Audiokit releases King of FM, a free 80s Yamaha-inspired software synth for iOS and macOS.
When we think of the classic 80s FM synth sounds used on countless hit records, we probably think of the Yamaha DX7 more than any other synth.
It’s fair to put the DX7 top of the list because it was Yamaha’s original FM superstar, but as the 1980s rolled on, Yamaha released more FM synths like the DX7II, TX81z (rackmount), and the SY77.
While the original DX7 remains the most popular and discussed synth of the bunch, some people prefer the sound or workflow of the others and sometimes debate the true king of FM. Audiokit’s King of FM app brings you the sound of all four Yamaha classics, so you don’t have to choose between them.
King of FM functions as a standalone iPhone/iPad app or an iOS plugin inside host DAWs like GarageBand, Beatmaker 3, etc. You can run King of FM as a standalone app on Apple Silicon Macs, and a workaround allows it to run as an AUv3 plugin in Logic/GarageBand, although the developer does not support that.
Audiokit built this app from a massive collection of multi-sampled recordings of presets from these classic 80s synths.
Taking the best and most popular sounds from that collection, the developer launched the app with over 200 presets and more than 10,000 individual samples (over 2 GB of sounds compressed to less than 400 MB).
King of FM features some built-in FX, including Phaser, Reverb, Chorus, Ping-Pong Delay, Stereo Fatten, and Crush.
More impressively, for me anyway, it has an audio recording function that lets you export recordings as WAV files.
I don’t use GarageBand or anything like that on my iPhone; my mobile recording/producing setup is still an MPC or MPK Mini and a laptop, which can’t be everywhere with me. When I bring my phone into the mix, I usually whistle some random melody or line into my voice memos.
So, I like the idea of capturing whatever I play and saving it for later, with far greater accuracy than my whistling, I have to imagine!
Anyone who uses their iPhone or iPad to make music will put King of FM to much better use than I am; I’m not a big iOS creator, but I still love the 80s FM sound!
Thanks to Audiokit for making this app available for free!
Talking of freebies, don’t forget you can get a free MoogerFooger plugin with any purchase at Plugin Boutique until May 31st, 2023.
Download: King of FM
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