Where everything lives on KARMA, the free firmware for the M-VAVE FM-1, and how to reach it. Tap a button to open its pages (tap again or turn SELECT for the next one); hold a button for what it does with the keys and knobs.
Knob colours on the screen:KNOB 1KNOB 2KNOB 3KNOB 4
Getting around
HOME
The tape reels and the four lanes of the song. Hold HOME: the MENU
ALGORITHM
Choose the track: 1, 2, 3, DRUM (the boxes at the bottom)
PRESETS
Browse the sounds of the selected track
SELECT
Next / previous page of the button you tapped (tempo where there are no pages)
EDIT + OCT−
Undo a pattern change (also after GEN, ACID GEN, DRUM GEN). EDIT + OCT+: redo
hold SAVE
Save the project (a ring fills; let go early and nothing happens)
The track's ENV page is the Juno's envelope; LFO → PIT is vibrato, → FLT the filter, → SHP the PWM.
Tracks 2 and 3
ELEMENTS (track 2)
MODEL: BOUNC (bouncing hits), PICK (plectrum), BOW (bowed, holds while you hold), BLOW (breath, a reed pipe above ⅔), OMIN (the hidden Ominous Voice: RATIO FM FDBK DTUNE BRIT SHAPE SPACE; one note).
BOW: the BOW knob is pressure, TONE the bow noise. Play harder for a rougher bow that speaks sooner.
Knobs HARM, TIMB, MRPH (as on the module), ENV, SUB. CHORD: the chord name shows on the knob.
Big models (6OP, STRMC, STRNG, SPECH, PARTC) play one note at a time; the small ones up to four.
Track 1 plays ACID or JUNO, track 2 ELEMENTS, track 3 PLAITS, the drums HEX kits: PRESETS shows each track's own sounds.
GEN writes a part, synth tracks
SEQ → turn SELECT to the GEN page
STEPPATTERNPLAYACID GENACID GEN 2GENGEN 2HARMONY
GEN
GENON / OFF, this track
DRIFT0 = locked; up = it varies, keeps its shape
DENShow busy
RANGEhow wide the lead goes
GEN 2
OCTmoves every register by octaves
ACCaccents
SLIDEslides
NEWGO: a fresh part
Turning GEN ON writes a new part at once.
A key pressed on the GEN page (FM-1 keys or a MIDI keyboard) turns GEN on for that track and sets the KEY to that note: every GEN track follows.
EDIT + OCT− undoes.
GEN is off again after power off; what it wrote is your pattern and is saved. The track's LEN is set to the progression (up to 64 steps).
HARMONY right after GEN 2
KEYroot note
MODEMIN DOR PHRY MAJ MIX
PROGthe chords
BARSGEN loop: 1, 2, 4 bars
DRONEi
SWAYi – bVII
DEEPi – iv
EPICi – bVI – bVII
POPi – bVI – III – bVII
MOODi – iv – bVI – v
The chords show on screen when PROG is turned.
KEY and MODE set all three synth tracks' ROOT / SCALE and ACID GEN's, and are saved with the project. PROG and BARS are not.
A key on the HARMONY page only sets the KEY (it never turns GEN on).
Turning any HARMONY knob rewrites every track that has GEN on; the message names them (e.g. i bVII GEN 1 3).
GEN roles each track plays its part of the band
TRACK 1 · BASSOne acid rhythm repeated every bar, the chord's root at each chord change, accents and slides.
TRACK 2 · LINELong chord notes, a new one each bar, moving smoothly. A short struck ELEMENTS sound is re-struck on the beats.
TRACK 3 · LEADA one-bar motif developed over the loop, chord tones on the beats, ending on the home note.
