Bad Gear - Yamaha FB-01 - Second Worst FM Synth???

Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools. Today we are going to talk about the Yamaha FM Sound Generator FB-01. Can it be that it is the second worst FM synth (because there gotta be a worse one - leave a comment;)?

[@pmratpoison]

When people ask me what my favourite genre of electronic music is, i'm gonna say "post modern retro dance music midnight snacks, sandwiched between some crunchy scottish/italian 8bit 909 samples and a touchscreen 303 sprinkled with some 80s FM cheese"

[@AudioPilz]

You forgot about the Deli Meats ;)

[@pmratpoison]

@@AudioPilz the deli meats is the secret ingredient you never reveal for free

[@DarkSideofSynth]

We should suggest distributors to include this genre when uploadiing tracks for music platforms. I am sure their design & database teams will love it! ;) It'd certainly solved MY problems when I upload:))) Very good for SEO...

[@nosville22]

The genres this show spawned alone should be considered works of art, let alone the music pieces that belong to them.

[@b.benjamineriksson6030]

Long name but you probably will get more understanding nods in the pub for listening to that than if you said Power-Electronics.

[@spaceman103]

Finally a piece of bad gear, that didn’t give me BadGear GAS😅

[@AudioPilz]

I really liked it, tbh!

[@scoreeclectic]

You are wrong!

[@spaceman103]

@@scoreeclectic Still...

[@DBCisco]

I used an FB-01 for my music course at PSU in 1995. I still use two of them in my studio.

[@AudioPilz]

Nice and compact FM synth!

[@mike7755]

I love this channel. This stuff is so entertaining

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@tomkingsays]

I think you’re right that it’s basically just good for a few of the presets with a midi in coming from another keyboard, mpc or controller.

[@AudioPilz]

...but it has DAT BASS!!! ;)

[@matrix12x]

Another great episode. I think this is an underrated synth and many mangled textures can be teased out of it using a computer based editor. I used to hate FM because it sounded like bad pop music to me (e.g., e-piano sounds and bad bells) but then I learned how to program it to get awesome growls and evolving pads and whatnot. Plus, this instrument asks to be run through FX.

[@AudioPilz]

So true! Great soundscapes!

[@minoudude]

Mine had an Alesis Microverb II as his best buddy - What a great team they made!

[@michaelkeefer4293]

Your videos are always informative and entertaining! Since you did a video on the FB-01 do you have any interest in doing one with its keyboard counterpart, the DX21? I happen to have one in my closet. I bought it back in the mid 80s, really wanted a DX7 but couldn't afford it at the time. It still worked fine when I last pulled it out a few years ago.

[@AudioPilz]

Let's see what other FM units come my way. DX21 is certainly interesting!

[@vroenis]

The moon rover was the cherry on top of the last meme-jam!

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! (I have to use the word meme-jam more often)

[@HighTreason610]

Maybe I'm weird, but if I have to work with FM synths, I prefer the 4-Op ones purely as they're less of a headache to get simple sounds out of - and let's be honest, 99.9% of the time, that's all you're gonna use it for, so anything more advanced would largely be wasted. That and I consider FM synthesis to be rather poor anyway, plus Yamaha's firmware is bloody horrible. FM can certainly sound good in the right hands, with enough patience and when used in the right way, but so can kicking a metal trash can. No. Firmly in the PD synthesis camp here, not budging, it's far more capable and easier to program. Regardless of this, I do have a degree of respect for anyone willing to torture themselves with FM long enough to get anything halfway decent out of it.

[@AudioPilz]

Have to take a closer look at some PD monsters on the show!

[@littlebubble380]

4:20 nice unexpected aphex sounding idm jam

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@rejectedsynths]

The FB-01's power supply hum ist the official ambient sound of my home studio 🥰

[@AudioPilz]

Mine is silent, fortunately. Hate that sound!

[@MSM5500]

@@AudioPilz , yeah, FB-01 is silent for sure if working properly. That hum may come due to two reasons : there is either broken PSU filter or shitty shielding in audio path.

[@roetsj]

@@MSM5500 or the power supply capacitors

[@ShallRemainUnknown]

Transformer laminating getting weak.

[@illford]

This man can make a kids keyboard feel like the greatest synthesizer in existence.

[@AudioPilz]

FB-01 - empowering Bontempis since 1986 ;)

[@dusanvukasovic2525]

I was just about to say that a kid keyboard with something like double ym2164 and a dsp fx would be way better than pcm samples. Btw, is YM 2164 14 bit?

