So a month or two ago I picked up what is perhaps not the most of exciting things but it was so cheap I couldn't really turn my nose at it... A paper weight to most, the Yamaha FB-01.

Some of you may remember my love for the DX-100 which is a nice compact 4 op FM Synth and I got the FB with the idea that it will be like a expander to my DX.

Now my TX-81Z you could program either from the front panel, via software editor OR using the DX-100. I sold the TX ages ago as I didn't like the sound as much compared to the 100 (too clean) and also it was wasting 1U space in my rack.

I thought re FB-01 Great, it's 8 part multi and half rack size so it can sit somewhere on a desktop or something oh and it's cheaper than the TX was.. You can't program it from it's front panel but you should be able to use the DX-100 to program it like the TX no? WROOONNGG
You can only use a software editor which for me sucks as I use a MPC as a sequencer and so to program it you need to un-plug and plug midi leads lame ness..

Any way boring stuff over, so how does it sound? Well still a lot better than the DX-100 (i.e. no way near as much aliasing and hiss) but surprisingly it's very good at drum sounds!
I've never really made drum sounds using FM synths but I really like it! So now instead of a synth I use it as a 8x part drum synth!
And for 25 quid, really... I can't moan! Even if you do have to use a computer for editing.

Here is a little example of what it sounds like;
http://soundcloud.com/martin_bell/slow-it-down

The claps are from a 808 and there is a small drum loop sampled from vinyl in the background but the rest is purely FB-01 with DX-100 doing the synth sound and Waldorf on bass

Nice. I do remember dabbling with an FB-01 twenty years ago almost, and being of the 'paperweight' brigade, but since then I've heard a few good demos of it. I have my TX81Z still and have recently got back into it - much easier to program than I remember from back in the 90s. I think FM seems to be having minor resurgence, but luckily not of the preset variety - most of the usual Yamaha suspects are dirt cheap at the moment, so it's a good time to be trying one I think.

One thing I like about the 81Z is the dual output. If you can do without the polyphony, layering is capable of decent results on these things.

Absolutely the TX is pretty cool and surprisingly easier to program than most people would think, it's not confusing and everything is laid out very well and logically which can't be said for many of those type of synths.
Allthough nothing beats the keyboard versions imo where everything is right in front of you and every function has it's own button (no scrolling through menus)

I was a bit disappointed I couldn't use the DX to program the FB and to make things even weirder it's not patch compatible with the DX's even though the voice architecture is practically the same!

My DX-100 can take sysex dumps/patches from almost all the 4 OP synths including the TX-81Z, patches which use the different waveforms it just ignores and sticks to sine so some will sound wildly different... Other than the FB of course, that's a wierdie lol
Still for 25 quid and if you don't mind using a software editor... Can't really complain
the TX-81Z would be the next step up.

Layering can achieve some very surprising sounds, especially when you detune them.
Get a pad/string sound layer it with the same sound but apply LFO pitch modulation to only one of the layers... Sounds close to a solina string machine

I recently grabbed a TX7, which also needs editing via software, as I don't currently have a DX to hook it to - it's less fearful than I imagined, though I do agree it is better to have a few buttons and a data slider. I think the real key to programming these things is not simply the interface though (for example the TX81Z's up/down, yes/no method with 90 parameters per patch) but the rather obvious aspect of knowing FM and how Yamaha's system is put together. Most of the modules have such basic interfaces, using software programmers doesn't feel like much of a burden... I never found FM to be something I could just poke at and hope for results.

Quote nathanscribe:

---

I never found FM to be something I could just poke at and hope for results.

---

I think you hit the nail on the head there! Which I think also explains up to a point their current price point.

The DX-100 was my first ever synthesiser, I knew it was FM but I didn't know what FM meant or did.. I still didn't even know the structure of an analogue stlyle synth or what an oscillator does. So first few months were just stabs in the dark hoping for results and indded it sounded horrible until I slowly learned what all the bits did then later knowing all the stuff I know now and can put in practice.
Where's on a analogue style synth you can just poke about and come up with great results a lot of the time

Quote vinyl_junkie:

---

Here is a little example of what it sounds like;
http://soundcloud.com/martin_bell/slow-it-down

The claps are from a 808 and there is a small drum loop sampled from vinyl in the background but the rest is purely FB-01 with DX-100 doing the synth sound and Waldorf on bass

---

Nice!

It's got that machine feel, but with some cybernetic attitude


Martin

--------------------
YewTreeMagic

Thanks Martin

Quote vinyl_junkie:

---

Here is a little example of what it sounds like;
http://soundcloud.com/martin_bell/slow-it-down

The claps are from a 808 and there is a small drum loop sampled from vinyl in the background but the rest is purely FB-01 with DX-100 doing the synth sound and Waldorf on bass

---

Any chance you would be kind enough to share a sysex dump with us all?
My FB01 is currently sitting in the garage gathering dust, and as my boss (dear wife) wont let me buy more gear at the moment it would be very appreciated