Nambu

What it does

A six-operator FM synth that does not try to recreate a vintage DX workflow. Each operator A to F can be set to FM, oscillator, noise, texture, resonator or filter, and a matrix grid sets both output level and which operator feeds which. Underneath sits a modulation table with four LFOs, four envelopes, two step sequencers, velocity and macros, plus an arpeggiator and reverb, delay and chorus.

In the demo

Jade works from an initialised patch and adds one thing at a time, so each operator type is heard on its own before the matrix routing goes in. She then stacks three tempo-locked texture operators into a percussion pattern from a single held key, runs the matrix templates, and drives the synth from Scaler 2.

Worth knowing

This is a patch-building instrument. The factory preset set is thin by design, and there is no macOS version, so anyone wanting to load sounds and play is better served elsewhere.