8.4Great
FM8 is Native Instruments' digital FM synthesizer with eight operators and a modern interface, the successor to FM7.
Plugin comparison
FM8 vs Reaktor 6
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which synth to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
Contenders
The side-by-side
8.4Great
Reaktor 6 is Native Instruments' modular sound studio for building and playing custom synths, samplers, effects, and sequencers.
Technical matrix
Specs compared
| Signal | FM8 | Reaktor 6 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $99.00 | $199.00 |
| Dubspot Score | 8.4 | 8.4 |
| Formats | Standalone, VST, VST3, AU (macOS only), AAX | Stand-alone, VST, AU (macOS only), AAX |
| Synthesis | FM (frequency modulation) synthesis | — |
| Operators | 8 operators, freely combinable in algorithms | — |
| Presets | Over 1,200 presets | — |
| Effects | 12 built-in high-quality effects | — |
| Platforms | Windows (64-bit) and macOS (64-bit) | — |
| Plugin formats | VST, VST3, AAX (Win); VST, VST3, AU, AAX (Mac) | — |
| Architecture | — | Two structural levels: Primary (graphical signal-flow, event/MIDI/OSC processing) and Core (runtime machine-code audio compiler for custom DSP) |
| Modular Blocks | — | Includes Blocks Base and Blocks Primes for patching modular synths, effect chains, and sequencers; expandable ecosystem |
| Operating system | — | macOS 13, 14, or 15 (latest update) or Windows 10/11 (64-bit, latest Service Pack) |
| CPU & RAM | — | Intel Core i5 or equivalent; Apple Silicon native or via Rosetta 2; 4 GB RAM (6 GB recommended) |
| Plugin formats (macOS) | — | Stand-alone, VST, AU, AAX (64-bit) |
| Plugin formats (Windows) | — | Stand-alone, VST, AAX (64-bit) |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.