Website: https://www.gforcesoftware.com/products/halogen-fm/

what do you guys think? i'm trying out the demo, seems quite fun to use.. i wonder what their license system is

Walkthrough video:

Halogen FM - The Joy of FM, Without the Headaches
FM synthesis is notoriously difficult to program — complex, technical, and often unintuitive. Halogen FM changes that. We built it to remove the barriers that have kept so many from exploring the raw, expressive power of FM.

Instead of diving into confusing algorithms or endless parameters, Halogen invites you to discover sound through play. It’s a generative instrument that responds to instinct, not instruction — giving you evolving textures, organic tones, and sonic surprises without requiring deep synth knowledge.

Halogen FM lets everyone tap into the beauty and unpredictability of FM synthesis — whether you’re a seasoned producer or just curious. Your ears lead the way, and happy accidents are part of the design.

The Halogen Spark Core
At the heart of Halogen FM is the Halogen Spark core — a powerful engine that generates unique, musical sounds full of character and spontaneity. Just hit the global Spark button and a brand-new patch comes to life instantly. Refining your discovery is easy, simply tweak the Timbre, Envelope Generators for OPR 1 and 2, Modulation, and FX macro knobs to explore subtle shifts and surprising variations.

Halogen is designed to be intuitive — no programming required. But we also know that sometimes, you want to go deeper. That’s why each operator’s parameters are fully accessible, giving you detailed control when you need it — without ever standing in your way when you don’t.

 

Last edited: Jun 24, 2025 at 4:56 PM

Gforce seem cryptic about installation procedure as they write...Please create or log in to your account, you’ll find an option to register your serial number or Activation Code on the main account page.

It doesn't mention having to sacrifice your pet guinea pig as part of the process, but one never knows, does one?

 

MIDI Program Change is not available in VST3!

It's a shame that so many plugin developers didn't implement it to there VST3 plugin versions!
VST3 dev kit supporting it!

https://forums.steinberg.net/t/no-program-changes-in-vst3-regrettable-decision/122202/4

 

Many plugins wouldn't be able to pull off smooth program changes, including many of Gforce. The newer Korg VSTS take like 3 years to load a preset no matter the complexity.

With the already available solution of 'open another instance' I don't see this pattern changing. Putting on my assumption cap, my guess is not having control over processor task prioritization will forever be a roadblock to this absent some new method or shell or something that can better address it.

 

had some crashes when cycling many presets

 

It should be freeware otherwise I'm not sure anybody needs a two operator FM synth with a randomizer.
"Zero-programming" marketing catchword looks very silly, how programming a 2op synth can be even a challenge to someone