FM Synthesis - A Practical Tutorial Guide

video uploads by ChrisLody

"Here's something I've been meaning to get round to starting for ages, a practical guide to FM synthesis. In my experience FM tutorials usually over explain all the wrong things and rarely get as far as the important things like the predictable way operator ratios change the waveform and frequency responses. So I've tried to approach things from an entirely practical view point showing you how to make saw, square, noise etc with filter like responses."

Playlist: 1. FM Synthesis - Practical Tutorial 1 : Ratios, Basic Waveforms, Low Pass and High Pass Sounds

0:00 Intro
2:53 How the meters works
3:23 Operators and Algorithms
3:58 Carriers and Modulators
4:29 MEGA Synthesis envelope generator
5:48 Reface DX envelope generator
6:56 Adjusting algorithms and operators
8:35 Making a basic organ sound
9:47 Saw feedback
10:47 Square feedback
11:48 1:1 modulation (saw sounds)
13:03 Low pass like sweeps
14:12 1:2 modulation (square sounds)
15:34 2:1 etc modulation (band pass sounds)
16:37 Ratio chart
17:10 Quick demo bass patch
18:20 Summing up

2. FM Synthesis - Practical Tutorial 2 - Pad Example, Vibrato, Tremolo, Wubs and Wonk!, Reface DX

0:00 Coming Up
0:30 Intro
0:43 FM Diagrams - Quick saw patch
1:10 Non-integer ratios
3:37 Non-integer ratios with decay
4:10 Moving individual operators with the LFO (Vibrato and wonk)
5:42 Creating Tremolo
6:16 Wub-wubs!
6:35 "2x OSC" Algorithm detuned saws
7:23 Detuning operators away from each other
8:14 Liven Mega - Mild Pad
9:27 Pad example diagram
9:48 Pad example on Reface DX

3. FM Synthesis - Practical Tutorial 3 - How operator stacks work, truth about modulation, Reface DX

0:00 Coming Up
0:14 Intro
0:30 Additive synthesis vs FM
1:32 "Modulation creates sidebands"
1:54 Calculating 1-10 sidebands example
4:15 Calculating 1-1 sidebands example
5:40 Calculating 1-2 sidebands example
6:33 Calculating 1-5 sidebands example
7:29 Summarise 2 OP sidebands
7:48 1-1-10 sideband example
8:58 5-5-1 sideband example
9:24 2-1 with feedback example
10:20 Stacked modulator summary
11:00 "Disgusting Bass" example

4. FM Synthesis - Practical Tutorial 4 - Rate & Level Scaling, Velocity Expression, Reface DX, FB01

0:00 Coming Up
0:15 Intro
1:14 Aliasing noise
2:36 Level Scaling
4:32 Rate Scaling
5:40 Velocity Sensitivity
7:02 Funky Clavinet Example
10:36 Editing the Yamaha FB-01
11:28 Yamaha FB-01 weirdness
14:40 FB-01 Clav examined

Organ demo 17/20: Wersi Comet with Wersimatic CX1 drum machine and MFX5 Magic Fingers unit.

video upload by organfairy

"Sorry about the long title, but the problem in saying that you play a Wersi organ is that they all came in several versions. Most of them were sold as kits that you assembled yourself and often people upgraded them with new circuitry that Wersi released over the production run.
The Comet was initially released with another drum machine called Wersimatic IV and no 'Magic Fingers', which is a unit that adds arpeggio, automatic chords, and a (primitive) sequencer to the organ. I demonstrated that in an earlier video • Wersi Comet Magic Fingers MFX 5 demo [below]

In this demo I play eight songs using a reasonable amount of the features in the Comet. I am not using multitrack so everything is played 'straight'. I did make quite a few edits along the way, as I am not capable of playing eleven minutes without goofing up something. But it is possible to play the entire demo as it is, because I have added drum fill-ins that are long enough to make it possible to change the settings between songs - the Comet doesn't have user presets, so if there isn't one of the 20 'Wersi Registrier System' fixed presets that suits the song, you have to press a lot of buttons to change the sound.

