Get a FREE fully-working copy of Steganos Security Suite 7 (worth £49.99) when you sign up to the Practical PC Newsletter. Review: Native Instruments' FM7
FM7 is a software emulation of the biggest-selling synth of all time. Ian Waugh wallows in nostalgia...
| Product | FM7 |
|---|---|
| Company | Native Instruments |
| Web | www.arbitergroup.com www.nativeinstruments.com |
| Price | £169.95 |
| We like | Superb DX7/FM emulation but with many extras, easier to program than the DX7, analogue filters, great presets, compatible with DX voices |
| We don't like | nothing much! |
| Rating | 9/10 |
| Requirements |
There can't be many musicians who haven't heard of Yamaha's DX7 although as it was released back in 1983 (at a then wallet-smacking £1549) there will be many who have never actually seen one.
The DX7 and FM synthesis were a radical departure from the analogue synths which had gone before. The DX7 was digital, it used a different form of synthesis, it had presets and for its time it sounded incredible!
The wheel has since turned with analogue synthesis coming back into fashion but interest in FM synthesis has continued unabated. Now that master of the soft synth, Native Instruments, has created a superb emulation but with many added features to make it more accessible and sound even better than the original!
The software can run as a stand-alone synth or as a plug-in with a suitable host program.
I got algorithms
Whereas analogue synthesis uses oscillators, cutoff and resonance controls, FM uses operators, algorithms, modulators and carriers. There's not room to go into FM in detail but we'll look at some of the areas in which the FM7 differs to the DX7.
First of all, although the main screen is very much like the DX7 interface - enough to make DX7 users feel right at home - there are additional displays and controls which make the software easier to use than the hardware.
The original DX7 used only sine waves but the FM7 offers 32 different waveforms which greatly increase the range of sounds it can produce.
There are eight operators (the equivalent of oscillators) compared to the DX7's six. The two additional ones include the X Operator which provides noise and distortion while the Z Operator contains analogue filters to fatten up the sound and make it warm.
All enveloping
Envelopes are an important part of sound creation and you can adjust them by clicking and dragging on a graphic display. A great extra here is that when running as a VST instrument, you can sync the tempo to that of the sequencer.
Totally new to FM is an Analog slider which introduces random variations between voices (as used to happen with analogue gear). It's particularly effective in Unison mode where voices are stacked up on a single key.
And if you really must, the Digital slider can be used to degrade the quality of the sound. The original DX was only 12-bit (yes, they were quite noisy) although later models were 16-bit. The FM7 uses 32-bit processing.
Easy peasy editing
To ease you into programming there is an Easy Page which lets you modify sounds without getting embroiled in the minutiae of FM synthesis. It features parameters such as timbre, timbre envelope, amplitude envelope and LFO enabling virtually anyone can create new sounds and it's fun, too!
But if even that's too much like hard work, there are 128 presets (the DX7 only had 32) covering all the popular FM sounds including basses, electric pianos, pads, leads, guitars and strings (which are superior to the original, benefiting from a little analogue processing).
If you want more, the FM7 can import System Exclusive voice data from the DX7 and DX200 (Yamaha's latest FM synth which can also be used as a MIDI controller for the FM7) and there are hundreds of patches out there on the Net.
Summary
FM7 is undoubtedly the most sophisticated DX7/FM synthesis emulation ever. Although FM synthesis is not as intuitive as analogue, the software makes it relatively easy to create your own sounds, and it comes with an excellent range of presets which are superior to those on the original instrument.
Native Instruments has done it again. If you're a DX7 fan or simply looking for some new sounds then you simply must try this. There's a demo on the company's web site. Try it then buy it!
