FM synthesis can be notoriously tricky. For all the success of Yamaha's DX7 in the 1980s, its bafflingly mathematical system of operators and algorithms, and the seemingly endless parameter menus, meant that many users stuck to the presets. Brian Eno was heralded as a genius for mastering his.
Modern FM synths tend to be more user friendly thanks to their improved interfaces, but the underlying complexity of frequency modulation remains.
With the launch of Pivot, plugin developer Fors aims to address this. Pitched as a ‘no-nonsense’ FM synthesizer, Pivot strips back the complexity usually associated with FM synths resulting in an instrument that aims to be approachable and user-friendly, whilst still capturing the essence of what makes frequency modulation synthesis so appealing.
In the words of its developer, “years of research, development and deep love of FM synthesis has gone into picking just the right balance of flexibility and simplicity.”
Pivot is based around three operators, which Fors claims provides “a great balance of being able to make complex timbres while being quick to program.”
These operators are combined with a resonant 4-pole filter that can morph continuously between low-, high- and band-pass modes. Pivot also features two LFOs and two ADSR envelopes, each of which can be routed to up-to six destinations at once in the flexible mod matrix.
Unlike most FM synths, Pivot has no algorithms – the term commonly used for different configurations of operators – and instead allows users to continuously route its top operator’s output between the other pair. According to the developer, this setup “makes sound design a truly explorable process where you don't have to make any decisions up front.”
Pivot arrives with a strong FM synth pedigree. Fors founder Ess Mattisson was previously an employee of Elektron, where they worked on designing the synth engine of the original Digitone – one of our favourite digital hardware synths of the past decade. Ess also previously worked in DSP development at Modbap Modular.
Pivot is available in VST3, AU and Clap formats for PC, Mac and Linux. The full version is priced at £29, but can be picked up for an intro price of £21.80 until 20 July.
Rather than offering a demo version, Fors has released a free Lite version of Pivot with just two operators and no mod matrix. Both versions are available now from the Fors site.
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