FM Tines 2 - The Best Electric Piano Library Ever

[hurricane]

I don't know about you, but I'm done wasting my money on mediocre sounding REs and would rather spend my money on quality synths and effects, like FM Tines2. If you own the first version the upgrade is only $49 (log in to your account and you'll see this price), $99 for the full version. Check out the videos below. Jamal does a great job of demoing the presets. I love that guy, and I love the first FM Tines and can't wait to upgrade to V2.

These are PERFECT 80s EPs by the way!!!!!

New Sound Highlights

All of the classic Dynos
New MKS EP 1 and EP 2 Sounds
All of the MIDI, LA, and West Coast Grand Pianos and Layers
All of the classic Crystal EPs and Dyno variations
The most important Fantasia and D50 Bells
The best of the 80's and 90's acoustic pianos
New custom pianos from Patchman™ that cannot be created from any other source. Patchman music is one of the only FM electric piano programmers in the world and we have licensed his best piano sounds for the SY99 that can't be duplicated anywhere else.

https://gospelmusicians.com/fmtines-2.html

[bitley]

By mediocre -- it seems you point on the PX7? I would say that it's the best RE but it has to be used the right way, some ppl even make killer patches for it...

[hurricane]

Nope, I have PX7 and it's my most used RE. Dexed and FM8 are equally as good. Blue II is nice. I'm talking about third party REs, most of which are mediocre, in my opinion. And I'd like to stress that it is MY opinion, being a hard VST user, always comparing REs to VSTs. VSTs always win. That's why I use them and why I really don't have much to say about REs in the RE section of this forum.

You can definitely create similar sounding EPs with PX7 or Dexed. But the FM Tines electric pianos are more than just a PX7 in a combinator, which isn't a bad thing, they're just more. And you can feel that when you play them or listen to Jamal's demos. The velocity layers, the level of expression, the playability of the patches is superb. And to re-create some of the more tiney/tacky/plucky/crystaly EP patches, you'd need more than a PX7.

Anyway, I'm a little OCD when it comes to EP sounds. I mean I once bought a Korg 03r/w for the Dyno Piano patch. Just for that preset. Worth it!

[eusti]

Anyway, I'm a little OCD when it comes to EP sounds. I mean I once bought a Korg 03r/w for the Dyno Piano patch. Just for that preset. Worth it!

Checking out this link I was remembering that the last thread that I saw from you... The one about the NI U-He sale that made me buy another synth... And I thought Hurricane is really good at appealing to my dark desires!

D.

[aeox]

There are a few stand out layered patches in the library. Nothing you couldn't make yourself with some sound design knowledge and PX7.

I'd much rather use PX7 and save 30 GB on my harddrive. After all, it seems like Reason was designed for people who like to sound design and make their own sounds. At least that's how Reason grabbed my attention.

[hurricane]

After all, it seems like Reason was designed for people who like to sound design and make their own sounds. At least that's how Reason grabbed my attention.

Reason grabbed MY attention because it seemed to be designed for people wanting to make music.

edit: I should add, for those who don't want to design their own sounds.

[aeox]

After all, it seems like Reason was designed for people who like to sound design and make their own sounds. At least that's how Reason grabbed my attention.

Reason grabbed MY attention because it seemed to be designed for people wanting to make music.

edit: I should add, for those who don't want to design their own sounds.

I really like the sequencer and overall workflow as well.

Since RE/refills aren't as popular as VST and sample libs, it's seems inevitable that you're going to more frequently find higher quality products from the VST world.

[bitley]

Sounds like Hurricane is in a hurry to rule out Combinator. It is very powerful and I certainly put a lot of thought (and ingredients) into my layered sounds.

[hurricane]

Sounds like Hurricane is in a hurry to rule out Combinator. It is very powerful and I certainly put a lot of thought (and ingredients) into my layered sounds.

Nah - believe it or not, I use your refills more than any RE. But combinators don't serve me well when I work in Logic. : )

[hurricane]

So check this out Bitley-san - your refills are the only ones to make it to my shortcut list:

Screen Shot 2019-02-19 at 11.37.48 AM.png (343.3 KiB) Viewed 5695 times

However, I'm really tired of the "you can do this with Reason's synths and effects" talk every time a cool VST shows up. And sure, you can attempt to replicate ANYTHING with Reason's synths, but personally I am tired of all the patching and wasted time. I'd rather have high quality sounds ready to go, and that's what I see in FM Tines (which I own) and FM Tines 2 (which I will soon own). And there are certain music genres that appeal to me, so when a synth shows up that is right for that genre, I will jump on it if I deem it to be "high quality", regardless if I can re-create those types of sounds with Reason, or if there are relevant refills available. And honestly, when it comes to refills, the majority of them are shit, or are so basic that it's just not worth it. I like your refills, that's why I still use them. I like shiny new toys too. Especially if they sound great, are convenient, and are inexpensive.

