GForce Halogen FM - 2 Operator Pair FM Synth

[IvyBirds]

I'm not sure this is really 2op is it? As far as I can tell, if I turn the volume of OPR2 to zero, and ramp up the Timbre on OPR1, I hear an FM modulation. If I change the frequency of OPR2, it is not affecting the FM modulation happening to OPR1.

So is this actually 4 op FM arranged like algorithm 5 on a 4-op synth?

Edit: I think Timbre is FM amount and Bright is FM feedback

And then there's cross mod on top of all that..... happy to be corrected by any FM gurus but I think this is more powerful than most 4op FM.

I have only played around with the demo for a brief period of time, and I also consider myself to be pretty well versed with FM, some might even say guru

It seems to me that we have stacks of two operators, just like you said which is the equivalent of Algo 5 in Yamaha Style 4 op like the TX81Z

Each "Operator" in the GUI is acting as a carrier and being modulated by another unseen operator so it's two stacks of 2 operator FM

FM Synthesis with a stack of two FM operators can accomplish quite a bit and be very versatile. That was the original FM method John Chowning invented at Stanford University way back when. In a recent interview he did he said that he still prefers two.

I do think however it's proper to call this a two operator FM synth because it's limited to stacks of two. The Synclavier is also two op FM even though the 1970s and 1980s versions has 4 stacks of two and modern versions has 12 stacks of two

I wouldn't call it more powerful than most 4 op FM as with most 4 op FM you can also make stacks of 3 and 4, and have a stack of 3 and an extra carrier, or just 4 carriers, and you don't have all the options of how to control those you do with other options

For me the jury is still out as to if I will buy this or not, but probably not. In a lot of ways it reminds me of Korg's Opsix and the original Digitone by Elektron in that it's kind of FM with training wheels that keeps you in some sweet spots and avoids for the most part the non musical klangs and noise FM can do, which is awesome but you end up missing quite a bit of options for other timbres

I think it's a fantastic gateway drug for people new to FM and are seeking an entry way into it, or who just want to mess around without learning FM Synthesis or going deep in programing. It is priced well also

I think beyond this if you want to play around with stacks of 2 op FM in plugin land, one of the DX7 emulators where you also get some extra features like OPS7, FM8, and Arturia's DX7-V can be a great choice if you use DX7 style algos 5&6 which are 3 stacks of two. Synclavier V from Arturia is also a great choice as you get 12 stacks of 2 and each stack of two can morph into another and use additive for the waveforms.

My favorite option for this and something I use a lot for 2op FM is the FM-X engine in HALion7 where you can make 4 stacks of 2 and each operator can have any waveform you can imagine using the spectral tools

[Korg Supporter]

Halogen FM seems to emulate the analog circuitry and/or DAC's of vintage DX's. For example, if you compare the DX Timely Bass preset to Lately Bass samples, you'll hear that it sounds more similar than if you load the Solid Bass or Lately Bass sysex into Dexed or FM8.

The description does say that it models a "hidden gem" of Japanese FM

[Korg Supporter]

I'm not sure this is really 2op is it? As far as I can tell, if I turn the volume of OPR2 to zero, and ramp up the Timbre on OPR1, I hear an FM modulation. If I change the frequency of OPR2, it is not affecting the FM modulation happening to OPR1.

So is this actually 4 op FM arranged like algorithm 5 on a 4-op synth?

Edit: I think Timbre is FM amount and Bright is FM feedback

And then there's cross mod on top of all that..... happy to be corrected by any FM gurus but I think this is more powerful than most 4op FM.

I have only played around with the demo for a brief period of time, and I also consider myself to be pretty well versed with FM, some might even say guru

It seems to me that we have stacks of two operators, just like you said which is the equivalent of Algo 5 in Yamaha Style 4 op like the TX81Z

Each "Operator" in the GUI is acting as a carrier and being modulated by another unseen operator so it's two stacks of 2 operator FM

FM Synthesis with a stack of two FM operators can accomplish quite a bit and be very versatile. That was the original FM method John Chowning invented at Stanford University way back when. In a recent interview he did he said that he still prefers two.

I do think however it's proper to call this a two operator FM synth because it's limited to stacks of two. The Synclavier is also two op FM even though the 1970s and 1980s versions has 4 stacks of two and modern versions has 12 stacks of two

I wouldn't call it more powerful than most 4 op FM as with most 4 op FM you can also make stacks of 3 and 4, and have a stack of 3 and an extra carrier, or just 4 carriers, and you don't have all the options of how to control those you do with other options

For me the jury is still out as to if I will buy this or not, but probably not. In a lot of ways it reminds me of Korg's Opsix and the original Digitone by Elektron in that it's kind of FM with training wheels that keeps you in some sweet spots and avoids for the most part the non musical klangs and noise FM can do, which is awesome but you end up missing quite a bit of options for other timbres

I think it's a fantastic gateway drug for people new to FM and are seeking an entry way into it, or who just want to mess around without learning FM Synthesis or going deep in programing. It is priced well also

I think beyond this if you want to play around with stacks of 2 op FM in plugin land, one of the DX7 emulators where you also get some extra features like OPS7, FM8, and Arturia's DX7-V can be a great choice if you use DX7 style algos 5&6 which are 3 stacks of two. Synclavier V from Arturia is also a great choice as you get 12 stacks of 2 and each stack of two can morph into another and use additive for the waveforms.