[@illford]

@@dusanvukasovic2525 I mean, I think a lot of people like PCM samples because of they way they sound, I personally would prefer it more as i can't play the keyboard

[@dusanvukasovic2525]

@@illford When Roland relased D70, keyboard with looped PCM samples that exceeded single waveform, it was emphasized that this way you get "inharmonic" harmonics. Digital synths of the 80s lacked inharmonicity, but 1989 D70 was achieving that in a quite rudimentar way, nothing changed much since then. Some people say "That piano 3MB pcm patch is one of the items to pack in your bag on the trip to deserted island.", but for me is either 1GB piano patch with string resonator, or better forget it. And many natural instruments sound poor when sampled, even 1GB ROM per patch won't help. FM patches seldom sound realistic, but they often put a smile on my face. I know all this is very disputable, but that's my point of view. Recently I've heard some budget Casio demo song with sax patch that sounded awesome, though.

[@illford]

@@dusanvukasovic2525 to be fair I'd argue with sampled instruments you can make them real by butting in work. However I dont usually want realism, if I wanted realsim I'd learn Orchestra.

[@banton9368]

WELCOME TO BAD GEAR is exactly what i needed on a Friday

[@AudioPilz]

Thank god it's Friday!

[@martinburke9178]

Correct!

[@milanpadanyi8303]

3:40 That music from Rise of the Triad, the How'd I do with the FB-01 is a bit worse than the other versions but still awesome.

[@AudioPilz]

Big ROTT fan here!

[@produktivaproduktioner9325]

I used to think it sounded thin and tinny and then I learned that what you do with the FB01 is stack the voices, adjust pan and pitch the tiniest bit, add a touch of reverb, start working with oodles of patch banks available on the internet and easily imported with the Java based editor, and then you have (for €100 maximum in healthy good shape with a replaced battery in my opinion) a superb half-rack 4op FM machine.

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, that's the way to ho with this one

[@althejazzman]

I should have thought of that. I was stacking voices, and making manual chorus and delay with a MIDI sequencer and a General MIDI keyboard way before I could afford anything with actual DSP FX.

[@jennoscura2381]

Thanks for the advice. I ordered one of these today and can't wait to play with it. Great idea to stack the voices.

[@dervishmadwhirler]

@@AudioPilz The way to "ho" eh? hahahah Hmm. Pimping out synths...nice idea :P

[@XHALE303]

Well it does 1 thing well: Fatt Bass....it's why it's called FB1🎵

[@AudioPilz]

Didn't think of that! Good one!

[@GoldToni-z2t]

and i thought it means "Fuck Boutique" ;)

[@georgeray3492]

Traded mine for an EDP WASP in 1989. He already had an FB-01 and two units would work together to expand polyphony. We were both happy with the trade.

[@AudioPilz]

Nice trade!

[@organfairy]

Making a synthesizer that can be user programmed, but not including the buttons for doing so, is to me completely unforgiveable. Even my Elka X-1000 4-operator FM organ can be user programmed.

[@AudioPilz]

I assume it was all about the presets back then

[@Plexyglazz]

@@AudioPilz When I see the questions that are asked in the music production sections of Quora, I think a lot of people still think it is all about the presets. Presets be damned. Go buy some stomp boxes and some 'Bad Gear™" and make your own sounds!

[@SirRigbyBaconKaiser]

Since it's controlled by SYSEX maybe it was also considered an upgrade module for Yamaha MSX computers?

[@edwardruff7927]

No one programmed DX synths. Everyone just used the presets.

[@BrandonBlume]

Don't ever try an MT-32 then.

[@Astronomater]

anyone know if there is an "audiopilz effect" with increasing used prices for the bad gear? would be ironic if there was.

[@AudioPilz]

The Zoom ARQ AR-48 had a little price peak after the episode, AFAIK

[@artemisshaffer8654]

I sold my rhythm wolf for a very tasty profit about a month after that video came out. No regrets.

[@lambertlambert7076]

@@artemisshaffer8654 Did the price of rythme wolf really increases after audiopilz video ?? Hard to believe.

[@artemisshaffer8654]

Lambert Lambert I paid about $150 the year they came out new. Over time they were on Reverb for that price, or less depending on condition. When I gave it to my son to sell I told him to check the average price for one in mint condition and go with that. Well that price was about $225 a month after the video and someone picked it up, and paid shipping, quite happily for that price within a day of being put up for sale. Coincidence? Maybe.

[@testbildmuc]

How to get rich: buy hated synths, suggest to audiopilz for a video, profit

[@billyruss]

Oh no! The trend continues with yet another of my once-cherished possessions under the microscope! To be fair, it was of fairly limited use on its own, but I used it quite heavily in the 80s as a secondary timbre behind another synth - e.g. a bell tone layered with a pad from the Juno-106 to give a D-50 Fantasia type feel, or one of the piano tones layered with a piano patch from the Ensoniq Mirage to beef things up a bit - for that, it was quite cool. And for the money (I couldn't afford a DX-7 back in the day), it was a DX27 in a box for not a lot of dough. I sold mine a few years ago for the princely sum of £12 (disconcerting to see how much they go for now!). Nostalgic vid :-)

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! It is a great synth for tone stacking!

