As you’ve seen so far in the tutorial examples and the additional sounds I’ve put on Soundmondo, FM is very adept at making sounds with unique timbres and behaviors. Some of the main characteristics for lead sounds should stand out, grab your attention and be expressive to your playing idiom. Whether it is for a signature riff, adding melodic counterpoint or for straight-on soloing, FM offers a wide and expansive palette of possibilities. Let’s dig in!

The conceptual building blocks I’m combining together from the previous articles are:

• The attack “stuff” mentioned in the solo and ensemble brass sounds
• The harmonic evolution over time from our pad sounds
• The multiple stacked Modulators and Feedback types from our bass sounds

I’m going to add in some new concepts as well – monophonic playing mode and overmodulation.

To start, let’s talk about how monophonic mode behaves on the reface DX. When using the monophonic mode, the reface DX will only be playing a single note at a time (no chords). The important point to understand is that the Envelopes will only affect discrete notes that are played. Meaning, you have to let off the first note completely before playing the next note to hear the Envelopes begin again using the Rate 1 & Level 1 settings. If you play legato – playing new notes before letting go of the prior note –  then only the pitch of the note will change. The Envelopes will continue playing, progressing through their Level 2 & 3 values at the rate set by their Rate 2 & 3 values. If you continue to play legato, the sound will eventually maintain its static Level 3 value for all operator Envelopes. You won’t get new Envelope behaviors until you play the next discrete note, letting go of the last one before playing a new one.

Side note – this is also true of Velocity. The Velocity of the initial discrete note is maintained for all the following legato notes, regardless of how hard or soft you play the legato notes. To hear the effect of a different Velocity in the sound, you have to play a new discrete note. These behaviors in monophonic mode of the Envelopes and Velocity allow your playing articulation and phrasing to be very expressive when they are set for your playing idiom and tempo. So, example Voice time!

Reference the Voice “Lead Example” and its accompanying video on Soundmondo. The concept for this sound is a typical analog synth lead guitar type timbre. Because I want an analog style ‘two oscillator’ type sound, again we’ll be using Algorithm 8 so that Ops 1 & 2 will be our first oscillator, and Ops 3 & 4 will be our second oscillator:

First turn off Operators 2 & 4, so we just hear the Carrier Ops 1 & 3. I’ve chosen to use Feedback settings of 86-87, which is a somewhat mellow square wave timbre. You will hear that we have a nice detuned square wave sound. This will be the sustaining timbre of the sound that remains after the Modulator Ops 2 & 4 decay down to their Level 3 settings. Now turn off Op 3 and focus on the Op 1 & 2 stack. For the Modulator Op 2, I’ve set a Frequency Ratio of 1.00, a Level of 71, and a Feedback of 85 with the Square Feedback Type. The Velocity and Envelope settings are for fairly quick decay to create the behavior and timbre of a warm, distorted, picked electric guitar that will indefinitely sustain at the square wave timbre of Op 1. Play some notes and change between legato and discrete note phrasing. With every new discrete note you get a new “pick” behavior, and at higher velocities you get more overtones in the sound. For the legato notes, the sound gradually evolves into the sustaining square wave tone, and I’ve also built in some delayed vibrato. For fun, change the Op 2 Feedback Type from Square to Saw and hear the change in the sound.

You can see how I’ve used the concepts of Envelope control of Modulator Level to change the timbre over time from our Pads article, and the Feedback Types from our Bass article to shape our timbre and sustaining tone. Now, turn Ops 3 & 4 back on. These Operators are essentially duplicates of Ops 1 & 2, but detuned to create the analog synth quality for the sound. But notice that Ops 3 & 4 have the PEG turned on – this is to accentuate the picked attack “stuff” in the sound as discussed in our Ensemble Brass article. To put the final ingredients on top – set Effect 1 to Distortion and Effect 2 to Delay for a nice synth guitar lead. Please, also make sure you check out the Voice “Octa Vio” and its tutorial video, which specifically highlights the articulation and phrasing differences between monophonic mode and polyphonic mode. Some other Voices of this type to check out on Soundmondo are “Forecast…JZ“, “Tweedle Lead“, “Synchron“, “Buzz Pulse Lead” and “Metrosync“.

