Is Operator worth it or is FM8 as good?

[radib]

ewistrand/stjohn: tbh i think you are exceptions. but nevermind, everyone on his own.

[ewistrand]

How? You said everybody, did you not?

ew

[Homebelly]

ewistrand/stjohn: tbh i think you are exceptions. but nevermind, everyone on his own.

I'm with Ewe on this.
I know a few people using FM7/8, all of them are passed just using the presets and all of them are using the expert view. A few of them are tweakers in there and don't really know what they are doing other than what their ear tells them is cool.
Others are right up on top of what they are doing and program every thing and are fully into exploring what FM can produce.

I'm not saying these people are the majority.
But then again, i think you'll be surprised at how many users are going further than you allude to in your original statement.

As a kind of extreme example, i know of one user that ran the crack of FM7 for years.
Not because he has any special kind of affinity for FM/PM synthesis, more just because he already knew about the DX7 and so it was a logical choice to make. A couple of years back he bought a Mac and then bought FM8.
Now he is some thing of an accomplished Programmer.
He couldn't tell you how a sound is working, but ask him to write a bass patch or some evolving atmosphere and he'll crack the expert view open and have it up and running in no time.

[leedsquietman]

I have both. I basically agree pretty much with what everyone else said - for immediate access to sounds, the browser in NI instruments including FM8 it's easy to call up some great presets and tweak from there.

I have got deep into FM8, but I definately find Operator easier and more accessible for programming personally. The new features in Live 8 Operator are sweet too, that has been one of the major highlights of beta testing so far.

I bought FM8 before I got the Suite, I probably wouldn't have bought it afterwards as there is a fair amount of duplication possible and if you want some good operator presets there are some around from the likes of puremagnetik, covert operators and track team audio etc.

[jonny72]

I was thinking of upgrading to Live 7 (I'm on 5) and saw the prices.
I was thinking of just getting Live 7 and no instruments as I already have NI's
FM8. Is it basically same as Operator or is it worth to buy Live with the Operator?

..or is there even better synths than this (VST/AU?)

How much more does the upgrade to Live 8 Suite cost?

Unless money is really tight, I've never seen the point of buying a single instrument when you can get Suite for an extra 100€ (on top of the price of single instrument).

[deva]

FM8 you can control any parameters (almost) in session view because it has midi learn built in. Big Plus for FM8

Another thing I like with FM8 is the amazing morph pad. Add in the random cloud controls and this is so powerful.

Drag any 4 presets to the 4 quadrants, then play and morph in realtime.

[j2j]

[sure you have advanced mode and all the obvious hit, but who´s really using it? everyone just takes a preset and cuts something off, maybe changin the lfo rate and the osc volume.

Speak for yourself...

I do most of my own FM programming, but then again I've been doing it for over twenty years.

ew

+ 1


Radib lots of folk are making 100% their own sounds from an init patch. You can add me to that list of sound designers.... All it takes is practice, practice, practice....................



N e WaYze...

I loved FM7, didn't click with FM8, and I find the Ableton synths have trouble inspiring me...

So sue me...

I like a cool GUI... It helps me make sounds.


Everything being locked into Live, via Tension, Operator, Analog, Sampler, etc...

It gives me no contrast to work with. Eye boredom sets in, and I can't focus on music.

I know music is an audio thing, but... You are still looking at a computer monitor at days end.

Currently my fav GUI is Unique... It has lots of blinky things, and pretty colors...

[Homebelly]

I like a cool GUI... It helps me make sounds.


Everything being locked into Live, via Tension, Operator, Analog, Sampler, etc...

It gives me no contrast to work with. Eye boredom sets in, and I can't focus on music.

I know music is an audio thing, but... You are still looking at a computer monitor at days end.

Currently my fav GUI is Unique... It has lots of blinky things, and pretty colors...

This is interesting.
I used tho be like this until i started using live.
I find all of the bling of some synths that are trying to look like hard ware to be quite distracting. I love Lives over all flat and functional design.

On another point..
Right now operator is about the only softsynth i am using, and thats only because i don't have a hard ware FM synth to play with.
I might fix that in the next month or so if i can get the cash together for DX7-II-D.

[leedsquietman]

+1

you might want to get an SY77 or SY99 over a DX7IID. Ths SY77 and 99 or rack TG77 were awesome synths, FM plus AWM wavetable.

It was always the dream synth I would play forever in music shops but could never afford when I was a teenager, I ended up with a Kawai K1 instead (still a great little synth but totally PCM based with envelope shaping).

http://www.vintagesynth.com/yamaha/sy77.shtml

[Homebelly]

+1

you might want to get an SY77 or SY99 over a DX7IID. Ths SY77 and 99 or rack TG77 were awesome synths, FM plus AWM wavetable.

