True, yet improved FM Synthesis is back
by Rich the Tweakmeister
can be read here: http://www.tweakheadz.com/reviews/review_of_the_fm7_softsynth.htm
Native Instruments FM7 Software Synth (Macintosh and Windows) Tweak: More fun than FM has ever been before. http://www.zzounds.com/a--3745/item--NINFM7
Excerpt:
FM synthesis has made a resurgence over the past few years. This was probably due, at least in part, to the popularity of techno-oriented music. Those involved in these forms of sequenced music have long known that FM synthesis made great bass and FX sounds. FM synthesis is at its core a process where sine waves (the most pure, bassy waveform in the sonic universe) are added together to come up with instrument sounds. It was not surprising that a company would try to make a software synth that emulated FM. What is surprising is how well it would be done. The FM7 Softsynth by Native Instruments is not only authentic and true to original FM, it surpasses what FM synthesis has been able to achieve dramatically.
Installing the FM7 was no problem As soon as it came up and I went down the 1st bank of patches, my first reaction was "What the?" The sound was warm, deep, steamy, full bodied and analog sounding. That, as those of you know who worked with Dx7s and TX 81z and the many derivations of those products know, is everything that FM was NOT, until now. FM was thin, sterile, cheesy sounding, cold, and though hundreds of programmers tried passionately to get FM to sound analog, or even warm, it was generally a lost cause. Even when Yamaha tacked on an analog-like low pass filter with resonance to later FM synths like the TG77 and SY99, the results were far from "warm" though they were more interesting.. The FM7 can be cold and warm, thanks to the additional processing that is added.