ACID GEN acid lines, any synth track
SEQ → turn SELECT past STEP, PATTERN and PLAY
ACID GEN
DENSnotes that play
ACCaccents
SLIDEslides
SEEDa new line each step
ACID GEN 2
SCALEMIN PHRY HARM MPEN DOR MAJ
OCT1–3 octaves
ROOTkey
VARYGO: reroll ¼
Turning any knob rewrites the track's pattern at once. EDIT + OCT− brings your old one back. HARMONY's KEY and MODE set its ROOT and SCALE too. The knob settings are not saved; the line is (it is the pattern).
PLAY how a track's steps play
SEQ → turn SELECT past PATTERN
DIRFWD REV PEND RAND WALK
CHANCEhow often ? steps play
JUMPrandom octave up
STRIDEsteps moved: 1–7
Chance steps
Hold SEQ + hold step keys + OCT+ → NORMAL → FILL ONLY → NO FILL → CHANCE (a ? on the step)
CHANCE steps are saved in the project; the PLAY knobs belong to the FM-1. While recording, steps go forward.
LFO and ENV tap LFO / ENV
LFO · LFO 2 · LFO DEST
RATE
WAVESIN TRI SAW SQR S&H
PHSphase
FADEfade in
SYNCOFF = RATE, or 4BAR … 1/32
TRIGNOTE · FREE
POLBI · UNI
PIT
FLT
SHP
AMP
The LFO page's wave runs live with the track's LFO, a dot on its current value. ENV: ATK · DEC · SUS · REL; ENV DEST: FLT · PIT · SHP · ESYNC (note values). The character behind the curve grows and shrinks with the sound.
Arpeggiator tap ARP
ARP
MODEOFF UP DN UPDN RND ORD
RATE1/4 … 16T
OCT1–4
GATEnote length
ARP 2
SWGswing
PROBchance
HOLDkeeps playing
ORDpitch / played
MODE starts at OFF: turn it, then hold keys. The character hops on the stepping stones.
Note repeat
Hold ARP + hold a key · ARP + KNOB 1 = repeat speed
GRID: KNOB 1 picks the sound, the white keys switch its 16 steps on and off.
While playing: hold OCT− / OCT+ for ghost / hard hits.
Kits 1–5 are HEX BOOM, ACID, METAL, GLITCH, ROOM; then 808, 909 and the others; MY HEX 1–4 at the end.
DRUM GEN generated KICK, SNARE, HATS
Drum screen → SEQ twice (GRID → KIT → DRUM GEN) · SEQ again = back to the GRID
DRUM GEN
MODEOFF · MAP · EUCL
MAP Xmove over the map
MAP Yof 25 grooves
CHAOSrandom extra hits
DRUM GEN 2
KICKhow busy
SNAREhow busy
HATShow busy
ROTEUCL: shifts snare/hats
MAP: grooves from Grids' drum map, blended as you turn X / Y. EUCL: hits spread evenly (KICK 25 % = 4 on the beats). Only KICK, SNARE and HAT lanes are written; the rest stay yours. MODE OFF keeps what's there; EDIT + OCT− goes back to before.
Drums: edit a sound EDIT on the drum screen
EDIT → sound pages · press a key to pick the sound · SEQ = back
HEX OSC · HEX AEG · HEX MOD (the DRUM model's names; each model shows its own)
MODELDRUM SNARE CLAP CYM HAT
WAVESIN TRI SAW SQR NOIS PWM
TUNEpitch
P.SLPpitch-drop curve
ATK
DEC
SLOPEtail ↔ punch
LEVEL
P.AMTpitch drop
P.DECits speed
M.PITmod osc pitch
FMdepth (or mix)
HEX CLICK · HEX FILT · HEX MORE
TRANSSNAP OFFS CLK TICK KICK RIM HAT CLAP SNR TOM…
T.LVLclick level
T.PITclick pitch
CRUSHsample rate down
FILTLP HP BP UBP NTCH PEAK LP2 OFF
CUT
RES
DRIVE
MODmod osc wave, FM or MIX (snare: noise; clap: repeats)
DISTdistortion
The drum voices come from the open-source LXR-02 firmware by Erica Synths (GPL-3.0), ported to KARMA: its drum, snare, cymbal and hi-hat voices and its short click transients. CLAP is the snare voice with repeats.