[@DJDaveLynch-NH]

I'm late on this but, it's exactly what I used this for, and worked wonders!!

[@rachelar]

12€? You was robbed!

[@AlexBallMusic]

3:05 - I'll see you in court.

[@AudioPilz]

Shouldn't we resolve this like real gentlemen? Antique single shot guns at dawn?

[@AlexBallMusic]

We should resolve it mono a mono. I'm going with the ARP Odyssey.

[@AudioPilz]

A true connaisseur!

[@Plexyglazz]

@@AlexBallMusic I think it would only be fair if you brought some Bad Geert to a showdown…

[@sheepkillindog]

Hey now. The fb-01 is great. Still integrated in my set up.

[@AudioPilz]

I'll most certainly keep it. Handy little synth!

[@KC9UDX]

Subscribed just for that. 😃

[@sheepkillindog]

@@KC9UDX thanks!!

[@WIDOW.OFFICIAL]

Agreed! I still have mine in my rack.

[@moneydoctor]

@@WIDOW.OFFICIAL how is it rack mounted.

[@ProSimex84]

it kills me that a year ago I was passing over DX7s for $300, and FB-01s for $80, cus I was too obsessed with "Analog synths", now I'm looking to expand my studio with this stuff and its all way over priced!

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, DX prices are mad ATM

[@DhinCardoso]

I made the same mistake... now I'm feeling I'm too late to go back to the party =(

[@illford]

@@DhinCardoso whilst not the same you can used Dexed and Exalt Lite for free in the meantime

[@sonicgorilla8]

Remember, the algorithm only learns from you...do not thank the algorithm...you are here because you are you

[@AudioPilz]

lol😂😂😂 Host scho wieder des Orakel befrogt?

[@TheMirolab]

The Marimba was to die for..... super punchy & dynamic. It was the only sound on it that I loved, and couldn't duplicate with sampler synths.

[@AudioPilz]

FM maribas are great in general!

[@Gainn]

The Digitakt jam was tasty. I vaguely remember thinking the drumkits on that unit were ass, and I guess I was mostly right.

[@AudioPilz]

They are...

[@AttilaSVK]

Where's the obligatory alarm clock radio comparison? :D Btw, I have a DS55 (has the same synth engine) and I found it useful for many sounds, even those I'd never thought could sound good from an FM synth. Here's a cover of Sirius by The Alan Parsons Project, just using a Behringer Model D and a Yamaha DS55 (and drums from Logic): soundcloud.com/tihanyi-a/sirius

[@AudioPilz]

I didn't mention the doorbell in the DX-7 vid either ;) Nice one, thanks for posting!

[@_sl3600]

"my taste in electronic musical instruments is [...] special?" _50 Shades of Pilz_

[@AudioPilz]

Sometimes I wonder if there's something wrong with me...😅

[@seanluke3052]

Gettin' creeped out. A weirdly high number of my supported synths on Edisyn have now been given the Bad Gear treatment: Microsampler, Microkorg, DX7, Venom (coming soon on Edisyn), DarkStar, D-110, and now FB-01. Not sure what to think of all the overlap. What's next, the Drumstation? Proteus? Kawai K5? CZ-101? TG33? Also, LatelyBass and SolidBass are not identical at all: this is a myth. There's a quite significant difference between them.

[@AudioPilz]

Maybe it's because people tend to hate instruments they need an editor for. Thanks for posting, didn't know Edisyn

[@Niele160]

I agree, it's clear they are totally different basses. I own an FB-01 and actually prefer LatelyBass, idk it sounds better to me. Haven't bothered to fuck around with it on an editor to make SolBass sound the same, but it should be possible.

[@edrosa3485]

Was confused for a minute. You started with a clip of the Virtual Boy and that was ABSOLUTELY Bad Gear...

[@AudioPilz]

True! Wasn't it the same shade of red? ;)

[@juanandresmonardes3390]

There is not bad gear in your hands , you make any trash device sounds realy good! excelent video!

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!

[@regortex3364]

If I didn’t have a DX-200, and the buttons didn’t stick on the FB-01, I might have kept mine. Sold it a few months ago. I own almost every piece of gear demonstrated on this channel, I’m the king of bad gear I guess. Love this show!!!

