Ambient Pad Development in FM8

In this tutorial, our own FM8 ninja, Jonny Strinati, shows us how to develop an Ambient FM8 Pad!

In this original tutorial, Jonny Strinati walks us through creating an Ambient FM8 Pad! This extremely versatile sound requires no outside automation. The entire sound is generated completely in FM8!

Start the Ambient FM8 Pad by setting up the operators. Enable Opeartors B through F and route them to modulate Operator Z. In the Ops menu, set Op B’s ratio to 1.5 and it’s waveform to Soft Tristate. Op C should be given a ratio of 1.4993 and a TX Wave 8 waveform. For Op D, give it a ratio of 2.9996 with a 3rd Formant waveform. Operator E should be assigned a ratio of 2.5018 with a Sawtooth waveform. Lastly, Operator F should be assigned a ratio of 0.5 and a Square waveform.

In the FM Matrix, Operators B through F routed through Operator Z (the Filter) and Operator Z routed to the Synth Output. At this point, set Operator B to modulate both Operators C and D. Set the amount for Operator C to around 16, and the amount for Operator D at around 25. Operator F should also be set to modulate Operator B at a level of about 71.

With the Operators all setup, we can move on to setup the Envelopes of our Ambient FM8 Pad. Under the Envelopes menu, link Operators C and D and modify their envelope to present a slightly delayed attack. Operators E and F should also be linked. Op E and F’s envelope should have a sharp attack, with a little bit of sustain and release.

In the master section, increase the number of Voices to 4. You may also want to increase the intensity of the Pan and Detune parameters. Under the quality section, drag both the Analog and Digital sliders to around half way.

From here you will want to tweak the sound to fit your need. In this video, Jonny adds additional modulation, effects, and makes some changes to the the Filter. This is a versatile Ambient FM8 Pad that can be suited to fit many different needs. Take a little time to explore the sound, and see how you can manipulate it to find the most fitting sound for your project.