Production Basics 8: FM Synthesis

[@Gluttonforpeace]

I just spent 35 bucks (that was half price too) on a FM synthesis course from Warp Academy (who have some really dope courses though), and he just made static noise the whole time. It was insulting. Learned a fuckton more in this free video. Thank you.

[@domz3661]

This might be the best video on FM i've ever seen big ups seamless you are a god

[@DJKrEyVa]

i'm pretty certain this IS the best vedeo i have ever seen on FM

[@cowbless]

So basically the change in pitch you get equals to the derivative of the modulator. For some reason thinking this made it easier for me to understand. That's why you get 1)wobblyness with sine, because its derivative is also a wave thing (cos), 2) two pitches for triangle because it has two derivatives - +const and -const, 3) 0 change with square because it is a graph of a constant, which derivative is 0. And the clicking is because in the | area of square the derivative is basically infinity, which sort of translates as a super fast slide up, and ends up sounding like white noise because of its speed. Wow, Seamless. You are helping me bring my understanding of things to a higher level, thank you!

[@abishekraju8787]

damn. This opened my eyes and my mind !

[@abishekraju8787]

could you tell me about the square wave part ? He says minimum phase there is 0 and maximum is 360. I didn't quite get that. I know they're one and the same but I don't understand what exactly is he trying to say with the square wave.

[@cowbless]

@@abishekraju8787 basically the "|" oart of a square wave, a vertical slope, indicates an instantn change from minimum to maximum amplitude. And instant change means derivative equal to infinity, aka speed. So if we understood that pitch is dictated by value of derivative, we know that synth tries to do (for example) 450hz...9999999999hz 450hz, and that jump generates a click

[@cowbless]

@@abishekraju8787 and i think he is kinda wrong on that, as 360 degrees is a cycle thing. So a full wave is 360 deg, and when you are at 360 you are at the start of it again. Its the horizontal dimension, has little to do with the shape of a wave

[@abishekraju8787]

@@cowbless Yeah I think so

[@EdgarasJnr1]

Man the way you explain this complex shit is second to NONE. Every time your take a moment and go "well wait what this doesn't make sense, what does that mean" was exactly when I'd get stumped on a concept. Thanks!

[@blurrysailwagon]

you're the man, SeamlessR. you're incredibly helpful and I'm growing increasingly addicted to your video tutorials because I'm constantly learning at a rate that's much faster than I would be on my own. at first I thought you were just another youtube tutorial sage upstart who stuttered a lot w/ a sporadic mind, but now I'm coming to respect you like the god you are. I promise I will implement your lessons to the best of my ability and try to make some art that's worth a damn and I won't make shitty generic hip-hop garbage.

[@SatanIsSextingMe]

+Tommy magic +1

[@abishekraju8787]

that last part gives makes me wanna listen to your music

[@Rafaelinux]

You're messing with the source of life! You could get horrifying results!! I love the way you explain things, man!

[@ar_snl]

Thank you seamless, i appreciate your videos. The first time i saw this video, it was gibberish to me. Its like three years now and i get it way more especially using FM in serum.

[@wilfreddv]

What I've learned this video: Sound is fucking amazing

[@christopherdeoliveira7626]

+Hilgert Bos No kidding. I was pretty sure I was tripping at 19:52.

[@akashdeshpande]

Out of all the lessons I've learnt, this one is by far, the coolest

[@cameronrivera3521]

Best example of calculus in regular life. The slope of the modulator is the change in the oscillator's pitch.

[@thec4ke]

The principals at 6:50 are also how a chorus effect achieves pitch modulation in almost real time.

[@nomadflbh]

Thanks. Your tutorials have helped a lot!

[@LivasStudio]

still the best FM tutorial on youtube 9 years later.

[@Skizzaable]

"Sounds that could kill a man if listened to not even that loud"... FM is the black magic of EDM.

[@xrenynthemusicmage6422]

... and Dubstep producers are the necromancers that put their soul into learning as many of its manifestations as possible in order to torture the maximum amount of listeners and neighbors

[@dudemanxx]

I know it's 3 years in the future but thank you very much for this tutorial. I just bought a Volca FM and feel a bit in over head. However, a tad better equipped. This definitely demystified it for me!

