Just a reference for myself the kinds of sounds I can get from different ratios in fm synthesis (I’m more into analog, but I almost always end up using both analog or virtual analog and fm synthesis in songs)
| carrier:modulator | vague description |
|---|---|
| 2:1 | Darker |
| 4:1 | Rougher |
| 3:2 (fifth/7 semitones below) | Metallic/bell-like. Better if modulation level not too high |
| 3:1 (octave & 7 semitones below) | Same as above |
| 4:3 (forth/5 sems below) | Metallic but less reedy |
| 8:3 (forth/octave & 5 sems below) | Same as above |
| 1:1 | Subtle/reedy |
| 1:2, 1:4, 1:8 | Bright |
| 4:5, 2:5, 1:5 (4 sems) | Open, not chime-like |
| 3:4 (5 sems) | Dull, kinda chime-like |
| 3:8, 3:16 (1, 2 oct + 5 sems) | Chime-like |
| 2:3 (7 sems) | Classic/clichΓ© fm sound |
| 1:3 (oct+7sems) | Clean but piercing |
| 1:6 (2oct+7sems) | Pinging metalic |
| 3:5 (9sems) | Classic bright |
| 3:10, 3:20 (1,2oct+9sems) | Classic 80s chime tones |