Best FM synth of 2022?

[vurt]

Sines, sines
Everywhere there's sines
Blockin' out the scenery
Breakin' my mind
Do this, don't do that
Can't you read the sine?

classic track

[mholloway]

I'm surprised OPS7 is not getting more love, it sounds incredible to me.

I think Bidule’s problem is that they came out with what is probably the best DX7 emulation after the market was saturated. Is OPS7 better than Arturia’s? Probably, but so many already have DX-7 V and to me it seems great. People also have Dexed, which is free, so it’s hard to compete with something a lot of people have for free or got in a bundle.

I think the UI is poor and doesn’t convey willingness to touch it. And the browser seems to be a problem.
And the duration of the demo version is just a joke. A deal breaker for me.

The browser is the best of any DX7 emulation I've used, and I've used them all. Easiest bank creation of any of them (yes, easier than Dexed) which is important when rummaging through scores of ancient sysex files. It might have a tiny learning curve (mainly just switching the whole thing to 'classic' mode so the bank creation becomes possible) but after that, it's a very clean folder system + drag and drop to new banks, I see no issues at all....

100% agreed on the demo duration, though; that is so extremely off-putting I almost didn't buy the thing myself. Glad I did, but the dev seriously needs to reconsider his demo limitations, they are so irritating / insane I could totally see it pushing potential customers far, far away. Yikes.

That said, OPS7 is my favorite DX7 emulation by a long shot, and I have them all.

[dangayle]

I would love to play around with F.'em more, because it's sound and feature set is impressive, but what is going on my nerves is the bit too messy GUI and even more, that when you want drag a slider, the screen area is not sufficient for the whole range, so you hit the border and then have to drag again for greater value changes. I guess GUI programming does not get much love at Tracktion...

Thank you. All this talk about that other synth having a terrible GUI, and not one mention of F'em. I hated it the second I opened it.

While we're here, let's pour one out for probably the best one, the long discontinued LinPlug Octopus. The graphics are now a little dated, but the organization of features and the usability of it is still better than most of the other complex FM synths.

[digitalboytn]

OPS7 is my favorite DX7 emulation by a long shot, and I have them all.

OPS7 is THE definitive DX7 emulation because it's basically a 1:1 clone....

I like it because it sounds great with a ton of attitude and it's so easy to work with...

Miniscule install with a simple registration process and a low resource drain...

But the bottom line is that it sounds funking marvelous in the mix

[martinjuenke]

Elektron DigiTone! It's amazing

Yep, I have it

Resizable?

[dangayle]

Let's not forget the true best contenders for FM synths in 2022:

Fors Glänta

Screen Shot 2022-12-12 at 3.47.50 PM.png

Fors Doublet

Screen Shot 2022-12-12 at 3.50.09 PM.png

Not DX7 emulations, but seriously the best 2-OP synths out there. I prefer Doublet personally, but Glänta is pretty amazing too. Their only downfall is the lack of modulation options, but otherwise they're amazing. Made by the same person who did the DSP for the Digitone, btw.

[briefcasemanx]

And unlike F'em it sounds good and not like cheap trash. F'em sounds like if you took a cheap Casio FM toy synth from the 80s and then took away any character..


Tranzistow is like MSoundfactory, fun to mess around with because of all the options, but hard to make actual good, usable sounds with (unless you're making a bottom-tier 90s PC game, then it's the perfect synth for you).

I think you’re the one having a hearing problem - or most likely trolling.
F-em is coded is by a veteran who earned his stripes in the hardware world (waldorf)
And tranzistow is one if the best sounding pieces of oftware ever released .
If john bowen asks him to code some algo’s for the solaris , then he must have been doing something right , no ?
You just proved you didn’t actually spend 5 min with it ,the filters are gorgeous , so is the 8*4!moog inspired filterbank , and let’s not even begin about it’s fm engine , formant osc’s , skirt parameters + features not found anywhere else , every shape or wave possible for the 8 stage envelopes, yes you’ve read that correctly , waveforms can be envelope stages .
best of all is that everything can be be modulated at audio rate … let that sink in for a moment .
Tranzistow audio signal path is pristine quality.
People can criticize the gui all they want , but the sound has been universally praised .
You’re clueless , thats’s all.. so dive in and be amazed or just su.
I agree about ops 7 , it’s a gem

LOL, you might want to study up on what a "fallacious argument" is. Google the term. You just made several. Bad arguments don't magically make bad sounding synths sound good.

[Xbucket]

+1 for F'em!!

[Dirtgrain]

LOL, you might want to study up on what a "fallacious argument" is. Google the term. You just made several. Bad arguments don't magically make bad sounding synths sound good.

The Fallacy Fallacy is the best one.

[gentleclockdivider]

And unlike F'em it sounds good and not like cheap trash. F'em sounds like if you took a cheap Casio FM toy synth from the 80s and then took away any character..


Tranzistow is like MSoundfactory, fun to mess around with because of all the options, but hard to make actual good, usable sounds with (unless you're making a bottom-tier 90s PC game, then it's the perfect synth for you).

I think you’re the one having a hearing problem - or most likely trolling.
F-em is coded is by a veteran who earned his stripes in the hardware world (waldorf)
And tranzistow is one if the best sounding pieces of oftware ever released .
If john bowen asks him to code some algo’s for the solaris , then he must have been doing something right , no ?
You just proved you didn’t actually spend 5 min with it ,the filters are gorgeous , so is the 8*4!moog inspired filterbank , and let’s not even begin about it’s fm engine , formant osc’s , skirt parameters + features not found anywhere else , every shape or wave possible for the 8 stage envelopes, yes you’ve read that correctly , waveforms can be envelope stages .
best of all is that everything can be be modulated at audio rate … let that sink in for a moment .
Tranzistow audio signal path is pristine quality.
People can criticize the gui all they want , but the sound has been universally praised .
You’re clueless , thats’s all.. so dive in and be amazed or just su.
I agree about ops 7 , it’s a gem

LOL, you might want to study up on what a "fallacious argument" is. Google the term. You just made several. Bad arguments don't magically make bad sounding synths sound good.

