$0.00 0

YOUR CART
Checkout

SUBTOTAL
DISCOUNT
VAT
TOTAL
Checkout
Banner
One easy way to add more flavor and character to your music is to use custom made FM8 percussion...

FM8 Tutorials

Add Interest to Your Music with Custom Designed FM8 Percussion Instruments

One easy way to add more flavor and character to your music is to use custom made FM8 percussion instruments. This quick lesson shares how to synthesize a simple skin drum.

As a drummer (I know, I know…) I often find that much of the mainstream music floating around these days lack percussive embellishments. It is easy and fun to design your very own FM8 percussion instruments, and it really doesn’t take much time either. And the best part is that once you make one, you can use it as a template for new sounds in the future. Much of the time spent on sounds like this one is in the envelope window, getting the delivery just right. This is why it’s best to perfect it, then save it and use it again and again, each time with a slightly different twist. Perhaps you swap out a couple of waveforms and add more feedback on a couple of the operators to make your own cowbell. Or perhaps you ease off the velocity of all the operators to get more of a soft mallet feel. The sky is the limit!

This particular FM8 percussion instrument is similar to a simple skin drum, of no particular type. It is easily used with a broad range of drum sounds and will add a human element to your music that simply will not be found anywhere else–especially once you make it your own with a little tweaking. As you can see in the FM Matrix below, this is actually a pretty simple sound to route.

Add Interest to Your Music with Custom Designed FM8 Percussion Instruments Tutorial by OhmLab 1

I prefer to get the envelopes set up next when designing FM8 percussion instruments. This way as I progress through the rest of my workflow I hear the sound as it will be delivered. As you can see, there are variations in the envelope curves, and this helps a great deal in creating a more believable drum sound. Real percussion instruments of all types have lots of character, mostly derived from small imperfections and differences in shape, size, materials, etc. It is best that you try to emulate these things when working on your own.

Add Interest to Your Music with Custom Designed FM8 Percussion Instruments Tutorial by OhmLab 2

Next up is the Master window, where the total number of unison voices is increased to provide more punch. It also allows us to spread those voices out and introduce some Analog and Digital Quality for character and interest. This is a very important step in working with FM8 percussion instruments and can vary greatly from sound to sound, depending upon what you are going for.

Add Interest to Your Music with Custom Designed FM8 Percussion Instruments Tutorial by OhmLab 3

I chose to add a touch of reverb to this drum, trying to emulate how a simple skin drum might ring out when struck.

Add Interest to Your Music with Custom Designed FM8 Percussion Instruments Tutorial by OhmLab 4

Below is a small sample of this drum in action, alongside some other percussive instruments. You can just as easily program the arpeggiator to generate both simple and complex rhythmic patterns alike.

[audio:https://www.fm8tutorials.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/FM8-Skin-Drum-OHMLAB.mp3|titles=FM8 Skin Drum OHMLAB]

RELATED COURSES

SAVE 40%

Functional Sound Design - FM Synthesis

ADSR Courses

Add to cart
SAVE 40%

Advanced Sound Design Techniques

ADSR Courses

Add to cart
SAVE 40%

Dubstep Bass Design In FM8

ADSR Courses

Add to cart
SAVE 40%

FM8 Expert Panel Explained

ADSR Courses

Add to cart
Waveform Loaded
Waveform Played
×
PLAYLIST
Clear all
WISHLISTS
Create an account to use wishlists
×
SAVE TUTORIALS
Create an account to save tutorials
×
FOLLOW YOUR FAVORITES
Follow your favourite labels, formats and genre's and ADSR will show what's new in those on your next visit.
×
  • Create product wishlist
  • Save your favorite tutorials
  • Regular discounts and exclusives
  • Never miss a sound! Follow your favorite labels.
Sign up to My ADSR to ensure you're ahead of the pack. Save your favorite content and be notified of new content. You'll never miss a thing!
Create your account now!
CREATE ACCOUNT
Sign up to My ADSR to ensure you're ahead of the pack. Save your favorite content and be notified of new content. You'll never miss a thing!
  • Get days all ADSR courses free
  • Create product wishlist
  • Save your favorite tutorials
  • Regular discounts and exclusives
Create your account now!
SIGN IN
adsrsounds.com login Video streaming login
Remember me
Forgot your password?
DON'T HAVE AN ADSR ACCOUNT?
Create your account
FORGOT PASSWORD

Send info
  1. Enter your email address
  2. Click "Send info"
  3. Check your inbox for an activation link
  4. Visit activation link and enter set new password
Sign in
DON'T HAVE AN ADSR ACCOUNT?
Create your account
IMPORTANT: Is this product compatible with your system? Please check the product system requirements tab before purchasing. To proceed with this purchase you must check the box to confirm you have checked the requirements.


I have read the system requirements and agree to the return policy. I understand that refunds will not be given due to limitation of my software or operating system.

I don't agree
, you have loyalty credit available. To redeem click the button to claim !
Claim
Claim your free sounds

For every $5 you spend on ADSR receive 1 free credit for Sample Manager.

Even better, we have back-dated this so any purchases you made since 2017 have also been credited to your account!

Click the button below to claim your free credit.

Get my free credits
Loyalty credits
1Every purchase you make on ADSR* now earns you 1 loyalty credit for every $5 spent
2Once you make a purchase your credits are added to your account
3Credits can be redeemed in ADSR Sample Manager to download individual loops and samples
4To redeem simply download ADSR Sample Manager and/or log into Sample Manager with your ADSR login details
5Credits will have been automatically added to your account
6Loyalty credits expire 30 days after initial purchase
* Not including video subscriptions