FM4 is a four operator FM synthesizer for iPad.
- Reached rank #1 in the app store top paid music category in 32 countries, including United States, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Brazil, Italy, Russia, Australia, and India.
Features:
- Four operators configurable in eight different routings
- Three sound engines modelled on 1980s hardware units
- Eight waveforms derived from classic FM synths
- 2x, 3x, and 4x polyphonic unison
- Tempo-syncable arpeggiator with up, down, up-down, and random patterns
- Microtuning with eight different temperaments
- Inter-App Audio
- Supports Audiobus 2
- MIDI over bluetooth
- Up to 24 voices of polyphony
- Presets can be imported/exported through iTunes
Modelled on the popular DX series from the 1980s FM4 provides the same gritty sound, with a modern interface, and without being bound by the limitations of the original units.
Every aspect of the hardware — from envelope curves to sine-table sizes and quantisation errors to digital-to-analogue converters — has been meticulously analysed, in order to recreate the raw and dirty sound of the original units.
The interface has been carefully thought-out and is simple and intuitive, yet powerful — with every parameter being available on a single page. No menus, tabs, or jumping from page to page.
FM4 is capable of producing a multitude of sounds, ranging from punchy basses, crystal-clear bells, and lush pads, to organic textures, striking drums, and piercing leads.
All product names used are trademarks of their respective owners, and reference to these here in no way constitutes an association or affiliation with Primal Audio. All trademarks are solely used to identify the products whose sound was studied during the development of FM4.
This is a great app based on the TX81Z synthesizer! Despite what Primal Audio claims about the display bugs, I had no problem running it on an iPad Air 2. The presets are great and show what four operators can really do (beyond Sega Genesis sounds). If you have problems, get DXi instead. I am so happy that this app has every single parameter on a single screen!
Great synth, 2 bad it’s not being updated
Strizbiz
This is a great fm synth, especially if you’re just getting into fm synthesis, unfortunately it appears to be abandoned. The only thing it needs is to be an audio unit, which probably won’t happen. The landscape has changed with Auv3 support and I really use non audio unit less and less so this probably won’t remain on my iPad much longer but it was nice while it lasted
Sounds amazing.
SynthUser123
This synth sounds very good. The sounds are not digital in their character. The user interface is well thought out and straightforward. I wish the keyboard width could be changed. I also hope this app will be updated.
Will we ever see an update?
Dusti Raw
Tired of being scared every time I update iOS that this synth will finally have to be archived in my frozen (from iOS 13) iPad. Synth is worth getting an iPad for alone so please, do it for us, I’m sure there’s enough of us out there…Either way, thank you for the years of service!
This update from Apple will improve the functionality of this app. No new features are included.
- Fixed bug in iOS 9 where the operator buttons would disappear.
- Minor bug corrections.
Disclaimer: The are some problems with the locations of popovers in iOS 9.0. We are waiting for Apple to look into this.
Version 1.2.2
The developer, Primal Audio, has not provided details about its privacy practices and handling of data to Apple. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy.
No Details Provided
The developer will be required to provide privacy details when they submit their next app update.
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Seller
Primal Audio I/S
Size
64.8 MB
Category
Music
Compatibility
Requires iPadOS 8.1 or later.
iPad Requires iPadOS 8.1 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 11.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.
