It‘s actually easy to create noise from sine waves with FM:
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Been jamming SND going back to the old Mille Plateaux days and Mark Fell continues to bend my ear in all kinds of fantastic ways. Glad to know he’s appreciated in these parts.
I saw there’s a Cuckoo vid on the Digitone somewhere around here, which I’m looking forward to watching 
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Yes thanks, the feedback thing makes sense. It’s just that all software FM synths that I dealt with have dedicated noise sources so you can fine dose it so you are not just sending the whole engine into white noise. But I guess as Simon explained it you can use the XY control to basically mix-in the white noise from the operators that the feedback is macro-mapped to to the ones where it isn’t mapped to.
A bit on the side here, but I’m just wondering, are there any drawbacks to having 6 operators? Like are there certain things you can achieve by just having 4 that 6 would hinder? I’m thinking for instance, if i want to get into using FM8, could i just think of it as a 4 operator synth for simplicity? Just to be clear, this is not some sort of criticism of the DN having 4 operators, I’m just not that well versed when it comes to FM.
No.
The only practical thing is that their are other differences between the 6-op and 4-op Yamaha FM synths that make the 4-op ones more practical to program (simpler envelopes, better interface), and that make them sound a bit different (additional waveshapes on the TX81Z and the DX11)
Yes, absolutely! A lot of FM8 presets use only 4 operators, or 3, or even 2 operators.
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I’m sure an FM expert would be best to answer but the question is probably an over simplification. A few consider the Reface (4op) to be able to do more with 4 operators than a DX7 can for example due to waveforms and the likes. More ops = more envelopes really so the ability to create more complex sounds.
FM8 has a lot going on under the hood but I never really rated it that highly vs the FS1r for example.
Not really answering your question in full there at all but just my tuppence worth.
edit: @t got in there just before me!
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Another reason why a lot of soft FM synths have noise sources is that they’re band-limited which means that you’ll still get a bit of a pitched element when you apply full feedback to a single operator. You can often fix this by having two operators with full feedback where one is the carrier and the other the modulator, but having one or two separate noise sources with their own envelope is just a bit simpler.
I think a lot of the more percussive presets on the DN are having a snappy one-shot LFO hooked up to that XY balance parameter.
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I managed to hold back for just over a day. Seeing @Ess talking about (t)his machine made me buy it. I just like the idea of machines as instruments with a lot of context coming from the company. “Knowing” the makers (through videos and this forum) makes a difference to me. Probably silly but I seem to buy a lot with the idea/hope that there are passionate people behind these products. For the same reason, I supported some kickstarter projects, because seeing those people speaking about their ideas and work, is something I like.
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I’ve poked around with FM8 for a bit. The further out you get from the carrier the more subtle the FM additions are. Or the operator applies a sorta multitimbrality to(like overlapping a snare drum onto your pattern by raising a operator level on the accent beats) or provides another “scene” in the note duration.
For making instrument patches, 4 four operators should be plenty- especially with the Elektron sequencer where you don’t need to mathematically plot out how the sound fits into the pattern- just use a p-lock
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Thanks for the replies. I’m really keen on the DN, but no money. It did get me really interested in trying out FM a bit more, so think I’ll try out FM8 and Operator a bit while I wait for the next big payday
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I highly, highly recommend “FM theory & applications: by musicians for musicians” by John Chowning and David Bristow.
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The digitone FX does affect the input right ? I.e. the distortion FX would work also on the signal i put into it ?
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Yes
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That’s the reason why I never got far with FM8, it’s just way too scientific for my taste. That’s why the whole macro-paremeter thing in the DN has me interested. To some people it might feel like dumbing down FM synthesis, but when I make music I prefer to turn off the left side of my brain.
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Don’t disagree in the slightest. Looks like Elektron did a great job making it more accessible.
I still highly recommend the book. It looks technical, but it really is very approachable and has a strong practical focus on developing an intuitive sense of what kind of algorithm can generate what types of sounds. It will most certainly help you understand the DN better.
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Try your favourite online store. I ordered from mine and got a delivery date midth Feb announced…
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Does DTone have a page for performance macros?
Thanks so much Simon. That puts my mind at ease.
Safe travels.
No.
No macros listed in the manual. Just CTRL-ALL
the manual is available at Elektron.se
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yes