Recommend me an FM synth

[Geneoart]

Get the Digitone you’ll never regret it. It’s worth the extra cash you’ll need.

[christianlukegates]

i have the preen fm3- its awesome but a lot of menu diving. if youre using this in a band situation (which i think was what you said at the beginning of the thread?) then i think something a bit more immediately programmable (i.e reface DX or digitone if budget allowed) would be more suitable?

[ghostbuddy]

nah, i want it for a few very specific sounds. i have no interest in that level of fm synthesis.

[OBOLUS]

If you like “clean” FM tone, the PreenFM and the Reface will excel.

If you want the grittier possibilities of older Yamaha FM tone, do what you can to grab a DX100.

If you want it to be easier to program, the Reface is probably the most intuitive interface of the three. It also has great built-in effects.

[TobySD]

More cash needed but hands on FM

Humble Audio Quad Operator // FM synthesis tonal exploration

[johnl]

I agree, for playing in a band, if you want an FM keyboard the Reface DX seems like your best option.

(If you want an FM synth, keep looking)

[subduct]

Waldorf Blofeld may be worth a look too - maybe a bit over OP budget, but would do loads of other stuff too as well as FM:

Does Waldorf Blofeld have an actual FM synth?

In fact, the Blofeld is capable of even more complex FM implementations. Each oscillator has a dedicated FM control, and the modulation sources available include the envelopes and noise as well as the 3 oscillators and 3 LFOs, before using any of the 16 modulation slots. So Blofeld’s FM can be way more complex than a traditional DX-style instrument, but can also provide some familiar FM tones especially when using sine waves as oscillators and modulators. The Blofeld’s manual is not great, but…

[Adam9]

Plus one for a TX81Z
8 voices poly
Cheap
Capable
Easier to program as its a 4 op
Plenty of patches free on the net…
You have 2 get your hands dirty menu diving without an editor though, and you will want some reverb and fx…

Also Plus one on the “out of budget” Blofeld, the FM is great and you get some FX and the voice count is more than you have fingers

And FYI the DN is ultimately what you want from an FM synth

FM / subtractive hybrid with 2 filters, 2 lfos, with a wickid sequencer, nasty distortion, lush reverbs, wobbled chorus and wide stereo delays…

Dont mess about maybe…

[ghostbuddy]

DN is definitely not what I want in an FM synth, in fact it’s just as far from what I want as a Volca FM.

[Adam9]

Thank you for being clear…good luck on your search. I hope you find the perfect synth for you and your band.

[ghostbuddy]

Thanks! I just want a DX7 in a box. Preferably with that dusty 80s tone, not too modern of hifi.

[Fin25]

How specifically do you want the DX7?

Like, are you set on 6op FM, or is it more about the sound of the D/A’s?

[ghostbuddy]

More about the sound, I don’t really care that much if it’s that specific synth. Other 80s FM synths with a similar overall tone are fine. DX7 is just the one I know can do the thing I want.

[Tajnost]

Dx21 / Dx100

Program it to hell and be happy about it

[ghostbuddy]

I’d be happy with either TBH but there doesn’t seem to any available locally or at a sensible price. I’ll keep an eye on the local market.

[Fin25]

There is a DX7 in a box, the TX7, but I don’t see too many of them knocking about and they require external programmers to change parameters.

Of all the 80’s FM boxes, the TX81Z is probably the best (within your price range) as it has multiple waveforms for the operators, which opens up a lot of timbres. It will definitely do that glassy FM pad sound, not quite so well as a DX7, but well enough.

If you want a keyboard, the DX100 is the smallest classic option, but doesn’t have quite the sonic range of the TX81Z, but is probably slightly easier to program.
Basically, anything from the 80’s with Yamaha written on it will get you there.

[Adam9]

Well…i own the DN and volca FM but miss my departed rack mount TX81Z everyday, nothing (not even the DX) could get that sound with the different waveforms in the operators.

There are some good YouTube vids to check them out, as im thinking we have different taste in FM sounds. (I like it nasty)

Im so glad you have strong enough integrity to know exactly what you want from the synth and strong enough boundaries to just say
Yeh…no!

[ghostbuddy]

Hah, well when I’m kinda buying gear for myself I have no such limits, but this is kind of for the band and thus only needs to do what the band needs it to, which is to play 5-10 different but similar sounds with enough polyphony for chords, so at least 4.

[sabana]

Cant you sample the DX7 single stabs and 4 bar loops and put it in the OT and play it chromatically?

[ghostbuddy]

I could while making the songs, but I’d prefer to have an actual synth to make slight adjustments easier. I have an iPad and a camera dongle, so no need to use samples anyway.