Laidback Luke on why FM synthesis keeps shaping dance music

FM synthesis has been a defining style of sound design in electronic dance music for decades. In recent years, however, newer producers have been shying away from it, possibly because it can appear restrictive or overly complex.

However, that’s far from the truth, and few understand this better than Laidback Luke. With a career spanning decades in club-friendly music, he has observed how trends evolve. He notes that FM synthesis is experiencing a resurgence in popularity.

With his latest release, “It Clicked,” now out on Dim Mak Records, we invited him to discuss the evolution of FM synthesis, why it’s not as intimidating as it might seem, and why more producers should embrace tools like FM8.

Jump to these sections:

• Why FM synthesis is so timeless
• Defining dance tracks that use FM 
• Usability vs. complexity in FM synthesis
• Where new producers should start
• How FM can be used to stand out
• Essential advice all producers need to know about FM synthesis

We cover a lot of ground, including examples from his music, his favorite presets, and much more. Check out FM8, a powerful digital FM synthesizer, before diving into this comprehensive interview with Laidback Luke.

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FM synthesis has been a cornerstone of dance music for years – what do you think makes it such an essential sound?

In my experience, FM synthesis was revolutionary when it was invented. An array of sounds were developed because of this new method of digital synthesizing. Oscillators became operators. This meant sounds could be run through each other, fed back into each other, and modulated/stacked in a way that subtractive synthesis couldn’t do.

The most popular FM synth in dance music was the Yamaha DX 7, and it had six operators. FM8 has eight operators. Even in the most popular synths we know, it’s still pretty standard to have two or three oscillators, a sub, and a noise generator, and we call it a day.

Some of the most daunting chords and glassy pads from the DX 7 were used in the ’80s, but it wasn’t until dance music started to incorporate it that FM synthesis really blew up.

Pro Tip From Laidback Luke –  My 5 favorite FM8 Presets in no particular order:

• “Adam The Psycho” retro chords that are fully back right now
• “Braker Solo” very Reese type of bass sound
• “Relentless” which is the closest to the Lately Bass. I may have made and saved my Latelybass preset shown above
• “Saturator” very donk!
• “Bigdiz Bass” also has a lot of Donk to it as well

A lot of classic dance tracks rely heavily on FM basses and leads. Are there any tracks from your career or others that stand out as a perfect example of this?

A few that stand out for me include the Innercity’s “Good Life” chords, some people say it’s from the Yamaha DX100 while there’s an interview with Kevin Saunderson saying it could be the Casio CZ 5000, which is another digital synthesizer.

People argue that the Casio isn’t FM-based but looking at the workflow and the amount of “oscillators,” it looks suspicious.

A lot of ‘80s music was made with the DX7 sounds. Bonjovi’s “Living On A Prayer,” or Queen’s “I Want To Break Free” are great examples.

In the ’80s, it was those glassy chords and epic riffs that were very typical FM. But like you said, FM basses are a thing. For instance, the “donk” bass sound is a very typical FM sound.

Within my niche of dance music, Masters At Work’s “Deep Inside” has that bass sound prominently. Fast forward in the modern day and age, the “donk” is hype and happening as a lot of tech house is still using it but also a lot of Amapiano.

Similarly, there’s this notion of the “Reese” bass. We are full circle here, linking it Back to Innercity’s Kevin “Reese” Saunderson, who championed this. Which in the late nineties became a staple for Drum & Bass. In the early 90s R&B we heard the “Lately” bass a lot. This got used all over 90’s dance music as well.

One thing I love about FM8 is how intuitive it makes the FM matrix. How important is usability when dealing with something as complex as FM synthesis?

Oh it’s important! If there is one complaint about the DX7 is that it is so hard to program! FM8 has made it very accessible.

I actually took an online course to properly learn FM8, taught by Funkagenda, shoutout to a fellow DJ and producer of mine.

If you are used to subtractive synthesis, the matrix can seem outlandish. But once you get the hang of it, it’s fascinating how you can go overboard with it. Feeding operators into each other and quickly rerouting the signal makes the FM8 flexible.

I love how there’s an Easy/Morph mode in there. Then you can get into the Expert mode where you can manipulate every detail of a sound within the matrix as well as within the operators, envelopes, and modulation.

Pro workflow from Laidback Luke – How to quickly get FM results:

To quickly alter, or tweak any sound while you are new to FM8, go into Easy/Morph mode and the Timbre section (shown below). You will get instant FM gratification if you turn the Harmonic Knob and then turn the Env Amt knob.

Below that, there are Timbre envelope sliders, which you could see as an envelope section specifically for the Timbre of the sound.

If you were recommending FM8 to a new producer, what’s the one feature or aspect you’d tell them to focus on first?

Get used to Easy/Morph mode first. Flick through the presets in there and dive into expert mode to see what the various Parameters actually do.

That’s how I learn most of my synths; Tweak it, and then through muscle memory, you’ll get a solid foundation for it.

If you want to go deeper with FM8, I recommend taking an actual course or utilize Youtube tutorials! This can help speed up the process and make programming it much easier.

Can you share an example of how FM synthesis has helped you create a sound that became a signature element in one of your tracks?

It’s currently “in” to make dance music that sounds like it’s from the 90s. If you are ever looking for the perfect donk, drones or electro type of bass sounds, definitely dive into the FM8. But a lot of early techno used the FM sounds as well.

Flicking through the presets, you’ll get a lot of inspiration for techno orientated music as well. My latest track with Henry Fong has a lot of “donkage” going on as we were inspired by UK bass house. These sounds are great to get out of the operators of FM8.

The FM8 is my go-to if I’m looking for something that feels niche and retro. A lot of electro house sounds are easy to use and make in FM8.

Pro workflow from Laidback Luke – Having fun in the matrix:

Feeding sounds into each other is easy! Hover the mouse next to any operator and turn up the value to start feeding it from the operator below.

You can also feed the operator into itself by hovering over the space right on top of the operator. If it gets too crazy, simply turn on and off an operator by right-clicking onto it.

Finally, what advice would you give to someone looking to dive into FM synthesis with a synth like FM8 for the first time?

Don’t be afraid! If you’re intrigued by what you read above and looking for some nostalgia or even other ways to make your sounds, give FM8 a try.

It’s been an integral part of electronic music. The presets are there for a reason, as you can always select them and then tweak them to make a unique sound. Don’t expect to make a sound from scratch when you dive in for the first time.

Give it a bit of time, get used to the workflow, and watch the magic unfold!

Start using FM8 in your electronic music

Once again, we want to give a special shout-out to Laidback Luke for coming on and talking about the history of FM synthesis and why now is the perfect time to start embracing this method of sound design. It might seem intimidating at first, but it’s nowhere near as complicated as it looks.

FM synthesis is having a huge resurgence, whether it’s the donk-style sounds in techno and house or the iconic Reese bass, which is everywhere from drum and bass to house, tech house, and beyond.

This sound is defining the moment, and there’s no better time to start using tools like FM8 to recreate these tones. Laidback Luke shared a ton of workflow tips, his go-to presets, and the parameters he tweaks most when dialing in sounds.

Check out FM8 below, and once again, a huge thanks to Laidback Luke. Don’t forget to stream his latest track, It Clicked, out now on Dim Mak Records. Add it to your playlist and share it – because this guy is a living legend, and everything he touches in the studio is absolute gold.

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