Custom Unit: rFM Machine

Hello everyone. I hope we’re all doing ok during these strange times! To give something back to this great community and hopefully something to use in your creations during social isolation, I’ve decided to release my FM drum machine I’ve been working on for quite some time and have been using in my live sets/recordings.

This is a 3 voice FM based drum machine using only the purest sine tone (and one slither of noise). The voices are kick, snare and hihats and each voice can increase in sustain whilst varying it’s tonal quality. There’s so many sweet spots on the hihats! I kept the timbre of the kick somewhat more focused than the other two.
The rFM Machine is expecting triggers via A1, B1 and C1 for Kick, Snare and Hihat and the top level controls to the unit are as follows.

0001 0002

Kick - From super tight to huge punches to long pitched shifting kicks.
Snr - From super tight to long sustained FM snare tone. The longer the sustain the higher the pitch so pseudo melodies are possible.
Hats - So many tonal variations from tight pops, clicks, pings, dings all the way up to crazy FM noise drone.
Kvol, Svol, Hvol are the separate volumes for the Kick, Snare and Hats. 1 is default, 0 is silence and 2 starts to overdrive the signal.
KMute, SMute, HMute are the separate mute switches for the Kick, Snare and Hats.
LPF - A master low pass filter to tame the top end if you desire or to create sub rhythms.

All of this takes up approx 30% CPU at 48kHz. This unit has been tested on Version 0.4.27.

Here’s few examples of it in action.

Nothing but the rFM Machine with the 16n Faderbank controlling the unit.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-1a9KCBkM1/

Stripped back rFM Machine tone within a patch.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_GwBS3B5Eq/

With some extra massaging from other modules.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-_0fR3hvDx/

Feel free to leave some feedback if you try it out. I’d love to hear what you think of it or to hear it being used it your own creations. The download link is below and if you feel like buying me some beers/coffees/knurlies feel free to paypal me some at rdomain@gmail.com (family/friends payment).

You’re more than welcome to have it for free too. Just promise to be a nice person and give me a follow on Instagram. :slightly_smiling_face:

I’m hoping to create an accompanying melodic unit based off of some of the synthesis used here if there’s enough interest in the rFM Machine. For those of you have been waiting patiently for me to release this, here you go! And for everyone, I hope you enjoy it and find some use for it.

rFM Machine.unit (67.9 KB)

rFM Machine.pkg (5.0KB). V6 package.

Cheers!
Ritchie

20 Likes

Great:) Thanks!!!

1 Like

A pleasure! Look forward to hearing what you do with it. :+1:

1 Like

Sure:)))

1 Like

Thanks, man! So good. Just sent you some coin. Really appreciate what you’ve made.
To this fantastic community–please consider–if you can, this is great way to support each other!

1 Like

Thank you so much! Truely appreciated. :black_heart:

1 Like

just downloaded, thanks, will take a look this evening.

1 Like

Here’s the first video of a new user (Dom) who’s created this tasty patch with the rFM Machine at the heart of it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B_e5q8MBDFG/

I’m assuming Dom is on the forum? Either way, it’s great to see people out there using it to create awesome patches.

If anyone else posts any patches using the rFM Machine on Instagram, be sure to tag me @rdomain so I can repost. :+1:

Cheers!

1 Like

This does not appear to be a video. Seems to just be a picture .no sound either ?

Also, thank you for sharing the unit. If i wasnt unemployed and broke, then i would donate.

1 Like

Not a problem with being unable to donate. It’s for the people who can’t afford it currently too. Hopefully help pass the time creatively. :slightly_smiling_face:

Just checked the link and it’s all working here. :+1:

Strange, on my old ipad,…i can play the instagram links in your op, but this one does not play…do you have to have an instagram account and log in to view it ?

No need to sign in. I just tested in my browser with no account and all was good.

Maybe the IG app on your older ipad is an old version of Instagram and doesn’t support longer videos (IGTV). I’m guessing that’s the problem. Try in your standard browser, that should do the trick.

A few comments, feel free to disregard completely, didn’t download your unit (I only use free stuff, and always share my own stuff for free), this is based on listening to IG :slight_smile:

That’s old…

I always split stuff like this into individual custom units per percussion sound

  • makes it much easier to mix and match different sound sources
  • is normally much easier on the cpu (you don’t need to take everything into account)
  • it’s more modular…

Comments welcome! This is free too so you’re welcome to download but if it’s not to your liking, that’s fine.

Version 0.4.27 is the most current STABLE release where as V5 is still classed as unstable unless that’s changed just recently so it’s far from old. I never usually run the unstable versions either as I use mine for live shows and need reliability.

Yes, I’ve already had a request from a user asking for separate outputs so I’m planning on separating the voices. I think having both will be super handy depending on how you’re processing and controlling it.

I’ll be checking the unit on V5 once there’s a stable version out.

1 Like

Thanks for sharing this! Very fun unit. Congratulations!
Here is a little piece… other modules are involved but the unit is the heart of this.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_my0RWiCJS/?igshid=1w2k8j83klvax

2 Likes

This unit works just fine for me on .5.02. I’ll update to .03 and try it out later today.

1 Like

Thanks so much! And thanks for posting this killer patch featuring it. Sounds awesome! So great to hear people using this out in the wild.

:black_heart:

1 Like

Awesome to hear! Thanks heaps for trying it out and confirming. Appreciated! :+1::+1:

1 Like

Pretty chuffed to report that one of the guys from The Glitch Mob tagged me in an IG post of him using the rFM Machine. Cheers edIT and glad you’re digging it!

Also a big thank you to those who were willing and able to donate no matter what the amount is. It’s truely appreciated and really fills me with warmth that someone made the effort to do that.

Please keep tagging me if you’re using it for anything and hit me up on IG so I don’t miss it. So great to see it out in the wild being used. I’ll have some added bonuses when time permits.

:black_heart:

3 Likes

Thank you for the mention!
i’m really loving this Machine,

Hello everyone!

Dom

1 Like