Melodee for the MPC Sample: 16-tracks & multisample kits, plug-ins and 4-track looper (Not a mod!)

video upload by Keremimo

You might recall Melodee for the M-VAVE FM-1. It has now been ported to the MPC Sample.

"Melodee is a free, open-source groovebox app for the Akai MPC Sample. It runs from the microSD card and changes nothing on the MPC itself.

This video walks through it: 16 tracks, one per pad, each a kit, a plug-in instrument or a MIDI track; MPC drum programs that load as a whole kit; multisampled instruments (SFZ, MPC keygroups, EXS, SoundFont) that stream from the card, with their zones laid out on screen; grain clouds; VST3 and VST2 plug-ins, with the Melodee Poly, PD and Chip synths; Keys with scales and chord layouts, and an arpeggiator; step sequencing with parameter locks, ratchets and Euclid; a piano roll; Motion recording, LFOs and macros; six-slot effect chains on every track, bus and the master, with sidechain keying; scenes and follow actions; a Song timeline with export to stems and MIDI; and a four-loop Looper.

How this was made: every screen and every sound comes from Melodee's own code, run on a computer with a scripted hand pressing the MPC's buttons, pads and knobs. It isn't camera footage, and the MPC Sample on screen is a drawing. The music is a demo project made for this video at 90 BPM: drums from the Dirty Drummer Demo kit, a Farfisa from Vintage Organs 3 Demo, a boys' choir multisample, and a Rusty Drums 3 kit loaded on camera; the bass and the pluck are the Melodee Poly plug-in.

https://github.com/keremimo/melodee-s...

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video upload by

M-VAVE on Amazon

"Skiff 2.5 is out: free, open-source firmware that turns the M-VAVE FM-1 into a six-track groovebox, and M-VAVE's SMK-37 Pro keyboard too. With 2.5, Skiff is nearly feature complete. This video builds one lo-fi song from a new project, press by press, and shows every new feature on the way: two cores and 16 voices, FREE TAKE (play first, keep it after), STRUM, a pad and a pluck made from scratch and saved with their sends, the true-stereo delay with PAN reaching it, FX › DELAY and FX › REVERB, NOTES: DELETE, FILTR, a song you can follow and start from any entry, KEEP SENDS, CLEAR SONG and CLEAR TRACKS, HOME's new views, LARGE keeping the names, 2.2's voices against 2.5's, REMOTE's knobs, and the same Skiff on the SMK-37 Pro, each combination as it is printed.

How it was made: Skiff's screens and sound are Skiff 2.5.1's own code, the firmware's source run on a computer, so the sound and the screens line up to the frame. Every key, button and knob shown is a press performed in the firmware, step by step; the takes are scripted to play like hands, a slip included. The sounds are factory sounds, apart from the three made in the video: TAPE PAD, RAIN PLUCK and DUSTY KIT. REMOTE's CCs are sent from a computer, as a controller would send them. The sound is the firmware's own, only levelled for YouTube. The FM-1 is drawn in 3D and the SMK-37 Pro flat, their screens Skiff's own display.

▶ Get Skiff (free, GPL-3.0): https://github.com/illuminus5/skiff
▶ From 2.2: every FM-1 moves to MENU › SYSTEM › CPU 2 CORES once (16 voices); songs keep a mono delay; undo keeps 6 levels.

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M-VAVE FM-1 with KARMA firmware: four tracks, stems and MIDI into Ableton

video upload by SLEAZTEK

You can find the M-VAVE FM-1 on Amazon.

"And Karma is out… I can’t wait to see what you’re all gonna do with it.

"KARMA is free, open-source firmware for the M-VAVE FM-1. It turns the FM-1 into a four-track groovebox: an acid bass or a Juno-style polysynth, physical modelling, two dozen synthesis models and a drum synth, with a 64-step sequencer, song mode, generators that write parts on one chord plan, and a pixel cast that reacts to every note.
Everything you hear in this video was played on the FM-1 and recorded straight into Ableton Live over one USB cable: six separate stems, the MIDI of every track, and the FM-1 following Ableton's clock and play button.
Install it from your browser in about a minute (Chrome or Edge, a USB data cable), try it first in the browser simulator, or edit your sounds and back up your projects with the web editor:
https://eatyourgreensstudio-dotcom.gi...

Source code (GPL-3.0): https://github.com/eatyourgreensstudi...

KARMA is built on the work of the FM-1 open-source community: SLOOP by isod89, Felucca by Hügelton Instruments, and code from X0X, FM-106, Melodee, JIANT FM and Mutable Instruments' open-source modules. Full credits are on the website. Not affiliated with M-VAVE.
#mvave #fm1 #synth"

Additional notes from the developer:

"It turns the FM-1 into a four-track groovebox:

- Track 1: an acid bass or a Juno-style polysynth

- Track 2: physical modelling, built on Émilie Gillet's open-source Elements (Mutable Instruments): strike, pluck, bow or blow a resonator

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Every FM-1 Firmware Should Be as Easy as Melodee

video upload by substatica drones

M-VAVE on Amazon

"Building a loop and going over some features of Melodee, an intuitive groovebox firmware for the M-VAVE FM-1. The Melodee firmware expands the FM-1 with five sound engines, including Prophet-style synthesis, 6-operator FM, CZ, SID and drums, alongside a four-track, 64-step sequencer. It also adds recording, effects and hands-on sequencing tools designed to make building complete loops fast and intuitive.

MELODEE Firmware - https://keremimo.github.io/melodee/we...