Time now to get down and dirty (literally!) with the next example that will demonstrate stacked Modulators from our Bass article and the other new concept I mentioned at the beginning of this article – overmodulation. The context in which I use the term overmodulation basically means having your Modulator Levels set very high to create those unique harmonic structures and behaviors that can give FM synthesis its characteristic sound. It allows for the easy creation of bright, cutting and edgy digital timbres. And because those high Modulator Levels emphasize the non-linear response characteristics from the FM math, combining overmodulation with velocity sensitivity and Envelope control makes these timbres very dynamic. When you start stacking multiple Modulators there are huge possibilities for crazy, complex & unique sounds that can be especially suited for Leads. Reference the Voice “Bad Transistor 2” on Soundomondo and its accompanying video.

This Voice is a very bright, dirty & grungy lead sound with extreme solid-state style distortion, including a ‘clipping’ glitch reminiscent of an amplifier that has a transistor going bad. First thing you’ll see when you look at the Voice in the Soundmondo editor is that no distortion effect is being used. The ‘distortion’ sound is being created purely by FM synthesis using the concept of overmodulation. Let’s break it down and see how this sound is put together.

First, set both Effects 1 & 2 to “Thru” so you hear the base sound. You’ll see for this sound I’m using Algorithm 7:

This Algorithm has two Carriers, Ops 1 & 2. It also has stacked Modulators, Ops 3 & 4, that are shared with both our Carrier Ops 1 & 2. So there are two different waves we can create, the one from Ops 3 & 4 modulating Op 1, and the one from Ops 3 & 4 modulating Op 2. And since Ops 1 & 2 can have completely different settings for Frequency Ratio, Level & Velocity Sensitivity, Feedback Type & Feedback Level and Envelope shapes, there’s a lot of versatility to shape and control our final timbre & behavior. Turn off Ops 2, 3 & 4 to hear Op 1 in isolation. It’s a bright sawtooth wave due to the Saw type feedback and very high Feedback Level of 110. Now turn off Op 1, and turn on Op 2 to hear it in isolation. It also has a high Feedback Level of 90 with the Saw Feedback Type creating another sawtooth wave. Turn Op 1 back on, and play. Notice that the Frequency Ratio for Op 1 is set at 2.00, and for Op 2 it is set at 1.50. Ops 1 & 2 are tuned to an interval of a fourth with Op 2 tuned below Op 1. In addition, Op 1 has a much larger Velocity Sensitivity so that Op 2 is dominant at low velocities, and Op 1 dominant at high velocities. Another difference is that Op 2 has a softer attack setting and an Envelope Level 3 of 97, while Op 1 has a harder attack and full sustain with Envelope Level 3 set at 127. Thus, as we hold notes and play our legato phrases the timbre from Op 1 will remain as Op 2 decays. Finally, the Pitch EG is turned on for Op 2 to accentuate the attack ‘bite’.

Now, let’s turn on Op 3 and talk about overmodulation. You can see Op 3 is set with a very high Level of 110, Feedback Type of Saw with a Feedback Level of 80. These settings are in the range where the really unique &cool (or annoying!) characteristics of FM come into play. Play and hold notes at both low and high velocities to hear the timbre and behavior. You’ll hear the ‘bad transistor’ clipping about a half second into the sound, and as you hold notes for 7 to 9 seconds you’ll hear the timbre continually evolve and shift from the Envelope behavior of Ops 1, 2 & 3 along the slight detuning of Ops 1 & 2. The ‘bad transistor’ effect comes from a type of digital distortion called aliasing that is caused by the very high setting for Feedback Level of Ops 1 & 2 combined with the high Modulation Level of Op 3. Basically, the amount of harmonic content created by the high Level setting for our Modulator Op 3 is so extreme it is overdriving the system and causing digital ‘clipping’. As the modulation amount from Op 3 decreases as its Envelope decays to the Level 3 setting of 97, the ‘clipping’ goes away and we’re left with a bright & buzzy digital FM timbre that has built-in delayed vibrato from the LFO.

