Like the DX7, FM7 is a six‑'operator' synth (you can compare an operator to an oscillator, in analogue terms). And if you're an inveterate DX Preset collector, thousands are downloadable from the Net.

Custom sound design shouldn't be a problem with this software synth, but Native have provided a decent collection of factory voices: 256 that really show off what FM7 can do, 128 inherited from the DX7 and its ROM cards, and 32 from the DX200. The manual is rather woolly here, but you can use FM7 multitimbrally with a sequencer - more on this later.įM7 is compatible with the DX7, and can load patches created for this and nearly every other Yamaha FM instrument, including the recent DX200. However, the multitimbrality situation is different.

Multitimbrality, key‑splitting and layering weren't available with the original DX7, and the FM7 stays true to two of these - it lacks layering and key‑splitting, although some standard DX7 'key‑scaling' tricks allow operator stacks to be spread across the keyboard for a fair key‑split simulation.

However, NI have made many enhancements to their FM implementation, including simple effects.įM7 offers polyphony of up to 99 notes, though high polyphony values increase CPU overhead. The chocolate‑brown colour scheme, the green buttons, and even the logo will be familiar to DX7 owners. Yamaha's 1983 DX7, the mass‑market flagship for the DX range, is the starting point for FM7. The software comes on a dual‑format CD‑ROM, with a paper manual, and was straightforward to install on our Mac. On the Mac, Sound Manager, ASIO, VST, MAS and DirectConnect compatibility are provided, and on the PC, FM7 works with software that conforms to the VST, DXi and MME standards. The BasicsįM7 is available for Mac and PC, and functions as a stand‑alone instrument or plug‑in. Now it's back with a vengeance, better sounding and easier to use than ever before, in the form of the Native Instruments FM7 software synth. Following its gigantic Yamaha‑led popularity of the 1980s, Frequency Modulation synthesis fell out of favour in the '90s. It happened with analogue, and for the past couple of years it's been happening with FM. When something in synthesis is good, even if it goes out of fashion you can be sure it'll be back. So how does FM7 measure up to the original DX? Virtual analogue plug‑in synths are now common, and as DX‑style FM was the next great leap forward for real synths, a virtual FM synth was only a matter of time. The green buttons select different editing pages. The keyboard and/or central section can be 'folded' if desired. FM7's main screen, showing the Library window for loading and choosing Presets.

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