The above video is part of a series of Tutorials on FM Synthesis put together by Dr Manny Fernandez for Yamaha.
The "Course" including links to the written course notes, and downloadable "Exercise" performances, can be found on Yamahasynth.com. However, search hard, because the links frequently get changed or broken... but it is there.
I understand your questions, and how I wish it could be that simple.
What I found out going through these tutorials, is that there is very little "simple intuition" involved in FM Synthesis, unlike Subtractive Synthesis where "more" is generally "more, and "less" is generally "less".
By contrast, in FM, establishing an effective "more" may require adjusting something out of your immediate field of vision. In addition, adjusting what instinctively should provide "more", may in fact just as easily transform the sound into audible garbage.
So, with FM, it really does pay to sit down and learn it, and I'm not saying that facetiously. Personally, I found it hard to learn and understand, and I still find it hard.
However, like anything, the more you experiment and the more you spend time with it, the more facets of its behaviour stick in your memory, even if you don't fully comprehend the math.
By all means, invite us to provide tips and tricks, and I hope people will, but you'll also get good mileage from sitting through Manny's (Dr Synth) Tutorials.
Statistics: Posted by TooTone — Sat Mar 09, 2024 1:46 pm