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Welcome To FM8: How To Contact NATIVE INSTRUMENTS
Welcome To FM8: How To Contact NATIVE INSTRUMENTS
Thank you very much for installing FM8! This is the new incarnation of NATIVE
INSTRUMENTS outstanding FM7 that combined the famous FM synthesis technique
with a unparalleled ease of use. FM8 now brings this to the next level. Beside a lot of
improvements it features completely new functionality:
The Morph Square allows gradual transitions between different sounds.
The versatile Arpeggiator brings rhythmic structures into your sounds.
The new high-quality effects let you flexibly shape your sounds.
The Browser is your interface to an intuitive database containing all your sounds
for instant access. FM8 uses the KoreSound format and thus provides perfect
integration with NATIVE INSTRUMENTS KORE.
The sound library contains about 200 newly designed sounds featuring all functions
of the synthesizer. FM8 also comes with sounds of FM7, FM7 Sounds Vol. 1 and
FM7 Sounds Vol. 2, forming an immense variety of presets within your database.
For detailed information about using FM8 please refer to the products manual. You
might also want to check the README.TXT file placed in your FM8 installation folder
for a up to date infromation of the most recent changes.
Getting Started
Here we will provide you with some
first steps to get you up and running
with FM8. For more detailed information and examples please check
the FM8 manual and the separate
Setup Guide.
The setup procedure (discussed on
this page) only applies to the standalone mode, all remaining steps are
identical in both stand-alone and
plug-in mode.
Computer Setup
After installing FM8, doubleclick
on the FM8 icon in the Application
folder (Mac OS X) or click the corresponding Start menu entry (Windows
XP). Upon first start you are presented with a dialog box that contains
your Audio and MIDI settings.
In the future, you will need to check
the Audio and MIDI settings every
time you install a new soundcard or
MIDI device. You can access the settings from the File menu in the FM8
window. Also, if you should ever face
the problem that there is no audio
output or no MIDI input, these settings are a good place to start troubleshooting.
Soundcard Setup
specifically written for them. We recommend using those drivers whenever possible.
Caution for PC users: A generic
driver like ASIO DirectX or
ASIO Multimedia will not
give as good a response as a
specific driver for your card.
If available, choose the driver
name that includes the model
number or manufacturer of your
soundcard or audio interface.
Routing Setup
MIDI Setup
1. First choose your interface type.
ASIO and CoreAudio are your best
options as they have the potential for
the lowest possible latency. This is
the delay from the soundcard input
to the soundcard output.
2. Select the desired sample rate.
Make sure its supported by your audio interface we suggest starting
out with 44100, because virtually all
sound cards support that rate.
3. Choose your output device. Most
soundcards nowadays have drivers
Now the FM8 Library is at your fingertips. On the Browsers left side are
five Category columns. These contain
the Attributes used to tag, classify
and search all Sounds.
Lets filter for a classic FM E-Piano.
To do this, we combine several
Attributes by clicking them in the
Attributes list:
Click on Piano/Keys under
Instrument
Choose Electric and Synthetic
under Source
In the Timbre Category, click on
Bright.
Under Articulation, we want a
Decaying sound
Glass Strings
Hirez Bell String
Soft Strings
Resonant Strings
Play a few chords while moving
the Morph Handle (the small red
square). You can hear the sound being morphed between the four different timbres.
The Sound is a bit on the muffled
side, especially with the upper two
strings sounds. We are going to
brighten things up. To do so, switch
to the Easy/Morph Page at the left
of the FM8 window. There you see a
larger version of the morph square as
well as some Easy Edit parameters.
Additional Information
Type Strings into the Search Field
found above the attributes. You see
a list of string Sounds in the Search
Results. Now we are going to drag
four of the Sounds into the four quadrants of the small Morph Square in
the Application Control Bar.
The first Sound you drag into the
square will establish all the parameters that are not morphed (envelopes,
modulations, etc.).