The built-in kits never change: your first edit copies the kit into MY HEX 1–4 and switches to it. Saved on the FM-1 by itself.
Hold FX + a key: punch-in effects on the whole mix while the key is held.
CLOUD (Clouds grains)
SENDthis track / drum sound
POShow far back
SIZEgrain length
PITCH±24
DENSnoon = none
TEXTclick ↔ smooth
FDBKfeedback
FRZfreeze
Per drum sound: pick the sound on the drum screen first (KNOB 1), then set SEND. Saved with the project.
Mixer hold GLO
KNOB 1–4
Levels of track 1, 2, 3, drums
Keys 1–4
Mute a track
Keys 5–8
Solo a track
Key 9 (hold)
Fill while held
Key 10
Fill on the next bar
Last key
Tap tempo
Record REC
tap REC
The REC screen: KNOB 1 MODE (free / tempo, on an empty project), KNOB 2 the track's length (1, 2 or 4 bars), KNOB 3 START (on a note / a count-in)
hold REC
Clears the selected track (a ring fills; let go early and nothing happens)
EDIT + OCT−
Undo: brings a cleared or rewritten track back
MENU hold HOME
SELECT = section (SCREEN · LIGHTS · AUDIO · SYSTEM) · KNOB 1–3 set its rows · PRESETS moves the cursor · OCT+ steps the setting round / opens it · OCT− closes
AUDIO › USB AUDIO
MASTER
Follows the MASTER knob
FULL
Full level
STEMS
At the next start: 6 channels into a DAW (tracks 1, 2, 3, drums mono + FX return stereo), 44.1 kHz; the serial console is off
The FM-1 is a class-compliant USB audio interface and a USB MIDI device: no drivers.
MIDI keyboard e.g. Akai MPK mini
Keys on channel 1 play the selected track (GLO › MIDI 2 › IN = CH 1). Channels 2, 3 still play tracks 2, 3; channel 10 (the pads) the drums.
On the GEN page a key turns GEN on and sets the KEY; on the HARMONY page it sets the KEY only.
Knobs K1–K8 are the FM-1's eight rotaries (GLO › MIDI 3 › KNOBS = PANEL): K1 PRESETS (the sounds), K2 SELECT (pages), K3 ALGORITHM (tracks), K4 MASTER, K5–K8 KNOB 1–4 (whatever the screen shows). KNOBS = AUTO / 1-8 / 70-77: the EDIT knobs instead; GM: the old map.
Any other CC: MIDI LEARN (hold GLO + F#3, touch a knob, move the controller).
Simulator
Double-click
Hold a button down (blue outline); click again to let go. Shift-click does the same.
1 2 3 4 5 6
FX · SEL · ENV · LFO · EDIT · GLO
7 8 9 0 - =
HOME · SAVE · ARP · SEQ · PLAY · REC
Z … ' · Q … O
The keyboard's notes
[ ]
OCT− / OCT+
↑ ↓ / ← →
SELECT / ALGORITHM
Save / Open pattern
A reload starts a fresh pattern: Save pattern keeps yours (.fm1p, or .json on claude.ai), Open pattern brings it back
● Record
Records the screen and the sound to a video file
Web MIDI works when the simulator runs from a normal website or localhost (Chrome, Edge), e.g. an Akai MPK mini's knobs K1–K8 as the FM-1's 8 rotaries in PANEL mode. User presets and settings are not kept across a reload.
What is saved
Project (hold SAVE, or SAVE → PROJECT): patterns, sounds, the KEY and MODE, CLOUD settings and sends, each drum sound's reverb and delay.
MY HEX 1–4 drum kits: saved on the FM-1 by themselves, for every project.
Not saved: GEN on / off, HARMONY's PROG and BARS, the ACID GEN knobs. What they wrote is your pattern and is saved.