.com/user-attachments/fil ... Manual.pdf

And thanks for this essential feedback

Cheers, Neil

Nope, this is what it shows when I click on it:

Screenshot 2026-04-22 at 6.16.26 PM.png

No dropdown at all.

[c0nsilience]

Neil,

First off, thank you for making this available for testing. It is a highly interesting concept!

Here is what I am getting with the beta2.dmg install:

Screenshot 2026-04-23 at 6.05.41 AM.png

The dmg installs fine, but won't open on macOS Sequoia 15.5

Many thanks again for all of your effort!

With gratitude,

Benjamin

[SCREE_AUDIO]

Hi Benjamin, it should 100% run on your system, I suggest downloading again (just in case dmg got mangled somehow during download) and then when you install make sure you drag the app to your applications folder first, then open from there. If it *still* doesn’t work, I’ll dig deeper…

Neil,

First off, thank you for making this available for testing. It is a highly interesting concept!

Here is what I am getting with the beta2.dmg install:

Screenshot 2026-04-23 at 6.05.41 AM.png

The dmg installs fine, but won't open on macOS Sequoia 15.5

Many thanks again for all of your effort!

With gratitude,

Benjamin

[c0nsilience]

Hi Neil,

I redownloaded it and installed, with the same result. I've deleted and rebooted my system, to no avail.

I appreciate your efforts, my friend.

With gratitude,

Benjamin

Hi Benjamin, it should 100% run on your system, I suggest downloading again (just in case dmg got mangled somehow during download) and then when you install make sure you drag the app to your applications folder first, then open from there. If it *still* doesn’t work, I’ll dig deeper…

Neil,

First off, thank you for making this available for testing. It is a highly interesting concept!

Here is what I am getting with the beta2.dmg install:

Screenshot 2026-04-23 at 6.05.41 AM.png

The dmg installs fine, but won't open on macOS Sequoia 15.5

Many thanks again for all of your effort!

With gratitude,

Benjamin

[SCREE_AUDIO]

Hey Benjamin, very much appreciate your patience with this - as mentioned before, I'm a total noob to app building, and seems wild to me that it should be relatively easy to do the actual build - but then making the DMG and getting all the ducks in a row for Apple not to throw a fit when someone else tries to open it - not so easy lol. Anyway, hopefully third time is the charm as they say, so done another build and hopefully now, with the wind in the right direction, it should work fine. One thing to note:

- Some windows may open partially 'offscreen' when you first launch it, just click on their buttons at the bottom of the main 'hive' window (Insp/Routing/Mixer/Vis) and they should align themselves to your setup. This will be fixed in the next build

New build is here:

https://github.com/screeapps/SCREE-SWAR ... beta_3.dmg

Let me know how you get on, you have no idea how tightly I'm crossing my fingers

Neil.

Hi Neil,

I redownloaded it and installed, with the same result. I've deleted and rebooted my system, to no avail.

I appreciate your efforts, my friend.

With gratitude,

Benjamin

Hi Benjamin, it should 100% run on your system, I suggest downloading again (just in case dmg got mangled somehow during download) and then when you install make sure you drag the app to your applications folder first, then open from there. If it *still* doesn’t work, I’ll dig deeper…

Neil,

First off, thank you for making this available for testing. It is a highly interesting concept!

Here is what I am getting with the beta2.dmg install:

Screenshot 2026-04-23 at 6.05.41 AM.png

The dmg installs fine, but won't open on macOS Sequoia 15.5

Many thanks again for all of your effort!

With gratitude,

Benjamin

[c0nsilience]

Hey Neil,

We're in business.

Many thanks man!

Screenshot 2026-04-23 at 4.17.40 PM.png

Hey Benjamin, very much appreciate your patience with this - as mentioned before, I'm a total noob to app building, and seems wild to me that it should be relatively easy to do the actual build - but then making the DMG and getting all the ducks in a row for Apple not to throw a fit when someone else tries to open it - not so easy lol. Anyway, hopefully third time is the charm as they say, so done another build and hopefully now, with the wind in the right direction, it should work fine. One thing to note:

- Some windows may open partially 'offscreen' when you first launch it, just click on their buttons at the bottom of the main 'hive' window (Insp/Routing/Mixer/Vis) and they should align themselves to your setup. This will be fixed in the next build

New build is here:

https://github.com/screeapps/SCREE-SWAR ... beta_3.dmg

Let me know how you get on, you have no idea how tightly I'm crossing my fingers

Neil.

Hi Neil,

I redownloaded it and installed, with the same result. I've deleted and rebooted my system, to no avail.

I appreciate your efforts, my friend.