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! Great minds... ;)

[@Corvid]

Did you just say.... Dub SEAGULL? Now this I have to hear! Edit: I also owned a late 80s Toyota Corolla... in 2014. So I appreciated that comparison. In fact, funnily enough, I was forced to drive that piece of rolling shite while I was finishing my EMT training, and of course, that means being trained to drive at high speed with blue lights and sirens. Not dub sirens sadly, just mind-bendingly, ear-rape loud sirens on the training vehicles, seriously twice the volume of normal ambulances. Why do I mention this? Because my shitty Toyta Corolla had the indicator and windscreen wiper controls reversed, because... Japan. This led to getting absolutely BLASTED by the instructors, because if I lost concentration for a fraction of a second, I'd hit the siren, and attempt to signal a turn by smashing the windscreen wipers onto "Jesus H. Christ, I can't see shit" mode, and then completely fail at being able to turn off the wipers under pressure. On the plus side, bringing seagulls back into the equasion, we drove as a class down to the British seaside town of Brighton, a place known to have some of the largest, most agressive seagulls in the UK. I was a bit pissed at being cut zero slack that my every day car has reversed Japansese indicator controls, so when we'd finished our traditional seaside lunch (Fish and Chips, THE British classic), I threw all the leftovers on the roof/underneath of the ambulance where the instructors were eating. Predictably, they we're immediately swarmed by 50+ of the biggest, most agressive seagulls I've ever seen, they started divebombing the ambulance with shit in an attempt to secure their haul of chips. Kinda self sabotage, as we the students had to clean a flock of shit off at the end of the day, but it was worth it. I scrapped my Toyota within 6 months, and have never felt so good about trashing a car in such "good condition".

[@AudioPilz]

Coincidence? I don't think so!

[@chriskarate]

Not gonna lie, I almost bought one of these bad boys a couple years ago. Ultimately I went for the PreenFM2 instead, because I didn't want to be screwing around with sysex when I could be dialing in patches with a row of knobs. I think the FB-01 is best approached as a "challenge machine" for masochistic hackers... And there are definitely a few people out there who will get fulfillment out of such an approach

[@AudioPilz]

Wow, didn't know the PreenFM2! Thanks for posting!

[@seanluke3052]

@@AudioPilz The PreenFM2 is high on my Bad Gear list, because although it ticks all the boxes, it is a very *very noisy* FM synth. :-( Much noisier than Yamaha gear by far. Of course, Edisyn supports it.

[@chriskarate]

@@seanluke3052 IIRC, there is at least now a fix you can apply to the PreenFM2 to reduce its noise levels (these were caused by an inductor in the LCD screen creating electromagnetic bleed into the signal path, so they can be fixed with a resistor and some shielding)

[@seanluke3052]

@@chriskarate I'm aware of this, but it's not what I'm referring to. The sounds themselves are very noisy and this only occurs *when sounds are playing*. That is, it's generated by the DSP code and/or DACs. It's not leakage from the unshielded screen. Compared to (say) the TX81Z, the Preen has very, very noisy *sounds*. :-(

[@chriskarate]

​@@seanluke3052 Ah, I see! I am a bit distant from the PreenFM2's community so I hadn't heard about that. I have noticed that its sounds do often have a bit of grime in them, but I thought this was just an effect of how I was programming things in! Still... I rather love my PreenFM2

[@lo-firobotboy7112]

This was the first synth I ever used. It was the outboard sound module used in my high-school music composition class circa 1988. I liked it so much then that I bought my own. I still have it to this day and use it regularly. Cheesy, yes. But also really excellent source of FM bass and synth textures. Easy to edit and store sounds with a simple editor and for some reason it isn't as noisy as the DX21, DX9 or any of the other DX synths I've owned over the years. I love my little FB-01.

[@AudioPilz]

Agreed! Noise issues were not really a problem with the FB01 unlike many people posted

[@EtonFisch]

hey, could you tell me which editor you use and how you are storing sounds? Also I'm not sure how to use more than 1 voice at the same time inside of ableton.

[@lo-firobotboy7112]

@@EtonFisch I think the editor I have is called something creative like "FB01v2.11". I also have one with the equally sexy name "Yamaha_FB01_Beta". As for using the FB01 with Ableton, you first need to assign each of the 8 parts on the FB01 to a MIDI channel. This is relatively straight forward using the buttons on the front panel. Since the FB01 is 8-part multi-timbrel you can can distribute those 8 pars however you like. For instance you can have one instrument with 8 notes or 8 instruments playing 1 note and any combination in between. You can have 8 separate midi channels for 8 different instruments or all notes played on one instrument. You get the idea. Anyway, set-up the midi channels and instruments using the good ol' fashioned buttons on the synth then simply assign a corresponding MIDI channel to one of the tracks in your sequencer. If you are so inclined you can adjust pitch bend, de-tune and so on in your DAW but I prefer to just reach over and press the buttons. ...Hope this helps.!

