thanks for the tip, i already work with fm, i used to use FM8 but later i bought a preenfm2 and used it for 2 years then i sold it…
i love FM and creating complex drone sounds, but i heard the essence fm doesn’t have a warm sound like the digitone unless i add some external effects to it…
so i wonder people who have owned both the digitone and essence fm if they want to compare these 2, especially when performing live since this is my main thing…
i just asked the kodamo team if they will consider doing some youtube video similar to the one that i shared above with the digitone
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Can you narrow it down to a time in that video where you really like the sound?
yeah sorry it’s a long video, you can just jump in the middle or the end, anyways i’m pretty sure you can do the same with the kodamo but i wonder if the sound quality using the EFM to perform live vs the digitone
The dominant droning feature I’m hearing is a low note with some much lower frequency FM modulation. I can do that with my Virus, with the Monomachine, probably with the Analog 4 and Desktop Evolver. Definitely with the Volca FM or Reface FM. Probably with the Jupiter Xm, and maaaaybe with the TR-8s if I go deep.
Have you considered building out a very basic patch in FM 8 that you like, and then note the frequencies and ratios involved? Then you could ask people to build the same thing in the DN, Essence FM, etc. and compare the results?
Another to add to your list is the Reface FM - it may be better for live playing and has a 4-op engine similar to the DN. The touch interface is very immediate.
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thank you for all the suggestions! i did indeed create some basic patch using the preenfm2 but the workflow was pretty annoying especially when you’re performing live, you have quite some good equipment there…
i also used FM8 and recreated it on the preenfm but as I said before the workflow was pretty slow and especially when performing live
I will have a look on the Reface FM, didn’t know about it
the thing that attract me the most for the essence fm is that it have 300 voices polyphonic, that’s mental!
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Just on that basis alone, I assume the EFM is an insane sine wave drone machine. Whether it fits someone’s definition of warm/cold seems like it would reflect more on their proficiency with patch editing. But it’s possible that something in the EMF’s architecture boosts highs.
But I don’t have an EFM myself, and my gearlust has only reached the level where I’m pretty sure that an EFM will make more sense for me than trying to find another TG77. 
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yes indeed, that would create some unlimited drone sounds with 300 voices, infinite possibilities.
i feel like the EFM is somehow like an octatrack, not in the sense of doing the same thing obvisouly, i use the OT since 8 years and it have infinite possibilities, so i’m always on the look for one machine rather then buying a lot of stuff due to travelling, but something where have no limitation like the OT, so an octatrack with EFM i think that would be endless…
check the EFM you might actually like it and team is always updating and listening to their followers:)
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Well, I absolutely love the EssenceFM and prefer it over the Digitone for many reasons. But to your specific point, I do think the Digitone is inherently ‘warmer’ than the EFM straight out of the box for sure. You can warm up the EFM internally, but it does take a bit more work
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And 16 part multi timbral 
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Then I’m not sure how anything we say here might change your mind. It sounds like you want a Digitone. You should get one. I have an EssenceFM, and yet would never dream of selling my Digitone. It’s a great machine.
“Warm” is completely subjective. No one will be able to answer this for you. But, as Oscillator Sink mentions in the video, the secret to drone is moving slow and always changing. The EFM can do that. In fact, with 6 operators, significantly more complex envelopes, stackable voices, rich multitimbrality and nigh limitless polyphony, it can do much more in the realm of slow, elaborate, modulation than the Digitone.
But you won’t be able to do it by following his video because the UI and features are different. And you’ll need something to take the place of the Elektron sequencer and its conditional trigs he’s using to such great effect. And the whole point of the video is about playing with the limitations of the Digitone to make something that transcends them. If you remove those limitations, what do you have?
I’m a big champion of the EFM and believe it can do practically anything. But you’re excited about something particular. Don’t let the EFM distract you. Get the thing you’re excited about, not something different you’re going to end up resenting. The EFM will still be there if you want it later.
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Yes both machines are fantastic and I’d rather not have to choose between them.
Sure EFM can do drone music - you have even more oscillators and operators to use and a much wider range of timbres are possible in my experience. The EFM has more clear oscillators IMO and maybe that’s what sounds cold to some but it really has a powerful tone.
My Playdead sound above (post 368) is droney but noisy too.
Astrolab’s ambient track (Tension) posted above is a fine ambient dronetrack (post 269).
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@Soarer @jemmons @Snipecatcher thank you all for the replies, I’m actually more convinced into buying EFM then the digitone altho as you guys said above why someone need to choose between them, but i will start with the EFM since i like to work on hardwares that doesn’t have a lot of limitation and EFM seems the right one.
I own an octatrack since many years and i love it since i can almost do anything i want and i feel the EFM is something that can also do that comparing to the Digitone.
I wouldn’t mind at all to put some work to make it warmer sound altho it’s subjective but i guess snipecatcher got what i meant…with some internal work and some external effects it should be achievable.
I owned a preenfm2 in the past and did some sick drone with it but it was frustrating with the small menu and there was a lot of noise coming out from the outputs.
so basically the octatrack sequencer and the conditional trigs can work well with the EFM
thank you all and your comments are really helpful!
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The OT/EFM combo makes me very happy. Hope it does the same for you!
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anything connected to my OT extend it to another level, so i guess with EFM i can feel being the happiest person on earth :))
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@Snipecatcher did you ever experimented with the EFM using multiple channels? like quad or octa? moving sound in space?
i sometime perform using the OT as a quad machine and it’s great!
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Quad?! That sounds fun!
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yeah it’s! with the OT panning left and right and some good triggers also using the cue out, you can do some really interesting stuff
especially some beats and clicks sounds really fun
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I’m definitely aware of the possibility of using all 4 outputs of EFM routed to 4 different channels/speakers. Would be great for some sound art installation.
Sending one stereo from EFM to OT with beats/glitches and another stereo to OT with synth sounds is very powerful indeed! -Thanks to EFM’s 16 multi part performance mode.
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yeah can’t wait to do stuff like that…
btw anyone knows if it’s possible to sync the delay clock of the EFM to the OT tempo?
Sadly it’s not possible no. It’s definitely requested but I don’t know if they can make it properly. You can find their answer on Kodamo’s forum I think. Along with ms values you do have BPM values so you can easily set it manually.
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