quick review: FM7 for OSX

Hi folks,

Native Instruments' (NI) FM7 for OSX has been released. It's all set to go
with both VST and Audio Unit and many other plugin types - seems they have
every known plugin standard on both Mac and PC covered now.

This softsynth has the ability to emulate many Yamaha synthesizers and can
even read their sysex format. But it also has extended features, such as
resonant multimodal filters, elaborate looping envelopes, waveshaping, and
unlimited algorithm arrangements. It also can accept real-time external
audio as input to it's operators (oscillators), allowing for really bizarre
effects.

Tuning Features
---------------

It also has three forms of microtonal retuning.

First there is a bank of 12 note scales. They can be stretched and thus
don't need to be octave repeating. There is a graphical editor. Scales can
be saved in any slot in the bank. There are many scales you can not make
with this feature, but the most common and popular scales can easily be put
together here.

Next, there is full keyboard arbitrary retuning where any key can be set to
any frequency you like, allowing for just about anything like reverse
tunings or kalimba patches tuned like the keys on a kalimba are actually set
out (they don't just go bass to treble left to right). This full-keyboard
tuning feature uses the MIDI Manufacturer's Association official standard
for microtonality -- the MIDI Tuning Standard (MTS). The tuning resolution
is an astonishing 0.006 cents, better than just about any other standard.
MTS messages can be created with many different softwares, such as my own
Li'l Miss' Scale Oven on the Mac, and also with Scala on the PC, and also
Fractal Tune Smithy on the PC.

When you load in one of these scales, the name of the scale appears in the
tuning bank, confirming that it has been loaded. It stays in place when you
switch patches. Every separate instance of the FM7 you open up (such as as
an independent plugin) can be tuned to a separate and different scale, so
you have quite a bit of versatility here.

The third retuning protocol supported is single note tuning messages, also
part of the MIDI standard. This has the theoretical possibility to enable
one to play scales with infinite numbers of notes if one wants. I believe
that the FM7 is the only softsynth that supports this advanced capability.

All in all, the tuning capabilities of the FM7 far surpass those of any
other softsynths that have been as yet released. They also work quite well
and are easy to use.

Other features
--------------
All parameters on the FM7 can be assigned to MIDI controllers and automated,
so you have really a huge amount of sound control with this instrument.

There are many libraries on the internet with patches for old Yamaha
instruments, so right of the bat you have access to tens of thousands of
patches.

Cons
----
There are only two issues in which things aren't ideal. When running in
standalone mode, you are stuck with one instance, You can't open 8 instances
at once on different channels like you could with the OS 9 version. Also,
the instance that you get is in OMNI mode, receiving on all 16 midi
channels. You can't assign it to just one channel. These problems are not
relevant when running the FM7 as a plugin, just when in standalone mode. The
other thing that is slightly inconvenient is that, unlike the 12 note
scales, you can't save your full keyboard tunings with your sound banks. But
even with these restrictions, this synth still has the best microtuning
implementation that's out there.

Performance
-----------
I set the latency to 2ms on the driver and let me tell you this instrument
is sharp quick and responsive. The latency is actually much better and more
consistent on the softsynth than on the original Yamaha DX7II hardware.

The code is real efficient -- you can set the polyphony to 64 voices if you
want and slam down on the entire keyboard while holding sustain and it
doesn't even hit 25% of the CPU on a creaky year-old Mac. I can only imagine
what the cpu load is on a modern g5 -- probably it doesn't even register.
You can pretty much do unlimited polyphony with these things, enabling you
to do real-time rendering of massive 'wall of sound' sort of effects.

Summary
-------
Recommended. They retail for $299 but you can find them for a bit less than
that if you shop around, competitive with the price of an old Yamaha box on
ebay.

- Jeff