[@Stratocaster42]

I must admit that I watched this video once without sitting in front of FL, and twice again while in FL trying to copy you to understand what you were doing...I got frustrated, but I think I understand it now! Thanks so much Seamless! :) Very cool stuff

[@xrenynthemusicmage6422]

Frustrated because you got terrible results or because you didn't get them? 🤣 😂

[@chasphotography]

Try studying fm synthesis using modules in eurorack. A solid understanding of synthesis irrelevant of fruity loops might help you more once you use fruity loops with the plug in he's using.

[@ALL_ONE_SUN]

There actually is a change in speed on that wave, but not a change in the rate of acceleration on that incline. 10:40

[@MikeBensonmichael2pointO]

Thanks for giving a very easy to follow FM tutorial. It takes a genius to teach the complex in a way that is easily understood.

[@thec4ke]

Good info, I had no idea FMing a high frequecy thing with a low frequency saw produced hard sync, mind blown a little bit. It looks like the tiny blip a saw makes as a phase modulator happens to end in a way that the phase of the carrier resets every oscillation of the saw, which is basically hard sync. The short high frequency bit is different, but the abrupt phase change from actual hard sync also produces something similar although a bit harsher.

[@therealquade]

"Sounds that could kill a man if listened to not even that loud"

[@ScottWilson542]

right hahah was about to comment that too

[@AladdinHaddad]

Definitely best FM Synths Lecture on the internet and probably in the world

[@scottk3292]

I'm using what I believe are the same ratios in FM-8, and I can't get results =anything= like what you're getting from Sytrus. Sounds kinda similar, but divide the coolness by 100. Could FM-8 be using a different algorithm? You've just changed my mind about which DAW I'm buying! :-)

[@djwillcaine]

This is exactly the sort of in depth explanation I needed. Very helpful to have it in one place and resonated a lot with various things I've learned about waves from studying physics in school (pun not intended).

[@BlacksmithVRS]

This video is a piece of art. I just favorited, liked and subscribed, totally worth it

[@mavensound]

What did you exactly say between 15:07 and 15:10? That.. was fast. I'm wondering whether you are saying that either FM8/Sytrus can do what the other one cannot.

[@ogbaxstar]

Leo Bruzzaniti "I haven't done anything so complicated that you couldn't do with any other synth." A lot of people think Seamless talks too fast and is hard to understand, but I have never, not once, not understood or heard what he says, and clearly the first time. Im guessing the people who don't understand him right away may not be native English speakers? Just a theory I guess.

[@mavensound]

@miphisto55.. cheers for that, and yes good theory.

[@KelmoMusic]

This was great, I knew how it worked for the most part, but this was a great refresher for sure. Thank you!

[@KingOftTheArsenal]

I tried the part where he modulated the op1 with the square op2 at 16:33 but it does not sound the same. Also on the parametric EQ, on a small thin line was lit up instead of the thick line at 16:38. What am i missing?

[@BeatsByClover]

This is 1000 times better than any busy works beats tutorials hahahah

[@xrenynthemusicmage6422]

true

[@OfficialREVENGEMusic]

hey seamless can you do a tutorial on the justice part 2 bass synth that's played in the beginning part after the beat kicks in?

[@OfficialREVENGEMusic]

justice phantom part 2*

[@Pheonix8877]

Seamless, did you receive this latest information from the articles from Sound On Sound called "Synth Secrets"? I read those a while back and this is generally the just of what it goes through, which I think is awesome because it was an extremely insightful overview of audio all together. Its nice to have a summarized version so everyone can understand it easily.

[@SeamlessR]

A lot of this was based on past experiments and one guy who made a big comment on the old How To Bass 4 where I did more or less the same video only I didn't know about the whole phase business ;p

[@Pheonix8877]

SeamlessR Oh cool. Well those articles go over all the analog synthesizers, specifically the Yamaha that you talked about, the way the oscillators passed through crv and amps, etc. www.soundonsound.com/sos/allsynthsecrets.htm There's the link if you or anyone care to check it out, as it goes super in-depth about FM, AM, and all the basics of waveforms, frequencies, harmonics, through both analog and digital.

[@tomyguinz91]

+Zodiaddict I also read a couple of the sound on sound articles, I seriously recommend them too.

