Ah, fair enough! The M8 FM engine is fairly opaque, that’s true.
The Reface DX is quite good, but the operator feedback is very non-standard as it approximates a saw and squarewave instead of your typical FM/Phasemod feedback. (i.e the sinewave is fed back into itself, resulting in a sort of backwards-bend that sounds saw-like until it gets to a pseudo-chaotic state which sounds more and more like noise)
It’s not bad, just different. Not sure if it’s actually feedback at all or just waveshaping. You can make a squarewave (ish) with one operator feedback, but why then limit it to that range? Missed potential.
Have you tried Ableton’s Operator? That’s a really solid 4OP FM synth with a fairly standard approach, but thankfully omitting the annoying multi-stage envelopes of the old Yamaha stuff.
(Also a note on the Akemie’s Castle is that it uses the same FM chip by Yamaha as the MegaFM (and somewhat related to the emulated chip in Chipsynth MD), so perhaps the MegaFM is a good option if you liked how the Akemie sounded)
EDIT: Oops, I was thinking of the BlastBeats! The Akemie’s Castle and BlastBeats both utilize the YMF262 chip which was commonly used in old PC hardware (e.g Soundblaster 16) while the MegaFM uses the YM2612 which was used in the Sega Mega Drive.
I have never tried Operator, my laptop is not powerful enough to run Ableton.
I thought that the BlastBeats was just a two operator affair, but since it’s based on the YMF262… Wow!
I’m not really sold on the form factor - it looks cramped and the sliders don’t seem very convenient - but overall it seems like a very good package at a good price. I hope there will be some more reviews coming.
Why not starting with two operators and a software FM machine? Could be cheaper and if you don’t like it, no big loss …
BTW … FM on digital systems is always “algorithmic” so it doesn’t make a big difference to “learn” on software. Just as a teaser …
From my experience with FM I would say, get your head around a single pair of operators and you know a lot about the basics and a couple of advanced features. You will also quickly see, whether you like to work with the synthesis or not.
With more operators we can create more complex sounds, layered sounds, and a couple of mixtures between …
A very easy step in digital FM is definitely the Digitone. But it’s an investment. I love its sound and Elektron made it quite “tweakable” for everybody. Coming from typical 6 operator FM machines, I was surprised, how a sensitive reduction of options can create so much FM without the “maths”, which I was used to apply.
This said, if you want to start a journey in FM, after first steps some research and digging FM “theoretically” might be a good idea, to get the most out of it and prevent disappointment or frustration …
+1 for Liven XFM, hands on editor, mix between two patches manually or via an LFO or rudimentary envelope, any operator can modulate any other operator so any 4op algorithm can be utilised. 4 part multitimbral (total of 6 voice poly across all parts), p locking on the sequencer, it’s a bit of a beast tbh.
I’ve only just been preset surfing so far but really looking forward to diving into the editing side of things.
stating the obvious and maybe not what you are looking for but there is an endless supply of yamaha 4ops that beautiful sounding. some like the v50 are pretty much 4op fm workstations.
I had the DX11 and it was pretty good too. I once had to open it to resolder the headphone out and the board was literally out of the V50. It was stamped right on it!
The cool thing with these models is that they make up for the limit in operators by utilizing a number of options for waveforms. It opens the sound design potential quite a bit.
The Kasser is a great sounding beast, but i sold mine coz i have too much ; would like a MegaFM however some day but at the moment i will hold up and free money for the house fixes…
Have you checked out older versions? Operator has been a Live staple for quite a while now. I think it’s included in v5 and above, dating back to 2005, so if you can track down an older copy your laptop might well be capable.
I see M8’s FM synth has been mentioned a few times. It might be worth mentioning that since then, it’s accrued even more operators. These include 4 noise operators, 3 of which have a filter (one of LP/BP/HP) where the feedback parameter controls resonance, and 1 where it controls S&H speed for faux LFSR. There is also a single-cycle sine operator (for transients) where the feedback controls its phase.
Combined with its 4-slot mod matrix (including a semitone mode allowing for chords) and instrument tables (like mini sequencers, in some cases more capable than the main sequencer and LFOs), it is a pretty powerful option.
While I was learning/trying to understand FM I did not come across something like a guideline indicating various algos purpose. To me FM boils down to this:
The more you modulate, the more noise/character in terms of odd/even harmonics can be introduced. Some algos stack modulation top to bottom. Some have sideways modulation.
I’d always start with basic ratios and a single modulator. Have a look at you favorite scope to see what happens to that initial sinewave carrier. Play with different modulation levels, too. Then maybe slowly start introducing another modulator. Or feedback.
Generally it helps to have an idea of what kind of characteristic a sound shall have over time. This is the place where modulation envelopes come into place.
Edit: Fairly analytical reverse engineering can also be helpful, of course.
Me too, same approach. But I’d like to learn from typical recipes references. I had a basic DX7 sum up on paper years ago, explaining how to obtain typical sounds. Can’t find it.
I don’t know if it can be considered as 4(5?) operators, but the HYDRASYNTH is really capable concerning FM. Each of the 4 FM-LIN Mutant can be assigned to others, depth, feedback, ratios can be assigned to any modulation.
Combined to ring mod and wavemorphing, endless possibilities, from very subtle to highly complex, with a lot of control.
