Thank you so much @anthonymarinellimusic ! It was great fun participating and big kudos to your talent for translating our nerdiness to familiar musical/synth contexts!
As a professor in a medical school, I must say you're a natural teacher and explainer, Anthony! I'm a big fan of your professional body of work and really enjoying this channel. Sending well wishes and good vibes up the 5 from San Diego. ☀
omg is THAT what it is ? Ive been wondering why I can lock in so easily it really is like the shows from back then! Actually absorbing the information.
Just watched this after watching the John Chowning interview. Passion never dies does it? Loved seeing the child-like excitement in the eyes of these masters as they hit that mental moment, that oh so sweet-spot they've committed their lives to sharing. This channel is such a force for good. I recognize instability is an unavoidable, infinitely scalable phenomena we all manage as best we can, but if we can somehow focus on the 'right' clusters at 'suitable' amplitudes on 'appropriate' scales... so much beauty and majesty awaits? The good news is I think it awaits discovery, as John Chowning says "It was already there, I just discovered it." Thank you Anthony Marinelli and team. : )
This is a most needed tutorial. What makes this especially great is that the explanations are clear, concise, and understandable for one not fluent in FM synthesis!
White is all colours at once, noise is all frequencies at once. Every colour on the spectrum is a different frequency. Black is the absence of all colour. Silence is the absence of frequencies. Awesome video Anthony, thank you 🙏🏻
That's was excellent. The sound C15 can make are unbelievably stunning. I think for adding atmosphere to either music or film, this is a must have in your box of tools.
@@jairkerker2821 I suppose it reads that way, but in my World 'nerd' isn't an insult. It's just a friendly descriptor for people who are able to achieve incredible levels of knowledge and understanding. Communicating clearly with the rest of us plebs can be difficult for them because they often underestimate how much we don't know
@@leowalless9328 It may not read as such but I meant insult in a playful way. My inadequate communication is no proof of incredible knowledge though: I didn't invent a modern synth I would buy.
This looks like a really nice synth. I've been really loving the Korg OpSix. It's changed how I think about, program, and use FM synthesis. Great to see more people creating different ways to use and enjoy FM.
I came here to comment this. I picked up an Opsix when it first released to use it in my sound design practice. It's completely changed my world re: FM synthesis. Love it.
+1 love programming the opsix, it's not just an incredible FM synth, it's an incredible synth. The possibilities of user algorithms plus the many operator options (including using them as processors) is out of this world.
@MattJohnsonJamiroquai Your video with Stephan and the C15 is excellent, and I thoroughly enjoyed your Montage M8x presentation at SuperBooth as well. There is just something so 'musical' with the interactive dynamics of FM based synthesis !
Hell yes brother! The mega FM is so much fun. Have you discovered the feature for envelope looping? You can create some very interesting choppy strobe-y sounds with that feature
This was very special. Grateful for all of y’all who made this happen. These hands on discussion’s are some of my favorite video’s on RU-vid ✨🌊✨thank you and many blessings
Three legends in one top class FM breakdown vid. great content as always Anthony! another very interesting watch, what a great sounding and very unique instrument!
An occasionally maligned and misunderstood synth, for whatever reason. Personally, I think it's amazing. I don't play live any more and neither do I have any room left in my studio, or I'd probably invest in one! This must be the best video I've yet seen on it. Looking forward to seeing the interview with Chowning, that will be worth watching!
FM synthesis, or frequency modulation synthesis, is a method of sound synthesis where the frequency of a waveform, the carrier, is modulated by another waveform, the modulator, to create complex timbres. The origins of FM synthesis can be traced back to the work of John Chowning at Stanford University in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Chowning discovered that by using a simple sine wave to modulate the frequency of another sine wave, he could produce a wide range of complex harmonic and inharmonic sounds. This was a significant breakthrough because it allowed for the creation of rich, dynamic sounds that were difficult to achieve with the existing additive and subtractive synthesis methods. Chowning's research was patented in 1975, and the technology was subsequently licensed to Yamaha. Yamaha's engineers further developed the concept and implemented it in their DX series of synthesizers, starting with the DX7, which was released in 1983. The DX7 became immensely popular and played a pivotal role in shaping the sound of 1980s music, thanks to its ability to produce a wide variety of tones, from realistic instrument emulations to entirely new, synthetic sounds. FM synthesis remains a fundamental technique in sound design and electronic music production, both in hardware synthesizers and software instruments.
