What's your favorite FM synth plugin?

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Aurora FM from http://audionebula.ca/.

Yes, the patch management takes getting used to (read the manual first and use the pop-out patch manager), but tweaking and layering dx7 patches yields such amazing results. Probably the most bang for the buck I've gotten from a non-free Synth.

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wasi wrote: Mon Jun 13, 2022 4:33 am Aurora FM from http://audionebula.ca/.

Yes, the patch management takes getting used to (read the manual first and use the pop-out patch manager), but tweaking and layering dx7 patches yields such amazing results. Probably the most bang for the buck I've gotten from a non-free Synth.
I have that too! Cheap indie VST instruments are so underrated! I also recommend checking out Messiah, Invader 2, Loom II (if you are lucky), Virtual CZ, Razor (used ones go around $40-60), ArcSyn (sometimes is on sale for $45), OpZilla, and Flowtones (got it for $32 on Black Friday)!

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ZynFusion hasn't been mentioned yet and it's pretty great. Obviously also Dexed and Exakt Lite as far as free ones are concerned.

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Still FM8 tbh.
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crickey13 wrote: Mon Jun 13, 2022 6:14 am ZynFusion hasn't been mentioned yet and it's pretty great. Obviously also Dexed and Exakt Lite as far as free ones are concerned.
Zyn Fusion only had 8 2op FM pairs. It can be compiled for free.

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I like
Fathom....quirky but i can get where I want to go pretty quick.

Mulab.....I have built my own FM synth to my taste.

Toybox FM synth for Reaktor. ...probably the best balance of features and best sound of any i have tried.

How is that for favorite one...
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I really like OPS7, but have not listened/tried a lot of FM-synths.

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Bazille, hands down.
I quite like Plogue's offering too.
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Ops7 , tranzistow , zebra , reaktor
My all time favourite instruments also happen to be good at multiple forms of synthesis , except ops7 whcih shines lonely at the top when it comes to gritty marvelous yamaha fm ..luvit :clap:
Zebra is also pretty good , it can do all the dx7 algoritms except those 2 algo's that have 2-3 oeprators in a single feedback loops
All the other algoritms are possible , the trick is to use two sine osc's since in the dx7 every algoritm has at least two operators that are not being modulated .
Been doing lot's of fm in zebra and ops7
Lately I've been picking up supercollider again , it's awesome for fm ,phasemod soundscapes :tu:
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For simple fm nowadays, lot of synths will do a good job. For everything else there's Masterc... err FM8.

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I don't really go looking for FM type sounds but will dip into FM8 from time to time and it still sounds great imo.

Also Bazille, though I look to that mainly for odd textured sounds. I think I've barely scratched the surface of it tbh, let alone exploring the FM aspects.

Another synth that sounds, to me, to have similar timbres is NI Razor, though it isn't FM it does a good line in cold sounding pads.

And I'm really surprised no one has mentioned Sugar Bytes Aparillo. I've never used it but it looks like a really fun FM synth to play.

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Another vote for auroraFM, not the largest feature pack, but already a lot and a great sound and the awesome onepage workflow...

I like the msoundfactory fm module too.

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ATM, Bazille is my favorite.
Before I had it though, SynthMaster was holding that spot (which I longer own.) Blue 2 was mentioned and TBH, its FM sounds are not what I open it for, but may start to when reminded by these threads.
I am enjoying F'em. (11-Op) and Biotek2 (4-Op) and how they blend with the other included synthesis methods though. Definitely worth the mention. As good as it is, I don't even have FM8 installed anymore. The thing I hate about most DX clones is the overabundance of fm piano bloat that was great in the 80s but seems really pointless now.
Every synth needs to be able to scrap those presets if we choose to.
And that's where Bazille and all u-He plugins reign supreme IMO.

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Oxe FM with Skin.

Dexed was nice for me too but VST2 build is abandoned.
I can't replace VEP7 (no VST3 support yet) to other tools :dog:

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