SWAY - a synth modeled after the Yamaha SY77

[Uncle E]

The original SY77 samples had little to do with what made it special. It can only be improved with Sheaf's samples.

Then you need to address your comment to Wags:

I did earlier in the thread. Hopefully people will figure it out on their own once SWAYED is out.

[cslevine]

Well... Linux is the best for work, security, FBIing, secure gadgets and so on.
Mac IOS is well for graphic because of screens, color calibrated... Windows is polyvalent and open, personallisable, easy file transfering without locks, when Apple asks permissions for EACH file you would like to "import" on your computer ( with mis datings, metadata missings, JPG recode and so on..., or one file by one file when not photo or video... )
Linux for music ? Well, OK ...
there are 30 open sources music software with Linux... maybe 38 or 41 in 2026...
you can have dualboot Linux / Windows for example.
( i do use dualboot :
Windows 10 for today music, work, video editing
Windows 11 for gaming
)

It's still too bad that it doesn't support Linux. Even though I just bought Zebra 3, I'd still be interested in picking this one up too. But I understand how it goes......nevertheless, I still wish........




"I’m told I lie constantly when I say Linux is great — which is wild, because I’m apparently “misleading” you with things like: it boots, it runs my audio workflow, it stays stable, it gets updates, and it keeps existing despite being declared dead every year since forever. Also yes, it’s “too hard,” “too niche,” “no devs will ever care,” and “Linus complained once,” so clearly I must be fabricating my entire operating system out of pure delusion."
-----The Delusional Linux Advocate

[audiojunkie]

Well... Linux is the best for work, security, FBIing, secure gadgets and so on.
Mac IOS is well for graphic because of screens, color calibrated... Windows is polyvalent and open, personallisable, easy file transfering without locks, when Apple asks permissions for EACH file you would like to "import" on your computer ( with mis datings, metadata missings, JPG recode and so on..., or one file by one file when not photo or video... )
Linux for music ? Well, OK ...
there are 30 open sources music software with Linux... maybe 38 or 41 in 2026...
you can have dualboot Linux / Windows for example.
( i do use dualboot :
Windows 10 for today music, work, video editing
Windows 11 for gaming
)

It's still too bad that it doesn't support Linux. Even though I just bought Zebra 3, I'd still be interested in picking this one up too. But I understand how it goes......nevertheless, I still wish........




"I’m told I lie constantly when I say Linux is great — which is wild, because I’m apparently “misleading” you with things like: it boots, it runs my audio workflow, it stays stable, it gets updates, and it keeps existing despite being declared dead every year since forever. Also yes, it’s “too hard,” “too niche,” “no devs will ever care,” and “Linus complained once,” so clearly I must be fabricating my entire operating system out of pure delusion."
-----The Delusional Linux Advocate

There are actually close to 3000 music apps and plugins estimated to be available on Linux. Here at KVR alone there 65 pages of apps and plugins listed (with 10-20 apps per page). Most Linux apps aren’t documented in any one place. I’ve had to search many places to curate my personal list of apps. I personally use less than 100 apps total, and I have a perfect set of tools that let me write, record, and perform any kind of music I want. It didn’t used to be that way. Plugins were way more scarce. And when comparing against the thousands upon thousands of music apps and plugins that Windows/MacOS has, it’s a drop in the bucket. This is because it has only been in the last few years that Linux has been truly an equal amongst Windows and MacOS in the realm of music production. But things continue to get better year by year.

What I thing truly differentiates the OSes, is the “type” of user each cater to, rather than capabilities of the OSes to do music production anymore these days.

For example, the Apple demographic generally caters to the wealthier users, or those who simply want things to work—as easily and problem-free as possible. There are pros and cons to this that I’m mentioned many times here at KVR. The same with Windows. Windows has its own demographic and its own pros and cons.

Linux, like the others, has its own demographic. Linux has its own pros and cons. Since most people already know Windows and MacOS sufficiently, I won’t go into details about them. But since not everyone knows the benefits of Linux, I’ll mention a couple to help those who are curious why Linux might appeal to us.