With gratitude,

Benjamin

Hi Benjamin, it should 100% run on your system, I suggest downloading again (just in case dmg got mangled somehow during download) and then when you install make sure you drag the app to your applications folder first, then open from there. If it *still* doesn’t work, I’ll dig deeper…

Neil,

First off, thank you for making this available for testing. It is a highly interesting concept!

Here is what I am getting with the beta2.dmg install:

Screenshot 2026-04-23 at 6.05.41 AM.png

The dmg installs fine, but won't open on macOS Sequoia 15.5

Many thanks again for all of your effort!

With gratitude,

Benjamin

[SCREE_AUDIO]

Well, thank f**k for that Hope you have a lot of fun with it, keep that feedback coming...and remember...don't get stung

Hey Neil,

We're in business.

Many thanks man!

Screenshot 2026-04-23 at 4.17.40 PM.png

Hey Benjamin, very much appreciate your patience with this - as mentioned before, I'm a total noob to app building, and seems wild to me that it should be relatively easy to do the actual build - but then making the DMG and getting all the ducks in a row for Apple not to throw a fit when someone else tries to open it - not so easy lol. Anyway, hopefully third time is the charm as they say, so done another build and hopefully now, with the wind in the right direction, it should work fine. One thing to note:

- Some windows may open partially 'offscreen' when you first launch it, just click on their buttons at the bottom of the main 'hive' window (Insp/Routing/Mixer/Vis) and they should align themselves to your setup. This will be fixed in the next build

New build is here:

https://github.com/screeapps/SCREE-SWAR ... beta_3.dmg

Let me know how you get on, you have no idea how tightly I'm crossing my fingers

Neil.

Hi Neil,

I redownloaded it and installed, with the same result. I've deleted and rebooted my system, to no avail.

I appreciate your efforts, my friend.

With gratitude,

Benjamin

Hi Benjamin, it should 100% run on your system, I suggest downloading again (just in case dmg got mangled somehow during download) and then when you install make sure you drag the app to your applications folder first, then open from there. If it *still* doesn’t work, I’ll dig deeper…

Neil,

First off, thank you for making this available for testing. It is a highly interesting concept!

Here is what I am getting with the beta2.dmg install:

Screenshot 2026-04-23 at 6.05.41 AM.png

The dmg installs fine, but won't open on macOS Sequoia 15.5

Many thanks again for all of your effort!

With gratitude,

Benjamin

[CrystalWizard]

Hi all, I've been building a synthesiser called SCREE SWARM ... It's a 49-cell hexagonal feedback network — ... and a dynamic routing matrix called the SWARM shifts the signal paths in real time based on a set of hive-state controls, modelled around real-world hive behaviour. Risk, Waggle Dance, Swarm Density, Smoke, Queen's Frequency, Hive Presence. It's generative, it's live-performance focused, and it's built to be unpredictable in useful ways.

Absolutely fascinated by feedback (using it for decades), fascinated by bees and swarm patterns, involved with "generative" since before ole Chrome Dome labeled it as such, doing live performance four decades, thrive on unpredictable, love chaos and complexity, totally interested...

macOS only for now —

ouch! big ouchie. i'm using windoze!

If you're into generative synthesis, feedback systems, or just curious what a synthesiser modelled on a bee colony actually sounds like, I'd love to have you test it.

Would seriously be delighted. Something original.
If someone were to give me a mac i'd be loading it up.

[SCREE_AUDIO]

Sounds like you’d be an ideal beta-tester! Not to worry, Windows version will appear at v1.1 - so hopefully you won’t have *too* long to wait

Hi all, I've been building a synthesiser called SCREE SWARM ... It's a 49-cell hexagonal feedback network — ... and a dynamic routing matrix called the SWARM shifts the signal paths in real time based on a set of hive-state controls, modelled around real-world hive behaviour. Risk, Waggle Dance, Swarm Density, Smoke, Queen's Frequency, Hive Presence. It's generative, it's live-performance focused, and it's built to be unpredictable in useful ways.

Absolutely fascinated by feedback (using it for decades), fascinated by bees and swarm patterns, involved with "generative" since before ole Chrome Dome labeled it as such, doing live performance four decades, thrive on unpredictable, love chaos and complexity, totally interested...

macOS only for now —

ouch! big ouchie. i'm using windoze!

If you're into generative synthesis, feedback systems, or just curious what a synthesiser modelled on a bee colony actually sounds like, I'd love to have you test it.

Would seriously be delighted. Something original.
If someone were to give me a mac i'd be loading it up.

[Tj Shredder]

Its strange, whenever I select a preset, all windows jump to the left, as if they want to move to a non existing external screen. Maybe save the presets with their windows on the main screen…