Finally, let’s add in our stacked Modulator and turn on Op 4. You’ll see that Op 4 has a Level of 78, Square Type Feedback Setting with Feedback Level of 86, moderate Velocity Sensitivity, and a moderately quick decaying Envelope shape. Note that is has a Frequency Ratio of 1.75, which is an interval tuning of a whole step below Op 1, a minor third above Op 2, and a seventh above Op 3. These ratios combine to allow Op 4 to create the subharmonic dirt and grunge in the final timbre. Play at low and high velocities across the keyboard range. At low velocities the waveform from Op 2, 3, & 4 is dominant as the Carrier Op 2 has very little Velocity Sensitivity. As you play high velocities, the waveform from Ops 1, 3, & 4 gets emphasized and you can hear the distortion overtone character stand out. Again, hold the notes 6 to 8 seconds to hear the ‘bad transistor’ effect gradually morphing into the sustaining timbre of Op 1. It bears repeating that you watch the linked video for this Voice as it includes real-time spectrograms to demonstrate what’s happening with the overmodulation timbral behaviors.

Hopefully you’re beginning to understand how to combine the concepts discussed so far in this article series to begin to create your own, more complex, FM sounds. As always, play around and practice tweaking the example Voices and additional linked sounds to continue to build your ‘ear experience’ find some haxidents. Some additional Lead sounds to check out are “Pulze Phaze“, “Xtortion1“, “Xtortion 2“, “BowTron Lead” and “Digi Lead“.

Ciao for now…

In the meantime, join us in the discussion about this lesson on the Forum here.

Not had a chance to experience the earlier lessons in Manny’s Modulation Manifesto? Catch up now:

Lesson 1 – Basics of FM Synthesis
Lesson 2 – Solo Brass Voices
Lesson 3 – Ensemble Brass Voices
Lesson 4 – Synth Pads
Lesson 5 – Bass Sounds

A little bit about the Author:

Manny Fernandez has been involved with sound programming and synthesizer development for over 30 years. Initially self taught on an ARP Odyssey and Sequential Pro-One, he also studied academically on Buchla modular systems in the early 80’s. With a solid background in analog synthesis, he then dove into digital systems with release of the original DX7. Along with his aftermarket programming for Sound Source Unlimited, Manny is well known for his factory FM programming work on Yamaha’s DX7II, SY77, SY99, FS1R and DX200 as well as the VL1 and VL70 physical modeling synthesizers.

I hope these articles and the Soundmondo Voice examples – plus your own tweaking and exploration – have given you the ear experience for how FM works. By providing you with this library of examples that can be used as building blocks for creating your own original sound, the goal was to inspire your enthusiasm to just dive in  – looking for cool & unique haxidents – even if your still not entirely sure what I’ve been talking about! These four approaches can add to your repertoire:

Velocity Tricks: Emulating Velocity “Switching”

The Yamaha FM implementations have a very wide range of velocity dynamics, and can be used in clever ways to create unusual or unique behaviors. One trick is to use extreme Level velocity settings for the Carrier Operators to emulate velocity controlled attack times and behaviors – also sometimes known as velocity “switching” or “layering”. Reference the Voice “Dyna Strings” on Soundmondo and listen to the linked Soundcloud demo. This Voice is an analog style synth string sound using velocity to articulate between a soft and slow attack behavior as a pad – and a brighter, hard bowed attack sound at high velocities. This Voice uses Algorithm 10:

There are three Carriers. Carrier Op 1 has no Modulator, so the only harmonic content we can create is by using Feedback. For a string type timbre, I’ve set the Feedback Type to Saw and the Feedback Level to 90. This Operator is going to create the basis for the sound. I’ve set slow Envelope Rate 1 & 2 values and no Velocity sensitivity so when you play very lightly you hear the “pad” behavior. The second and third Carriers – Ops 2 & 3 – both have very fast Envelope 1 & 2 Rates to create the hard bowed attack. Ops 2 & 3 share the Modulator Op 4, which is set to Fixed mode for its Frequency tuning to create the “bow noise” stuff in the attack. To further accentuate the bowing noise, the Pitch EG is set to only modulate Ops 3 & 4. You will see that the Velocity setting for Ops 2 & 3 is maximum, so the “bowed” behavior and timbre is only heard when you play very high velocities. Thus, when you play very softly you get a nice slow and gentle string pad behavior from Op 1. If you play very hard, then you hear Ops 2, 3 & 4 come in with their fast, hard bowed attack behavior. This allows for a nice dynamic range of soft sustained pad behavior all the way to aggressive agitato or accentuated marcato playing for a nice, versatile synth string sound.

