FM8 is my favorite synth but I feel like it could totally take notes from synths like Massive or Cyclop in terms of automation, or Serum in innovation.
- For one thing, I wish that with the operator envelopes, as they play there were a little marker that shows you where you are in the envelope. The white volume bar to the right of the envelope kinda does that, but it's very annoying to follow for more complex sounds. Especially when I am using seconds instead of tempo sync.
--Minor thing, but when a envelope is chained to another, the other should automatically tempo sync or unsync to save me 2-3 seconds of time lol
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The mod matrix in FM8 is a joke coming from something like Massive. Massive (aside from ES2) was my first synth so getting FM8 after using Massive for a year I was really confused as to why they didn't allow for more modulation options. In FM8, all modulation exists in relation to the operators and their value. That is kinda limiting. Also the LFOs could have a better value system. What does "0-100" even mean? Luckily in in-DAW automation you can see the hertz value, but they should have made it more clear. Also Keyscale is on by default, which is kind of confusing for a beginner and it's even more annoying that you can't edit the envelops they are mapped to. It's purely linear. It's to the point where LFO usage almost feels like it's discouraged in FM8.
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Wavetables. Not even importing your own, though that would be interesting. I have found a workaround to the fixed waves in FM8, though. If you automate the wave choice in your DAW it will go down the list, and many of the waves (the 1+2s and the formants) are in chronological order so, if you're dedicated, FM8 has 2 wavetables.
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Some weird thing with the voicing where you can't have a 1 voice synth glide. Because it needs to be in mono for it to glide but it can't retrigger the envelopes if it's in mono. Basically, have fun making Bass House. I'm pretty sure I described this wrong, but it's an issue which has been noticed on many other forums.
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Vibrato. Logic's EFM1, an FM synth from 1999, has vibrato and it blew my mind. Having a native vibrato in FM8 would be so cool.
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A better filter. I would be way more upset about this one if I had more time. FM8's filter modulation in the form of a Z operator, while it might be faithful to the DX7 (I'm too young to know if it is lmao), is a very interesting, but it kinda sucks as FM8's only filter. Again, if you look at Massive it has 2 filters with 6~ options. And its routing feels like it was done by human being. Z is cool, but it would be nice if FM8, in the mod matrix, had simple filters with different types as options.
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Macros. FM8 technically does have 2 macros in the form of controllers 1 and 2, but honestly, there is nothing you can do with these. It's not even worth calibrating them in all their vagueness when in Logic you can use parameter mapping to make your own macros and access way more parameters. It would still be cooler if it were native.
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If the wave spectrum meter was a real time oscilloscope I would just stare at it all day instead of producing lol
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Turning off operators from the operator page. It would look super cool when producing around the hunnies (and save time)
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Changing the order of the effects rack. I rarely use the effects rack (except psyche delay, that's so cool!) but a lot of people wish they were changable. Why not.
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Make the individual envelope points automatable in DAWs. The technology probably just isn't there for this. I've observed that the envelopes and all parameter surrounding them seem to be coded in a way that they are "vst inside of a vst" type of things. You can't intereact with them via automation.
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A higher definition interface. Maybe resizable too.
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An easier was to crank the volume in the VST. You can't even recover 2 db or gain within FM8. Just kinda weird.
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Change the tempo of the synth, unshackle it from the DAW's tempo. Or at least make a halftime option so I can pretend to be Ivy Lab with the push of a button ;)
And that's really it. With some inspiration from the most basic of subtractive synths, FM8 could go from legendary to godlike. It's already an amazing synth and I'm just complaining publically. It turned 10 years old some time ago.
Also, I doubt Native Instruments will even make "FM9" or "Massive 2" as cool as that would be. They seem to be focused on making novelty Reaktor synths and interactive sample libraries in Kontakt so my little cousin can enjoy messing around on the West Africa kit I got for free. And maschine. They just don't do many standalones anymore... What inspired this awful shitpost was their newest plugin, Phasis. It's really cool and has a super nice GUI for a phaser. Makes me wonder how they'd approach FM9.
Anything I missed?
Submitted January 04, 2018 at 11:54PM by Manifold_dnb https://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/comments/7o87oy/native_instruments_fm9_wishlist_fm8/?utm_source=ifttt
Javier Rodriguez
Thursday, January 4, 2018