Modular Microtones #1

Why would anybody want to make microtonal music with a modular synth? Somehow, using a computer seems more logical. Especially if you want perfection, which is a common syndrome among microtonalists. But if you’re ok with an oscillator drift of about +/- 1 cent, making microtonal music on a modular system can be big fun. 

Vintage mojo for your Yamaha DX7

Vintage your synth.. the hard way...

John Chowning ~ Composer and inventor of FM Synthesis

Want to hear proper FM sounds? Try the original compositions by John Chowning. He's the inventor of the technique used in the Yamaha DX7. Here's a nice article about Chowning and the history of FM.

Advanced Modular Research #2 ~ Analog thru-zero linear FM

FM is a synthesis method that's been covered in detail on this blog, but so far in the digital realm only. Here's an analog patch, featuring the Doepfer A-143-9 VC Quadrature LFO. Basic DX-style FM sounds are really easy with this module: it has thru-zero linear FM capability.

The Tao of FM Synthesis #6 ~ fixed envelopes, fixed frequencies and formants

It’s impossible to have a complete or systematic overview of all different types of FM sounds, but you can have certain categories, for example based on certain types of ratio values (see episode 4).

The Tao of FM Synthesis #5 ~ Envelope recipes

This is already the fifth episode of The Tao of FM Synthesis and we haven’t heard a single bell sound yet.. unforgivable! Here it is...


In this bell patch the short envelope for oscillator D provides a ‘realistic’ attack while a subtle LFO adds a bit of movement to oscillator F. The change in color is caused by a constantly varying aftertouch, assigned (in the modulation matrix) to the level of oscillator E, which provides most of the bell-like color in the sustain-part of the sound.

The Tao of FM Synthesis #4 ~ Ockham's Razor

“Entities should not be multiplied without necessity.” (William of Ockham)

“Nature operates in the shortest way possible.” (Aristotle)

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” (Albert Einstein)

The Tao of FM Synthesis #3 ~ Basic combinations and extra hands

Here's a thing that's confusing about FM synthesis: it's the simple fact that each synth is different. The FM controls are never quite the same. For example, we’ve been talking about ratios in episode 2. Remember: the ratio between the pitch of the ‘basic sound’ and the pitch of the ‘effect sound’ is extremely important in FM.

The Tao of FM Synthesis #2 ~ Find the octaves

In the first episode of ‘The Tao of FM Synthesis’ we got a nice simple picture of FM Synthesis: imagine you grab a singer by the throat and start shaking, very forcefully and at warp speed. The resulting sound effect would be what we call FM (frequency modulation).

The Tao of FM Synthesis #1 ~ Musical terminology please

In this first episode of The Tao of FM Synthesis we’re going to try to get a good, basic mental picture of what FM Synthesis actually is. Right now we’re not interested in the weird, technical stuff. All we want are some clues to help us get more predictable results while tweaking a sound. In short, it’s all about MUSIC, not PHYSICS.

The Tao of FM Synthesis ~ introduction

PUNISHMENT is a very effective technique for modifying a musician’s behavior. If there is a clear and predictable relationship between a certain behavior, like for example fiddling around with FM synthesis, and the outcome (confusion, anger, frustration, despair) behavior will be modified in such a way that a musician avoids more PUNISHMENT. In the case of FM that means we avoid creating our own sounds.