FM, the final frontier

Elektron Gear Monomachine
#1

I’m synthesizing for a long time and I get/understand most of the stuff. I can fairly easy dial up sounds that I have in my head with standard subtractive synthesis.

But FM is a different story. I only have the MM as FM synth so if there’s a difference in approuch I would like advice just for the MM.

Basicly I want to learn FM on the MM. I want to know what to do and when to do it. Now I am just turning knobs and pray to the synth gods that something usable comes out of it. The thing is I really like FM sounds and I would love to be able to have more control over it.

Are there MM FM tutorials? Or things that can help me?

#2

There’s an extremely detailed fm guide on sos that I saw linked around here somewhere… Found it

http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may00/articles/synth.htm

Bit to mathematical for me. I too love fm bit find it rather daunting.

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#3

Also if you want a pretty easy to understand with less maths guide, the macpro video fm8 guide is really good. I’m not sure how related to the MnM it is though, but there’s lots of “let’s make bells” type patch creation stuff.

#4

My first synth was a DX100 so FM comes natural to me. It’s quite a crazy way to make sounds though and will endlessly surprise. As a fun little experiment twist it up make it discordant. Than use baby steps to try and make something pleasant. Theory is great but practice is better.

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#5

that soundonsound is indeed to much math for the thing I’m looking for. If I wo
I will try to check that macpro vid when I’m at home.

I’m also a strong believer in the practice aproach, but with FM it doesn’t really work out. Like sometimes I get something that sounds like a hihat. But I have no clue now how to make a hihat. (with subtractive I would be able to tell different ways).

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#6

I’ve found this video helpful.

Inside synthesis FM synthesis part 1

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#7

Have you tried to stick with the Envelopes in the Operators?


They’re a powerful tool, since they control how the modulator acts on the carrier.
Also different algorithm have the Envelope in different positions in the signal path.
This carry to various control of the (dis)-harmonic content of the carrier.

After these first steps you have p-locks for their parameters - effects and all that other MM fun stuff

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#8

that inside fm synthesis helped a lot. I just sat down with the MM and it became a bit more clear.

That envelope picture is also very insightful. I’ll experiment tomorrow with it

#9

Also all the section about FM+ machines.

Schermata_2013_11_13_a_23_08_30.png361×522 45.7 KB



…SignalPath&Co

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#10

The FM synths are some of favorite in the MnM. I can’t tell you what each operator does, and I’ve learned to not care! FM can be sooooo complex.

I just tweak and “pray to synth gods” just like you, and I"m okay with that. I love the surprise of not knowing what I’m going to discover sonically. It’s great when you just want to experiment or don’t have a solid idea for a sound you want to make.

Also, the FM machines can change sound dramatically just by making the smallest changes in parameters. Tweak slowly and save lots of versions of the kit so you can go back, when you lose that sweet sound you’ve been building for an hour!

The FM synth can make some of the best bass sounds too.

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#11

Truuuuuuue!

#12

nice great tip :slight_smile:

#13

.

any thoughts on what is going on in this video?

“Recreating Cello-like Sounds with the FM machines, internal reverb machines and feedback in the reverb page.”

Perhaps Lemure333 is even a member of this forum?

.

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#14

Damn !!! Didn’t know this !
Excellent !

#15

Oh wow, that’s news to me also. So, the envelopes are effectively just level controls up to 64? That’s kinda odd…

#16

I love experimenting on MM FM machines, but never really managed to point precisely what was the behavior of these env knob.

Today still, I can’t see in the 3 machines diagrams what this “MOD 1” is about. I mean, what’s the difference with “1 FREQ” and how is this modulator modified manually.

#18

The block diagrams of the FM+ machines in the MM’s manual are not the best examples of graphic design.

Let’s use the FM+STATIC machine as an example:

It’s a 3-operator machine, with two modulators and the carrier.

The first modulator (MOD1) has controls for carrier:modulator frequency ratio (1FRQ), modulation frequency fine tuning (1FIN), feedback amount (1FB), and the combined level/envelope control (1ENV).

The second modulator (MOD2) has controls for carrier:modulator frequency ratio (2FRQ) and a combined volume/feedback control (2VOL).

TONE controls the frequency content from the output of the carrier.

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#19

Thx for taking the time to put it clearly.

Indeed this diagrams were not the clearest, but I understand how to read them now :slight_smile:

If Tone is the Carrier, Freq 1 could have just replaced Mod 1 in the diagram and I think I would have understood it better.

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