NeoTines (FM, with extra everything)
Stuff you can only do with the NLA1.
In the beginning I was Juno guy. Early 80s, Södergren was by my side with his DX. I left the tricky FM stuff to him. But later on he left for another band.
Now, 2015, I got interested in exploring FM possibilities since I read the brilliant paper "FM for dummies with NS2" by Neo.
Since my NS2 is still in the attic, I'm using my, in all aspects truly superior, NLA1/SRU (Swedish Reference Unit, verified by Ricard). But the dummy part still applies. To me.
The NLA1 is as you all know at least four synths in parallell, both Juno and DX at the same time. I'll use it all ... and more.
The target for this mission is some FM Tines that would please even Whitney. Eat your heart out, Mr Jamal Hartwell. http://fmtines.com/
Step 1: the attack
I'm aiming for the "tock" when the hammer hits the tine.
FM, sine wave, take the modulator up 4 octaves to get it really bright - OscConfig = F+48.
OscCtrl 0!
But set ModEnvAmt to 10 so the ModEnv ADR can open it.
Now, tweak the envelope to get the percussive effect. 0,3,0 seems to work fine.
Filter LP24, freq 5.8, then morph the filter freq up to full ... get some velocity dynamics. Filters are not generally associated with FM but I'm fond of cheating. Just ask my wife.
Unison 2, makes a nice fat impact
AmpEnv ADR 0,4.5,0 - helps the ModEnv
Reverb Stage2 4.0
Level adjust later in the mix
Slot A, without & with FX Step 2: the tonebar
FM, sine wave again. OscConfig F0. Just plain. You can almost hear the sine ...
OscCtrl 1 - just a tiny bit of dirt
Envelope no
Filter LP24, open
Unison 3 for huge fatness
Tremolo I tried a tiny pinch, but removed it later
AmpEnv ADR 0,7,4.7 so there is no abrupt stop
Reverb Stage2 4.0
Chorus yes! yes! 4.0
Level adjust later in the mix
Slot B, without & with FX Eh?
No of operators? The DX7, SY77 & 99 has 6, lesser ones, like the DX11, 21 & FB01 only 4. Which sounds not that good.
I started here with 2+2 ... but then stack them further with the unison function ... X4 => 16 ops.
Slot A+B, with FX Step 3: the tinkle
Let's use the bell waveforms for this - b3 was my choice
OscConfig to Pit
OscCtrl 0
Filter HP, freq 4.0 - you want it really bright to almost hurt you ears
Envelope no
Unison 2
AmpEnv ADR 0,5.5,0 so it's not too long
Reverb Stage2 4.0
Level adjust later in the mix
Slot C, with FX
Step 4: the choir
Here I can use the formant waveforms. I found F3 fitting my ears.
OscConfig to Pit
OscCtrl 0
Envelope no
Also, I lowered it an octave for more "masculinity". Felt better.
Unison 3
AmpEnv ADR 6,7,0 for smoothness
Reverb Stage2 4.0
Level adjust later in the mix
Slot D, with FX
Step 5: the performance
Part 1,2,3,4 => slot A,B,C,D. All activated.
Levels adjusted: 5,6,2,1.6
Step 6: the outboarder
I got some new gear. Why not use it? OK - I admit I got GAS.
Exciter, the old (mid 1970s) psychoacoustic classic - today as a digital gadget, will do the job. More sparkle to the people!
Now we're totally ready for the romantic 80s again. And ... it's OK to cry ...
Alls four slots, with FX + a little Exciter. Here we go:
Yes Neo, you have my permission to base a NS2 version of this patch and put into your paper.
All - tweak the slots further, feel free to suggest improvements to this recipe! I will of course dismiss them.
- Tines.gif (13.34 KiB) Viewed 5501 times
Michael en Scanie
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