Ohhhh !! Manny Fernandez !!! i want to thank you for your support over so many years with my favorite sinth, the Yamaha VL1. I still use you patches !! Anthony, thank you for bring us this videos !
You're very welcome. The VL1 is a phenomenal musical instrument. I've been very fortunate to be able to work with two giants of digital synthesis creativity in Stephan Schmitt and Toshi Kunimoto
I have a kodamo essence fm mk2. It's great i can create sequences with fm drums, and fm sounds. It's an amazing instrument that i still haven't fully discovered yet.
Having once programmed my own FM synth engine I really really appreciated this interview. I was expecting a review of how FM synthesis works but instead was treated to a much more far reaching philosophical idea. This instrument can be tuned into limitless acoustic expressions, and it is going to take a lot of skill and experimentation for mastery. Looking forward to more videos of this and Anthony! I love the fact that in certain situations FM synth becomes astable and unpredictable by its very nature (the whale sound part)... it's fascinating!
Love to watch stefans emotions when he listens to somebody else explaining functions of his instrument. You did a great job in moderate and keep his lovely wickedness and nerdiness within a boundary that normal people can follow. Truly a genius mind.
It’s mind blowing how you can take only two operators (along with additional elements) and create such complex sounds, compared to early 6 and 4 op synths. FM has really come a long way in 40+ years.
Rarely have I had such an instant connection with an instrument like I had with the C15. It reminded me of a really good early 50s Steinway L I once owned in that it actually plays you back as you play it. Hard to explain but it’s like playing a fine acoustic instrument. It truly is a player’s instrument and I’m proud to be an enthusiastic endorser.
Thank you guys for this! As someone messing around with really simple FM synthesis for simple effects, so many of the ideas in here opened up a lot of way higher level sound design techniques using FM. Using phase to adjust timbre, comb filtering with delays, feedback loops etc. all awesome, and incredibly helpful and inspiring
Anthony never lets anything go unexplained in the simplest of terms which is obviously impressing the designers because they take it for granted that everyone understands it and can see that simplified explanation is a huge deal to get people excited about the c15 obviously. Less is more ! People don’t learn things when they feel overwhelmed something daw designers could learn a lot from 👽
Awesome way to introduce FM Synthesis. Explain, play show and nerd into it. Awesome that you brought Stephen and Manny with you! Please make more content with them (and also with the guy who played the examples!). You opened so much for me with your MJ Series and now I am so sad that I missed you in Berlin. Thank you.
Re: your comment about guitar distortion, it’s not just analogue, it’s also _mechanical_ feedback that causes the “distortion”! The mathematical magic of Karplus-Strong is in being able to model/mimic those mechanical feedback mechanisms that we hear all the time and inform how we perceive what we hear. Like FM, the basic maths of physical modelling are (relatively speaking) pretty straightforward. It’s the _interactions_ of the signal with feedback where the complexity comes from (like what you and Dr Fernandez were talking about with the phase modulations). Here’s the same idea: Play a D minor chord. Now put a Bb under it. Now you don’t have a D minor, but a Bb major 7th. That’s the interaction of tones that has changed your perception of the sound!
This synth is a real handcrafted instrument from the xxi century. Beautifully showing the mindset and craftsmanship of the devoted persons who brought it to life. Like in the Times of the old Guarneri or Stradivari violins or the great Angster organs, or the beautiful Flamenco guitar builder traditions from Antonio Torres... The same heart, knowledge & devotion...
I still have my old DX7 and I have a V-Synth, which can be very expressive. This machine reminds me of both, it is just brillant! Intellectually rewarding and it seems fun to play
Speaking as a visual learner. Something to keep in mind for future demos and educational videos like this, would be an oscilloscope overlay in the corner to show what the waveforms look like!