[@JacobReed8]

In your opinion, what makes Sytrus better than other FM synths? Its on sale right now and I'm thinking of picking it up. I tried to follow along in Operator (parallel triangle wave modulators) but the sound just didn't have that vocal quality no matter what I tweaked.

[@bigboobmasterbaiter69]

fuck you

[@xrenynthemusicmage6422]

That it has a total of 6 oscillators where every one can modulate every other at the same time using frequency and/or ring modulation at the same time

[@KiR_3d]

Just one question: Why when I've created some FM sort of synths in Sync Modular (in past) I've got very predictable results when I've modulated OSC1 pitch by OSC2 pitch. And OSC2's wave was _saw_. I'm pretty sure. Just did a long check right now. Also did fixed some old immature shit ))

[@sSPACEBALLSs]

3:16 "i wouldn't recommend doing it though". Is that cause you'll fry the voice coil of the speaker?

[@kill-rmadness7687]

you are incredible man, you do every tutorial i think it would be awesome to be done. just, great. you re great.

[@KazeReload]

Holy shit Seamless, thank you so much! You help us producers out here to understand how making music works and to come up with something made by us, instead of just using samples and shit. Your videos are like a gold mine for people like me who always try to use samples and presets as few as possible. Thank you thank you :D

[@finkleterry2137]

can you explain, how the op's interact, in terms of analog? are they just playing in the same channel? in the same space? how do they compete with eachother? I noticed in wave candy they have a cross section sort of I guess? (edit) ohhh same channel opposite phase?

[@beakf1]

Hello could you help me with a question. When one pitched sine wave is played it produces say 260hz but if you make a C major triad chord on C4 = 260hz with 330hz and 390hz do all 3 sine waves play separate or do they combine to form a different wave one containing all 3 pitches?

[@ChenBoi]

Test it out yourself with parametric eq :D

[@joeljossie4181]

I'm not positive but I'm fairly certain every new note you play essentially starts a new instance of the synth and all of its operations. that's why polyphonic synths eat up a bunch of CPU the more notes you have. I think. don't take this as fact, it's just my guess.

[@ThatGuyWhoAteYourDog]

Woow, thank you for explaining it from the ground up. I never truly understood what it meant to modulate an oscillator by another oscillator. Holy fuck that's cool. Edit: so wait, at 10:30 when he's talking about the behavior of the different waves, is he essentially saying that the derivative of the sine/triangle/square wave = the way in which pitch is changed? Edit 2: How do you go about fitting these into the mix? The growls pretty much fill the entire spectrum, and I feel like if you EQ'd out a section of it, it would ruin the sound.

[@DJFriendZone]

For your first edit, I believe this is correct. I assume it has to do with the fact that the waveform is controlling the phase. The rate at which the phase is changed determines the way the pitch is changed. If the phase of the carrier constant, there will be no pitch change (as in the square wave; there are two positions for the modulator, both of which are constant. Simply changing the phase of the carrier and keeping it that way won't affect the pitch (the click is from the speaker quickly trying to change the phase of the carrier immediately). The saw wave changes the phase of the carrier at a constant rate, which will change the pitch of the sound in a constant way (it lowers the frequency of the sound as the phase is being moved backwards as the waveform of the carrier). The triangle wave has two steps: a positive one (where the phase of the carrier is being "pushed" foreword, increasing its pitch) and a negative one (where the phase of the carrier is being "pulled" backwards, decreasing its pitch). Since the sine wave is infinitely differentiable, it will change the pitch in a way similar to the shape of the modulator itself.

[@xrenynthemusicmage6422]

In case I have some crazy sounding screeches or basses that conquer the eintire sound spectrum, I usually go the Dubstep way and don't layer them with any other melodic instruments, but instead have small portions inside each bar where the melodies and chords stops to make the terrible FM stuff happen in between

[@hiimspection]

Will you show EQ modulation for vowels and such?

[@nawrox6754]

What did he mean by saying "sounds that can kill a man" in 25:30 ?

[@nitroxiii]

If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm pretty confident he means sounds that are not musically pleasing at all and are very harsh and annoying to listen to. It's very easy to make sounds that just don't sound good musically at all and are very noisy and such.

