The flatness you mention regarding the opsix is what I refer to as “smooth” but flat is quite fitting. This is what I have found too and it’s the reason I’m not really seeing it as something I’ll be using enough to justify the size and price of it. I want to use exceptional instruments and don’t mind going through some trouble in order to find the right one (Digitone is one - I have actually sometimes thought about getting another one). Fortunately it will not cost me anything to return the opsix. I haven’t made any bass patch yet but I’ll have a look at it tomorrow.
I think how logically/intuitively the EFM is laid out makes it really fun to program. I don’t think I’ve ever used a preset and still have nothing but praise for it after all these months
2 Likes
What are the options to make a wide stereo image on the EFM? I made a search for unison in the manual but no results. Can you stack and pan voices? This is really must have feature for an instrument with that many voices.
Layering voices is a core feature that Kodamo had in mind when designing this thing I think, there are a lot of features for this with the voice sequencer being a highlight, it can do all sorts to animate patches and do a bunch of stereo trickery.
I’ll echo what Snipecatcher said too about how inviting a synth to program the EFM is, I probably made more patches with the EFM in the first week than I did with my SY77 in the entire time I owned it. It’s just so easy / fast / fun to do on the EFM which also ends up encouraging experimentation which lead to me getting a whole bunch of sounds I’d not yet had / heard from FM.
4 Likes
Thanks, I got an idea about it from some of the videos. So you do have to layer sounds to get stereo (apart from effects I assume). Then you’ll also have to edit each sound separately if you do it this way. If there’s no way to just get unison I think I’ll make a suggestion about this to Kodamo.
1 Like
Hahaaaa MKII ordered! Apparently I’m on a FM synth spree 
3 Likes
If you can say more about it I’d be interested to hear it. I made a suggestion for unison on Kodamo’s site and had to explain quite elaborately what I meant/want.
Kodamo said:
“On the EssenceFM it already works like the Unison system you describe because layers aren’t copies of the actual voice they play. They’re references to them. So if you need to change the filter, the algorithm or any other FM parameter, you have edit the sound only once no matter how many layers of that voice you have.”
My reply:
“Ok that sounds great! Not sure I completely follow. Maybe I have some confusion about patch, layer and voice.
So in order to create your unison sound you would duplicate your voice to other voice layer slots, then offset pan and pitch and have them play simultaneously? But how do you then change the filter or operator of all voices? At the patch level or?
It seemed to me like you can have different algorithms and settings within each voice layer or is that no so?
Please explain this clearly.”
1 Like
You can make a “voice”, which contains op ratios, algorithms, filter, envelopes, pan, tuning, etc.
Then you can define a “patch”. A patch contains one or more voices layered together.
But the layers of a patch don’t have to be different voices. They can be the same voice over and over if you wish. If you assign the same voice to each of the patch’s layers, that patch will be playing that voice in unison.
This would be a pretty weak unison effect, though, if you couldn’t change the layers in some way — by detuning or panning them, for example. Thankfully a patch let’s you make additional tweaks to the tuning and panning of each of its layers independently.
Note that these additional tweaks to tuning and pan are specific to the layers of the patch, they do not change the voice, itself. Also, the voice itself is not copied into the patch layers, just pointed to by them, so changes to the voice are reflected everywhere it’s used.
So, specifically, say you had the following setup:
- voice “Bass”
- voice “Pad”
- voice “Chimes”
-
patch “Unison Bass”
- layer1 voice: “Bass”, tune: -10
- layer2 voice: “Bass”, tune: 0
- layer3 voice: “Bass”, tune: +10
-
patch “Combo”
- layer1 voice: “Bass”, tune: 0
- layer2 voice: “Pad”, tune: 0
- layer3 voice: “Chimes”, tune: 0
The layers of the patch “Unison Bass” all point to the same voice (“Bass”) but have three different tunings, making a thick-sounding unison effect. But these tunings on the layers do not affect the “Bass” voice. No matter how far you crank the tuning of the layers of the “Unison Bass” patch, the “Bass” voice, itself, will not change. And thus the “Combo” patch (which points to the “Bass” voice in its first layer) will not sound any different no matter how you adjust tuning in the layers of “Unison Bass”.
But, if you were to change the filter (or OP ratios, or algorithm, or…) of the “Bass” voice itself, that change will be reflected everywhere that voice is used — namely in layer1, 2, and 3 of the “Unison Bass” patch as well as layer1 of the “Combo” patch. Changing the “Bass” voice, itself, will make the “Unison Bass” and “Combo” patches sound different.
Make sense?
10 Likes
Thanks for explaining this @jemmons! I’ll read it again later to make sure I understand it correctly but I think I comprehend.
