Product: Native Instruments FM8
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted
02/20/2008
at
02:10am
by
Bobby Fischer is alive and living in Hoboken
Reviewer Background
:
I have a Motif ES8 and a computer. I have spent the last four years composing on the Motif because I was frustrated with the state of technology (computer processing power lagging behind musical software advancements). Things have changed now and my Duo Core PC is more than capable of running any plugins I can throw at it.
Lately I have been running Ableton Live 7.02. I'm actually having fun. Never thought I would say that about a Windows machine. So I'm using FM8, Minimonsta, Imposcar, Lounge Lizard, Massive, B4 II, etc in Live 7. Everything works. Waiting for the machine to blow up.
Motif is starting to sound really stale next to all these software synths
Ease of Use
:
10
It's an honor to be the 1st to review the FM8. It is by far and wide one of the most extraordinary breakthroughs in the history of sound design. It is as good as any synth I have ever heard, and I have heard many of them.
FM8's interface is the cleanest out there. NI's design team is second to none when it comes to usability. Very easy to navigate and understand. Presets are dead simple to call up. Steeper curve for a rookie, but well worth the time. Manual is readable.
Sounds/Sound Quality
:
10
This is why I wrote the review. It's the least I could do for NI. FM8 sounds A M A Z I N G. If you are just learning about synths, and you're feeling out Moogs, Prophets, CV's, Arps, etc, and you're blown away by what kind of sounds you can make with them, wait til you get a load of FM synthesis. There are no boundaries. FM8 makes the Minimoog look and sound like a toy. No joke. Don't believe me? Listen to the Fm8 preset "Baby Got Beef" on a good sound system. If you have a sub, make sure the gain is down. Listen to how FAT the sound is. Fat = layered and harmonically rich and unique. Play a slow r&b bass line, or a fast 16th octave bass line. You're creative juices will flood your brain. You won't be able to stop playing. Then pop open the OPS section to view the operators . There are 4 at work here: two sines, a sawtooth and a square. And there more that aren't even being used. Try that with your MiniMoog. Not even in the same league. The FM8 will blow the Minimoog out of the water in terms of sonic fatness, richness, and character. Oh and versatility. Geez. Unbelievable palette of diverse sounds.
Overall Rating
:
10
Priceless synth. NI could have charged $1,400 for it and it still would have been a bargain. There is not a hardware synth out there which sounds like the FM8. It is in a class of its own. You absolutely can not go wrong. You could make 20 albums with this plugin and none of them would sound the same.
