Opsix vs Digitone – Modern FM machines head-to-head

Korg and Elektron’s instruments are the only hardware FM synths in town, but are similar in their quest to present a more modern and tweakable take on that notoriously awkward synthesis type. So what are their pros and cons?

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DIGITONE AT A GLANCE

FM ENGINE: A four-operator, eightalgorithm affair with plenty of tweakable parameters

MIDI ENGINE: Along with four FM engine tracks, the sequencer has four for sequencing other MIDI gear too

SEQUENCER: Extremely versatile and powerful, with all the killer Elektron features

SOUND CONTENT: +Drive also includes over 500 sounds and sequences

K org’s new ‘altered FM’ synth opsix and Elektron’s Digitone/Digitone Keys each take the established the foundation of DX-style FM synthesis and update it for modern users. In some ways, the two are very much comparable, seeing as each aims to take a famously complex and fiddly approach to sound design and make it accessible yet expressive. The two instruments develop the FM concept in very different ways though, so it’s not a simple case of saying one is more successful than the other. Let’s see how they stack up side by side…

Engines