[@EtonFisch]

@@lo-firobotboy7112 thank you

[@donkimble]

The thing for me is he’s such a good musician he can get good stuff out of anything. It makes the channel work!

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! Very happy to hear that!

[@Spaztron64]

You ought to listen to some tunes by Tappy made on the X68000 computer, which had the largely similar YM2151 built in. Very good stuff, believe me.

[@fabricethomas329]

Another one I had. There were issues with the LFO. the sound "Lute" played low was a killer for dub. Trying to get percs was fun, but I was fed up with softwares.

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, having to use software for programming it can be quite a buzzkill

[@threvsworld]

It was already in the cheap bin after it was released when I got it to complement my Roland mt32 and cz 5000...

[@chase_mcdude4833]

6:22 that sounded epic!!!!

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@keiranlee8428]

Yes, Fair Play.

[@daishoryujin95]

And there it is: the birth of the “really long and hyper specific genre name for a song showcasing the gear of the week before the verdict” segment.

[@nathanielsellin3215]

The idea of duct taping stomp boxes to the unit is hilarious! I really appreciate your sense of humor and especially the jokes pointed at the "my equipment is holier than thou, all my gear must cost at least $2,000" attitude. It's good to laugh at one's self, thanks for reminding me to stay humble!

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!

[@moogdome2562]

This guy could make my beloved Casio VL tone sound like a Elka Synthex.

[@toitoitoy]

No such thing as worst "FM synth" they are all brilliant in their own way

[@AudioPilz]

Even if there was, I'm pretty sure it's not this one;)

[@lo-firobotboy7112]

I agree! I love my FB01. I also really enjoy the much cheaper FM home keyboards the PSR-36 and the PSS-480. All different but very interesting in their own way.

[@my4trackmachine]

So true

[@thoreaukilbourne3911]

If nothing else, the problems with the fb meant the tx81z got a bunch of sound waves.

[@qjames0077]

At first glance this synth looked like another car unit

[@AudioPilz]

Damn, it killed my cassette tape again!

[@isaac.anthony]

Would look at home in my 2003 Corolla, right under the cassette tape deck!

[@AudioPilz]

As a replacement for the cassette tape deck. Maybe an Atari on the backseat...

[@tezeta3725]

Gotta say... Sometimes you make me question my timbrality

[@AudioPilz]

Nothing to be ashamed of

[@ToyKeeper]

It's okay to be who you are. I recently came out as mono-timbral, and my loved ones didn't disown me.

[@ToyKeeper]

Er, I got a Blofeld so I'd have a bunch of timbres in one small device... but eventually I gave up on dawless and now I don't need more than one timbre at a time.

[@tezeta3725]

@@ToyKeeper thank you for the support. I've always used mono-timbral instruments myself, but it might be time for me to experiment a bit, see what the world has to offer you know.

[@ToyKeeper]

@@tezeta3725 Some recent synths like the Summit have definitely made a lot of people timbrally bi-curious. It gives people all sorts of ways to stack, layer, and split.

[@marcinmuller6367]

What do you think about cheapest 80's fm synthesizers like yamaha pss-380/390? Maybe it's a good topic for making a movie?

[@AudioPilz]

Totally interested! Would you recommend the 380/390?

[@FormatWarsBand]

“At first glance... ticking all the boxes” never gets old when you say it

[@AudioPilz]

Happy to hear that! Since the first episode;)

[@Rastafarai805]

SOMEHOW EVERYTHING YAMAHA MAKES SEEMS TO BE AHEAD OF ITS TIME, AND DOES NOT REALLY COME INTO FASHION FOR LIKE 5- 20 YEARS...

[@meretrix]

There's so much untapped potential in Yamaha's FMs, even just stacking them makes a world of difference.

[@AudioPilz]

Stacking is extremely essential!

[@nicolaaszeven]

So true, thats why I love my v50! A tx7 would be my favourite addition on a single 4op

[@qjames0077]

Spamming this vid I know, but that last groove was pretty cool Any plans on an album or do you have one already?

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! Working on it! Full tracks should be ready early 2021!

[@marzacdev]

@@AudioPilz awesome.

[@DoomyMacDoomface]

Everyone is mentioning 'How Am I Doing?' so I'll just mention Tom Hall. And Tempest.

[@AudioPilz]

Spot on!

