Tips on FM in Aparillo?

[dswo]

Aparillo has renewed my interest in FM. Any tips or starting points for the oscillators? I'm not asking for a primer on FM in general. I'm interested, rather, in how people are approaching this particular implementation.

Some places I've stumbled:

• I couldn't get a clear bell from the INIT patch until I turned off formant shaping (which is active even at the zero setting).

• The classic DX7 basses use a modulating ratio of 0.5, but Aparillo's ratio can't be set lower than 1.

• Operator I and II share a single amp envelope, so the operator that produces a transient keeps producing sound after the "transient" has passed. You can use the mod envelope to move the operator slider all the way to I or II, but then you've used up both envelopes.

I am NOT suggesting that Aparillo is somehow crippled. The presets show otherwise, conclusively. I just want to learn from other people's experience.

[NWSM]

Genrally:

Aparillo is not a classic FM Synthesizer you maybe expect its for complex Sounds. It uses FM and you can do bells, like the preset "DX Bell CCT" sounds like a bell.

Characteristic of Bells:
- FMed sine waves
- long release of modulator oscillator
- plucked carrier
- mostly non harmonic

And there are a hell lot of different Bell Sounds in the world.

If you want a general FM Synthesis Tutorial then its maybe not the Aparillo Plugin Thread you maybe search.

But after trying around i get a beelish Sound out of INIT. Yes okay maybe more like Steel Drum or also Mallet but okay. There are a hell of....

So try this from INIT: (From Top to Down, Left to Right)

Synth:
- set Algo 3
- set Clock
- OP 1 - Ratio 4, FM variabel you need to try
- OP 2 - Ratio around 3, FM around 50%
- Shift 0
- From booth Shaper and a bit FOLD, Jitter and Bright OFF
- OP Balance around 70%
- Level -3 dB

FX:
- Filter, LP 4 Silk, Cutoff 1k, Reso 66 %
- Spacializer, Size 44,Feed 40,Mix 30
- Reverb a bit

Env:
- Mod Env - A-D-S-R _ 1-6-23-55
- Vel Env - A-D-S-R _ 1-200-22-1s

Set the Mod Env to all of Op 1, OP 2, Form, Filter Cutoff and Reso

Play around with booth Env and also Shift.

Now in DEXED:
- INIT
- Algorithm 1
- OP 2 - Volume up, Coarse f=18
- OP 1 - Env EG Rate (3) = 55, LVL (3) = 0 (short Env)
- OP 3 - LVL up, give release with EG Rate (4) = 30
(Play with Enevlopes and Ratio/ Coarse)

Maybe use Dexed for learning.

[dswo]

Thank you, capracan.