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From: jeq@laidbak.UUCP (Jonathan E. Quist)
Newsgroups: net.music.synth
Subject: Re: more about FM
Message-ID: <241@laidbak.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 7-Oct-85 22:18:51 EDT
Article-I.D.: laidbak.241
Posted: Mon Oct  7 22:18:51 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 10-Oct-85 07:58:18 EDT
References: <137@nyit.UUCP>
Reply-To: jeq@laidbak.UUCP (Jonathan E. Quist)
Distribution: net
Organization: LAI Chicago
Lines: 41
Summary: 

In article <137@nyit.UUCP> jpl@nyit.UUCP (John Lewis) writes:
>I think the idea that FM sounds are quite good got started in the
>early days of computer music when it was one of the only affordable
>methods known.  To my ears this idea is way off--Fm covers the
>range of electronic bell sounds, from doorbells to menacing underwater
>bells... quite suitable for spacey muzak, or the carefully crafted
>bleeps of some serious, modern composers.   The popularity of the
>Dx synthesizers suggests otherwise, but it may have more to do with
>what you get for the money than the actual quality of the sound
>(and of course one doesn't have to count on the timbre as
>much if other instruments are available)

Apparently you haven't been exposed to _good_ Fm sounds.

True, with just 2 oscillators you can get a wide range of sounds,
but with MANY interconnected oscillators (study the patch
diagrams on the dx-7, for starters) you can create some
fairly realistic sounds, if you are willing to work at it.

Unfortunately, Yamaha didn't include a mechanism for adding
random variation in pitch and amplitude, which would have
greatly improved realism.

Of course, even with these additions, the dx-7's are
still limited.  What do you want for the price?

A composer friend of mine has worked extensively in
sound design with the Yamahas.  He has access to
a TX-816 (something more than 8 dx-7's), 2 dx-7's,
and many $$ worth of computers running the MIDI,
yet he still wishes he had more.  With that much,
though, he gets some extremely rich sounds.

I don't mean to put down the dx-7's, but the
preprogrammed sounds have a tendency to be a bit
hokey.  Still, if you take one you like, and
twiddle the knobs a bit, the results can be
quite satisfying.

Jonathan E. Quist
ihnp4!laidbak!jeq