[Despondo]

Glad to see they finally changed their stance on Reason compatibility. I wrote to them back in November 2018 regarding the specs showing that Reason was NOT supported and they said this:

"We only support Reason AU. Reason does not conform to the VST standard as other companies do and they have not provided us with a Dev copy to decipher issues. Ask yourself the question, why does our products work in all of the major DAWs EXCEPT REASON. That is actually a better question to ask. We are using the standard VST framework that works for 99% of the major DAWS, but Reason does things differently and as a small company we just don’t have the resources to crack the code as to why they have changed the way they do VSTs. We need Propellerhead to provide resources as to why. "

I might have to take another look at their plugins now that Reason IS officially supported....

[hurricane]

Here's the original FM Tines in action for reference. Sounds so good:

[bitley]

Lol! Ok man, I'll have to hope u go for 8Z Pro when u want more...

[bitley]

This is just one of the combinators

Hurricane saw this?

[hurricane]

Finally had time to play with FM Tines2, now that's it's not a UVI instrument, first thing I notice is the crystal clear resizable GUI. The max is 1920 x 1440 and man is it crisp:

fmtineslg.jpg (1008.14 KiB) Viewed 5600 times

[QVprod]

I could never personally get heavy into FM keyboard sounds as they mostly sound the same to me, but Jamal's products are pretty top notch. I have Neo Soul Keys Studio, and most recently Bassalicious 2 which is now my go to bass synth. Due to the way he samples his stuff, it just has a certain richness to the sound even though it's sample based. I'd imagine that's the case here with FM Tines 2 vs stacking PX7, FM8, or Dexed presets. Not saying those sound bad by any means.

[hurricane]

Due to the way he samples his stuff, it just has a certain richness to the sound even though it's sample based. I'd imagine that's the case here with FM Tines 2 vs stacking PX7, FM8, or Dexed presets. Not saying those sound bad by any means.

Yes! I was just about to post that. There's something very - idon'tknowwhattocallit - rich and round and smooth and polished going on in FM Tines2, and it's still there when I disable all the effects. And yeah you're also right about stacking PX7 or Dexed or FM8 - they sound completely flat compared to FM Tines2. I mean they sound fine on their own, but when you compare it directly to FM Tines, it's a noticeable difference. It's like a 3D-ness. It sounds REALLY good, and the EPs are incredibly expressive and most importantly, they feel good.

[hurricane]

Just want to also mention that FM Tines 1 and 2 are good compliments to Keyscape, which curiously omits FM electric pianos for whatever reason. Together they can make some very authentic 80s/90s stacks (like the David Foster or Robbie Buchanan sound).

I'm also noticing that Fm Tines2 loads faster than 1, and the effects took a gigantic leap in quality.

I'd post demos but I really don't want to hear the "you can do that with PX7" remarks. Let me tell you right now, no you can't.

[bitley]

Only because you can't some can

[eusti]

I'd post demos but I really don't want to hear the "you can do that with PX7" remarks. Let me tell you right now, no you can't.

Only because you can't some can

Ok. Just out of personal curiosity and maybe to steer this thread into a more constructive direction could I suggest the following:
Why don't you just put that to the test? We all know Patrick's (bitley's) enormous talent in regards to programming synth patches... This sounds like a great opportunity to see which of the arguments actually holds up the most... So, I could see, if both of you would be interested of course, a friendly challenge: Hurricane finds the best FM Tine 2 patch, the one he feels could never be replicated in Reason only. Then he provides the audio and the midi file to Patrick. Then Patrick can go to town. And we all can check out the results and make up our own mind... How about it?

D.

[bitley]

Jamal is a great guy and I wouldn't want to rule him out anytime at all, but I can do something for fun, absolutely.

[hurricane]

So here's how that's going to go.

I'm going to pick a stacked preset, probably one with an acoustic piano, a DX patch, an MKS, and a D-50 layer. That right there can't be done with a PX7 no matter how many you stack. So then what, you'd attempt to recreate it with Reason's FSB or with your own samples of those instruments? You want to show me that your combinator kung-fu is strong? Well mine is too, but I choose not to do that anymore, not with the awesome sounding and CONVENIENT instruments that exist nowadays, and that I can use inside Reason unlike the old refill days. While you're at it, why don't you show me how you can easily replicate a Diva preset? I'll tell you what, you'll be able to get close to the spirit of the sounds, but you can't emulate 1 for 1 GM's recording chain, which I am guessing gives the FM Tines2 patches their mojo (that and they appear to be using hardware synths). But you think you can by using the legacy unison and chorus? Do you honestly think those stand up to today's effects??