Linux allows us to be much more flexible in having exactly what we want and how we want it. Windows and MacOS only have one desktop environment to run their applications, while Linux has many to choose from. Linux has desktop environments that work, act, look, and feel very similar to the the desktop environments of Windows or MacOS. Linux also has environments that work very differently from anything you’ve likely ever used. You can taylor Linux to you, and make it what you want it to be better than any other OS.

Another popular reason is ideological concerns. Being open source means no one can take it from you or prevent you from using it. You don’t have to have a license and depend upon a company to let you use it or not. You don’t have to authorize a product license to use it on any hardware that you want to use it on. There is no gatekeeper to tell you what you can or cannot do with the software, as long as you stay within the realms of the liberal, open source licensing—which “mostly” means that you acknowledge those who developed things and that you publish the source code.

Finally, a unique feature of Linux is its flexibility. Whereas MacOS (and Windows to a large extent) give you the OS and you can’t change the given components in it, Linux is like a bunch of legos, or a modular synth, where you can, if desired, choose each individual component, and determine what you want your OS to do and be—exactly as you want it. There are distros that are only 50Mb in size and yet still have a rudimentary GUI, and there are distros that are as big as Windows and MacOS.

This flexibility is why Linux is used so much in embedded tech, phones and refrigerators, computers, the automotive industry, robotics, super computers, synthesizers and music equipment and space exploration.

There are cons too. There is a bigger learning curve to be able to use it. While there are distros that are designed to be as easy as MacOS, even they require additional learning, because they work differently than MacOS or Windows. Also, generally, there is less software—although that gets better year by year.

So, my point is, Linux is as good as Windows and MacOS, but what really differentiates things is you.

But let’s get back to Sway.

[Seafire Mk2]

That's great, now back to the synth...

[DCrown]

Have just noticed that I already have a SY 77 emu by UVI, that's what happens when too many plugins

[sheaf]

Have just noticed that I already have a SY 77 emu by UVI, that's what happens when too many plugins

You mean DS77? That's a sample library, not a programmable synth.

[wikter]

Have just noticed that I already have a SY 77 emu by UVI, that's what happens when too many plugins

You mean DS77? That's a sample library, not a programmable synth.

Well, IT IS. It's a rompler synthesizer based on some patches by SY77 that allows some sustractive synthesis. Talking about Synthesis power, it's better than some 90's preset synths like the Quasimidi Technox. (Of course, i'm not talking about results, just about possibilities)

[wikter]

Wag's question was about the factory ROM, not about adding our own samples:

I wonder if the ability to load the factory ROMs will be included.

You can use almost ANY soundfont emulating XG sounds to get those SY77 sounds.
That way, Swayed would be a nice XG rompler. Just like the SY-XG100 & SY-XG50 plugins already available online (Yamaha offerem them freely for a long time as a "SOL MIDI player", If you can find the right time window in Wayback Machine, you can get them).
Meanwhile, there's a lot of XG compatible Soundfonts created by people sharing their own samples (grey areas also included, so be careful not to be reached by a Yam's lawyer just by clicking next link):
https://musical-artifacts.com/artifacts ... 9C%93&q=XG
(don't click the link)

[Ego_Shredder]

Yeah there is a Kontakt Library as well as a Soundfont of the SY77, the Kontakt library is 3.37GB in size when unpacked. Search for "SY-TG [Amazound]" and you should find it. However SWAYED will have the WAVEFORM card set import feature. I can not remember if he has included any FM or not, but that can sorta be covered in other ways with third party stuff or in my case PLG100-DX board in my MU100R racks. Not the real AFM I know but can not have everything I suppose.

[EvilDragon]

It does do the AFM part, as well, of course.

[audiojunkie]

Yeah there is a Kontakt Library as well as a Soundfont of the SY77, the Kontakt library is 3.37GB in size when unpacked. Search for "SY-TG [Amazound]" and you should find it. However SWAYED will have the WAVEFORM card set import feature. I can not remember if he has included any FM or not, but that can sorta be covered in other ways with third party stuff or in my case PLG100-DX board in my MU100R racks. Not the real AFM I know but can not have everything I suppose.

But generally, Amazound provide one sample per octave. There is really quite a lot lost in transposing a sample that far. It might be a different story if the sampled instrument used one sample per note. There would be no loss with Swayed.