[@xrenynthemusicmage6422]

probably really terrible and messy Dubstep basses and screeches

[@DodZz666]

this tutorial is really really really great

[@3nkryptionx611]

LMFAO idk why but I just turned the video speed down to .5 and he sounds drunk as hell lol

[@herbstmeier]

can I avoid aliasing by using 96khz? my soundcard supports it but I didn't think it was useful.

[@FabForceFour]

you could to a point. at about 45khz you'll get AA. People say the human ear cant hear past about 22khz, but i think that a even slightly trained ear could hear 45khz, not that it matters or is relevant to your question. TL;DR - once you reach half of 96khz you'll get anti-aliasing.

[@herbstmeier]

thanks for your answer! I'm gonna try it out then ^^

[@omier]

FabForceFour Pretty sure you wouldn't be able to get double the hearing range by just some slight training. You'd need to be a different animal for that. That said, you could still hear aliasing when the nyquist frequency is 45kHz, if the aliasing is intense enough to bounce back down to the human hearing range.

[@luisnannini]

can someone give me a link where i can learn what aliasing and nyquist is ?

[@kbotter3955]

So if the operator knob is volume then is there a difference between negative and positive knob values?

[@xrenynthemusicmage6422]

Yep, it's the polarity. Wether your triangle wave lookes like this /\/\ or like that \/\/

[@scottk3292]

Seems to me that since the waveforms will have both positive and negative values, then instead of "volume" you might think of it as "influence"

[@aichi337]

Is it possible to create an automation clip on the volume of the modulation?

[@thevictimofawhale1684]

I don't think you can directly but an alternative that might work is automating the volume of the operator that is FMing another operator

[@xrenynthemusicmage6422]

Yes, you can do that: For your modulating operator (in Sytrus) go to the volume section and in either ModX or ModY (which should be a straight line always at the top initially) you gotta make a straight line from the bottom to the top. Then - in the Main tab - you gotta right-click you ModX- (or ModY-) knob and choose "Create Automation Clip" from the drop-down menu, as you would do for any other parameter. Voila, you got your FM volume automation clip!

[@uncharted2player41]

Could you use a FM wave to modulate the volume or something in Sytrus?

[@Unnamed218]

If by that you mean modulating Amplitude instead of Frequency, that's exactly what the RM tab below Sytrus' matrix does. You do the exact same process, but instead of modulating the pitch, you modulate the volume.

[@uncharted2player41]

Unnamed Medina Rudas Awesome! But what does RM stand for?

[@IamDeluge]

Quore Ring Modulation.

[@uncharted2player41]

Thank you both :)

[@Unnamed218]

You're very welcome :D

[@viktoronopko2090]

Hi! Could you explain what exactly RM does? Thanks a lot.

[@FabForceFour]

RM which stand for ring modulation changes the volume of the sound by the wave form. So if you used a sine wave in the RM section your sound output would rise and fall in the shape of a sine wave. it's kinda like a LFO and volume knob mix. if you find the old video about FM synthesis (how to bass 8 i believe) he talks about it there.

[@viktoronopko2090]

ok thanks!

[@silverglasss6786]

I did not get anywhere near the sound you got at 18:24, with the exact same adjustments you did..thoughts on why? I did get a high pitched annoying screech sound though

[@musicaccount8461]

Tarjei Sølvberg Maybe you figured it out already, but I had the same problem and fixed it. You need to start from the "Default" patch (which isn't the one that Sytrus loads with when you open it). Also make sure you're playing very low notes (between C0 and C1).

[@silverglasss6786]

oh ok, thank you very much!

[@tuukkybear7373]

Im finally understanding FM synthesis more. THank you

[@nzankhuvung268]

in which octave it is if the freqncy ratio is set to 2 ..

[@TheCzarsoham]

Thank you a lot, Seamless! I am an electrical engineering student and this really helped me with my theory stuff.

[@soulobjective5896]

shit, you are the master. all your vids are mega helpful and comprehensive and scientific!

[@MarshalArnold]

Great tutorial! Really have a nice grasp on FM now. Thanks a ton!

