I am following Bad Mister's FM-X tutorials,and am a total beginner in FM.

Being that this is the case, let's start with the first article in the series and why I choose to start some one in your position there, as opposed to where you want to start. The tutorial starts with ear or listening experiments... by the time you get to the later Part we actually take you to *where* the parameters are assigned. So we started using the ear to listen and our brain to draw from some basic musical observations

The reason is stated as eloquently as ever here:

In BM's tutorials, parameters have been assigned to the knobs and sliders - but they haven't with the Init (sine wave). I don't know how to assign parameters to the various controls, and thrashing about in the Manuals and Guides hasn't helped.

The reason to start with a two Operator stack was on purpose, and starting with a sound already created and then manipulating that sound, I believe, is a far more satisfying way to learn about FM than most of the math based tutorial that are traditionally used.

Before you go thrashing about in the Manuals, you have to learn how to assign a controller to a parameter destination. And before you do that you need to figure out what it is you want to control. You reach the point of the MOD/CONTROL > CONTROL ASSIGN and don't know what to do... because you have not set a realistic goal for yourself.

Call up the very first sound in the tutorial "P4"
First thing (and you missed this, completely, the first time around), Operator 1 is a MODULATOR (and is therefore not heard directly), Operator 2 is a CARRIER (we can hear this directly). The first thing you were to observe was that they are controllable by the first two Faders 1 and 2, when you select the PART.

You were to observe that while you can hear Operator 2 (Carrier) you cannot hear Operator 1 (Modulator) unless it is being applied to Operator 2. Don't move on from that portion of the tutorial until you are certain that this true in your own experiments. Don't move on until you actually have that "aha moment" when you hear the more you raise Operator 1 the more character (harmonics) you hear. If you don't hear this STOP and ask a question. Why am I not hearing what he's talking about.

You were also to learn what harmonics sound like and what the lack of all harmonics sounds like (Sine Wave contains only the Fundamental pitch, no "overtones" or what we call harmonics). As you faded up FADER #1 the pure Sine Wave starts to get an edgier tone (edgy = more harmonics).

If you don't get this to happen, stop, ask a question.

I expressly didnt want someone new to FM to wander into the abyss without a tour guide. Every item pointed out in those tutorials was designed to let your ear lead your brain. If you read it without actually moving the sliders then I'm afraid it was a waste of time, however, if you did actually move the sliders, made the moves as instructed, then what you want to Assign would be occurring to you.

I'm not sure that the problem statement has anything to do with FM-X. It's not clear - but perhaps the question is just a generic one with the basic task of assigning any destination to a source and how this is done.

If so:

The information is scattered about this series: http://www.yamahasynth.com/apps-2/montage-indepth-programming-series

There could have been one single article just on assigning sources to destinations - but the series combines this within the context of superknob / assignable knobs / other topics.

http://www.moessieurs.com/control-assign-montage.html

The above link walks you through the basics.

I don't know how to assign parameters to the various controls

Step-by-step:

First, quick background. With Montage, you can assign a SOURCE (controller) to a DESTINATION (parameter). There are two types of sources - a physical controller (some knob or control you can physically touch such as mod wheel, ribbon, assignable knobs, etc) and non-physical controllers (such as MS Lanes or Envelope Follower). Physical controllers are easier to relate to - so I'll just focus on those.

1) Decide which parameter you want to control - this will be the destination. It's easiest to find the destination parameter somewhere in the touch-screen menu system (something you can use the DATA DIAL or INC/DEC to change or by touching the value and a new screen pops up which allows for you to "key in" the value by number). If you see the [CONTROL ASSIGN] button illuminate amber - then this means this parameter can be assigned.

2) Press the [CONTROL ASSIGN] button

3) Move the controller you want as a source (maybe KNOB 3, or the mod wheel, or A.SW1 or ribbon controller, or any of the physical controllers)

4) This should automatically setup a source and destination pair.

That's it for linking a source to a destination.

There's another way ...

1) Navigate to the "Mod/Control" -> "Control Assign" screen

2) Make sure the "Auto Select" touchscreen button is ON (blue-green color)

3) Decide which physical controller you want as the SOURCE. Touch (ribbon) or spin (knobs) or push (buttons) or otherwise actuate the controller you want as the SOURCE. This will activate the desired controller as the source.

