Attn: FM and Chip synth addicts

[mkdr]

I'm looking for some cool chiptune tools right now.
The Fmdrives GUI however is a total turnoff..
And the guy is telling on his page that he's a graphics designer?!
The sound is good though. Any comments on the distortion stuff that is mentioned?.. or the special operating modes?

The 8bit guitar pedal sounds super cool

[skyscape]

I think the GUI looks cool, don't know how practical it will be - as I'm still awaiting my copy, but obviously a lot of effort has gone into this.

[zeep]

Not sure what's wrong but most presets seem not to load correct. They all make the same sound.
For instance, most Percussion, 808kick, hihats etc, all sound like a square-ish beep. Nothing else.
Some leads and basses sound nice, but a lot of theose presets too sound exactly alike.

Do i need to do something special to get this thing load presets correct?

[IrionDaRonin]

Not sure what's wrong but most presets seem not to load correct. They all make the same sound.
For instance, most Percussion, 808kick, hihats etc, all sound like a square-ish beep. Nothing else.
Some leads and basses sound nice, but a lot of theose presets too sound exactly alike.

Do i need to do something special to get this thing load presets correct?

I got the same problem. Still wondering the same.
Are you on FL Studio?

Have a nice day

[zeep]

Not sure what's wrong but most presets seem not to load correct. They all make the same sound.
For instance, most Percussion, 808kick, hihats etc, all sound like a square-ish beep. Nothing else.
Some leads and basses sound nice, but a lot of theose presets too sound exactly alike.

Do i need to do something special to get this thing load presets correct?

I got the same problem. Still wondering the same.
Are you on FL Studio?

Have a nice day

No Live 8.

[Aly James]

Hi, dear users
I do not know if the KVR forum for Aly James Lab will be open soon so i will make a statement here for now.
First I am quite happy with the release of FMDRIVE, I did not expect this massive request for this Vsti as I have first made it for personal use in the beginning...
I just read all this interesting thread so let me drop some insights:

GUI:
It is kind of funny to see, as most of the users of FMDRIVE were first interested by the non standard GUI look/feel and the tribute to the console, that people love it or hate it...I think it is a simple question of personal taste
I prefer non standard things.

BUT I have predicted some people would need something else prior to the release and I have already started working on a more standard (little size too) GUI for people that are already aware of FM synthesis and want to design sounds faster in a more classic way(FM7/8..), I talked about it in every mail I have sent.

All these things are one man's work, so for those who request it (I heard you) I will release the second GUI version ASAP for all the actual users.
Later new users will have the option to get one of the two GUI.

TFI loading:
Some people seems to have problems loading the external .tfi patches.
First Do read the manual.
Secondly, If you try to load a tfi preset on initialization remember to turn on the 3 others operators!
Only C2 slot operator is un masked on init.
Let me explain it a bit:
FMDRIVE is loaded in init mode and only the carrier 2 Operator C2 is active, the 3 other operators, C1,M2 and M1 are turned off.
So if you load a tfi from this init state, all the parameters are actually loaded for all operator except the register that controls the on/off mask state of the operators (tfi format does not contain this information).
You simply just have to turn on all 3 others operators prior or after loading the tfi, that's all.
You can even create a personal preset for your initial state with all the operators already turn on if you need.
One last thing (still in the manual) graphic envelopes do not work with tfi patches as it is an unsupported feature on the real chip.

Difference between TFI and FXB:

As explained in the manual, the tfi format only contains principal data for a sound.
All the extended features will only be saved in the native FMDRIVE fxp/fxb format.
The tfi data are like an instant picture of the register data of a sound at one time in a VGM file.
Interesting sounds are created by changing registers values in time.
Keep in mind that most of the game used simple sounds and change the registers while the music play...So sometimes patches are not very interesting sound-wise but can be useful as a starting point for making something new.
Far more control are added with the extended features, so use them.

Distortion,Tweaking and HQ mode:

That is the interesting part.
There is actually no emulator that I am aware of that emulate the natural distortion of the MD1 console, maybe just clipping, I am not sure, it can bring something to the sound and actually change the shape of the initial sine wave in time...of course to not kill your CPU it is an approximation, not a straight copy.
On the other hand the HQ mode does the reverse, not only distortion free but far more data points are used for calculating the envelopes than on the original chip, resulting in smooth transition in parameters at any rates... again there is no emulator doing this because it is not the purpose of a game emulator to have a supa dupa HQ mode.

