So, I listened to some Akemie’s Castle demos and I’m gassing hard. I’d rather avoid going Eurorack, are there any viable alternatives?
I checked out Chipsynth MD, Digitone, Reface Dx, MegaFM, Opsix… From what I’ve read, they all have some annoying things (not dirty enough, not knobby enough, not well-built enough, etc.)
Are there any other options I should consider?
Hardware is prefer able, but willing to check out soft synths too.
Mega FM seems dirty enough, knobby enough, well-built enough…
Otherwise Operator in Ableton is absolutely awesome.
I have absolutely no problem with the Digitone. It’s basically making the FM simple/understandable because it evolves around fixed ratios and offers 2 filters per track.
It can go dirty or towards virtual analog territories.
It has a tone, definitely, but you can go away from it.
There is a new VolcaFM but my experience with the v1 was catastrophic, setting sounds is really not straightforward.
PreenFM 2 was fun, but with something like 8 parameters per envelope per operator, you get lost pretty quick. Too many menus for my taste.
OP-1 is way too expensive, IMO, but the 4-operator FM synth is pretty straightforward, although limited.
Digitone is #1, to me.
Digitone can be dirty or clean , it depends only of you. Plus multitimbrality and of course the sequencer.
If you want knobby FM you’re choices are somewhat limited.
MegaFM is probably the best of the knobby 4op options.
Don’t ignore the old Yamahas though. You can still get a TX81Z for beans and I think stereoping still make the little controller unit for it. It’s probably the most versatile/interesting sounding of the 4op sytnths (at least to my ears anyway).
Or get a DX100 and learn to live with programming it (it’s really not as bad as people make out).
I’d second this, a TX81Z is never a bad choice - I’m sure it could be repackaged today as an 8-voice FM drum synth with the flexibility to produce chords, leads & bass. I learned FM on a DX9 with just a few magazine articles to guide me, and while that’d just be wilful masochism today, it did demonstrate that it’s nowhere near as daunting as the legends say. You don’t need knobs, and in a lot of ways the digital precision of buttons is more helpful in understanding how FM works. But of course knobs can add a lot of value and, as LyingDalai suggests above, the Digitone does a great job of pairing a quick & tactile knobby interface with a precise engine, which for me is the best of both worlds.
TX81Z with an editor (Novation Zero SL MK2 has a template built in) is probably the closest to the sound you’re looking for, but I sold mine after getting a Digitone and haven’t missed it too much. Not to say it isn’t great, just that the convenience and ease of use of the DN won out over needing to keep a crusty old rack unit going.
There seems to be quite a few problems with the build and Twisted Electrons customer service, from what I read.
Ha, I can’t tell. I’ve read several times that there were issues, but never read someone explaining what the issues were.
I think there were a few slight build quality issues with the first batch. Simple stuff like knobs not being properly attached, that sort of thing. I think subsequent productions runs were improved in this regard.
As for customer service, TE is more or less a one man operation, so it setimes takes a while for the guy to sort issues out, but people largely seem to be of the opinion that he is doing his best to help.
It’s always somewhat of a gamble buying gear from very small operations like TE, but as long as your expectations are in line with reality, I think you’ll find very little to worry about regarding the MegaFM.*
*I haven’t actually owned a MegaFM (yet), so treat my opinions accordingly.
i’ve owned a DX-11 (the keys version of TX81Z) and Digitone Keys. DX was probably easier to program in many ways but with the onboard FX and filters, DK is a no-brainer choice to me
The Yamaha TQ5 is a compact unit that’s much easier to fire up and edit than a TX81Z (I find the front panel of the TX81Z is incredibly confusing, and you have to enable SysEx every time you turn it on!). You lose portamento and microtuning, but otherwise it sounds the same, plus you get a bunch of '80s digital effects and a multi-mode. Works perfectly with any TX81Z editor (necessary because you can’t edit patches from the front panel at all!). Not recommended if you’re DAWless, obviously.
I’ve borrowed a PreenFM in the past, and as the poster above, I found it had too many options.
Pardon my ignorance.
Can the Akemie’s Castle be used standalone (i.e. without other modules) ?
Because, taking into account price, sound, reliability, ease of use, complexity, etc… The two options I find more interesting for me are:
Small case + Akemie’s Castle + Korg SQ-64
Reface Dx + Dtronics controller + sequencer
No, you need to BYO envelope modules for it to behave like a standard FM synth. Not worth the extra expense imo.
+100
I currently own a digitone and an opsix and I’ve also had a Yamaha dx27 at one point. I’ve never owned a MegaFM but it sounds great from what I’ve heard with probably the most unique character even though it is pretty niche.
As for the gear I own, hands down the digitone wins for me because of the interface and the multitimbral aspect alongside the elektron sequencer. The opsix can do some amazing sounds though and with operator modes and effects, it can do some pretty crazy stuff. But the build is definitely not great. It’s also not quite as dirty as I’d like.
Weird place to make this suggestion, but if you can live without knobs, the Dirtywave M8 has a really wonderful FM synth in it. 4op, multiple wave forms, multimode filter, two env and two lfos. It’s limited to 8 voices if you play it strictly as a synth (it’s an 8-track tracker), but it can be set up to be played as an 8 voice poly. I guess it’s probably in-between hardware and software, but as a digitone, EssenceFM and Preen owner (which is also a nice sound), it gets a lot of mileage for FM sound design.
On Twisted Electrons - it is a one man show. I had one issue with a synth a while back and he was all over getting it fixed. I think you have to value the willingness to fix something when weighing it against a bigger company that just has the horsepower to run a tight RMA setup to get replacements turned around. And the MegaFM is great and super knobby, but the sound is very particular, so if you’re looking for the full range of 4op fm sounds, you may be disappointed. It’s its own thing.
Just found out about Blast Beats, it’s a drum machine but it has 4 synth voices based on the OPL3. Great if you wanna be unique at least
I love the way the PFM2 sounds so much but I need need need some type of way to control it better than the way it’s set up. I made a full on MIDI controller for it with 8 additional knobs that sent NRPN to each appropriate parameter. I never finished it but got almost there.
However, I’m still using it as inspiration because I’m better at DIY now and have big ideas for a box using capacitive touch… if I can swing it.
I love the FM synth engine in the M8 for sure. I’m also still crazy about my Kodamo EssenceFM. Super easy to get into yet very deep if you want to go there. Tons of polyphony and 16 part multi timbral. Built quality is top notch too