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FM-1

Chapter 9

MIDI, USB & Bluetooth

Three MIDI inputs at once, channels, clock, program changes and the computer.

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In this chapter · 11
  1. 9.1Three ways in: USB, Bluetooth and 3.5 mm
  2. 9.2USB MIDI
  3. 9.3USB audio and loopback
  4. 9.4Bluetooth MIDI
  5. 9.5The 3.5 mm MIDI input
  6. 9.6MIDI channels: notes and effects
  7. 9.7Pitch-bend range
  8. 9.8Changing presets over MIDI
  9. 9.9Syncing to MIDI clock
  10. 9.10What the FM-1 responds to
  11. 9.11Lighting the keys from MIDI (V16)
9.1BasicsManual §5 p.13

Three ways in: USB, Bluetooth and 3.5 mm

The FM-1 has three MIDI connections and listens to all of them at once, so a keyboard on the 3.5 mm input, a DAW on USB and an app on Bluetooth can all play it together.

ConnectionReceivesSendsMore
USB-CYesYesUSB MIDI
Bluetooth (BLE MIDI)YesYesBluetooth MIDI
3.5 mm MIDI inYesNo — there is no MIDI out socketThe 3.5 mm MIDI input

It sends the notes you play, including the notes from the arpeggiator and sequencer, so it can play a soft synth or another instrument. It receives notes, pitch bend, program changes, control changes, clock and DX7 SysEx — the full list is in What the FM-1 responds to.

9.2BasicsManual §5 p.13, §7 p.14

USB MIDI

Connect the USB-C socket to a computer and the FM-1 appears as a standard USB MIDI device, with no driver to install. The same cable powers and charges it. USB is also the connection to use for loading banks, exporting them and updating firmware.

Play it from a DAW

  1. Connect the FM-1 with a USB data cable — some USB-C cables only charge.
  2. In your DAW, enable the FM-1 as a MIDI output and create a MIDI track that sends to it.
  3. Send on the channel the FM-1 listens to. It listens to all channels by default (see MIDI channels: notes and effects).
  4. Bring its sound back into the DAW with USB audio and loopback, or from the 3.5 mm output into an audio interface.
9.3Intermediate

USB audio and loopback

Over USB the FM-1 also carries audio, so a computer can record it without a separate audio interface. V16 adds a USB Loopback switch for what that recording contains.

USB LoopbackThe USB recording contains
OffThe FM-1 and its effects only.
OnThe FM-1, plus audio playing on the computer and any Bluetooth backing audio — handy for jamming over a track and recording both.

From the community

  • The speaker mutes when you plug into the audio output, but not when you only listen through USB audio. One owner found no setting to turn it off (on V15). via Elektronauts: M-VAVE FM-1 thread

What's the Catch With a $65 Synth This Good? (FM-1)

Philipp Prinz Music

Quick verdict that tries real DX7 patches and points out a USB audio issue and a sound glitch.

This Tiny Synth Can Load Classic DX7 Sounds

TAETRO

Broad practical guide: sequencer update, iPad sequencing, Bluetooth MIDI, a USB audio quirk and SYX import, all chaptered.

9.4BasicsManual §3.3 p.8, §5 p.13

Bluetooth MIDI

Bluetooth MIDI works with phones, tablets and computers that support BLE MIDI. It is handy for playing synth apps from the FM-1’s keys, or sending DX7 banks from an iPad without a cable.

Key combinations

Hold HOME
Turns Bluetooth on or off.
HOME LEDMeans
BlinkingBluetooth on, not connected
OnConnected
OffBluetooth off

From the community

This Tiny Synth Can Load Classic DX7 Sounds

TAETRO

Broad practical guide: sequencer update, iPad sequencing, Bluetooth MIDI, a USB audio quirk and SYX import, all chaptered.

How to use M-VAVE FM-1 as a bluetooth MIDI controller (demo with iOS synth app)

jesuzmario

Two-minute how-to for using the FM-1 as a wireless BLE MIDI keyboard for an iOS synth app.

M-Vave FM1 Tutorial how to install Dx7 patches with an iPad wirelessly

Connorchops

Loading DX7 patches from an iPad over Bluetooth, no computer needed.

9.5IntermediateManual §5 p.13, §7 p.14

The 3.5 mm MIDI input

The 3.5 mm socket on the back is a standard-speed MIDI input. Connect another device’s MIDI out to it with a 3.5 mm-to-MIDI adapter, and it plays the FM-1 like the USB and Bluetooth connections do.

From the community

  • If you must send banks through the 3.5 mm input from an old computer or hardware librarian, send them in chunks of 60 bytes or less with about 10 ms between them. Bigger bursts can garble the data or freeze the FM-1 until you switch it off and on. USB has no such problem. via Elektronauts: M-VAVE FM-1 thread

M-VAVE Q&A Ep.4｜How to Update FM-1 Firmware & Connect a MIDI Keyboard

M-VAVE

M-VAVE Q&A on recovering from a failed update and wiring up an external MIDI keyboard.

