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FM synths

whinecellar said:
As a probably certifiable FM nut, I just snagged an old SY77. I always snoozed on that one because the factory presets didn't do it any favors back in the day, and the DX series always felt much more punchy and immediate. However, I've come to realize the SY77/99 are really the pinnacle of FM in many ways; they do things even the FS1R and Montage can't. And it doesn't hurt that you can find SY77s extremely cheap ...$350 - $500 in great shape. I'm guessing it's because most people don't really know what they are.

Anyway, pretty amazing how big and lush these can be for FM... sounds like Yamaha's take on a Matrix 12. Really fun addition to my FM stable. I'm actually considering grabbing a second one because you can stack them via an even/odd MIDI note scheme for doubling polyphony: using a 2-layer patch cuts you down to 8 notes (same as a DX7II).
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If you aren't opposed to VST's, F'em can do everything the SY77/99 does and much more. I really learned FM with F'em and quickly became hooked on FM synthesis. I researched and reached a similar conclusion, SY77/99 is close to or at the pinnacle of hardware FM synthesis. I was fortunate to acquire an SY99 mid Summer. Having studied the SY99 manual I have come to think the author of F'em, Wolfram Franke based his VST off of it. It has been very beneficial and fun reproducing the SY programming in F'em and vice versa. They really compliment each other for learning FM sound design. It is so much easier, quicker programming in F'em I don't reach for the SY as much but dearly love it. I am always on the look out for another though!
 
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Telemonious said:
If you aren't opposed to VST's, F'em can do everything the SY77/99 does and much more. I really learned FM with F'em and quickly became hooked on FM synthesis. I researched and reached a similar conclusion, SY77/99 is close to or at the pinnacle of hardware FM synthesis. I was fortunate to acquire an SY99 mid Summer. Having studied the SY99 manual I have come to think the author of F'em, Wolfram Franke based his VST off of it. It has been very beneficial and fun reproducing the SY programming in F'em and vice versa. They really complement each other for learning FM sound design. It is so much easier, quicker programming in F'em I don't reach for the SY as much but dearly love it. I am always on the look out for another though!
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F.’em has become my main FM synth and I like to program it and like yourself I prefer programming it over the actual hardware. Sitting behind an SY has mainly become more of an inspirational thing. I love hardware but I can honestly say there isn’t a single thing I can do with it that I can’t do with software. And software comes with many advantages, like you say.
 
doctoremmet said:
F.’em has become my main FM synth and I like to program it and like yourself I prefer programming it over the actual hardware. Sitting behind an SY has mainly become more of an inspirational thing. I love hardware but I can honestly say there isn’t a single thing I can do with it that I can’t do with software. And software comes with many advantages, like you say.
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You actually made me go back and install F.'em. I do have a license but never used the synth on my laptop.
 
If you use a Mac and a DAW compatible with Audio Units, IceGear Nambu is a really cool FM synth. Works on iPhones, iPads and Macs:

apps.apple.com

‎Nambu - AUv3 Plug-in Synth

‎NAMBU is a 6-operator FM synthesizer that supports AUv3 plug-ins. It's a semi-modular FM synthesizer that incorporates modern ideas, not designed to recreate the sound and workflow of a vintage FM synthesizer. # Synthesizer Engine - 6x Operators Nambu has six operators. Each operator can be...
apps.apple.com

And it's a proper bargain. I love Icegear synths.
 
The unfortunate reality is I can‘t competently program a synth even if my life depended on it (I stumble & tweak blindly)and certainly not an FM synth.
I had a TX-81Z back in the day and for me trying to figure it out was an exercise in futility,a total nightmare. 😵‍💫
With that being said my favorite software based FM synth that for me that really sounds legit is the chipsynth OPS7 from Plogue. 👍
 
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Telemonious said:
If you aren't opposed to VST's, F'em can do everything the SY77/99 does and much more...
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I'm definitely not opposed to VSTs - in fact I've created some of my own to give me the "best of" some of my favorite vintage pieces. For FM/DX stuff, I used Dexed & Arturia all the time - as an editor/librarian for the hardware, and also as an actual sound source. Arturia does a great job of really matching the original hardware.