[Ego_Shredder]

But generally, Amazound provide one sample per octave.

Wow one note that is terrible. That means their advertising is misleading as it claims up to a certain amount of samples and layers; it is a very cheaply priced package I suppose. I agree that SWAYED is the option to go with right now, and I am looking forward to the release very much.

[audiojunkie]

But generally, Amazound provide one sample per octave.

Wow one note that is terrible. That means their advertising is misleading as it claims up to a certain amount of samples and layers; it is a very cheaply priced package I suppose. I agree that SWAYED is the option to go with right now, and I am looking forward to the release very much.

It looks like the one you just posted has more than most that I've seen. I don't think they are misleading. They've always been quite responsive as well. I think they are a pretty decent company--it's just that their product is generally less samples per octave than I'd like.

But look at several others to get an idea as to what to expect. I've mostly looked at soundfonts, and they've been one sample per octave. Maybe they did Kontakt better, but even with 19.35 samples per instrument, that's still quite low. I wish they would go back and sample every minor third at minimum.

[NWSM]

The Audio comparison from Comment #1

- The difference in both audiofiles is that the hardware synth has a louder high frequency noise

[NWSM]

Well... Linux is the best for work, security, FBIing, secure gadgets and so on.
Mac IOS is well for graphic because of screens, color calibrated... Windows is polyvalent and open, personallisable, easy file transfering without locks, when Apple asks permissions for EACH file you would like to "import" on your computer ( with mis datings, metadata missings, JPG recode and so on..., or one file by one file when not photo or video... )
Linux for music ? Well, OK ...
there are 30 open sources music software with Linux... maybe 38 or 41 in 2026...
you can have dualboot Linux / Windows for example.
( i do use dualboot :
Windows 10 for today music, work, video editing
Windows 11 for gaming)

It's still too bad that it doesn't support Linux. Even though I just bought Zebra 3, I'd still be interested in picking this one up too. But I understand how it goes......nevertheless, I still wish........

"I’m told I lie constantly when I say Linux is great — which is wild, because I’m apparently “misleading” you with things like: it boots, it runs my audio workflow, it stays stable, it gets updates, and it keeps existing despite being declared dead every year since forever. Also yes, it’s “too hard,” “too niche,” “no devs will ever care,” and “Linus complained once,” so clearly I must be fabricating my entire operating system out of pure delusion."
-----The Delusional Linux Advocate

Well…sure Linux for creative work is like watch a Cinema Movie on a Smartphone. But Linux is actually not *just* for work, security, secure gadgets and so on. It’s a full‑fledged desktop OS with a growing market share, and in 2026 it’s becoming way more mainstream than people think. Linux distributions come with strong built‑in and external tools for security (well, security is a process and growing markets are targets too). That’s why it’s popular not only for servers (linux is running on the most supercomputer on earth) but also for privacy‑conscious users and security‑focused workflows. Because its opensource you mostly detect any issues in some hours.

Sure the best Linux doesn't exist, because the amount of Variation. Compressed Power could maybe build a more focused better Linux Distribution.

For music on Linux? It’s more than ‘Well, OK…’. There are not just 30 or 40 open‑source tools; there are *real* DAWs like Bitwig, Renoise, Ardour, LMMS, Bespoke, Reaper and many audio plugins tracked on Linuxaudio.org (around 900 just there, growing up). The Linux audio community is active and focused on low‑latency, stable audio pipelines, so it’s not just hobbyist‑level stuff anymore. You can absolutely build a serious music‑production setup on Linux in 2026, especially if you like open workflows and flexible routing (what still can be kinda nerdy, agree).

So Linux is not just a niche toy for ‘serious’ people. It’s a solid, secure, and increasingly capable platform for work, security, music, video editing and even gaming (with Steam‑Proton, Wine, and native ports). Each of the three—Linux, macOS, Windows—has its own strengths, and the best choice depends on what you actually *do* and what you care about, not on stereotypes.

So, some People of the Linux community are here to bump some Developers to port Linux Plugins, because its possible (u-he, VenomAudio, SurgeXT, TAL Plugins, VCV Rack, Tweakbench, IEM, Audio Damage, Vital, AudioThing).