Learn How FM8 Ratios Affect The Pitch Of Your Sound

Learn how changing various decimal points in the FM8 ratios affect the pitch of your sound and what it means musically.

In Part 1 of this mini series in understanding the FM8 ratios and how they affect your sound in a musical sense (trying to stay away from the math behind it) I went over how to move octaves and fifths while staying in a western scalar tuning. Where concert A is 440 Hz.

In this tutorial, I walk through what various decimal points in the FM8 ratios do while having a tuner open so you can see how to apply the numbers to your music.

Tricky ratios

One thing I’ve noticed is that the FM8 ratios can be tricky when it comes to tuning. For instance, doubling a ratio raises your pitch an octave.

But if you get too high or too low the sound isn’t in perfect tune.

The same thing occurs when you start moving out decimal places.

Also, there is no apparent rhyme or reason, unless you really get into the math of it, how each decimal point effects the pitch of the sound.

The FM8 ratios don’t move chromatically at all with just one decimal point being changed up or down. This is unlike most synths (like Massive for instance).

The thing to take away from this is to maybe check and see with a tuner if your ratio settings are in fact in tune.

Lastly, I show you how to use the Offset feature in the ratios tab and how it can be useful in a production setting.

It’s a great way to add some detune or unison to your sound. It’s especially useful for leads and pads.

Cheers,

Echo Sound Works