[@SouthShoreSonics]

5:56 presets? When I ran both my FB-01s I had a DOS editor to create my own . I would edit the envelopes to create different attacks and decays and send one version to the left panned FB-01 and the second version to the right panned FB-01. It worked out well for me. I got both in 1990, but I gave them away for free to my brother. But I did not use the presets when I used them on my then 286 midi system. Just like a Blofeld the best thing is to "zap" all the presets and start fresh. Watching this video reminded me of the synths I gave away. Too many synths are judged on presets, and to me, this does not really give the synth a chance. And what's a "real " synth player? I am 43 years in (got my first synth at 14), and I am still trying to figure out what this means.

[@AudioPilz]

I'm pretty sure that I'm NO real synth player ;)

[@Vim-Wolf]

Picked up one of these at a car boot some years back for around 50 quid. Found out recently you can replace the output stage chips with something cleaner and put better caps in and having done that it tidied the sound up a bit. If you want to get some nice retro FM out of it or even use it as a sort-of general midi box it's not terrible but as I said I paid next to nothing for mine. And where it's tiny it still has a space in my rack. Right near my TX7 😁

[@AudioPilz]

Nice find!!!

[@Pablo668]

I have an DX7II, wash your mouth out! Actually I also have a tan coloured box made by Roland that has a bunch of sounds on it, I used it with my DX7, I forget what it is called though....and where it is. Enjoying the channel very much.

[@AudioPilz]

...with soap! ;) Thanks!

[@kentaccordionist]

Should have had Espen Kraft demo it. He is the 80s.

[@AudioPilz]

Espen really knows his stuff!

[@VladoT]

Video idea: Kawai K4 - professionals hate it (even today) for its toy appearance (plastic case, small LCD and spongy keys) but in fact it can soung unique and quite good.

[@AudioPilz]

Great idea! This channel needs more Casio!

[@pianokeyjoe]

I am SO GLAD, I kept the 2 units I have! I sold ONE unit when I had 3 of these FB01s. The 2 units I have now are in need of TLC(internal battery change and front panel button change outs). Outside that, they are perrrrrfect, for the sounds I want! I play mostly Monophonic legato mode sounds, with very few poly play sound exceptions. These 2 units offer the very thing NONE of the other FM synths out in the market offer.. multitimbrility! Much less 8 parts?! I thought the DX7 and DX7II FD had the 6 operator, 8 part multitimberal functionality.. Sad to hear I was dead wrong.. I do have a DX200 synth/groovebox and a AN200 synth/groovebox as well so looks like I have the upper hand on the stupidly expensive DX units of old.

[@AudioPilz]

I would unironically LOVE to have a DX200!

[@lundsweden]

The Yamaha FB-01, F$&"*ing awesome gear, but looks like very, very boring gear!

[@AudioPilz]

Nice design for an alarm clock;)

[@lundsweden]

I just picked one up for cheap! Could'nt resist, its so damn bad its good!

[@yamahablackboxes6365]

It surely ticks all the Yamaha black boxes

[@AudioPilz]

True that! ;)

[@johnpriceuk]

I have one of these for sale on eBay in the UK at the moment

[@AudioPilz]

👍

[@RegebroRepairs]

Yikes. It costs as much as a TX81Z. BUT WHY!?

[@AudioPilz]

This one is quite a mystery

[@toitoitoy]

Because of it's compact size, chiptune enthisiasts and 10bit dirtier DAC of FB01

[@iampuesa]

You could disguise it as a book easily.

[@vaughnmiller5319]

Not quite.

[@lookapi]

Greeat grooves!!👍 i have cheap Fm synths: yamaha pss 480&470 - they have sliders /buttons for basic editing 😀

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! PSSes are on my list for the show!

[@lookapi]

@@AudioPilz oooo i'm waiting for it✌✌✌👍👍👍

[@Jeroen74]

I have a FB-01 and I actually like it :) IIRC it's possible to set an operator to be insensitive to velocity and by enabling velocity on a modulating operator you can dynamically alter the sound with velocity, when done properly it can emulate a filter cutoff effect.

[@AudioPilz]

Nice technique! Will try that!

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

As I think I commented below a different uploaded review that you made about this module, AP, there was one sitting here in the New York flat that I’ve been living in with a few others since December 2010 (as of February 2024 when I’m commenting). I learned about it after I first powered it up and played it from the controller, but it wasn’t a model I was familiar with before 2010. I had a misconception that it was relative to the DX-11, not the budget models Yamaha exported between the DX7 and DX7 MkII. I did make usage of it on a cluster of vignette competitions my brother contracted me to write and record the following summer (2011), and one of its bass presets also made its way onto this solo track I recorded (most of) shortly thereafter. kzbin.info/www/bejne/f5qno2l3pMxof5osi=dwundf0B7KOfMF19

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks for posting!!!

