Lessons
Course Introduction
04:57 2The FM Concept
09:50 3Operator Fundamentals
10:16 4FM Pro Tips
11:14 5Classic Subtractive Techniques
08:15 6FM Monophonic Bass
11:32 7FM Polyphonic Leads
18:49 8Drum and Percussion Overview
11:26Lesson Info
Operator Fundamentals
All right, So now that we're back, we've got a nice little basic understanding of how we can combine sine waves together at different tunings and different volumes. Teoh evoke more complex wave forms. But let's talk a little bit more about an operator like lower case. Oh, not the operator device. A zits just named that way because in true FM synthesis, these are not just oscillators their operators. They can create an evoque all source of results based on a few simple fax. So this is a little bit more about the concepts of FM synthesis, but in the ways that I want you to understand it in order to really wield this sword and know exactly what each button is gonna do, we gotta dig into how these oscillators differ from those of a classic subtracted synthesizer like a moelgg or even ah, um digital synthesizer. Like the able to analog, for instance, that is also purely subtracted. What makes an oscillator on operator? There's about three primary concepts. Aside from the algorithm you remem...
ber from our previous video, we talked about how the algorithm allows us to write a route these oscillators into each other. Therefore evoking a carrier and modulator relationship again. Modulator being the vibration generator. Whereas the carrier is actually the oscillator, you can hear beyond that. We want to really understand what else is special about these operators as they are. The first thing is that they use course tuning. I'm around when we were looking at, I'm gonna fold up this spectrum really quick and then full open it back up just to wipe out the shadow. Remember how we were looking at a saw wave? And it gives us an integer order. Harmonic. If I go to a sine wave that's looking note, it lands right in that first pocket, right, cause that's the note we're playing. That's the middle C. If I turn my course tuning up one, it goes to the next peak So the next peak for next You can keep on going all the way up to Let's see this thing goes up to the 48th overtone. Um, but each of those is an integer ordered harmonic, the same exact harmonics that are evoked by a saw wave. What's special about that? Because I'm gonna tell you. You look at these peaks, I would actually move over a little so you can see our frequency selection. This is 132 hurts. This is 264 hurts. That's a 2 to 1 ratio, which is, in other words, musically speaking on the active at another 132 hurts here for 396. So this is a to 2 ratio, which is the ratio of a perfect fifth in Western music or in all music. Actually, the next number up is a 4 to 3 ratio, meaning a perfect fourth. The next is a 5 to 4 ratio, meaning a major third and so on. Once we get to the eighth, we're out of notes in the major Western constant scale, so things get a little more hairy. You can recognize that all the way up that course tuning number, which is the very first thing that makes an oscillator an operator. In other words, on FM oscillator, it has to have this what's called exponential tuning meaning. Instead of turning this up and down semi tones like you would on a subtracted synthesizer, you've all probably seen unlike, for instance, the Mableton analog. When you adjust your semi tones here, you have up or down. Or maybe you even have octaves, which is doubling or half ing kind of a multiplier here. But these were really just adding right. The case of the operator were always multiplying by the fundamental pitch. So if I play a 4 40 I kick this, up to 10 were playing 4.4 K So that's just a little bit. That's the first variable in the kind of combination of factors that make FM synthesis possible. In order to keep our tuning constant all the way up and down across the keyboard, we have to be multiplying the pitch of our modulators, especially otherwise, the Tambor will change as we play across the keyboard. That's the first thing course tuning. The next thing is that each of our operators have their own discreet envelope. This is very important. The reason why this is important is because in the case of modulators, they're not audible. They're only shaking up the carrier, and you don't miss necessarily want shaking up to be happening all the time. You maybe want a slow attack on that modulation or How about a pluck? Let's modulate and add those overtones. But just for a little bit. And then have it resumed, becoming a sine wave after maybe four seconds? So this is a really cool way to get new Tambor's and new overtones. Let's try this. Nice, huh? So discreet envelopes. That's the second factor that makes an oscillator operator. You don't get discreet envelopes with, um subtracted synthesis. Now, this is an amplitude envelope. So you want to see it as a visual for what's really turning this volume knob up and down with this pluck this now is getting turned up and then down really quickly are inversely slowly turning up for a while. You could just type right into these data fields if you want to get really strategic. And another really cool thing about this is if you have an envelope you like, you go to another operator and you can right click and copy the envelope or the entire wave form with the envelope as well. You uh, so now with this one, I'll make like a pluck. You notice I don't even get to hear the clock because it's modulating something that's turned way down. Nice, huh? So we're only using two of the three functions that make an oscillator an operator once we get into the final function. That's maybe the most important, especially for drums and percussive sounds, is that each of our own operators have their own discreet velocity sensitivity, velocity, sensitivity to volumes, a critical thing that makes oscillators become operators and therefore be able to evoke FM synthesis sounds. I'm gonna take this. I'm gonna make it go fast. I'm gonna take its velocity sensitivity and in turn it way up. No Judaism. Just gonna pluck a couple of notes. That really low velocity. No. I'm gonna increase my velocity. You can see how that works. If I punch this in and do this makes 1/4 Teoh much kick this down in October 2. So now I can use velocity to effect not only classically volume like I would, maybe in the case of a sub tract of instrument, that's actually not very interesting. Let's go ahead and keep velocity to volume for the carrier off as a rule of creative thumb tip and only use velocity to effect modulation deaths. You could even do fun things like run your modulators in parallel and have one very sensitive to velocity and then have another one with maybe, like a different tuning. Very not sensitive to velocity or very sensitive in reverse polarity way get totally different. Tambor's based on our velocity of our incoming, so to review first thing we need to do to make a synthesizer on FM centers, we need to take a couple of oscillators. We need to route them into each other, introducing a carrier modulator relationship. Next, we need to have these three variables. We need course tuning, which is like exponential tuning or multiplication of the fundamental pitch. Instead of semi tones up or down, we need discreet envelopes, and we need discreet velocity sensitivity with those three variables. In conjunction with Siri's routing of the signals we have ourselves on FM synthesizer, we're gonna take advantage of these techniques were going to be chopping this stuff up and making all different types of really cool sounds. An upcoming lessons. So thanks for taking the course on behalf of Slam Academy. Let's keep slamming
Ratings and Reviews
a Creativelive Student
People complain about Abletons "uninspiring" synth presets, and Operators businesslike interface doesn't scream "fun". It is however, an insanely fun and powerful instrument once you get your head around it. This class is perfectly formulated to turn anyone into an FM super-ninja in no time. It starts with the basics - perfectly explained, and delves deeper at a nice pace. I've been using Operator for years but still picked up a few tips in the later lessons. Taking this class will empower you to stop worrying about having the latest, greatest third party VST. Operator is a beastly synth. I rarely use any other synth because of the sheer sonic capability, and tight integration with Live.