This is really nice. Though it sounds like neither, it makes me think of both The Cure’s “A Forest” and Aphex Twin’s “Flim”. Gratifyingly pleasant.
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I got cure vibes!
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Thanks everyone, really appreciate the kind words especially as I’ve not really shared any of my work till now.
Big fan of both Aphex and The Cure so I’m not surprised if their influence has made its way into my work.
The EFM is a really great / inspiring synth if anyone’s on the fence with getting one, I’ve still barely scratched the surface of what it’s capable but it’s also already given me so much more than any FM synth I’ve owned / used in the past.
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New update! Tons of tasty things in there:
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Very nice!
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I haven’t updated mine at all, so I’m way behind! Gotta fix that 
I’ve not updated mine yet, have had to pack away the studio due to moving soon.
Thought I’d share another track that I made using the EFM as only sound source, some sounds were processed through my Motas-6 and everything was done in one take with no further processing post recording.
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Very nice!
Writing ideas for a potential band project
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I grabbed one of these about a month ago to pair with the Torso T1. It really is a special combo and I’ve been using them together as kind of a dream FM drum machine. The editing structure on the kodamo is so well thought out and fast. The performance (multi) mode is this easiest to work with of any synth I’ve owned.
Here’s a brief example of what I’ve been doing with it. T1->Essence->Beebo-
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Sounds great!
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Too bad I don’t have an instagram account anymore…
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absolutely dig it 
16 part fm drum machine !
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Been thinking that this synth + Octatrack + Nord Drum + an external processor would be a great setup…
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It’s great with Octatrack since you have the 8 midi tracks and the 2 stereo in for lots of additional effects. The 16 multi-parts on the EFM along with the layering of voices in a single patch is just crazy to have at your disposal. The thing is that you have to be willing to invest quite some time in making sounds with it since most of the presets are not that good.
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I always start by deleting all the presets when I get a new synth and yeah the demos from Kodamo sound somehow pretty cheesy. It’s like an instrument which has a great potential but is not really explored yet. Hey, it has even a microtonal support!
By the way, how is the interface? The workflow seems pretty intuitive to me, what do you think?
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The interface is it’s strongest feature, IMHO. It’s not going to save you if you don’t understand FM yet (it doesn’t masquerade as a subtractive synth or anything). But if you do get FM, everything is right there at your fingertips.
The touchscreen’s direct manipulation adds more to the process than I thought it would. Arranging an algorithm or setting envelopes don’t just feel good, they feel better on the screen. And for most modes, the encoders are set to control helpful parameters, so whenever I need to dial something in with more precision than my fat fingers allow, a knob is there waiting for me.
It’s also worth noting that, for a synth with this many voices, timbralities, and layering potentials, the organization of presets and how you move through the interface between voices, layers, patches, and performance is really well thought out and intuitive.
For me, the EFM replaced a TX802, so I expected to use it a lot for the layering, polyphony, and maybe get a bit extra out of it from selectable waveforms and the like. But the interface has turned out to be the true killer feature and has made it my go-to FM for most applications now.
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How does it fare as a drum machine?
I haven’t seen many videos of this synth used this way
(haven’t searched so much recently, though)
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Thanks for your comprehensive answer.
I have a Soma trio (Pulsar-Ornament-Lyra) which I could sell and get this synth + a processor, maybe something like a Sherman Filterbank to make some of the sounds a bit dirtier and a new controller like Sensel Morph to play with it sometimes.
I mean, I have a feeling that I need a change and I really have more than enough recordings of my Pulsar to use as a sample later. Even though I like my setup, I’d like to improvise and play live more often which is a bit difficult with the Soma instruments. And I think that there are enough people who dive deep into the Pulsar, but I don’t see any different approaches to the EssenceFM. I’d like to dig deep and deeper in this instrument and I guess it deserves it.
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It’s really good for drums. In my “First tracks” video above I use a drum kit that I made which is a single preset with many voices. That means that you can pitch up/down all drums simultaneously using pitch bend and change all drums simultaneously using the modwheel since it’s just one preset so that is really fun and pretty awesome. It can do powerful kicks and detailed percussion drums and IMO it is better for drums than the Digitone. I do still prefer my LXR-02 dedicated drum synth which has it’s own character where the EFM is maybe a little more neutral sounding. But you can run the drums through the built-in distortion effects for more grit. I think that with further work and experimentation you can get extraordinary results with the EFM as a drum synth.
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