THen you might want to bring up some empirical proof as to why tranzistow sounds like a 90's synth and why F'EM sounds bad .
Get over it , just admit Tranzistow is too complex for you

[briefcasemanx]

And unlike F'em it sounds good and not like cheap trash. F'em sounds like if you took a cheap Casio FM toy synth from the 80s and then took away any character..


Tranzistow is like MSoundfactory, fun to mess around with because of all the options, but hard to make actual good, usable sounds with (unless you're making a bottom-tier 90s PC game, then it's the perfect synth for you).

I think you’re the one having a hearing problem - or most likely trolling.
F-em is coded is by a veteran who earned his stripes in the hardware world (waldorf)
And tranzistow is one if the best sounding pieces of oftware ever released .
If john bowen asks him to code some algo’s for the solaris , then he must have been doing something right , no ?
You just proved you didn’t actually spend 5 min with it ,the filters are gorgeous , so is the 8*4!moog inspired filterbank , and let’s not even begin about it’s fm engine , formant osc’s , skirt parameters + features not found anywhere else , every shape or wave possible for the 8 stage envelopes, yes you’ve read that correctly , waveforms can be envelope stages .
best of all is that everything can be be modulated at audio rate … let that sink in for a moment .
Tranzistow audio signal path is pristine quality.
People can criticize the gui all they want , but the sound has been universally praised .
You’re clueless , thats’s all.. so dive in and be amazed or just su.
I agree about ops 7 , it’s a gem

LOL, you might want to study up on what a "fallacious argument" is. Google the term. You just made several. Bad arguments don't magically make bad sounding synths sound good.

THen you might want to bring up some empirical proof as to why tranzistow sounds like a 90's synth and why F'EM sounds bad .
Get over it , just admit Tranzistow is too complex for you

Maybe you should admit that very, very, very basic logic is too complex for you, as evidenced by this conversation. Based on your post history you seem have extremely weird ideas about sound quality that seem to be an extension of some very strange and obsessive personality traits. You'd be better off gain some self-awareness than arguing with random people cause their opinions are different about a synth.

You're not Gollum and Tranzistow is not your precious. Stop acting like it. I will not read your next reply, and you absolutely will reply again, so I hope you have fun typing a response to no one.

[Plugintester]

I like Waves Flow Motion and Dexed.

[audiojunkie]

Tranzistow doesn't really have a GUI, its more like a spreadsheet...

And even among spreadsheets its hard to discern. It's a visually confusing monstrosity!

The big problem I have with Tranzistow is not how it sounds. It sounds really, really good! It's not the GUI, although saying that it could be better is an understatement. It's the attitude of the developer that turns me off.

Tranzistow has been released as a "mandatory donationware" with donations ranging from 50 EUR up to 200 EUR or more depending on how much Tranzistow will be worth to you, on how many computers do you intend to use it, etc. Only PayPal donations to are accepted. PayPal fees have to be paid by yourself. Please, keep in mind this still isn't a commercial project so no support, no assistance in getting it to work, no troubleshooting of your system, etc. Of course, I will make enhancements and fix bugs when I encounter them simply because this is the synthesizer I am using on a daily basis and will be using in my music for years to come. This also means that I can actively test it on Windows XP, 7 and 10 with various ASIO drivers for audio interfaces I have (MOTU 896mk3 Hybrid, E-MU 1820M, 1212M and 0404, Focusrite Scarlett, ESi 1010e, ASIO4All). Donations cannot be returned, so think twice before donating, check if it works for you in the current state, decide how much it is important to you and then donate the appropriate amount. Also, donations are for what I've done, not for what I should do. So, please, don't have any expectations about my future work on the base of the donation. And don't insult yourself, me and Tranzistow with donations below 50 EUR! If you think this synthesizer isn't worth at least 50 EUR then it isn't for you, sorry.

Please note that Tranzistow cannot be used without donation/registration anymore, at least - not used properly because there will be various sound artifacts and occasional missing notes until donated/registered. Users who donated have to send me their full name and PayPal address in order to obtain an ID and only after putting this ID into Tranzistow.ini those artifacts will go away.

"Mandatory Donationware"

Let's at least be honest and call it what it is.....

This synth is for sale for 50 EUR (but I'll take as much as you're willing to give me). But be warned. The synth is being sold AS IS and without support. I won't help you or troubleshoot anything with you. Once you pay me, I'll send you the unlock code to deactivate demo mode. Don't expect anything more. Good luck!


Instills trust, don't it?

...Oh, and it only supports VST2.

[pdxindy]

"Mandatory Donationware"

Let's at least be honest and call it what it is.....

This synth is for sale for 50 EUR (but I'll take as much as you're willing to give me). But be warned. The synth is being sold AS IS and without support. I won't help you or troubleshoot anything with you. Once you pay me, I'll send you the unlock code to deactivate demo mode. Don't expect anything more. Good luck!

That's really sleazy...

[_leras]

"Mandatory Donationware"

Let's at least be honest and call it what it is.....

This synth is for sale for 50 EUR (but I'll take as much as you're willing to give me). But be warned. The synth is being sold AS IS and without support. I won't help you or troubleshoot anything with you. Once you pay me, I'll send you the unlock code to deactivate demo mode. Don't expect anything more. Good luck!

That's really sleazy...

At least it's clear up front... No support.