I haven't tried F'em, but my first question would be, does it import DX & SY patches via SyEx? That's a must for me as I've built a custom library of patches for the hardware. I'll never get rid of my DX hardware for nostalgia reasons, but I'd happily let the SY77 go if I could find a software equivalent that could read its data!
 
whinecellar said:
I'm definitely not opposed to VSTs - in fact I've created some of my own to give me the "best of" some of my favorite vintage pieces. For FM/DX stuff, I used Dexed & Arturia all the time - as an editor/librarian for the hardware, and also as an actual sound source. Arturia does a great job of really matching the original hardware.

I haven't tried F'em, but my first question would be, does it import DX & SY patches via SyEx? That's a must for me as I've built a custom library of patches for the hardware. I'll never get rid of my DX hardware for nostalgia reasons, but I'd happily let the SY77 go if I could find a software equivalent that could read its data!
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To my knowledge, F'em does not have any Sysex features, neither read or write. You would have to recreate your DX/SY patch library manually. Actually it was in translating DX patches from Dexed to F'em that helped me learn FM synthesis. As a beginner it was time consuming but proved a good learning method. I considered creating a program to translate DX/SY sysex into F'em presets but for many reasons chose not to pursue it.

I think of F'em as a modular synth; you can connect any mod source to any sound parameter. You literally have 800 connections per sound patch. There are also a few function modifiers similar to Kurzweil VAST functions you can apply to a connection. I mention this because it quickly became boring just reproducing DX patches. It is very fun, full of pleasant surprises and not difficult to create complex evolving harmonic spectra with fine temporal control. You may find your beloved DX patches can be transformed into something you never imagined.
 
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whinecellar said:
I'm definitely not opposed to VSTs - in fact I've created some of my own to give me the "best of" some of my favorite vintage pieces. For FM/DX stuff, I used Dexed & Arturia all the time - as an editor/librarian for the hardware, and also as an actual sound source. Arturia does a great job of really matching the original hardware.

I haven't tried F'em, but my first question would be, does it import DX & SY patches via SyEx? That's a must for me as I've built a custom library of patches for the hardware. I'll never get rid of my DX hardware for nostalgia reasons, but I'd happily let the SY77 go if I could find a software equivalent that could read its data!
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No SysEx although it was initially announced (DX7 compatibility via SysEx import). (So there may have been updates?) The Plogue OPS7 works flawlessly for that though.
 
doctoremmet said:
No SysEx although it was initially announced (DX7 compatibility via SysEx import). (So there may have been updates?) The Plogue OPS7 works flawlessly for that though.
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Yeah, all my DX needs are covered, both hardware & software... but the SY77 is another story. And no way am I interested in the time it would take to try and recreate all my custom patches for a software version - life's too short as it is ;)
 
Any f'.em users here? As someone who doesn't know and doesn't want to know how to programme the hellhole that fm synthesis looks like it is, what's the factory bank like? Anything cinematic in there, or is it all drum and bass / dubstep growls?
 
davidson said:
Any f'.em users here? As someone who doesn't know and doesn't want to know how to programme the hellhole that fm synthesis looks like it is, what's the factory bank like? Anything cinematic in there, or is it all drum and bass / dubstep growls?
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F’Em user here. Love the synth, do not love the presets. Your expectations are pretty accurate. Tracktion did release a couple of presets though, IIRC one by Yuli Yolo that is rather cinematic.

 
davidson said:
What do you love about it? Is it relatively user friendly to create your own sounds? FM has scared me for the past 20 years and I'm too old / not enough free time to learn a new thing!
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My first synth in 1986 was a 4OP Yamaha, I have been very familiar with the synthesis and I know my way around “alhorithms” and operators, and kind of know how to create a sound, various layers etc. With that as a basis, even 2OP FM synths can be fun. I also love Waves Flow Motion for instance. F.’Em reminds me of the SY range of synths and what’s cool about it, is the UI, the flexibility and the overall “programmer friendliness” of the program. It also sounds good, you know… like a proper FM synth. It’s not like I couldn’t make most sounds I program with it just using Ableton’s Operator though…. but the UX makes it so much more fun to use.

TL;DR
Yes. Very user friendly. Caveat: to people who know their way around FM synthesis. It doesn’t make you cut corners in that particular learning curve I don’t think.
 
I've recently become interested in analogue FM synthesis. You don't have the control you have with digital - and that typically uses phase modulation as it is easier to process and sounds the same. With analogue, you mostly get noises which can be good for textures, drones and most especially for percussion. However, if you sample something melodic when it comes up, you can then play that in a sampler.

View attachment Analog FM Demo.mp3
 
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