I couldn’t dive as deep as Id like into the DN yet but fixed ratios indeed warrants a workaround. They make drastic changes to the sound so you cannot change parameters as much as you like when jamming freely. I think its best to find a ratio and keep it intact. There are too many other options that can be modulated in the synth pages.
Anyone disliked FM at first but changed their opinion after getting the Digitone?
Yes!
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I didn’t even understand FM synthesis before I got my DN!
Needless to say, it’s a wildly beautiful instrument and never stops surprising me.
I mean the Digitone is really a Subtractive synth with an FM oscillator. It’s quite genius 
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Always been a big fan of DX7, operator and FM8.
I suppose mainly to the groove box format the DN really opened my eyes to FM for drums. This is now what I mostly use it for. Been making whole tracks with ease using just digitone and typhon. Got eachothers backs, ya know?
I’m also trying to finally learn keys properly so always have my impulse 49 plugged into the DN for more classic key sounds which it absolutely smashes. Although from a keys point, 16 voices would be lush. Far from a deal breaker… just saying. But that’s also probably a reason I find it more suited to drums overall.
Hey, I’m happy people have different artistic ideas, aesthetics and opinions to mind, certainly in terms of instrument selection 
Plenty of things I’d have never come up with that I can enjoy as a listener.
I’m currently revisiting an old Anime series (Crying Freeman), and its reminded me why I always had a negative view of FM synths. NI’s plugin FM8 is great and of course, the Digitone is out of this world. But growing up, I was subjected to this kind of nonsense, you literally can’t unhear it. The use of FM has come a long way! 
Are you kidding? I love that sound
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I’ll get my coat…
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When ppl say the low end is weak on the DN … I think I know what is happening …
… the low frequency simple waveforms are appearing less present in monitors. There are no harmonics.
Headroom for 8 voices and the nature of fm means loudness levels can seem relatively low.
And I think some ppl don’t love sine waves.
I quite like starting with clean sounds.
The DN seems amazing for resonant kicks or sub bass. I expected it to do metallic and classy, glassy, high register sounds but this was a nice surprise.
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Yes, there’s this… but also the general sound of the Digitone which, just like the Digitakt, is a bit bright.
But yes, you can definitely kill subwoofers with the Digitone. Nothing like a pure low sine wave to flap trousers.
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There are tons of useful sounds that can generated out of an FM synth. I ve found that trying to come up with a specific sound with Digitone is often a frustrating task, while letting it create a sound that will lead you somewhere unprecedented most of the time works better for me. FM is a different kind of beast and trying to tame it becomes really time consuming.
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that’s exactly what i perceived and it was always difficult to put the dn in the mix. it’s purely subjective but always annoyed me directly when you experimented with a b and the tuning and then these shrill sounds that hurt on the oh. now it has been sold and exchanged for an octatrack and the analog one has won again in the end. I think that the mono machine sounds very different and I would be really interested in getting one … so I can’t imagine that all fm synthesizers sound as weird as the digitone.
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I’m fond of r beny’s Digitone songs:
and the video that changed my opinion about FM wasn’t a Digitone one but was a Reface DX demo, which is of course way more simple than the Digitone:
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…in theory, fm was invented to mock ANYTHING u can hear in first place…
it’s pure math beauty…behind the curtain…
and if the interface is RIGHT…it’s endless in sonic variety…
dtone was the only fm only machine i really got lost in, in a damned good way…
and the only one that i’m aware of, where fm and classic subtractive synthesis can walk hand in hand that easily…
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No and no, I‘ve always loved FM and Digitone has zero influence on that.
Operator in Ableton got the ball rolling.
The more i spend time with it the more i like it. I am working on the last sounds to have myself a full 256 handcrafted sounds from scratch. Wonder what you guys think. Made some quick patterns, nothing fancy with p locks or automation. Just knocked in some notes to give some idea in a musical context. At the end some sounds in isolation. Most of them can be stacked or sound more massive with unison.
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Could have been more gentle on the delay settings on the end 
Confession - I can’t get into drums on the digitone. They honestly all sound kind of hollow or plasticky. But then again that’s how I feel about a lot of digital percussion (even the LXR) so it might be a personal taste thing. (I do however like Machinedrum and Nord Drum sounds so…)
Bass on the other hand… DN bass absolutely shreds on a large system. Phase reset =
And agree, love me some simple sine wave FM with a touch of modulation and effects. Cant get enough of making bells.
EDIT: i drafted this post like a month ago and since then accidentally created a rim perc the other night that sounded really good. Made sure to export the sound too:) Still not a huge fan of the low end drums but that’s not what I bought the DN for
Another preset I absolutely love is called ‘Fragile’ - not sure if it’s stock or from a preset pack. Very glassy. Perfect for atmosphere in a track
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Haha. This is why I ended up putting my DT and DN on the shelf and bought an MPC One instead. Too. Many. Cables. Still love the sound of the DN though.
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