My favorite option for this and something I use a lot for 2op FM is the FM-X engine in HALion7 where you can make 4 stacks of 2 and each operator can have any waveform you can imagine using the spectral tools

Not all FM modulations are equal. If you bring modulation to it's fullest in a single sine wave pair, you get more harmonics in Nemesis, Juice OPL, and Portafm than in most 6op and 4op FM plugins. Opsix shockingly can't sound rich enough with just two operators. You can also see in a spectrogram how the OPN emulations like RYM and Chipsynth MD generate more harmonics than OPS7 or Dexed

[darrenr]

I saw the screenshot only in a message from a friend and assumed this was from Audio Damage, whoops! Definitely a surprise from GForce.

[Aloysius]

Halogen FM seems to emulate the analog circuitry and/or DAC's of vintage DX's. For example, if you compare the DX Timely Bass preset to Lately Bass samples, you'll hear that it sounds more similar than if you load the Solid Bass or Lately Bass sysex into Dexed or FM8.

Your comment is the only reason I'll try this out.

[wintoid]

I wouldn't call it more powerful than most 4 op FM as with most 4 op FM you can also make stacks of 3 and 4, and have a stack of 3 and an extra carrier, or just 4 carriers, and you don't have all the options of how to control those you do with other options

I see what you mean. I imagine Halogen with cross mod is like a stack of 3, with also a thru for the carrier from the modulating operator (terminology is now borked!), plus feedback on both "operators". So that's something a DX100 couldn't do, but it's still missing those other configurations, like you say. In fact does any actual DX synth have more than one feedback?

Add distortion into it, and that's really quite powerful.

Anyway proof of the pudding is in the tasting, and so far I love the taste

[dune_rave]

This was totally unexpected. Gforce released so many Oberheim related stuff that I almost stopped hoping they will ever do any other thing. But they did!

[Aloysius]

Halogen FM seems to emulate the analog circuitry and/or DAC's of vintage DX's. For example, if you compare the DX Timely Bass preset to Lately Bass samples, you'll hear that it sounds more similar than if you load the Solid Bass or Lately Bass sysex into Dexed or FM8.

Your comment is the only reason I'll try this out.

I tried it out and it's not for me. There is a sound to it but to me it sounds like everything is being funneled through an IR. I have some DX stuff from UVI that I'm happier with.

[Uncle E]

Your comment is the only reason I'll try this out.

Make sure to try randomizing the individual operators.

[htothehza]

Demo’d it and it is pretty darn cool. I would definitely buy it if they had the same easy to use global tuning as most their other synths, but since I tune to alternatives (not 440Hz) the lack of an intuitive global tuning control and lack of a tune parameter lock, I’m gonna pass on this for now. If they add this in an update, I’ll buy it. I would also really appreciate the same for the M-Tron Pro IV.

[whassup]

Cool concepts, some sounds are good, looks ok, randomizer seems to be interesting though I am not convinced yet of what it is doing. Is it really randomizing "intelligently" or is it just playing pre-recorded settings from the presets?
It would be nice if it would be more mature and stable.

[darrenr]

There is a sound to it but to me it sounds like everything is being funneled through an IR.

+1 ... everything coming through that same reverb (?) IR with no way to change it didn't work well for me either.

[Korg Supporter]

So I tried it. I think it's loosely based on the KORG DS-8, which had two operator pairs and "ring modulation" that was really extra operator modulation. The only unique things about this one are the LFO and distortion parameters. The so-called ring modulation is actually operator tuning. And the bright parameter seems to be feedback with a lofi DAC setting. It does sound harsher than Dexed in a good way, but I think Nemesis and Bazille are much better options.

[IvyBirds]

Not all FM modulations are equal. If you bring modulation to it's fullest in a single sine wave pair, you get more harmonics in Nemesis, Juice OPL, and Portafm than in most 6op and 4op FM plugins. Opsix shockingly can't sound rich enough with just two operators. You can also see in a spectrogram how the OPN emulations like RYM and Chipsynth MD generate more harmonics than OPS7 or Dexed

Never said they were. Since OPS7 is emulating a DX7 to bit level accuracy I wouldn't expect it to sound the same as PortaFM or Chipsynth MD made by the same people (which I also own)

Let's face it Dexed is popular because it's free and people download it because it's free, and it kind of sorta maybe sounds a bit like a DX7

The advantage to what I mentioned however was that they can do more besides just being a single sine wave pair, which for two and four op FM is a huge advantage. If you have 3 since wave based operators you can use one to modulate another and make a different waveform which can then be used to modulate another, you can then use feedback and envelopes to change that wave form over time and that will directly impact the carrier you are modulating in a vastly superior way than just having two sine waves and they can if course still so since waves if that is what you want

With TX81Z, and the SY77 and SY99 Yamaha gave you a lot more than just sine waves which saved operators. When doing 2op this gives you an insane amount of power

[kraster]

Man, this thing is gorgeous.

It's not an all singing and dancing FM but an absolutely brilliant curated FM based experience.

They really achieved what they set out to do in simplifying the process but it doesn't feel like something that's hobbled but more it's its own particular thing.

Great stuff.