How to Make a Basic Build Up FX with FM8

This simple sound design trick is perfect for creating synth and noise risers and other types of build up effects. You can apply it to just about any sound and have success. 

One of the nice about working with FM8 is the different ways you have to access your sound and interact with it. The envelope system, found throughout FM8, is highly flexible and very easy to work with. Consistent in functionality no matter what parameter it pertains to, it makes shaping your sounds incredibly easy. This one starts out with a basic Sawtooth wave loaded into Operator F, which feeds back into itself some to generate some grit in the sound. The release of this oscillators envelope is then extended a bit to make a less abrupt delivery.

Next, the Pitch Envelope attack parameter is stretched out over a long period of time, causing the sound to increase in pitch as it develops. The Envelope is then set to influence the Amplitude of FM8 at it’s maximum value. This changes everything. An additional Voice is added on the Master window and Detuning is increased to create more texture in the sound. The Psyche/Delay effect is added to spread the synth out and generate some echoes, and Reverb is introduced to let it all ring out and diminish more naturally.

A very easy to produce FX in FM8 and highly effective in a wide range of applications. If you have a request for a future tutorial, or have one of your own you wish to share with the rest of the community, just let us know by send a message through the website of our Facebook page. Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers,
OhmLab