So we'd spit out some audio files which we will then A/B and then come to the conclusion that your Reason combis SOUND close to FM Tines2. And then some annoying fellow is going to say "you can't tell the difference in a mix!". I'm sure a Keyscape vs Reason or a Diva vs Reason test would yield similar conclusions. But those are just audio files, let's talk about the work that went into recreating those patches. How many PX7s did you use? How many external samples did you use? The combinator that you posted up above - yeah, I'm never doing that again. Because it's not worth it anymore. you're not going to win a prize for intense patching, lol.

And another thing, something Uber-important which would never come across in an audio file battle, is the way the instrument feels when you play it, which may not seem important to those of you who use the mouse to input notes, but to the few of us who can actually play, playability and expression are HUGE. And that is something that FM Tines 2 nails, and with a freaking super hammer.

[eusti]

So here's how that's going to go.

I'm going to pick a stacked preset, probably one with an acoustic piano, a DX patch, an MKS, and a D-50 layer. That right there can't be done with a PX7 no matter how many you stack. So then what, you'd attempt to recreate it with Reason's FSB or with your own samples of those instruments? You want to show me that your combinator kung-fu is strong? Well mine is too, but I choose not to do that anymore, not with the awesome sounding and CONVENIENT instruments that exist nowadays, and that I can use inside Reason unlike the old refill days. While you're at it, why don't you show me how you can easily replicate a Diva preset? I'll tell you what, you'll be able to get close to the spirit of the sounds, but you can't emulate 1 for 1 GM's recording chain, which I am guessing gives the FM Tines2 patches their mojo (that and they appear to be using hardware synths). But you think you can by using the legacy unison and chorus? Do you honestly think those stand up to today's effects??

So we'd spit out some audio files which we will then A/B and then come to the conclusion that your Reason combis SOUND close to FM Tines2. And then some annoying fellow is going to say "you can't tell the difference in a mix!". I'm sure a Keyscape vs Reason or a Diva vs Reason test would yield similar conclusions. But those are just audio files, let's talk about the work that went into recreating those patches. How many PX7s did you use? How many external samples did you use? The combinator that you posted up above - yeah, I'm never doing that again. Because it's not worth it anymore. you're not going to win a prize for intense patching, lol.

And another thing, something Uber-important which would never come across in an audio file battle, is the way the instrument feels when you play it, which may not seem important to those of you who use the mouse to input notes, but to the few of us who can actually play, playability and expression are HUGE. And that is something that FM Tines 2 nails, and with a freaking super hammer.

So, that is a no to the challenge then?

I think all the points you are making are valid. And I’m happy that you found something that satisfies your needs on so many levels. But maybe some other people would like to know if it is actually possible to achieve this sound in Reason.

We could have a third party put up the files to make it a blind test... Or you could suggest another way of doing this... I don’t think any way of doing this is going to convince either you or bitley completely, but maybe we could all learn something fro lm this to see what is possible and what not.

D.

[bitley]

It's a funny feeling hearing these quite judging arguments – where do you get your "facts" from Hurricane? You have said quite many underestimating things about combinator programming and 8Z Pro already, which is quite remarkable given that you are not knowing anything about it! All respect for using previous releases and for liking FMpro 2, absolutely, but please be wary of shooting out these horribly incorrect statements. I have of course also used additional ingredients in the new refill, including multisampling across velocity levels, effect programming etc etc – the programming work I release is not simple by any means. "Lol" is such an ugly comment. Why?! There are patches relying on WBF R2 in the new bank but it also contains hundreds of new samples. I use hardware too – a lot – and there are even DX7 multisamples in the PX7 based refill making it possible to get different tonal characteristics. Great that you dig FMpro 2 but why did it lead you to organize a campaign of hateful comments directed to me – without a connection to reality? Not very uplifting at all.

[hurricane]

Bitley, man - check out my first post. You jumped in cuz I said something about "mediocre sounding REs" and then you somehow thought that was directed towards you, where, correct me if I'm wrong, I don't believe you make any REs. And I don't think I said anything about 8ZPro. In fact, everything I've said has been pretty general - that is, yes I'm not a fan of having to patch and cable the shit out of legacy Reason devices to get a good sound, and that the combinator life is not for me anymore. And as far as the intention of my post, it's to tout FM Tines 2, not a 'FM Tines 2' vs 'anything by Bitley' discussion. And as far as a "hateful campaign", well I'll use that ugly comment again - LOL. But to summarize my thoughts on the actual product that this post is about, I think FM Tines2 is one of the best collections of electric pianos available, and in my opinion, and for me at least, certainly the BEST collection of 80s EPs, and although you and I or anyone else can make comparable sounds with Reason's synths and effects, in my opinion, there is no native Reason device collection of electric pianos that sounds and plays better than FM Tines 2. Opinions, not facts.