The songs I play are:
Abracadabra (Steve Miller)
Här kommer Pippi Långstrump (Astrid Lindgren / Jan Johansson)
Τα Παιδιά του Πειραιά / Never on a Sunday (Μάνος Χατζιδάκις)
Chattanooga Choo Choo (Harry Warren / Mack Gordon)
Gungorna och karusellen / Gyngerne og karrusellen (Karl Gerhard / Dix Dennie / Herbert Steen)
Kald det Kærlighed (Lars Lilholt)
Krummes sang (Michael Hardinger / Rasmus Schwenger)
Flower-Power-Kleid / Flower power tøj (Hans Christian Bruhn / Georg Buschor)"

Wersi Comet Magic Fingers MFX 5 demo

video upload by organfairy

"Since my Wersi Comet started to come back to life again there are three questions I have been asked surprisingly often in the comments: "Does your Comet have a 'Magic Fingers' MFX5 module, does it work, and what does it actually do?"

The first part was easy to answer: Yes, it does have an MFX5. However, until recently it seemed like it wasn't working and I nearly gave up on trying to repair it. But then I noticed a wire that had detached from one of the plugs on the backside of the MFX5 circuit boards in a hard to see and even harder to reach place. 

After reattaching it the magic started - once I found a cryptic German user manual online.
And so to answer the third part of the question I have now made this video where I go through the things it can do:

Arpeggiator 0:00
     Song: "Da' Ya' Think I'm Sexy" (Rod Stewart/Carmine Appice/Duane Hitchings) 2:30
Marimba effect 3:50
     Song: "Blue Spanish eyes" (Kämpfert/Singleton/Snyder) 4:35
Automatic Organ Chords 6:13
     Song: "I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face" (Frederick Loewe/ Alan Jay Lerner) 6:55
Sequencer 9:00
     Song: "Tjo Och Tjim Och Inget Annat" (Ulf Peder Olrog) 11:05

The only things I don't demonstrate is step-recording of a sequence - which is basically entering the notes one by one followed by a tap on a pedal, and saving/loading from a cassette. I cannot do that because the cassette interface plug is connected to the drum machine and I don't have the instructions on how to connect the MFX5 module to a cassette recorder. The person who build the organ just left the connections on the circuit boards unconnected."

Degenerator2 Pholyphonic DIY Synthesizer/Sampler

video upload by Rolf Degen

"DIY blog: https://forum.pjrc.com/index.php?thre..."

MIDISID 4 : 'Morpheus' : Demonstration of new features

video upload by MIDI IN

"the SID is the sound chip that was used in the Commodore 64 8-bit home computer, it's a synthesizer on a chip with 3 voices. This has two of those, or modern recreations of, for a total of 6 voices. It has MIDI in so that you can control it from a keyboard, DAW, or anything else that produces MIDI

Find out more / buy at:
https://peacockmedia.software/midisid

New features:
Larger screen
Revised menu
New 'duophonic' mode
Physical 'stereo/mono' switch
USB-C socket, capable of acting as a USB host for MIDI-over-USB
Switch to Kung Fu SIDs rather than SwinSID nanos

0:00 intro
1:18 larger screen and revised menu
2:12 new 'duophonic' mode
2:44 USB-C for MIDI-over-USB
3:44 stereo/mono switch
4:34 the new Kung Fu SID
5:35 rendition of Corridors of Time by Autumn Altair

Echoes Stone Walls by Autumn Altair:
https://altairaudioengineering.bandca..."