4) Press the [+] in the darker grey box to the right of "Control Assign". I wished this would be labeled even when no destination is present with the label "Destinations" -- this would have made it easier to guide you there. At any rate - pressing the [+] tells Montage to bring up a list of possible DESTINATIONS.

5) Pick, from the list, which destination you want. All the possibilities will be there. Once picked - a destination will be linked to a source.

Hello BM - No Sir, I followed your Part 1 as you intended, experimenting as I went, as written. Eye-opening! To be sure, I did it all again this afternoon, with another set of fascinating results (as there's no way I could repeat my earlier settings!). Even so, I ended up with no more idea of what to do next than the first time! It's because you had done all the work, you see. All I had to do was twiddle knobs. I wanted to find out if I could do the work of setting up - and I couldn't! I fully appreciate why you took the path you did, of course, and it makes perfect sense - I have now produced a series of Pfs using all possible different combinations of the 4 pairs of Operators (using each pair only once in each combination), with the intention of experimenting much further ... there's no end to just that! It seems to me that you need to know what parameters (destinations) are assigned to each controller (source), so as to have a clue what to expect - and as you say, you need to know what you expect in order to assign the destinations to the sources in the first place! It's the nature of the Beast! Happy now, I can do the assignments ...

Hello Jason - thanks for the observations and guidance, from which I've tacked together my own Procedure. Got it all to work absolutely fine, even to naming the Assign Columns, which I think is essential. Yamaha don't do that, for some reason, but similar results can be obtained in a variety of ways, and I like to know which way! I'm only doing Parts 1 and 2 of BM's series, as I have no interest at this time in either Arps or MS. I think I have enough on my plate ...

I'm only doing Parts 1 and 2 of BM's series, as I have no interest at this time in either Arps or MS. I think I have enough on my plate ...

Ah, but also in Part 3 and 4 is the part you want to find out about... where the assignments were made. (Okay so now we know why you are confused about what to do next...) the article tells you that we wanted you to move the controls and HEAR the results before we take you through how they were assigned.
(Learning how to explore the work of the Factory programmers can help you learn about what to try and what works... it's a big, big playing field... you have a couple of hundred parameters, deciding what you want to assign real time control to can be daunting. The articles help you to learn by exploring, you should assume what Part 3 and 4 are about without doing them).

You're ready for Part 3 and 4 of the article series. We unfold the assignments like layers of an onion...

Part 3 An FM-X Exploration -
Introduces you to the Assign 1 Knob parameter "Frequency". You learn exactly where the Frequency is controlled for both the Modulator (Op1) and the Carrier (Op2).

As we go to the Edit page where you can see the COARSE and FINE Tune parameters that affect the "Frequency" parameter we've been controlling with Assign Knob 1. You get to go to the screen where the Frequency can be changed directly... we look at the Frequency tuning of the Modulator (as you change this parameter you will HEAR exactly what Knob 1 was changing as you manually adjust the COARSE and FINE parameters. You remember from Part 1 we determined that the Frequency that was changing when we moved Knob 1 was affecting the timbre of the resulting sound, the fundamental pitch remained the same (as we turned Knob 1) but the sound got brighter, move high frequency content is heard.

You are to experiment until you convince yourself that this is indeed the assigned Knob1 parameter. We did not introduce this in Part 1, because the goal in Part 1 was to use our ears, observe what we heard when we moved the Knobs and see what conclusions we could drawn by just listening. We were able to conclude that it was the Modulator whose Frequency was being adjusted. In Part 3, you get to go to the Modulators Frequency and play with it!

We had already delved a bit into the FORM (the different Spectral Waveforms, ALL1, ALL2, ODD1, ODD2, RES1, RES2, SINE... and how those are selected.

Give it a shot... you plate has more room on it!
The four Part series is by no means a complete tour, it's a lesson in exploration. How to learn while exploring the Factory Performances... that was the concept. Try Part 3!