Another way to use this velocity trick is for layering in another Carrier with its pitch tuned to a fifth, octave, sub octave, or other interval, etc. – only when playing at very high velocities. To hear this effect, edit Op 3’s Frequency, first setting it to 2.00, then setting it to 0.500, and then to 1.50 – remember to play both very lightly and very hard. It’s pretty cool to have a normal string pad for the soft sections that morphs into interval layers with fast arpeggio playing. For another example of using Velocity to control layering of different pitches, check out “Strange Files” on Soundmondo.

Now let’s review and summarize the concepts from the entire article series used in our “Dyna Strings” example:

• Multiple detuned Carriers for a thicker sound
• Using Feedback to create harmonics
• Fixed Frequency Modulator to create the attack stuff
• Pitch Envelope assigned to specific Operators to accentuate the attack stuff
• the Effects to enhance the richness, and
• extreme Velocity Sensitivity on Operators that have significantly different Envelope behaviors

Envelope Level Tricks: Using the Envelope Levels as a Limiter

As you’ve seen in many of the Soundmondo Voices I’ve posted, using Operator Level Scaling is both very useful in evening out the volume and timbre of the sound over the keyboard range – as well as enabling us to create split sounds or drastic timbre changes from the low to high notes. However, there can be a problem that arises for our Modulators if we use either the +LIN or +EXP curve settings. The total Level for that Modulator Operator can start to get too extreme as we play higher (if +LIN or +EXP is set for the Right Curve) or lower (if +LIN or +EXP is set for the Left Curve). This can change the sound in a way we don’t want. It can push the total Modulator Level into a range that creates the drastic “FM math weirdness” of overmodulation in the sound as covered in the last article on Lead Sounds. Or, it could create unwanted aliasing (digital noise and distortion) in the sound. This happens because at some point, the net total Level of an Operator – meaning its Level value plus the Key Scaling Value. This will eventually add up to the maximum possible level of 127. Which note or key range where this occurs depends on how high the original Level is set, which +LIN or +EXP Key Scaling Curve was chosen, and the Key Scaling Level setting. So, here’s the trick – use your Envelope Levels to limit the maximum total output of your Operator. Reference the example voice “Key Scale Limiting” on Soundmondo along with the linked video. This example uses Algorithm 8:

I’ve set this up so that each of the operator stacks – Ops 1 & 2 and Ops 3 & 4 – play the identical sawtooth sound at C3 (middle C). The C3 is the ‘fixed point’ of Key Level Scaling – meaning that no matter what Key Scaling Curve or Level you set, they have no effect at C3 – only the notes above or below. The Op 1 & 2 stack is set up to show what happens normally with Modulator Op 2, without using the Envelope Level limiting trick. I’ve set Op 2 Level to 81 and Feedback to 85 – creating a basic sawtooth sound at C3. I’ve set both the Right and Left Key Scaling Curves to +LIN and the Key Scaling Level to 64. Play C3 to hear the ‘reference’ timbre, and play up and down the keyboard to hear the timbre get brighter as you play both higher and lower. As you play keys above G4, you will start to hear the aliasing (digital noise) in the sound. As you play keys below G1, you will hear the timbre change significantly – it gets very thin, nasal and reedy – losing the sawtooth character due to overmodulation. This happens because of the effect of the Key Scaling Level and Curve settings. They combine with the initial Operator Level setting to increase the modulation Level as you play up and down the keyboard. In this example, the Key Scaling increases Op 2’s modulation amount from the initial Level value of 81 all the way to maximum of 127 – a change (or dynamic range) of 46 for the Op 2 modulation Level. Next set the Velocity Sensitivity for Op 2 to 65 and play dynamically soft and hard to hear how Velocity now changes the timbre as you play up and down the keyboard. As you play harder, you again get the overmodulation and aliasing issues in the sound.