Teleblender China . In plonk

video upload by errorinstruments paul tas

Mutable Instruments System may 25 ~ 2025 ~ twelve eight time

video upload by Ebotronix

Mutable Instruments System ,
Yarns, Marbles.Grids, Blinds, Kings, Streams, Shelves,
Elements,Edges,Frames,Streams,Clouds,3x Warps,
2x Links,2x Rings , 2x Braids, 2x Beads, 3x Ripples V1,
3x Tides V1, 3x Tides V2,
3x Blades, 6x Shades, 8x Ripples V 2,
6x Stages, 8x Veils V 2,12x Plaits, Sheep,
Eurorack to DMX Light, by Sound Machines, SY1, Synesthesia, to
Fun Generation LED BARbara 24,
Tunefish Modular ,µYarns, 2x Monsoon, 4x Shades,
5x, Ornament and Crime, Aeolian Scale,
Doepfer ,2x,R2m, A 174-2, A 185-2,
Befaco ST Mix,
Roland 2x 531 Mixer,
Flame Q Slider,
Strymon Big Sky MX,controlled by,
ATO Faderbank 16 n , with Midi CC,
12/8 time
25.05.2024
video # 2527

Oberheim TEO-5 “Can’t Sleep” Jam/One Preset/ One Take AMAZING SOUND

video upload by Maria Calfa-DePaul

"Temporarily, the Oberheim is living in my son‘s old bedroom and it’s not really a studio because it’s still like a bedroom, but I do have several synths in there. It’s not the most comfortable to play this one’s on a stand so I had to stand while playing I was really tired, but I really wanted to play this synth and I couldn’t sleep so I thought let me just play for about an hour and this is the very last Song I came up with while I was just continually changing presets till I found something I wanted I wasn’t really in the mood to start fiddling and creating sounds cause as I said it wasn’t really comfortable position, but I did wanna play it so I put my headphones on. I took the outs and put it into this little Momixer into (the original one I have which doesn’t get much use now but it’s still functions pretty well with the iphone ) and I put the iPhone on a Tripod and the way I went Put headphones on and played recorded it one take one patch and then I went to bed"

Moog Muse and the unfortunate case of some mildly dodgy waveforms?

video upload by Tim Shoebridge

"In this video I compare the basic waveforms on my Moog Muse with another Moog synth (a Matriarch) to illustrate some potential issues I am having with my particular unit. Do you have any of the issues I describe? Have you needed to contact Moog support for assistance with your Muse and, if so, what was the outcome? I'd love to hear your experiences."

Update: and a response:

The waveforms on my Moog Muse looks fine to me

video upload by TjimmyChonga

"I came across this video by Tim Shoebridge where we showed that on his Moog Muse, the waveforms are all out of whack. I haven't noticed anything of the kind, so I decided to take a look at mine."

HiChord Video Manual - Firmware 1.8

video upload by HiChord

"HiChord Video Manual - Firmware 1.8 coming this week 😊

Batch #2 (Spring Batch) Shipping Now. Batch #3 (Summer Batch) Available for Pre-Order 🧙"

CLICK FOR MORE »

BOSS RV-200 Reverb Demo (no talking) with OB-6 Synth: A budget friendly reverb for live performer

video upload by Limbic Bits

"In this video, we’re diving into the BOSS RV-200 Reverb—a budget-friendly pedal that offers a variety of reverb algorithms with solid overall sound quality. It pairs well with synths and features a user-friendly interface, with just enough controls to make it suitable for live performances.

While it may not have the distinct character of pedals like the Strymon BigSky or the UAFX Golden Reverberator, it’s a reliable choice when you need spatial effects that complement the sound rather than dominate it. This would be my recommendation for those searching for a pedal for live use whenever they need an affordable, easy-to-use option with dependable sound quality."

0:00 Quick Overview
0:48 Shimmer Pad
1:47 Ambient Pad - ARP Verb
3:00 Electronica Lead - Hall
4:20 Rave Lead - Modulation
5:08 Autumn Lead - Slow Reverb
6:12 IDM Dream Lead - LoFi
6:53 Monothematic Reverse Reverb
7:47 Ocean Pad - Plate