It was always the dream synth I would play forever in music shops but could never afford when I was a teenager, I ended up with a Kawai K1 instead (still a great little synth but totally PCM based with envelope shaping).

http://www.vintagesynth.com/yamaha/sy77.shtml

I know of a DX7 II that is up for sale in a pawn shop.
The guy selling has no idea and it is real cheap...
The only problem is, its right after the holidays and i don't get paid for another three weeks....

[leedsquietman]

well in that case, hope no-one gets wise to it and remind the seller how 'unfashionable' FM synths are, that only analog subtractives like Minimoogs and Prophet Vs have any resale value and that modern softsynths actually sound better than the hardware and you only want it for parts and to experiment circuit bending on

[Chang]

+1

you might want to get an SY77 or SY99 over a DX7IID. Ths SY77 and 99 or rack TG77 were awesome synths, FM plus AWM wavetable.

It was always the dream synth I would play forever in music shops but could never afford when I was a teenager, I ended up with a Kawai K1 instead (still a great little synth but totally PCM based with envelope shaping).

http://www.vintagesynth.com/yamaha/sy77.shtml

+ 1

I am a SY99 user. Well ahead of it time and much better than any DX7 for fact not opinion. The ability to switch operator paths and algorithms in so many ways makes it possible for all kinds of sounds beyond DX7. You say you dreamt of SY99, I always dreamt of owning a waldorf Wave, the full keyboard. But 10,000 dollars obviously made that impossible. Now of course the computer and granular and so on can equal the wave. But what a beautiful piece it was.

[Homebelly]

I am a SY99 user. Well ahead of it time and much better than any DX7 for fact not opinion.

I would love one.
I used to tinker with one at a mates place when i was living in London.
But they are rarer than ducks teeth... especially here in New Zealand.
So... the DX7 II might be the way to go...

[Chang]

I am a SY99 user. Well ahead of it time and much better than any DX7 for fact not opinion.

I would love one.
I used to tinker with one at a mates place when i was living in London.
But they are rarer than ducks teeth... especially here in New Zealand.
So... the DX7 II might be the way to go...

You said [this is interesting] to j2j about his post.

To me, your post is very interesting. FM is FM now with powerful computers. Do you feel that a DX7 would inspire you to make new sounds and song? Otherwise with all FM out there and you say you own operator and FM8 why do you need DX7? Is it a sound you are trying to make or just inspiration from looking at the synth? You sniff around and see DX7 at pawn shop cheep but maybe you'll find better sounds running what FM you already have in computer through a preamp. Maybe go to pawn shops and look for good preamps that people overlook. Always ad/da that people hear on synths. Good preamp takes good ad/da out of equation and makes all especially FM synths sound better.

[Homebelly]

I am a SY99 user. Well ahead of it time and much better than any DX7 for fact not opinion.

I would love one.
I used to tinker with one at a mates place when i was living in London.
But they are rarer than ducks teeth... especially here in New Zealand.
So... the DX7 II might be the way to go...

You said [this is interesting] to j2j about his post.

To me, your post is very interesting. FM is FM now with powerful computers. Do you feel that a DX7 would inspire you to make new sounds and song? Otherwise with all FM out there and you say you own operator and FM8 why do you need DX7? Is it a sound you are trying to make or just inspiration from looking at the synth? You sniff around and see DX7 at pawn shop cheep but maybe you'll find better sounds running what FM you already have in computer through a preamp. Maybe go to pawn shops and look for good preamps that people overlook. Always ad/da that people hear on synths. Good preamp takes good ad/da out of equation and makes all especially FM synths sound better.

Its mostly the idea of Hard ware..
I do find having some thing actually in front of me that isn't used for other stuff like trying to keep track of Face book.. emails and all and every other thing my computer is used for, is way more inspirational. I'm also growing past the unlimited potential of software based synths. I actually find that part quite limiting in a way In fact, just the last few months i have rediscovered my guitars and the ability to mangle them all to hell in side Live. To that end i would have loved to have seen some of the cool new wave shaping features that where added to operator added to sampler as well. On the synth front i absolutely love my alesis ion. Very straight forward 3 oscillator synth with two filters and three envelopes. It has some other minor bells and whistles, but i'm mostly into the simple aspect of it...
The DX is also a bit of a nostalgia trip. From a sonic stand point. Your right, computer based digital synthesis is hands down beyond hard ware...