Now turn off Op 1, and turn on Op 3 to only hear the second stack of Ops 3 & 4. This stack is set up with using the Envelope Level limiting trick with Modulator Op 4. You’ll see that the Feedback for Op 4 is also set to 85 as Op 2, but notice that I’ve set the Level for Op 4 to 111 and all its Envelope Levels 1, 2 & 3 to 70. What’s happening here is that the Op 4 Envelope Levels are attenuating the effective level of the Op 4 modulation Level. The interaction of those Envelope Levels at 70, with the Op 4 Level setting of 111, gives a “net” modulation Level of 85. Play C3 where you’ll hear the identical timbre as the Op 1 & 2 stack. Play up and down the keyboard. What you will now hear is the timbre get brighter as you play up and down, but you no longer get any change in the timbre or brightness when playing above C4 or below C2. This is because the Key Scaling Curve and Level setting can only increase the modulation Level of Op 4 from 111 to the maximum 127 – a change (or dynamic range) of only 16. The interaction of the Envelope Levels settings of 70 mean that when the Key Scaling Level and Curve settings increase the Op 4 Level to the maximum 127 as you play up and down the keyboard range, the “net” Level tops out to actually only be about 95-96. We made a limiter! I find this very useful for many keyboard sounds, especially electric pianos and clavinets, as well for guitar sounds. It is almost a necessity in creating split sounds, with completely different timbres and behaviors in the high and low notes. Check out the Voice “OverMod Keys” on Soundmondo to hear an example of this keeping the sound from aliasing, yet still overmodulated. Also, if you go back and look at the prior “Dyna Strings” example, you will see I used Modulator limiting on the Fixed Frequency Op 4 that provides the attack portion “bow” noise.

Detuning Tricks: Carrier/Modulator Detuning

An area I haven’t yet discussed is what happens when you detune Carriers and Modulators in the same stack differently from each other. While the numerous examples noted in this series demonstrate detuning independent stacks of Operators in Algorithm 8, those have always applied the same detuning to both Operators in each stack to recreate an ‘analog’ two oscillator detuning sound. Detuning FM Operators within the same stack sounds and behaves completely different than analog type detuning as recreated in the Algorithm 8 examples. To hear what different detuning of Operators within the same stack sounds like, let’s take a look at the voice “Detune Example” on Soundmondo and the accompanying video. This example uses Algorithm 11:

The basic timbre is just the sound of the Op 3 & 4 stack, with Op 4 detuned +20 (I have Ops 1 & 2 turned off). Play some single notes and chords up and down the keyboard range and listen to the sound. Next change the Op 4 detune value to Zero – and again play single notes to hear the static waveform with no overtone pair detuning. Then change the Op 4 detuning back to +20 and listen again. Now, contrast that sound with the familiar analog style detuning. Turn off Op 3 and turn on both Ops 1 & 2. They are set with a Saw-type Feedback level of 78 to create the same saw wave timbre as the Op 3 & 4 stack. Op 2 has a detune setting of +20 as well. Again play notes and chords up and down the keyboard range and listen to the sound. Go back and forth a few times tuning off Ops 1& 2 and turning on Op 3, etc. There’s quite a difference between the two types of detuning.

The reason the detuning sounds so different is due to another quirk of FM math. Quick technical detour time! This quirk is that FM also creates ‘negative’ overtones (harmonics) in the waveform – often referred to as ‘reflected’ or ‘mirrored’ overtones. This creates an overtone ‘pair’ for each of the overtones in the harmonic series. The important characteristic of these reflected or mirrored overtone pairs is that they are detuned from each other by a fixed frequency (Hertz) for all the overtones up the harmonic series. This is in large contrast to conventional two oscillator detuning where the Hertz difference of an overtone pair (one from ‘oscillator A, the other from ‘oscillator B’) is not fixed, but increases as the overtones go up the harmonic series. This fixed amount of overtone detuning going up the waveform’s harmonic series is the main reason why FM detuning sounds different and ‘thinner’ than conventional detuning, where instead those upper overtones get more detuned going up the harmonic series. Both types do share the same behavior of the overall detuning increasing as you play higher pitches and decreasing as you play lower pitches.