[@finkleterry2137]

you need to go be a digital instructor at CRAS... however I'm not sure if that be a pay cut for you or not lol.. You explain this better than anyone ive heard. ha

[@fiftythree1598]

This channel is awesome! Thank you for making these videos!

[@D1GItAL_CVTS]

ZynAddSubFX (and probably some other plugins) have actual Frequency Modulation, in addition to Phase Modulation, so it isn't really impossible to modulate frequency that fast...

[@RafaelRipollGallardo]

Really enjoyed this one. Thank you!

[@finkleterry2137]

yes the Nyquist Theory ha Analog Tape at 30 IPS you can feel the freq's tho. there is somethign to be said about feeling freq's Now I want a tape machine :/ clubs need to go to 24 track! remember quadraphonic? imagine doing that with jungle. or psy trance could really express a level of lysergia that way.. #Octaphonic.1

[@OrganicGreens]

Is there any way for me to get sytrus and harmor in ableton?

[@SeamlessR]

If you're running it on PC there are VSTs available. If you're running Mac there's an alpha for a mac VST of Harmor, I think. It isn't super stable, I've heard.

[@OrganicGreens]

Damn ur quick. I'm a pc thanks. Have you seen Civants video on harmor its awesome

[@GRU8ASS]

Yes it is. It's called jbridge, i use it, not so stabil, but still work :), By the way where can i find these Civants videos?

[@EpicFelinski]

Phillip Morrison Savant???

[@OrganicGreens]

Thanks i bought them last night.

[@gareth4762]

Legend! Been wanting to learn about this sort of thing for a while now. Have a growing obsession and fascination with sound design, will be watching this a few times. Hope you can reply to this, would you have any more videos, or know of books that explain this further as well? Thank you for your videos! Happy day :D

[@cayvzcvlt]

Good video bro. Very informative! Thanks.

[@pekkagronfors7304]

My plan was to dust off my Yamaha V50 in the attic and play around with FM sound edit. But after this video I maybe leave it in the attic for another 25 years. Nice video though. :D

[@Moses77786]

I didn't have a clue how to use matrix for ages, it was like a giant puzzle

[@HarelDanieli]

***** Lol, the matrix is the only thing I do get about Sytrus xD

[@xrenynthemusicmage6422]

Yep, so many similar knobs that do totally different things all put together inside a giant block. You just gotta know which sections are responsible for what

[@Beats24-7]

Great tutorial. Keep it up

[@uberterris7551]

I know so much about FM synthesis now.

[@vlogswithankitnayakvlogs]

Thanks

[@cwickso]

10:30 you just made this so much more easier for me holy thank you

[@shidosensei.]

Omg was that 1hz? The wave candy showed a very slow graph Lol

[@Yizak]

Amazing tutorial!

[@wolvAUS]

Thanks, these are always appreciated.

[@MrCool144]

Your vids got me on full geek mode.

[@BoIoko]

Amazing tutorial

[@paulaxa1]

thanks a lot man. I learnt a lot from this video, other people pay for this !! I stil need to practice though but great tutorial :) I've been producing psytrance for a year now, but i just learnt about fm synthesis. pretty pathetic xD

[@TerraReveene]

the 60% chance to not reply might be other people just not having the option for other people to answer their comments. *Yes! That is a thing!*

[@nicolobartolotta]

So what about the sounds that the Genesis and Sega Master System can make compared to the NES

[@Pyroific]

In before HD :D Also what happened to uploading at 10 am? :P

[@Leopard77711Real]

Thanks for the updated video on this! :D

[@TheOfficialPinguen]

19:14. Wave candy looks like Batman!

[@yearnprod.8652]

love u man I wish I could suscribe 2000 times

[@xrenynthemusicmage6422]

You can.

[@katharinaprinz8283]

Nice Video! I'Verein got some Ahh-Moments :D

[@KingOftTheArsenal]

This video taught me more than AP Calculus and AP Physics combined...

[@3nkryptionx611]

+King Of The Arsenal I know. I swear I've learned more from KZbin in the last 4 years than all 12 years of public school combined...

[@hemantkhatri2743]

Can anyone explain how the frequency ratio works .