CSM mode:
The CSM synthesis is not an extended feature, it was a real function of the chip but being not very easy to program and for the most part unsupported by SEGA, No game music was made used this cool feature as it was easier to use PCM data for vocal things(PCM are supported in FMDRIVE)...however the new thing I did was to synchronize the Timer speed to musical note period to kind of play with it...do not want to get to technical here but it works on the real console and will surely be supported in the future by my friend Little Scale on the GENMDM... (hardware midi interface for the console).


LEGAL questions:
Most of the things have been said here regarding sounds preset etc..
I will add this:
FMDRIVE does not emulate a Sega Megadrive console but the sound chip that was inside, witch basic function is reproduced here but enhanced a lot. It is not a straight binary copy and the system, core is totally new.
Secondly the use of Sega name and logo is use strictly here for the legitimate purpose of comparison and tribute to this great console, and it does not in any way imply SEGA®'s or YAMAHA®'s permission or endorsement of the FMDRIVE software.
I cannot imagine a Megadrive console without the SEGA logo on it...quite a disrespect for this great era

Dealing with all the new users coming for FMDRIVE, the development of projects are quite slowed down but I will keep you all updated when the new GUI is out!

Last but not least the YM2612 freeware is a nice alternative or addition to FMDRIVE as it is based on the actual emulation core used in game emulators. However there is not all the extended features distortion, HQ mode or control over csm mode etc...it is still quite nice and handy!

Thank you all for your interest.
++
AJ

[Xenos]

I just found out about this over at Rekkerd.org last night. Looks awesome, and for only 10 Euro, a no-brainer for chiptune fans. I always loved the quirky character of the Sega Genesis soundchip and the dirty, phlegm-in-the-throat samples. I'll definitely pick this one up over the weekend.

[RunBeerRun]

Does it have a demo? I like potato chips, hope it does fish n chips too.

[Aly James]

Does it have a demo? I like potato chips, hope it does fish n chips too.

sorry no demo for now ^^

fish n chips could be done with a special mode FNC register, potatoes chips parameters however are available in the circuit bending options...
keep in mind that tfi format does not support this feature nor the real chip...you can however put some plate on the real console, just remember to pull the cartridge off before.

[/img]

[PlasticSoul]

Can the converter work with neo geo vgm files?

[Aly James]

Can the converter work with neo geo vgm files?

In short, No
The NeoGeo had a YM2610 chip witch had four FM channels , 3 SSG channels and two ADPCM.
The Megadrive / Genesis had a YM2612 chip witch had six FM channels, SSG (only envelopes)and a DAC instead of the ADPCM part.
Similar chips but different.
So the converter only extract tfi presets for YM2612 VGM files.

best regards.

[HiEnergy]

I've donated for FMDrive yesterday and am eagerly awaiting the delivery of this little gem.
Does anybody here know how long it usually takes to be delivered after sending the payment?
Seems every donor receives their individual "hand-compiled" version of the FMDrive software.

[mkdr]

[/img]

Lol, Awesome!

[zeep]

Maybe i'm butchering the legacy of this device, but can't the presets load with everything turned on? Maybe as an option?

Anyway, it's to the manual i go.

I just found out about this over at Rekkerd.org last night. Looks awesome, and for only 10 Euro, a no-brainer for chiptune fans. I always loved the quirky character of the Sega Genesis soundchip and the dirty, phlegm-in-the-throat samples. I'll definitely pick this one up over the weekend.

And then make a bank :)

[IrionDaRonin]

I've donated for FMDrive yesterday and am eagerly awaiting the delivery of this little gem.
Does anybody here know how long it usually takes to be delivered after sending the payment?
Seems every donor receives their individual "hand-compiled" version of the FMDrive software.

About 24 hours, 36 as much i would say. Mine took about that.

Yes, each synth it comes with your name in the rar file.
You will download it from your e-mail.

In the meanwhile, you can download the 33000 sounds, the manual and the converter directly from the website.

Have a nice day