i’m just getting back into programming 4-op FM sounds on Digitone, many years after having a DX-11. it’s a little like riding a bike but also there’s a lot different about the Digitone workflow. i generally start with Algos and Ratios, but at the same time having a specific sound I’m working toward – if it’s a bass sound, i know the ratios are generally going to be low, for leads, probably higher. also have to keep reminding myself how much the operator levels (and now the X/Y operator mixer) affects the overall sound timbre. filter and ASDR envelopes usually come after i’ve arrived at a general “sound” that is interesting.
but i’m still pretty early days in getting the basics down so incorporating multiple LFOs or the mod wheels are more of a second order operation. i assume, like the DX-11, it’ll eventually get to the point where i have second-nature recall of which Algos are best for which types of sound, e.g., Algo 8 is the classic starting point for any kind of organ sound.
FM can be a real pain in the ass, and Digitone has so many more parameters than the old DX 4-ops, the sounds you get out of it (eventually) blow the best DX sounds away