I have obtained SWAM, a physical model sound source SWAM-S (cello) by Audio Modering, which has recently come up for discussion, and have been researching a small cello piece as an assignment.
I am currently using "Emotional Cello" by BEST SERVICE and "SYNCHRON-IZED SOLO STRINGS" by VIENNA as a sampling system. The latter is used in the ensemble. The latter is fine for use in an ensemble, but when used alone as a soloist, it inevitably sounds like a synth (with my abilities). So I mainly use Emotional Cello, which samples a variety of articulations. However, both are large sound sources with a capacity of several 10 GB. On top of that, each requires sampler software such as KONTAKT or Synchron Player to be loaded into the DAW and run on top of it.
SWAM-S, however, is a very small program, requiring only a few 10 MB. However, although it is small in size, it seems to use a lot of PC resources. This is probably because all the sounds are calculated and pronounced by a computer. In other words, it is a "physical model" because it is modeling the state of playing a live cello. It requires quite detailed parameter settings. Bow down, bow up, bow position, bow pressure, vibrato depth, frequency, attack, etc., all of these behaviors that we don't pay much attention to when we are playing normally must be input as parameters. Otherwise, it will just be a monotonous change in pitch. So, if you don't usually play live instruments, it's hard to understand. (I guess there is a certain point to hold on to...)
Fortunately, I know a little about the cello, so I have a vague understanding of why the parameters are necessary. However, I still do not have a detailed understanding of which parameters to set and how to set them to achieve the desired sound. That is why I am currently doing research using cello pieces. What I have found is that this sound source allows me to control the legato quite freely. With a sampling sound source, it is not easy to control the legato, but with the SWAM engine, it is a lot easier.