The way this app knits granular, analogue modeling, and FM with full layering, solid filters, good secondary modulation, and MPE shows confidence and ambition. The implementation is well realized, within certain limits, and the results have a compelling general sound. FRMS performs well as a standalone, and my less-intense patches leave some processor power for outside processing.
That brings me to the core problem with the app. In its current form, as the developers warn, FRMS gets processors glowing hot, gobbling bandwidth and battery in short order on the kinds of crazy patches I enjoy setting and playing. This extends far enough down the complexity chain that it really needs addressing. The processor load limits how the synth can be used both internally and when we record.
Maybe a little break from the code and then a fresh look will give you more ideas on how you can do things in ways that would be less taxing on processors. In my coding days, time would sometimes allow me to see a function here or there - often seemingly simple things - that could be restated in ways that had huge performance benefits. I hope something can be done. It would be great to use FRMS to full potential.
This synth is beautiful, all the same, in its sound and patching flexibility. Anyone with an IPad Air 2 or later would do well to buy it right now.
On features, people can always come up with perceived failings, suggestions, and wishes. The developers had a well-formed vision here, so mostly any feature comments fall into wishing - nice-to-have but not critical points. Like easy octave shifting on the on-screen keys - the slider is good to set the range, but awkward for performance. Two buttons - plus or minus an octave while preserving the slider’s note range - would help with mobile play.
The FM functions could benefit from better user control of interactions among the oscillators and useable access to the amount, mix, ratio, and index for each oscillator being used. For the sake of the UI simplicity the developers clearly sought, the extra controls could be hidden on a secondary screen for optional opening. The extra control need not change the processor cost for generating FM sound, but the control would give more choice as to which FM sounds get made.
I include these things and go on at length because (a) I have a moment and (b) the synth is worth it. There are little things beyond the processor-demand issue people may find to grumble about. For a new release on this platform, however, FRMS is a big deal - it carves out its own space in a crowded synth market and does so at an attractive price. There is a lot to like here.
Show less
Nitpick Pete
SxucyX
Canecubo
Codowlsky Polopumus
BlakRon
skiphunt
housemachine
mrdogheadSHoGoAT
QuinnX.