EXTRA CREDIT:
Not to worry, Yamaha Synth has engaged some of the planet's best FM programmers to pass along how to go about building your own sounds from scratch... Dr. Manny Fernandez, who has already done a great series on FM in the refaceDX found here, Manny is going to have a series of articles on MONTAGE FM-X... (I can't wait!) stay tuned...

I tried to use the FM too.

1. Start from Init - > Choose Normal Part (FM-X) -> and select sounds for this Init but I don't know what's sound belongs to FM category ?

Thanks

The tutorials are more-or-less describing methods for creating FM-X sounds from scratch. So you would start with the Init (Normal Part (FM-X)) and then fiddle with numbers and parameters to make your own sound. You wouldn't necessarily just "plop in" a pre-canned FM-X part if following the tutorial methods.

You can do this - however. It's roundabout - but it can be done.

The performance level [CATEGORY SEARCH] is the only place you can filter by FM-X. So start there. Try to pick only single-PART ones since these are the easiest to deal with (they will have text in green instead of blue). Although there's a way to show only single-PART performances - there's not a way to show only single-PART -AND- FM-X (having both attributes).

Once you do this, you can jot down some performance names that appeal to you as starting points.

Then in the PART category search (what is brought up after pressing [+] to add a new PART to a performance) - you can do a text search for that name you jotted down. This should bring up an FM-X example (preset) in the [+] PART.

It would better if the "Attribute" filter for PARTx Category Search would allow for filtering by FM-X or AWM2.

There are lots of FM-X "PARTs" that include the letters "FM" (usually as 1st two) - so you could search for that. Although not complete, it's a start.

Hello Tho - the Init FM-X sound is a pure sine wave, and is designed as a starting point for creating your own sounds by changing the parameters, as Jason says. It can be used as an 'add-on' to any other Pf if you wish. The preset Pfs that are FM are pre-fixed 'FM' in their Categories, so you can play with them instead (or as well). Or just click on 'Attributes' and choose 'FM-X' from the drop-down list in each Category. Again as Jason says, single Part Pfs are written in green, and multi-Part in blue. There are only about 250 Presets that are FM-X. It's a bit of a maze, there are so many parameters that have either very subtle effects, or 'off the Planet' effects, it can be either frustrating or 'WOW!' in roughly equal measures. And you can go from one to the other with the slightest touch on one control.

BM's tutorials are enlightening, if you'd like to start from scratch - it seems to me you should spend 1 day on #1, 2 days on #2, 3 days on #3, and 4 days on #4 - each builds upon the previous one and refers back to it as you go along. You also begin with the result and then learn how to achieve that result. It is actually the quickest way to learn - practice rather than theory. The theory falls more readily into place when you've seen (or heard, rather) how it works first - and then why it works after.

Good fortune! It's all a bit frightening ...

Hi All,

I'm going to give into FM programming next week.

Is there a place where I can download the tutorial series as single PDFs so that i can print and work alongside with / read in spare time ?

Thanks

Hello Tyron - there's another thread on this, called 'FM-X stopped working', in which the 3rd Post is from Bad Mister, which contains the link to his first Tutorial (3rd: paragraph from the end) which is downloadable. The first Tutorial has the link to the second at the end, and so on for all 4 Tutorials. Read the thread all through - I made a few errors and wrong assumptions as a beginner which you can avoid! However, I think you need Montage in front of you while reading through - it won't make much sense without it. Very hands on!

Totally hands-on, and ears listening. This series is how to explore a programmed FM-X and discover what's happening within. No deep mathematics, more from the "use your ears and listen" exploratory side ...

an FM-X Exploration Part 1

an FM-X Exploration Part 2

an FM-X Exploration Part 3

an FM-X Exploration Part 4

A new series - programming from scratch - will begin shortly (by Dr. Manny Fernandez, Synth programming guru) stay tuned to this website!

[Can I] ... download the tutorial series as single PDFs[?]

By the way - the tutorials do not come in PDF form - they're online (web pages). All modern web browsers I am aware of (I have a Windows bias, but Mac should have this too) have an option to save the page as a PDF for offline reading.

Instructions were previously given here: https://www.yamahasynth.com/forum/fm-x-tutorials#reply-19960

The same browsers can just print directly without going through the PDF step so you can skip PDF if ultimately you just want printouts.