Norrin_Radd
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Surrey, BC Canada

Welcome to the Summer of FM - What is Frequency Modulation?:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1nSnnzGBUw

Summer Of FM official blog (links to popular music featuring FM): https://summeroffm.blogspot.ca/

Norrin_Radd's Composition Methods - Treasure Buster 01: https://youtu.be/4gtI6yzXTqc

Norrin_Radd's Composition Methods - Treasure Buster 02: https://youtu.be/OUX-C8laPrA

Hello Chip-a-maniacs! So, I've got a new soundtrack coming out called before the end of summer for a game called "Treasure Buster". This project was an exclusively FM based project that used the Sega Genesis YM2612 chip and the Arcade YM2151 chip. So I have this excuse, this perfect excuse, to talk out about FM and basic FM appreciation. Along with breaking down the composition methods used for this soundtrack, I basically just plan to nerd out with FM love for the next two months, and I'll keep all the updates in this thread, and on the above blog.

I'll post the breakdown videos in this thread as I create them, but future FM popular music tracks will be relegated to the Summer of FM blog. Check it out!

Last edited by Norrin_Radd (Aug 4, 2016 10:18 pm)

yogi
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Jelly Stone park, MD USA

Yea! Nice tut, spread the word for FM smile Will be looking forward to your next one.
Comes at the perfect time, with this HW project moving along- http://midibox.org/forums/topic/19678-m … ent=171357
The first release is a VGM player demo and Sauraen has plans to support most of the midi assignments of the GenMDM (which FMDrive can also output) in the next app. Good times!
Yogi

Norrin_Radd
Offline
Surrey, BC Canada

Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone (1986): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siwpn14IE7E

One of my favourite things about going back over all the obvious 80s megahits is when you realize just how much FM is being used, or how much of a song is anchored on a fairly simple FM sound. FM basses, in particular, are all over the place in 80s popular music. None more blatant and true then Danger Zone. This was the most rented movie of all time for a while. Maybe still. I can't remember where I read that statistic. But just think of how many people heard this song, and this bass, while looking at Tom Cruise. It's weird... It's awesome.

This FM Bass sound might as well just be a Sega Genesis preset. It's not a rare or hard to create sound at all either, which kind of showcases how much power there is behind FM. The glorious presence of a warm metallic punch.


yogi wrote:

Yea! Nice tut, spread the word for FM smile Will be looking forward to your next one.
Comes at the perfect time, with this HW project moving along- http://midibox.org/forums/topic/19678-m … ent=171357
The first release is a VGM player demo and Sauraen has plans to support most of the midi assignments of the GenMDM (which FMDrive can also output) in the next app. Good times!
Yogi

Whoa, wait. What is this thing? Is he building a synth, or a VGM player?

yogi
Offline
Jelly Stone park, MD USA
Norrin_Radd wrote:

Kenny Loggins - Danger Zone (1986): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siwpn14IE7E

One of my favourite things about going back over all the obvious 80s megahits is when you realize just how much FM is being used, or how much of a song is anchored on a fairly simple FM sound. FM basses, in particular, are all over the place in 80s popular music. None more blatant and true then Danger Zone. This was the most rented movie of all time for a while. Maybe still. I can't remember where I read that statistic. But just think of how many people heard this song, and this bass, while looking at Tom Cruise. It's weird... It's awesome.

This FM Bass sound might as well just be a Sega Genesis preset. It's not a rare or hard to create sound at all either, which kind of showcases how much power there is behind FM. The glorious presence of a warm metallic punch.

Yea it's really amazing how much the DX synths were the sound of the '80s and '90s. In some ways it was overused, or rather the stock patches were; very few had the knowledge/skills to program patches themselves. I feel like that lead to FM falling out of fashion ( well wavetable synths came along also).

Whoa, wait. What is this thing? Is he building a synth, or a VGM player?

Mainly it's a YM/PSG module(s) that is controlled by an STM32F4 core and the Midibox OS. Sauraen's main goal is a full synth but the first app release is a VGM player http://wiki.midibox.org/doku.php?id=midibox_vgmplayer
ATM he is working on the midi and then plans to implement the CS. Direct reg control from the front panel smile 
    Almost got my build up and running, really looking forward to the VGM app. When the midi app is released just a simple FW upload. But really, the VGM player is useful with DefleMask or VGMMusicMaker right now.
Yogi

SketchMan3
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NC in the US of America
Norrin_Radd wrote:

The glorious presence of a warm metallic punch.

freezedream
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Adelaide, Australia

Hey Norrin_Radd! Nice video! Looking forward to hearing your new music! I love YM2612 FM and am soon releasing a new EP recorded from the real hardware (it sounds so nice and noisy and organic wink).

My friend and I are also developing a live performance tool that will ultimately let you use grid controllers and knobs to play dynamic live music on the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive without the need to bring your laptop. See: http://chipmusic.org/forums/topic/18144 … e-genesis/

With all the new hardware and software tools becoming available now it's a really great time to get into exploring and experimenting with FM synthesis! big_smile

Norrin_Radd
Offline
Surrey, BC Canada

The Summer of FM continues!

Taylor Dayne - Don't Rush Me (1987): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rPOg6VnzV8

At first Taylor's vocals really turned me off. But it wasn't until my wife commented on how unique and unusual they were that I realized, wait, you're right, and now I love these vocals. Who else sings like this?! But what we all came for is the FM. This track has an incredibly expressive and sharp metallic slap bass driving the entire thing. Under those brash but unique diva vocals is an FM bedrock that can not be shaken.

