$0.00 0

YOUR CART
Checkout

SUBTOTAL
DISCOUNT
VAT
TOTAL
Checkout
Banner
Break away from the preconceived notions that a lot of people have about FM synthesis sound...

FM8 Tutorials

Creating A Killer Electric Guitar NI FM8 Tutorial

Break away from the preconceived notions that a lot of people have about FM synthesis sound design and learn how to make a shredding electric distortion guitar in this FM8 tutorial, with this quick and easy tutorial from OhmLab

With the latest release of FM8 and it’s rising popularity, I think that frequency modulation synthesis is going through a rebirth, of sorts, in the world of modern musicians and small studio producers.

We have moved completely past 8-bit video game sounds, telephone and microwave sounds and have been seeing very innovative synth design from some of the trend setters in today’s popular music genres. And with people starting to attempt new sounds using FM8, I decided that it’s about time to start sharing ideas that are not something that a lot of people would consider when stepping up to this FM synth. Let’s make an electric guitar, loaded with distortion and ready to be customized to your needs!

Starting off with the FM Matrix in this fm8 tutorial, you can see that this sound is actually a pretty simple one from a design perspective. It is more about proper proportions and ratios, rather than complex routing. The first image below shows that Operator F is being influenced by Operators C, D and E, as well it being run through both the Noise and Filter operators (Operators X & Z) before going to the main output. The second image shows the set up of the envelopes, which are all basically the same. No changes have been made to the default shape of the curve except extending the release of each envelope. Operator F’s release is a little longer than the rest to help ensure no confusion during the development of the sound.

Once the main part of the sound is in place, we can visit the Master window to adjust the voicing, glide, analog and digital quality, panning and detune it a bit. All of this greatly affects how this sound is delivered.

The next stop is the Effects window. Here I have added a total of seven effects to further shape and alter the sound. Starting with Overdrive, Tube Amp and a Cabinet give the sound much more guitar-like qualities and a bulk of the distortion. The Shelving and Peak EQs help to accentuate a few key points of frequency. The Tremolo adds a small amount of movement and the Reverb gives it the space it needs to fully develop and ring out a bit.

The last step in this process was to activate the Arpeggiator and use it to display the sound for this lesson. It just makes the programming that much easier to use a preset, which is what I did. I chose West Coast Funk, and made a few changes, like extending the note length, turning up the Shuffle, Velocity and Accent parameters. These last few tweaks just help add a human element to the sound so it doesn’t sound too much like a synth trying to be a guitar.

Below is a sample of the guitar sound in action alongside some simple drums so you can get a good idea of how it works.
This sound is now ready to be processed outside of FM8 in your DAW of choice. Although no extra processing has been done to the sound in this recording, I would suggest playing around with some guitar amp plugins, perhaps a little more distortion and probably some kind of saturation after compression has been applied.

[audio:https://www.fm8tutorials.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Electric-Distortion-Guitar.mp3|titles=Electric Distortion Guitar]

If you have a request for an FM8 tutorial or would like to share one of your own, please send us a message today letting us know. Thanks for stopping by!

Cheers,
OhmLab

RELATED COURSES

Functional Sound Design - FM Synthesis

ADSR Courses

Add to cart

Advanced Sound Design Techniques

ADSR Courses

Add to cart

Dubstep Bass Design In FM8

ADSR Courses

Add to cart

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