I prefer the sound of this in comparison to the Digitone. and I like the idea of using this stand alone, how easy is the sequencer to use?
seems there are some changes in the design since the original stock photo. did they sort out the knob issues? I saw photos with gaps around the skirting, didn’t look very nice. seems it was a supplier issue.
Haven’t really tested the voice sequencer to be honest.
If you refer to the “loose” encoders it was by choice, but Kodamo is of course the best to ask regarding any hardware revisions. Just send them an email and ask them, they are quick to respond from my experience.
I enjoy the EssenceFM a lot more than the DN and it sounds a lot richer and fuller. Layering opens up so many possibilities. 
My EFM feels really great from a build standpoint. I haven’t been able to work on much music for awhile…had covid and it wasn’t very fun 
Hi,
The knob gap issue was sorted right after the preorders in April. The encoders have a bit of wobbliness but I think they were manufactured this way to reduce friction. They’re Bourns PEC11L (feel free to check the datasheet), they have a very high endurance of 100,000 rotational cycles so they should work pretty reliably ! Hope that helps 
Makes a tremendous amount of sense if they do a good job of it. This is at a very early stage but it’s far beyond rumor.
I’m all over this if it happens. I really dig the compact keyboard format.
I took delivery of my EssenceFM last Friday and spent the weekend in FM heaven! … It’s so refreshing to be able to make FM sounds with such an exceptionally fun and user-friendly interface. It’s actually great being limited to one synthesis method (cf. Iridium etc) as it makes you focus on the sound and designing rather than searching through endless waves. The build quality is excellent and the touch screen super-responsive, the sound very clear. The effects are very good, in particular the less common ones like ringmod and bitcrush.
My only asks would be that you could disable waveform interpolation per voice, as I love the old-school FM grainy sound but sometimes want a cleaner sound. It would also be nice to be able to midi-sync the delay effects (though I’ll usually use external delay). The new firmware released yesterday is nice, the shimmer effect sounds quite usable and instant monitoring of the mod-matrix options is great! Looks like Kodamo have been pretty active with the firmware updates too.
Very, very happy with the EFM!
Didn’t know there was a new update…good to know, thanks!
New shimmer sounds with the update, sounds very nice. I heard on instagram there is also a new GUI coming. With the delay, can you set the bpm on the device?
That sounds really good to me. Gonna have to update tomorrow
Yes, you can set the delay time on the device (although not in bpm as such). The new GUI looks good, although I’ve reverted to something more like the original as I liked its minimal style more - it’s such a fast and fluid workflow that the look of the GUI is kind of not that important. It reminds me a bit of old school synths where everything becomes second nature after a while.
Man, because I’m a tech dummy I’m having trouble updating the firmware. I have to put the firmware to the ‘root’ of the USB drive…don’t know what that means. Updated the firmware before and everything worked fine. Not sure what I’m doing wrong 
Could the problem be anything to do with the format of the USB drive ? Just wild guess on my part, but a possibility.
ADDED: Just so i’m sure you understand root means not in any sub-directory. That’s what is called the root directory. Like the roots on a tree it’s at the base.
ADDED; problems beyond that could be due to make model and type of USB drive, that’s also been known to happen in general — so if you have another stick try that instead. Especially if you used a different one before when it worked, get that one out again.
Thanks for the response!
I’m using the same usb stick as when I updated last time and the new update is the only thing on the stick. Here’s what happens
Is that file, with that name in the root directory ? If not put it there. Beyond that I’d be stumped. I guess after that I’d try another USB drive just for fun, and after that get their support to help, because you’ll have done what is a reasonable attempt.
I downloaded the firmware, copied it into an empty USB stick and the plugged that into the EssenceFM. Beyond that, I have no idea
Make sure it is not in a folder, and does not need to be unzipped/extracted.
I’ll check on that, but last firmware update was really straightforward. Hopefully tech support will get me sorted
I’ve ended up ordering one of these and it arrives tomorrow. Thanks Snipecatcher as it was your demos that sold me on it!
Very excited to start patching on it, looks like so much fun compared to the older FM synths like my SY77 (which I’ll now be selling)
Finished re doing my set up yesterday and had my first play with the essenceFM, I LOVE it!
I’ve done FM on various hardware synths and I’ve done a ton of FM on the computer but nothing has been as inviting to program as the essenceFM and with that ease of programming, you end up experimenting with new ideas a lot more freely and I ended up with a whole bunch of sounds I’d never got from FM before just in the few hours I sat down with it.
My girlfriend had a go too and despite not having any experience with FM at all really, she very quickly got some interesting patches going and felt at home with it almost immediately.
Kodamo have done a great job here and if anyone’s ever wanted to seriously dive in deep with FM but never felt like it was possible for them when they tried in the past, I think this synth will be different for you