Bonus: Sandy Lam - Say No More (Cantonese non-FM version 1988): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8olvsVGGZlc

The Cantonese version by comparison is not using FM bass, but probably a rompler synth sample of some kind. Still a great track, and fun to compare. Cantonese is a pretty sounding language. It's just neat to hear them side by side.



freezedream wrote:

Hey Norrin_Radd! Nice video! Looking forward to hearing your new music! I love YM2612 FM and am soon releasing a new EP recorded from the real hardware (it sounds so nice and noisy and organic wink).

My friend and I are also developing a live performance tool that will ultimately let you use grid controllers and knobs to play dynamic live music on the Sega Genesis / Mega Drive without the need to bring your laptop. See: http://chipmusic.org/forums/topic/18144 … e-genesis/

With all the new hardware and software tools becoming available now it's a really great time to get into exploring and experimenting with FM synthesis! big_smile

I gave the video a watch, with pretty much wide eyed amazement. I am absolutely hopeless when it comes to hardware, as I learned just now by reading over the specs with glossy eyes. I basically only really know the sounds themselves and how I would want to use them, but creating and co-opting them from hardware is absolutely beyond me. I have no idea how this is possible, haha. It feels like you guys are hacking the Matrix, but it clearly seems cool as hell! I really look forward to seeing where this goes! My hot goes off to you.

marcb0t
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Hmmmm... Taylor Dayne looks like a young version of River Song from Dr. Who. tongue

marcb0t
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Double post... my byaaad! smile

Last edited by marcb0t (Jun 26, 2016 12:53 am)

Norrin_Radd
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Surrey, BC Canada

The Jacksons - Torture (1984): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxSfQeCoFUM

We keep rolling on with a fairly obscure single by The Jacksons. I had never seen the music video for this one before, and man, it's weird. Not even their weirdest, either, haha. Perfect era for 80s special effects though.

But the reason we are here is the presence of FM Bass for the entire track. There is something about FM Bass at that time that really adds to the unforgiving coldness of some of these weird artistic videos. It just felt high tech and other wordy at the same time. Especially when all this deranged dreamy stuff is happening in the video, and no one seems weirded out by it. They almost seem to be celebrating the weirdness and encouraging it in their peripheral.

That concept is distilled in FM Bass, for me.



marcb0t wrote:

Double post... my byaaad! smile

It happens tongue

Warez Waldo
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Planet Zaxxon

DID SOMEBODY SAY FM ????!?!??!?!  smile smile smile

garvalf
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France

But what we all came for is the FM. This track has an incredibly expressive and sharp metallic slap bass driving the entire thing.

so do you think the bass we see in the video clip is a fake bass, or a bass driving a midi synth adapter?

Norrin_Radd
Offline
Surrey, BC Canada

Great question! The bass in the video is toooooootally fake. Just for show. But in live concerts these groups would usually actually have a live bass, rather than a synth bass, because the synth player in the band, if there was one, was usually busy playing keys, pads and chords on at most, two individual keyboards. Switching patches and stuff was not as easy back then, so they had to really keep the changes to a minimum, or to the most iconic sounds.

Usually a recording was done with a lot of extra players brought in, including a dude who might just shred an FM bass line on one track, then peace out. But they couldn't take all those people with them on tour because it would be way too many people to afford. So the core members would be the main people for any live performance, or music video.

One fun thing I love to do is to go on to the Discogs website, and see who all these mysterious synth players were, then go to their page and see what other albums they worked on. Usually, you find a ton of gold. smile

Last edited by Norrin_Radd (Jun 29, 2016 10:34 am)

SketchMan3
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NC in the US of America

This is very interesting thread. Thanks for making it big_smile That torture thing is wild, lol. Didn't even know the Jacksons were still doing stuff at that time...

*trying to bump some other threads to the top of the list that are of higher caliber than those that currently hold that position... *

Norrin_Radd
Offline
Surrey, BC Canada

Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up (1987): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ

I know this song became internet famous as the butt of a joke, but can we even deny how unironically awesome this song is? And how far ahead of it's time it was? This was 1987. That always seems early to me when I hear how thick and full this track is.

The entire thing held together by an FM Bass foundation that refuses to quit. Take your eyes of those dance moves and have a listen to just the bass in the song, and notice that it is intricate, and melodic, and follows the bouncy beat of the song perfectly. The producers really new how to slot that bass in with the kick drum. It just sounds so thick!

This track also features some lush FM E.Piano sounds rocking some nice glassy chords. They usually bury these with other instruments, but not in this track. Front and center!

This track is 50% Rick Astley singing and putting on a dance moves clinic, and 50% FM. Behold the power of frequency modulation!


SketchMan3 wrote:

This is very interesting thread. Thanks for making it big_smile That torture thing is wild, lol. Didn't even know the Jacksons were still doing stuff at that time...

*trying to bump some other threads to the top of the list that are of higher caliber than those that currently hold that position... *

Thanks SketchMan!  High caliber threads or bust!

And yes, The Jacksons caught me off guard with that too. I just assumed they were all kids when they were in the Jacksons\Jackson 5. The crazy thing is, all of them went on to have pretty robust solo careers as well, albeit not as robust as Michael's. It's a ton of Jackson content to go through, haha. And man, they loved their FM in the 80s. I am sure we'll see them again in this thread.

Norrin_Radd
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Surrey, BC Canada

Norrin_Radd's Composition Methods - Treasure Buster 01: https://youtu.be/4gtI6yzXTqc

Kicking this actual series off! Here is the first video where I actually break down the music of this project and how it was created. The entire track is entirely 4OP Sega Genesis FM!

I go over some of the song writing process, but mostly I discuss project wide concepts and protocols I had to come up with to give the whole soundtrack a contextual sound. How to make it all sound like it belonged to the same game.

Watch, as I struggle to explain my creative process on the fly.