[@deanblack1235]

I'll take a stab at your question... It gives an operator a specific frequency and you can adjust that frequency using ratios. Octaves are in ratios of 1:2 or 2:1 (powers of two). Frequency ratio settings of 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 give you the same note, but in different octaves. A major third is the 4th note above the base note in a chromatic scale. With 12 notes in a chromatic octave, the major 3rd is 4:12 or 0.25:1. If you have operator 1 output at a freq ratio of 1 and set operator 2 as its own output signal but at a freq ratio of 1.25, you will get a major 3rd chord. If we double the freq ratio for operator 1 and set it at 2, then we apply the ratio of 0.25:1 and set the freq ratio of operator to 2.5 to get the same major third chord. 0.5 is 1/4 of 2. Kind of a bad explanation but does that help?

[@SickQuarEU]

Thanks for the upload :)

[@Yer1d]

good stuff man

[@LivingUnlabeled]

I want to see Stephen in a kilt.

[@eggojungling4964]

I hope KZbin still pays you for putting an Ad in your videos every 4 minutes.

[@Multi-Waves_Music]

Had a dream about an episode of archer. Its like your regular dream where mundane things happen like taking a test. however it would switch to this episode of archer intermittently and eventually the two worlds of taking the test and the cast of archer would collide. well the person who administered the test asked me for one of my laffy taffy and didn't like it. Apparently i didnt like their reaction to my candy and he was merged into the role of cyril. ----------- Archer and lana were looking around for a hidden assassination point. This episode took place on a cruiseliner. They had to bring cyril with them for undercover work as a diplomat. Their target was a fascist leader. eventually things get out of hand, cyril is creating all kinds of issues and archer wants a threesome with an assistant of the fascist and lana. So they meet up with the fascist and exchange cyril (now out of the diplomat role, dressed as himself ) for the assistant. the fascist agrees to this exchange. Cyril is put to many tasks and fails them all miserably creating hell for the fascist. eventually the fascist is so worn down he hands cyril a semi-automatic and makes the shape with his arms a "sawtooth wave" and then a pleading pose to cyril. during the time the fascist makes the sawtooth pose, my brain has been listening to this video and hears seamless showing off the oscillation sounds @ 14:40. Cyril also hears these sounds and interprets something differently. Our fascist is on the ground belly down, looking exhaused with bags under his eyes like he hasn't found sleep for many days. Cyril brings himself down and straddles the fascist while cocking the gun right next to the fascists face. then throws the gun away, turns around, crotch pressed against the fascists back. at a sonic speed cyril begins humping the fascist, the fascist turns around to find a well toned bubble butt ass twerking in front of him and it meets his face in rapid succession. The fascists head hits the floor then bounces back to find cyrils ass once more. this goes on for 3 minutes until the fascist is a bruised and bloody pulp. the man died from somebody twerking at an inhuman speed directly into his face.

[@manumusicmist]

25:27

[@D1scNStuff]

6:51 fase modulation?

[@sirwaffle4006]

hi

[@SdoggaMan]

phase, actually, and it's the waveform's position in the spectrum of positive or negative. The best way to actually see and understand this is to look at your speaker cone. it wobbles, pushing waves through the air that you then hear. When it pushes out, that's positive phase, because the generator (whatever is making the electric signal that your speaker turns to something that can be interacted with by you) is sending out waves that oscillate between + and - very fast. So phase modulation is changing where the wave starts - perfect centre? Positive? Negative? It can also affect where the peaks are - the highest and lowest points on the wave - but that is different and irrelevant mostly to this. :)

[@javiercacao7475]

Amazing tutorial, thank you very much.

[@martinmoreyra7491]

wwwooooow brothers....!!!!

[@specter0805]

So helpfull, thanks.

[@killsau]

And I was just about to ask you about FM;) Thanks! Use Dax!!!

[@xerroxefra]

this video will be viral

[@GweeGwee]

thank you good sir

[@TheDRAGONFLITE]

Awesome. Thanks!

[@sadpanda8330]

I look at the fm waveform simply being the derivative of whatever waveform you choose.

[@jessehansen6441]

I watched this whole thing and have no idea what is going on... I must be retarded.

[@SlyHikari03]

So basically FM Synthesis is what happens when two sinusoidal waves come together and make sweet love.. Ok, Noted..

[@cmon3402]

19:52.