2 Likes
Ok so the bass voice is shared and used in both patches. Layer = voice, right?
What I was trying to find out is if I can make a unison bass patch like the one you used in your example that consist of those 3 voices and their individual voice settings saved as one patch? If I then load this patch and want to change the filter cutoff - can I do that for all 3 voices simultaneously at the patch level? I.e. without having to change the filter in all three voice layers?
1 Like
Only sort of. A has patch one or more layers. Layers have many properties, one of which is the voice it uses. But that’s not the only property of the layer. A layer can also have it’s own independent panning, tuning, etc. as discussed above. Because these properties are independent of the voice, they have to have someplace to live. The place they live is the layer. That’s what makes a layer distinct from a voice.
To be specific, if you have:
- Voice Name: Bass, cutoff: 100
-
Patch Name: Unison Bass
- Layer Voice: Bass, Tune: -10
- Layer Voice: Bass, Tune: 0
- Layer Voice: Bass, Tune: +10
Then even if you change (and save!):
- Voice Name: Bass, cutoff: 75
Each layer of the “Unison Bass” patch is still looking for the “Bass” voice and playing it. They don’t make a copy of the old voice. They don’t “remember” that used to have a cutoff of 100 or anything like that. They just look for the “Bass” voice with whatever values it currently has (cutoff: 75) and play that…
In this case, all three layers are pointing to the same “Bass” voice. So if you change that one voice all three layers of the patch will play the new version “simultaneously”.
Does this happen at the patch level? It depends on what you mean. The EFM interface makes it easy to jump from the patch editor to the voice editor of a voice pointed to by one of its layers. So in that sense you can do it “from the patch level” of the UI.
Remember, though, that every other patch that has a layer pointing to the “Bass” voice will also play this newly updated version with the new filter settings. So in that respect, this change isn’t made “at the patch level” because it’s not distinct to one patch. The change is actually made at the voice level and is therefore reflected in everything that points to that voice, if that makes sense.
4 Likes
Well, when I started with synths, I stayed away from FM Synthesis as far as I could. But here we are now, FM synthesis started getting on to me since about a year and now I just ordered the Essence FM MK2. Via Elektron M:C, to Elektron Digitone, sidestep by adding Hydrasynth with one FM Modulator to Essence FM. :). Still have’em all, can’t part with any of them.
Soundwise I consider myself still a non-FM analog synth fan, but FM is just pure joy, so it’s evolving to a draw. 
4 Likes
So fascinating isn’t it? 
I’m really happy with my Digitone and will be using it always but I want to expand my synth capabilities with a 6 op synth like this. Also I’m missing being able to make wide fat unison pads and basses. FM is just amazing since you can make an incredible range of sounds including many classic ones but also really dirty and noisy sounds and textures. The EFM seems to be great for percussion sounds from what I’ve heard so far.
Thanks @jemmons. It’s more clear now. I may have more questions emerging from what you’ve explained here. Sounds like this voice and layering system allows for very complex setups of layered patches with all kinds of things to explore and lots of happy accidents.
4 Likes
Absolutely. At the beginning, I was not aware of it’s capabilities in the ‘dirty and noisy’ sounds (my thing). I thought it was only good for typical 80’s sounds, which are the horror for me.
3 Likes
Haven’t been writing much since I got covid in late August. Brain fog has been an unfortunate after effect. Working on the modular rig was way too taxing all of a sudden. But I went back to my EFM/OT combo for simplicity. Started this jam on Christmas Eve and I think it sounds oddly ‘Christmasy,’ as it was snowing and pretty here in Tennessee
10 Likes
Absolutly brilliant!
1 Like
Wow, thank you
I’m so on the fence with this thing. I really want one and typically a huge fan of FM and all the weird glitchy filthy territory it can get to. Its just a shame the majority of demos Kodamo have put out are very sterile cheesy 80s sounding patches. Thankfully I found this thread and theres been some awesome demos shared.
Is there any possibility anyone who owns one could upload a demo that shows some of the dirtier bass sounds this can create? Also perhaps something showing the various distortion types (ideally on bass sounds). I’m quite certain this could do what I want it to do, its just an expensive gamble to take.
2 Likes
Cosma does a good job in his YouTube vids in showing some of the grittier side of the essencefm. They just showed a peak at the vfm keyboard they’re planning to release this year, it looks solid Screenshot_20210212-131548_Instagram|281x500
2 Likes
Yep Cosma’s demos are fantastic. Thats what really caught my attention. Theres some amazing ambient glitchy stuff shown that would be right up my alley. I’d still love to hear more examples of dirty bass type sounds, especially showcasing the built in distortions.
2 Likes