[@artemisshaffer8654]

I like waiting an hour or so after uploading to watch so I can enjoy the comments and responses along with the content. 👍

[@AudioPilz]

Highly appreciated!

[@eclipseaus]

thank god this guy doesnt have ads in his videos im subbing

[@AudioPilz]

Sorry for that but Bad Gear doesn't come for free ;) Still trying to find the least annoying way

[@daver2002]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAA ....I knew you have a portal into my house !!! ps. I have a korg Karma, so gimme a shout when you're doing this one as well.....still love the show.

[@AudioPilz]

There should be an FB-01 in every household ;)

[@melona3727]

for BAD GEAR : How about "Zoom RT-123" ??? it's currently sold around $10 here in Japan.

[@AudioPilz]

Interesting, most people love it. I'll take a closer look

[@MarkBayfieldvillageidiot]

Dislikers are bad people. Great channel, always makes me lol ❤️😂etc love it 👍

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! Dislikes are welcome, too ;)

[@darwinsaye]

Never understood the public fervour for multitimbrality in synths. If anything I might find myself wishing I had *more* octaves for a given sound, not less. I can't relate at all to wanting to take a five octave keyboard and chop it up into two or more mini synths where you've only got 30 keys or less for each sound.

[@AudioPilz]

Why not use several midi channels and play the sounds with more than one keyboard or sequencers?

[@darwinsaye]

AudioPilz You mean from one multitimbral synth? (Sorry, I’m not very MIDI savvy. Old geezer here.) Wouldn’t that be tantamount to just using a synth for each sound? So, rather than using more controllers, each accessing one of the sounds on the multitimbral synth, you would just have more synths, each to make different sound? (Yes, I’m from that era - give me ALL the keyboards… stack them up - the more the better, haha)

[@DownloadSyndrome]

@@AudioPilz Roland MC 101 / 707 works best with this unit. I use it a lot for my industrial synth wave tracks.

[@batteryman2852]

in some cases, complaining a synth is basic, is like complaining that a potato can't magically turn into a delicious dish by itself.

[@AudioPilz]

I'd buy that potato;)

[@batteryman2852]

@@AudioPilz for a dollar? ;-)

[@blakekennemer1166]

You should check out the Casio CZ series

[@AudioPilz]

True! Not enough Casio stuff on this channel (none to be precise;)

[@CSGraves]

I got one at a second-hand shop in 1997. Odd though, mine just had an LCD display, no fancy red LED's. My setup wasn't fancy enough to tweak the patches via MIDI, but luckily some of the bass presets were pretty nice for the price.

[@AudioPilz]

Plenty of nice presets in this one!

[@jammystraub488]

There's one in my closet... Underneath a 25 key midi controller... Both are... Underutilized. 😅 great video! Thank you!

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@earlsfield]

Great track bud. My first synth was Dx7. I had to learn synthesis with no presets, just figuring out phase modulation on my own. After that, Roland JV1080 felt like a child's play.

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks!

[@audioartisan]

That was my first also. And I totally agree that everything after that was child's play compared to learning FM lol

[@ezion67]

FB-01 is just a smaller rip off of its predecessor, the one and only "GERMAN" FM synth, the BÖHM 12/24. This triumph of German engineering was the FIRST multi-timbral FM synth, about 2 years before Yamaha got there too. (Yeah.., I am lying by omission, the custom Bohm ICs where made by Yamaha) . The 12/24 had all the bad things the FB01 has, but on top of that the 12 voice version is labeled as "12/24" while the 24 voice version is labeled "12/24". It should be worthy of a episode.

[@AudioPilz]

Great idea, I'll keep an eye open for them

[@aydenwalters7463]

About 10 years ago I used on of these as the main synth for a whole album. Bit of a pain to edit but I still love it honestly!

[@AudioPilz]

Yeah, great oldschool FM!

[@dannymolns3573]

Link your album I gotta hear this

[@Cryo837]

Never was a fan of FM synthesis. Always sounded thin and brittle to me. But I did buy a TX81Z and then hardly ever used it. I also bought the Yamaha EMT-10 module with 10 "canned" sounds...and that was it. No programmability. But it had a great piano (plugged by Keyboard Magazine) and nylon string guitar. I used the piano all the time in conjunction with EMU Proformance Piano Module. Both of these were 1/2 rack units.

[@AudioPilz]

Wasn't aware of the emt. Thanks for posting!

[@doordedeur]

In my area the FB-01 was used for bass only. For other sounds it's hardly usefull.

[@AudioPilz]

The bell sounds are pretty nice, too but it excels at bass.

[@danvandal4127]

Dear @AudioPilz, please consider the futuristic Behringer Tweakalizer DFX69.