So let’s hear an example applying this behavior of FM Carrier/Modulator detuning in a sound. Reference the Voice “Massive Sweep Pad” on Soundmondo. This Voice also uses Algorithm 11:

There are three Carriers, Ops 1, 2 & 3 and just one Modulator Op 4 which only modulates Op 3. Yet when you play the sound, you’ll hear a lot of harmonic motion.

Let’s look at the components.

First, set both Effects to “Thru” so you can hear the harmonic motion is not coming from the Effects. Also turn off Op 3. Note Op 1 has the Square Feedback Type with a Feedback Level of 112, and Op 2 has the Saw Feedback Type with a Feedback Level of 101. They have no Modulators, so the timbre is just a static square wave for Op 1 and sawtooth wave for Op 2. I have them widely detuned from each other for the sound of two poorly tuned oscillators. But when you play the sound, there’s no harmonic motion at all. Now turn off Ops 1 & 2 and turn back on Op 3 and play and hold some notes. You’ll hear the harmonic motion is coming from the Op 3 & 4 stack. Great – you know from all we’ve discussed that as the Modulator Level changes from how its Envelope Levels change over time, we change the level or intensity of the harmonics we hear. But wait, look again – the Envelope Level values for our Modulator Op 4 are all 127! There’s no change in the Modulation amount over time at all, so how are the harmonics moving all around? As explained above, we’ve created a ‘pair’ of two overtones at each harmonic series interval. Because the detune is the minimum value of -1, the frequency difference is so small between the overtone ‘pairs’ it sounds very similar to phasing or filter sweep.

So now change the Op 4 detune from -1 to Zero and listen to the sound. It’s a static, buzzy pulse/saw hybrid timbre. Reset the Op 4 detune back to -1. The harmonic motion comes back. To speed up this effect, change the Op 4 detune to -2 or -3. One thing to note that regardless of what you set for the base detune value, the rate of the effect will speed up with higher note pitches and slow down with lower note pitches. Next, for variations that combine both this Modulator detune trick with Modulator Envelope control for enhanced harmonic motion, along with detuned Operator Stacks using Algorithm 8 for enhanced thick/lush sound as discussed in prior articles — check out the three “Massive Slow Sweep Pad” series Voices “Sawtooth“, “Pulse” and “Square“. This detune trick can also create more intense results using greater detune values that will increase the speed of the harmonic motion, especially if used with stacked modulators. For an example of how that can sound, check out the Voice “Nena 99” that emulates extreme pulse width modulation in the attack of the sound.

Fixed Frequency Sub-Audio Carriers: Another Cool FM Math Quirk

This trick is similar to the prior Carrier/Modulator detuning trick but with some significant differences. When a Carrier Operator has its frequency set to a sub-audio Frequency value, the negative overtone pair phenomenon mentioned above creates something sonically different than when the Carrier and Modulator are both in the usual audio range. In short, this trick allows us to create detuning within our sound that stays constant – no matter what pitch you play up or down the keyboard – unlike the other detuning types described above that increase with higher pitches and decrease with lower pitches. In addition, it also results in a pulsating effect in volume (amplitude) similar to an LFO tremolo or amplitude modulation. To hear what this effect sounds like, reference the Voice “Fixed Carrier Example” on Soundmondo and its accompanying video. This Voices uses Algorithm 1:

The three stacked Modulators 2, 3 & 4 are creating our waveform with the Fixed Mode Carrier Op 1 set at 1.000 Hz creating the pulsating chorus/tremolo effect. Play some notes and you’ll hear this effect is constant as you play up and down the keyboard. What’s happening is that all you are hearing is just the reflected (mirrored) overtone pairs of the waveform created by Ops 2, 3 & 4 and nothing from our Carrier Op 1 because the setting of 1.000 Hz is inaudible. And instead of the frequency of these pairs being offset by the Operator Detune parameter described in the Carrier/Modulator detuning section, with a Fixed Frequency Carrier each overtone pair is instead offset from each other – a fixed amount equal to twice the Frequency setting of the Carrier. When this value is in the low sub-audio range it will create a detuned ‘beating’ or pulsating effect similar to a cross between a chorus and tremolo. This example has Op 1 Frequency set to the minimum value of 1.000 Hz, so you will hear this ‘beating’ or pulsating effect at the same 2.000 rate (twice the 1.000 Hz setting) for every note up and down the keyboard. So you can hear hear the ‘raw’ waveform from the Op 2, 3 & 4 stack- before it is ‘reflected’ into overtone pairs by Op 1’s Fixed frequency. Let’s temporarily change to Algorithm 6:

This Algorithm separates out Ops 2, 3 and 4 into their own stack, so you can now hear their ‘raw’ waveform. Play some notes and you will hear it is the same timbre – but without the pulsating chorus/tremolo Fixed Frequency Carrier effect. It is also lower volume because the Level of Op 2 is 82, not 120 like Op 1.