Love this! I’m using a 1985 DX7 with Patchbase. FM is so interesting - an American gent by the name of John Chowning invented it and he was turned down by many American instrument manufacturers when he tried to offer the tech… It took the forward thinking Japanese company Yamaha to get it off the ground and it eventually lead to the Yamaha DX7 which was a ground breaking instrument in eighties music! Neat to see two parts of the world work together to make music history.
Also just getting into fm after nearly 40 years with a tx802 and a tx81z. Loving the expressiveness and combined with modern fx still sounds fresh and current to my ears. Was in Berlin a few months back and took the opportunity to try an osmose OB8x and the C15.... Osmose was super interesting but the C15 blew me away... superb weighty build quailty and so nice to play... not quite in my budget but a dream synth to aspire to own for sure. Thanks for making these!
Very interesting. The concept is very close to the Synclavier REGEN. i own a REGEN, but being more a producer/sound designer than a good keyboardist/musician, as much as i love this sound design concept with REGEN (and the C15 this last one being inspired by the original synbclavier concept aswell), i recon i would feel ridiculous with such a nice kb instrument. Cant wait to see whaty people do playinmg with these in real musical creations...
Great video, as usual. This is a BEAUTIFUL instrument. I say that, having watched as many demo videos as I could find. It really does go into that territory of "almost needing to be classified as it's own particular type of keyboard instrument". If I had good and proper keyboard chops I would definitely buy one.
Fabulous vid! The DX7 came out in my early synth playing days, when I was around 16. I couldn't dream of affording one at the time, but read every article, every tutorial- and there were many. Was able to work with FM later on and thankfully was able to navigate thanks to all of the fantastic info published during those earlier years.
Thanks for the video!! This is by far the best eye into this instrument that I have ever seen!! I could see a version of Anthony & Friends doing your own version of Automatic Gainsay. A
Imagine what Vangelis could've done with this synth. Remarkable. Are you getting one of these Anthony? Would love to hear what kind of patches you're able to craft with this beauty.
I found out about this synth from watching Synth Sumurai this afternoon and WOW!!! First impressions = LOVE!! Then I watched this and can't help thinking where I'm gonna put one!!! As always Thank You for your Top of the Line videos!!!
@@dankeplaceYeah, it’s not the most well known bit of kit, but it was featured at their rollout on Sonic State at a NAMM show quite a while ago. I was intrigued by it but there’s so much competitive gear coming out that makes it hard to pull the trigger on one. I ended up getting a 3rd Wave first simply because I was more a fan of the bands who used PPG stuff than FM instruments.
Watching this demo of the C15, a revelation is hitting my head that probably has hit many others over the last 40 years. The DX7 would have been a different form of success if a model with per-function selectors like the C15 had preceded it on the instrument market.
This instrument is extremely powerful following two requirements. Build harmonically complex and dynamic waveforms, do it in a human acceptable way to allow further enhancements step by step. IMHO a wonderful solution. I played that thing in a fair near my home in Turin, Italy, years ago and it was a wonderful experience. Stephan told me that original development started with software simulation (Reaktor maybe?). So my question to Nonlinear Labs is: why not making a full software implementation? It would be chaper and more open to all musicians worldwide...
I wish I could afford a C15. I love my TX7 and FM8 is a decent compromise 😂 but it would be very fun to use a synth, focused on literal playing. As a guitarist who moved into synths 15 years ago, there is a real appeal to this instrument.
Awesome innonative engine! ❤ - I'm so glad they call it PM for Phase Modulation just like the DX7 ... (Yamaha's FM was in fact PM since actual frequency modulation - vibration - makes the instrument out of tune whereas PM does not)
I've found these to be interesting, since I first heard about them a couple years ago. I don't see many videos, that have people using them, though. They sound great. I would be interested in watching someone produce a song, using one.
The C15 is a very interesting instrument that's around for some time. However, the lion's share is not its 2-OP FM engine, but rather the physical modeling section and the spontaneous access. With some effort, other synthesizers would perhaps achieve similar results. Karplus & Strong synthesis (comb filtering) & resonators are not that seldom like one might think. The question, however, is if it sounds that good and if the effort is worth it, especially since the C15 primarily invites to perform.