[@AudioPilz]

Currently waiting for a replacement power supply for it;)

[@christopherwood9596]

I've been LOVING all of these 80s synths! Would love to see you get ahold of a Kawai K-series synth ;) Not FM, but trying to compete with DX synths... they've got a ton of character, I think you'd love them!!

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks for the input! This show needs more Kawai! (✿◠‿◠)

[@anthonyk5496]

I

[@AudioPilz]

Great input! THX!

[@camulodunon]

"bad gear" This guy: Arby's

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you!

[@Firstinversion899]

How about reviewing the Chroma Polaris? Competed with the Sequential Multitrack, but limitations galore. Were others frustrated by the Polaris?

[@AudioPilz]

Alex Ball had one of these on his show recently. Super hard to come by...

[@agentvx8320]

Nothing represents Bad Gear quite like a Virtual Boy. XD

[@AudioPilz]

I am so glad I've never tried one;)

[@agentvx8320]

@@AudioPilz I did, at a Nintendo demo booth. TBH the biggest reason it didn't catch on is really just that there was one and a half good games for it.

[@ChrisCebelenski]

Oh Florian... Somehow I knew you would like this more than most. I still own one of these, but today I'm too lazy to fire up the MIDI editor to tweak it out. (Had a CX5M too, BTW, so spot on dude) I would also add that's quite a sandwich you got going there. I won't be having a bite of any Italian synths (oh god, I won't even talk about that one time ... no, nevermind.) Maybe a bit of Crumar.. CROUTON on my Japanese salad of synth.

[@AudioPilz]

Thanks! Oh, I was referring to the modded TR-505 I was using in the track. The mod kit was made by Ewan Colsell who indeed is a Scotsman in Italy and it has VERY crunchy 909 samples on it now

[@austin4771]

I thought you said the sound would be "half-decent" :(

[@AudioPilz]

I liked the results but there are more complex FM pads out there

[@simonrussell4986]

Holy cow - completely forgot I have my boxed FB-01 in the attic. Bought it new and haven't touched it in about 30 years. My old DX-100 will still be in its box there too, together with a Roland R5 and an Atari. Wonder if they all work; doubt Pro-24 will boot though.

[@AudioPilz]

Nice collection!

[@tonipepperoni3424]

That's a strange looking alarm clock, the eighties are a strange era indeed

[@AudioPilz]

At least it doesn't have shoulder pads (maybe as rack ears)

[@tubeMonger]

It's Friday again. Time to enjoy your video. Thanks for sharing! I used to own that cheap little box. It has good dynamics (velocity) when playing. Now I have a Digitone. A bit easier for sound design :-)

[@AudioPilz]

Digitone is indeed today's "bees knees"😅

[@RANDOMLOOPGENERATOR]

As a former DX-100 and current DX-21 owner I fully endorse this video. Great content as always my friend!

[@AudioPilz]

Thank you so much!

[@pvillez]

Really? You really don't know what your talking about. The only limit is your imagination. Head over to element433 yt channel and watch FM Synthesis. A Catalogue of Materials. 01 Metal. All done with an FB01

[@AudioPilz]

Please forgive the clickbait title and feel free to watch the entire episode;)

[@localhost4460]

A VirtualBoy was the first video game anything I ever had :D

[@AudioPilz]

Did it make you dizzy?

[@localhost4460]

@@AudioPilz very.

[@elmariachi5133]

All Yamaha FM chips are absolutely terrible :P Don't get how this FM synthesis could become such a success.. Even the Commodore C64's SID was lightyears ahead that awful tinny sound. Contemporary synthesis done right was to be found in the Casio CZ series..

[@AudioPilz]

I have to admit that it really grew on me ;)

[@beatpoetbeats]

So glad to see you’ve covered this one too. No joke, I walked into an antique shop last year and found one of these, a DX7s, and a Pro One. Was able to snag em all for $500. 🥹

[@allanjazzera7630]

When's the album release : "I Did Some Bad, Bad Gear" ?

[@AudioPilz]

It's gonna be the Best Of;)

[@nutopiansg7613]

I LOVE BOTH OF MY FB-01S. GOT A B3 WITH PERCUSSION/CHORUS AND DAT BASS OUT OF IT, FABULOUS RHODES AND WURLY PIANOS. REPUTATION IS FROM PEOPLE DOING "AMBIENT JUNK" AND BITCHING BECAUSE IITS NOT PPG /FAIRLIGHT.

[@AudioPilz]

CLASSIC

[@cdwhiley]

Dude, the little terminator was HILARIOUS.

[@AudioPilz]

It received some critizism because the gun wasn't right ;)