Now, change from Algorithm 6 back to Algorithm 1 and let’s turn this Voice from a plain example into something interesting and useful.

First, turn on the Pitch EG for Op 1 only and play – and hold – a note. You now will hear the speed of the pulsating chorus/tremolo effect begin at a faster speed – and gradually slow down as the note is held. Then when you release the note, it will speed up again as the Pitch EG rate and level settings are changing the Frequency of Op 1. Next turn of Effect 1 to Flanger and Effect 2 to Chorus to thicken up the sound and create a wide stereo spread. Play staccato arpeggio patterns in the right hand over held octaves or chords in the left hand. To experiment in some ring modulator type of inharmonic sounds, try setting the Op 1 Frequency to various values from 30 Hz up to 600 Hz while also turning the Pitch EG off and on for Op 1. To hear a version of this Voice with a square wave timbre, check out “Fixed Carrier Square“. To hear some very unique examples combining both Fixed Frequency sub-audio Operators and Fixed Frequency audio range Operators, check out “Double Fixed Freq Pad C” and “Double Fixed Freq Pad A” where I’ve ‘tuned’ the harmonicity of the timbre to specific notes in the scale.

Well, there you have it. We hope you all enjoyed the show, but we’re sorry now it’s time to go…!

I hope you have found this article series informative and helpful in taking away some of the mystery of FM synthesis; foster a better understanding of its versatility and capabilities; and, encourage you to dive on in to create your own sounds. I’ll leave you with some additional content on Soundmodo to hear more examples of the wide range of sounds possible with Reface DX. Check out:

• “Time Vortex” and “Frontiers !” to see some complex split sounds
• “Malechite” and “ExorChime 3” to see percussive bell like timbres
• “Jibbishy” for a very unique timbre using a Fixed Frequency Modulator for a sitar-like effect
• “Dyna Smack” using wide velocity dynamics and overmodulation
• A simple yet expressive Mellotron flute “Berry Flute“
• For a Lead that’s an interesting hybrid of a distorted vocal guitar, check out “Klinkk Lead“
• Take a listen to “Rezznatron” for a example using ultra-low settings for Fixed mode Modulator Frequency
• For when you’re in a classical mood or have to feed your inner John Williams, try “Brass Section Fanfare 1” and “Brass Section Fanfare 2“
• And just for fun, take a look at “Tron Recognizer“

To wrap it all up and give a final example of what’s possible with the versatility of FM synthesis, I’ll end with this demo link, “Viva Zapata Remix,” which is 100% Reface DX and shows what you can create from just those 4 Operators.

Happy Tweaking!

Want to discuss what you learned? Join us in the discussion about this final lesson in the series on the Forum here.

Not had a chance to experience the other lessons in Manny’s Modulation Manifesto? Catch up now:

Lesson 1 – Basics of FM Synthesis
Lesson 2 – Solo Brass Voices
Lesson 3 – Ensemble Brass Voices
Lesson 4 – Synth Pads
Lesson 5 – Bass Sounds
Lesson 6 – Lead Sounds

A little bit about the Author:

Manny Fernandez has been involved with sound programming and synthesizer development for over 30 years. Initially self taught on an ARP Odyssey and Sequential Pro-One, he also studied academically on Buchla modular systems in the early 80’s. With a solid background in analog synthesis, he then dove into digital systems with release of the original DX7. Along with his aftermarket programming for Sound Source Unlimited, Manny is well known for his factory FM programming work on Yamaha’s DX7II, SY77, SY99, FS1R and DX200 as well as the VL1 and VL70 physical modeling synthesizers.