9.6IntermediateManual §3.2 p.8, §3.1 p.5

MIDI channels: notes and effects

Two channel settings decide what the FM-1 listens to. MIDI Channel is where it receives notes; it is set to ALL (every channel) unless you change it. Effect Channel is where it listens for the effect controls, and it is channel 2 by default.

V15: GLO page 1

MIDI Channel
The channel the FM-1 receives notes on. ALL responds to every channel.Knob 1Range ALL / 1–16
Effect Channel
The channel that carries the effect CCs (see Controlling the effects over MIDI).Knob 2Range 1–16

On V16 each of the eight Voices has its own MIDI Ch instead of one global channel — see Layering, and playing Voices from MIDI. The Effect channel stays global.

From the community

  • If effect CCs seem to do nothing, check Effect Channel in GLO: the effects only listen there, and it is not the same channel as the notes by default. via Elektronauts: M-VAVE FM-1 thread

Using MIDI CC's with the FM-1

Maks Makes

Shows CC control of the FX chain from an external controller over TRS; note its CC table predates V16's move to CC70-93.

9.7BasicsManual §3.2 p.8, §3.1 p.5

Pitch-bend range

The FM-1 has no pitch wheel, but it responds to pitch bend from a controller or DAW. Up and down ranges are set separately, so a guitar-style bend of two semitones up can sit with a dive of a full octave down.

V15: GLO page 1

Pitch Bend Up
How many semitones a full upward bend reaches.Knob 3Range 1–24
Pitch Bend Down
How many semitones a full downward bend reaches.Knob 4Range 1–24

On V16 each Voice has its own bend ranges, on its Pitch page in GLO (see Voice setup in GLO).

9.8IntermediateFirmware V13+Manual §5 p.13

Changing presets over MIDI

Send a Program Change and the FM-1 loads that preset: program 0 is preset 001 and program 127 is preset 128. Put program changes at the start of each part of a song in your DAW and the sound follows along.

From the community

M-VAVE FM-1 Firmware (V14) Feature | MIDI Program Change Support & Feature Updates

M-VAVE

Official V14 rundown: global, arp and sequencer changes plus MIDI Program Change support.

9.9IntermediateFirmware V13+Manual §3.2 p.8, §3.3 p.10

Syncing to MIDI clock

The arpeggiator and the sequencer each have a Sync switch. Turn it on and they follow the tempo of MIDI clock arriving from a DAW or drum machine.

WhereSetting
ArpeggiatorSync on ARP page 2, KNOB 4 — see Arpeggiator tempo, gate, swing and sync
SequencerSync on SEQ page 3, KNOB 2 on V15 — see Sequencer swing, sync and transpose

What the clock messages do

MessageThe FM-1
ClockFollows the external tempo
StartStarts from the first step
ContinueAlso starts from the first step — it doesn’t resume mid-pattern
StopStops

From the community

M-VAVE FM-1 Firmware (V14) Feature | MIDI Program Change Support & Feature Updates

M-VAVE

Official V14 rundown: global, arp and sequencer changes plus MIDI Program Change support.

9.10AdvancedManual §5 p.13

What the FM-1 responds to

This table combines M-VAVE’s FM-1 MIDI response table (V15), the manual and the V16 release notes. Channel messages are received on the note channel — on V16, each Voice’s own channel — unless the table says otherwise.

MessageWhat it does
Note on / offPlays notes with velocity. A note on with velocity 0 counts as a note off.
Program change 0–127Selects presets 001–128 (Changing presets over MIDI).
Pitch bendBends within the set range (Pitch-bend range).
Channel aftertouchReceived.
CC1, CC2, CC4Modulation: mod wheel, breath and foot controller.
CC64Sustain pedal.
CC7Master volume (V16).
CC11Expression for the Voices on that channel, 0–127; CC121 resets it to 127 (V16).
CC70–93 on the Effect channelEffect switches and settings (Controlling the effects over MIDI). CC0–23 on V15.
Notes 0–26 on the Effect channelLight the key LEDs without sounding (V16, Lighting the keys from MIDI (V16)).
Clock, start, continue, stopTempo and transport (Syncing to MIDI clock).
DX7 32-voice bank (SysEx)Imports a bank into A–D (Loading DX7 banks).
DX7 parameter change (SysEx)Sets one voice parameter: F0 43 10 pp qq vv F7, parameter number pp × 128 + qq (0–155).

From the community

  • Any sound parameter can be changed live with DX7 parameter-change SysEx (F0 43 10 pp qq vv F7), so a MIDI processor can turn a sequencer’s CCs into full operator control. One owner found that values pushed past 99 give extra-hot, distorted results. via Elektronauts: M-VAVE FM-1 thread
9.11AdvancedFirmware V16+

Lighting the keys from MIDI (V16)

V16 lets a computer or another device light the FM-1’s key LEDs directly. Send notes 0–26 on the Effect channel: each number is one key, left to right, and the notes make no sound.

  • A note on with any velocity above 0 lights that key.
  • A note off, or a note on with velocity 0, clears it.
  • The positions are fixed to the physical keys: octave and transpose don’t move them.
  • It works in normal playing mode.