FM-1 is a true frequency-modulation synthesizer in your pocket. Six independent sine-wave operators combine through 32 algorithms to recreate the iconic timbres of the FM era — pianos, strings, brass, basses and electronic synths. It comes loaded with 128 factory tones and a color TFT screen that draws the live algorithm structure and oscillator waveform. A 27-key silicone piano-layout keyboard with OCT-/OCT+ over 8 octaves, MONO/POLY voicing (up to 12-voice polyphony), six built-in effects (Filter / Reverb / Delay / Distortion / Chorus / Phaser), a 7-mode arpeggiator and 16-step sequencer turn it into a complete creation rig."

00:00 - Intro
00:08 - FM6, Prophet-5, XOX and SID engines
00:13 - Select root note and scale (SEL)
00:27 - Enable chord mode (SEL, CHRD)
00:41 - Adjust sequence length (SEQ, LEN)
00:52 - Arm recording (REC)
01:12 - Enable per-track FX (FX)
01:51 - Add another pattern to track (SEQ, PATTERNS)
01:58 - Adjust new pattern SEQ length (SEQ, LEN)
02:07 - Track 1 is now on Pattern (P2)
02:42 - Hold SEQ and press white key to queue the next pattern
03:18 - Select track (ALGORITHM)
05:01 - Adjust track levels (GLO)
05:34 - Select patch (PRESETS)
05:45 - Per-track arpeggiator (ARP)
07:04 - Hold EDIT to undo last recording

Melodee v1.4.2 Live Workflow

video upload by Keremimo

You can find the M-VAVE FM-1 on Amazon.

"Hi all, finally I get to make a video, so I start a stream instead! This is a livestream introducing Melodee, the custom firmware for M-VAVE FM-1 pocket synth! I will answer all your questions and introduce all the features to you. Hope you enjoy!"

Install: https://keremimo.github.io/melodee

Previously:

Melodee v1.3.0 Release Stream: AMA!

video upload by Keremimo

"Hi all, finally I get to make a video, so I start a stream instead! This is a livestream introducing Melodee, the custom firmware for M-VAVE FM-1 pocket synth! I will answer all your questions and introduce all the features to you. Hope you enjoy!"

Skiff 1.3 for the M-VAVE FM-1: two cores, 12 voices, MIDI LEARN (what's new)

video upload by Skiff

You can find the M-VAVE FM-1 on Amazon.

Update: new videos added below.

"Skiff 1.3 is out: free, open-source firmware that turns the M-VAVE FM-1 into a six-track groovebox. This video shows what's new in 1.3, set to one song made on it: the FM-1's second core (BETA: 12 voices at once instead of 8), MIDI LEARN and a MIDI channel per track, an INSERT effect on every track, LFO sync, and more from Felucca 1.2 to 1.6.1.

Everything you hear is Skiff 1.3's own code playing that song: the firmware's source, run on a computer so the sound and the screens line up to the frame. Every sound comes from its engines, and every knob turn, mute, MIDI message and effect shown is performed in the firmware. Nothing was added afterwards; only the overall level was set. Every FM-1 screen shown is Skiff's own display, not a mock-up; the MIDI controller is a drawing of the messages the firmware received. A computer has no FM-1 second core, so the run renders those tracks itself with the two-core voice budget; Skiff's tests show the sound is bit for bit the same either way. The CPU figure on screen (60–63 %) was measured on an FM-1 playing six such tracks.

▶ Get Skiff (free, GPL-3.0): https://github.com/illuminus5/skiff
▶ Install from the browser (Chrome or Edge, FM-1 on USB): https://illuminus5.github.io/skiff/we...
▶ What's new in 1.3: https://github.com/illuminus5/skiff/r...

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Perfect Partners: How to hook up your M-Vave FM-1 to Circuit Tracks

video upload by Guinan

You can find part 2 further below.

You can find the M-VAVE FM-1 on Amazon. See dealers on the right for Circuit Tracks.

"I bought an M-VAVE FM-1 to add to my Circuit Tracks.

I love Yamaha DX sounds (checkout my previous MiniDEXED build and songs to see how much) and I think they work well with the Circuit Tracks. Building an equivalent MiniDEXED (like this one) now has ballooned to over $100USD* so at around $60 or so this is a much cheaper and interesting option.

Better screen
Bluetooth MIDI
Rubber keyboard
Easier interface
NO DIY

The numerous daily new firmwares adding new features and the very tempting price on the FM-1 was too much to resist so - here we are.

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Polly: a pocket arranger for the M-VAVE FM-1

video upload by Charles Vestal

You can find the M-VAVE FM-1 on Amazon.

"Polly is free firmware that turns the M-VAVE FM-1 into a pocket arranger, inspired by the Yamaha QY70. Play a chord, and a band of eight instruments follows it.

16 styles, each with an Intro, two grooves, fills and an Ending
Write your own chord progressions, and build songs from them, section by section
Record two melodies along the song, and fix any note in the piano roll
128 General MIDI sounds and a drum kit, with a mixer, reverb and chorus
Make your own grooves, save up to four songs, and back them up from the browser
Play from a MIDI keyboard, send MIDI to your computer, and mirror the screen

New in 0.4: melodies start as a choir, and the Ending stays in tune when you ask for it mid-song.

Install from Chrome or Edge, or try it in your browser first: https://charlesvestal.github.io/fm1-p...
Lessons with videos: https://charlesvestal.github.io/fm1-p...
Source (GPL-3.0): https://github.com/charlesvestal/fm1-...

0:00 Play a chord, and the band follows
0:14 16 styles
0:28 Grooves and fills
0:43 Build a song
0:51 Record melodies
1:02 Edit notes
1:16 Sounds, mixer and effects

Built on Felucca by Hügelton Instruments. The piano roll follows the design of Melodee by Kerem Kilic. Sounds by Sonivox EAS. Polly isn't affiliated with Yamaha or M-VAVE."