I'll build a MBFM... a few tips...

[Razmo]

Hi everyone :)

Yes, I've decided to build a MB-FM because I stumbled upon an old soundcard with the chips lying about at a garbage area where I live... jesus, I don't understand why people throw this away ???

I've read a great deal about the construction, and I see that there are issues with the +/- 12volts for many... I needed to find a good casing, and for some reason I had my eyes focused on an old FM synth by Yamaha I've got... the FB-01. These babies are dead cheap on the used market, and are perfect for this project! it has:

5 volts for digital circuitry

+/- 5 volts for analog opamps

Build in powersuply with switch

3 holes for chasismounted MIDI sockets (yes they have the right size!)

2 holes for audio outs (could be stereo or mono depending on the MB-FM output config... chasis mount)

it's tabletop or half-rack

the only prob is the front panel... it has been made for a small LCD display and 8 buttons, but these can be taken out, and covered by a beutiful laminated printout ;O)

Of course I'm making a version WITHOUT any control panel.

Here is a picture of the device (some call it a "clock-radio" ;D) :

Now one thing I hope is that the YM chip on the MB-FM can make as good bass patches as the old FB-01... the FB-01 has a dirt and grit to it that I just love, but on the other hand the sheer amount of patch storage capability of MB-FM makes me want to sacrifice this machine :-\

Here are a (long) demo of some FM bass patches I made on the FB-01 ... hope to be able to do something like these on MB-FM 8)

http://razmo.ziphoid.com/FB-01 and 4-pole.mp3

Note that somewhere near 1/4 the FB-01 is run through a Waldorf 4-pole filter... love that sweet sound of FB-01 through the 4-pole :P ... but soon this will be MB-FM -> 4-pole :D

[DrBunsen]

I can understand the motivation, but it seems a shame to gut one FM synth to build another.  It would certainly be an interesting "upgrade" for the old FB.

Hey when you're done, send me the motherboard  ;D

[Razmo]

Believe me, I've had second thoughts... mostly because I do not know if MBFM have the same gritty character... old FM chips sound more dirty and are good for bass sounds. unfortunately they do not have much storage capacity... but nonetheless, the FB01 casing is ideal for a non-controlsurface build of MBFM... I do not think you can find anything with all these features at the price these things go for on ebay... one is up at ebay pt for just $35.

The FM chip used in the FB-01 is the same used in KORG's older DS-8 FM synth... It's really good, and I'd really like to see a project for this FM chip. Also it's not a surfacemount chip.. good old type that go through the holes!  ;D ... I believe that the FB-01 chip is the successor of the much used FM chip in arcade machines like OUTRUN... may even be pin compatible with a few enhancements.

[AndrewMartens]

Interesting... iirc the DS-8 and (Korg) 707 were mostly compatible, I wonder if it uses the same chip as well?  Time to crack open my 707, it needs cleaning anyways...

[Razmo]

The 707 and DS-8 both use the same FM chip as the FB-01 ... it's the YM2164. It's impossible to find the datasheet for this chip on the net, though I've got some info on it from the FB-01 service manual.

The chip sound awesome, though the DAC is just 10 bit... I suspect this to be some of the grittyness, but still the older FM chips has a lot more warmth in their character... more analog-like.

The 707 and DS-8 are almost identical... I've actualy had both of them, and to be honest, the DS-8 sound a slight more warm to me... one of the absolutely coolest features of these beasts is the UNISON feature... they sound SOOOOOO fat!  :P

Sidenote: Does anyone else in here have trouble logging in here at the forums? ... I have to change my password to get logged in EVERY TIME! ... if I use the normal login procedure, Internet explorer tell me that it cannot read the format of the webpage... and I've reset the whole browser to standard settings to see if that helped... no use  ???

[stryd_one]

Forum login is fine here sorry bud :(

[Razmo]

Stryd: Don't worry, I believe I've got some browser confusion goin' on here... I'll sort it out!  ;)

[Jaicen]

AFAIK, the YMF2164 is the same chip used in most of Yamaha's cheaper synths, and many Korgs of the time (as they were owned by Yamaha at the time).  I've got a DX27 (my first synth, £60 ;) ), I certainly recognise some of the sounds the FB01 makes. That said, some of your bass patches are awesome! Any chance you could send me a sysex???

[/tilted/]

What if you got a 1U rack case, and mounted the FB-01 next to the MBFM? Best of both worlds??

[Jaicen]

That's pretty much what i'd do I think.

[DrBunsen]

What's the MIDI spec on the FB like?  Ever considered making a MIDIbox front end for it?

[/tilted/]

What's the MIDI spec on the FB like?  Ever considered making a MIDIbox front end for it?

Here 'tis.

http://www2.yamaha.co.jp/manual/pdf/emi/english/synth/FB01E.PDF

A MB front end would need to speak using sysex, and therefore might not be able to add much in terms of real-time control, but you'd certainly be able to increase the number of patches by using banksticks.

[bratbert]

Hi there!

 

It took me the whole evening to get to this post and I still not know if this is the right one. There are some Editors for the Fb01 which can be used in Cubase so I can tweak the sounds. I wish to do the same thing with the Seqv4. Did I understand the post right, that it doesn´t make sense to use a frontend for controlling the parameters of  a Fb01 because of to many sysex data? 

 

How could I save patches for the Fb01 to the Midibox Seq?

 

regards bratbert