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FM-1

Chapter 3

Presets & saving

Browse the 128 sounds, save, name and copy them, and swap DX7 banks with a computer.

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In this chapter · 7
  1. 3.1Browsing presets
  2. 3.2Saving
  3. 3.3Init, rename and copy a preset
  4. 3.4Loading DX7 banks
  5. 3.5Exporting a bank (V16)
  6. 3.6Editing patches on a computer
  7. 3.7Resetting a bank
3.1BasicsManual §1 p.1, §2 p.2

Browsing presets

The FM-1 holds 128 presets, numbered 001–128 and kept in four banks of 32 (A–D). Turning PRESETS loads the next or previous one straight away, so you hear each sound as you pass it. Past 128 the list wraps back to 001.

Key combinations

Turn PRESETS clockwise
Loads the next preset.
Turn PRESETS anticlockwise
Loads the previous preset.

While you turn, a pop-up lists the presets with the current one highlighted. The top bar of the screen always shows the loaded preset’s number and name.

From the community

M-Vave FM-1: 5 Best Stock Presets and sound demo

Live Synth

Ninety-second demo of five strong factory presets played from a KeyStep, FX limited to the onboard reverb.

Can M-VAVE FM-1 make a FULL SONG? All sounds from this pocket FM synthesizer / no talking demo tune

jesuzmario

A complete short track made only from tweaked factory sounds, drums included.

This Tiny $65 Synth Is Full of Famous 80s Sounds

Philipp Prinz Music

Classic 80s DX7 sounds (E.PIANO 1, BASS 1, KOTO and more) performed on the FM-1.

3.2BasicsFirmware V16+Manual §3.3 p.8

Saving

Edits change the sound in working memory only. Saving writes them to flash memory, into the slot of the preset you are on — there is no separate “save as”, so copy a preset first if you want to keep the original (see Init, rename and copy a preset).

V15

  1. Hold SAVE. Its LED lights while it saves.
  2. The screen shows Preset Saved. Everything pending is saved together: the sound, the effects, the sequencer patterns and the global settings.

V16 splits saving up, because presets, patterns, the shared effects and the global settings now live separately. Pressing SAVE opens a menu of four choices; anything you haven’t changed is dimmed, and if nothing has changed the menu doesn’t open at all.

V16 save menu

ChoiceSaves
ALLEverything that has changed.
GlobeThe global settings, including the Voice setup and the FX groups.
PresetThe sound you are editing.
PatternSequencer data. The screen confirms with Pattern Saved.

After a save the menu closes and tells you what it saved; More Unsaved means other edits are still waiting. If a save fails, the menu stays open and says so.

3.3IntermediateFirmware V15+Manual §3.2 p.7

Init, rename and copy a preset

Three housekeeping tools live on page 2 of the voice settings. Each starts with a clockwise turn of its knob, so you can’t trigger one by brushing past.

Get there

  1. Press EDIT.
  2. Press GLO KEY.
  3. Turn SELECT to page 2.
Init Voice — KNOB 1
Turn it clockwise to reset every parameter of the current preset to a basic starting point: the blank page for building a sound from scratch.
Rename — KNOB 2
Turn it clockwise to open the rename panel. Turn it anticlockwise to cancel.
Copy Voice — KNOB 3
Turn it clockwise to open the copy panel, then pick the source preset with KNOB 4 and turn SELECT to confirm. It overwrites the preset you are on. Turn KNOB 3 anticlockwise to back out.

Renaming

  1. Turn KNOB 2 clockwise to open the rename panel.
  2. Use the OP1–OP5 keys to choose a character set or delete. The V15 release notes list capitals, lower case, symbols and numbers, with OP5 as delete.
  3. Turn KNOB 3 to pick a character.
  4. Turn SELECT to confirm.

From the community

M-VAVE FM-1 V15 Firmware Update | New Glide, Sequencer Features & MIDI CC Control

M-VAVE

Official V15 tour: glide, init/rename/copy voice, operator mute, sequencer long notes and chaining, and the first CC guide.

M-Vave FM-1 | Guide for the Envelopes and Patch Initialization

MiyafujiP

Clear explanation of the DX7-style rate/level envelopes plus where the hidden patch-init function lives.

3.4IntermediateManual §3.3 p.9, §5 p.13

Loading DX7 banks

The FM-1 understands Yamaha DX7 voice data, so the thousands of DX7 banks shared online will load and play. A bank holds 32 sounds and arrives as a SysEx file (usually .syx). Send it from a computer, phone or tablet over USB or Bluetooth.

  1. Connect the FM-1 to your computer or tablet over USB (see USB MIDI).
  2. Open a tool that can send SysEx — a patch editor such as Dexed, a web editor, or a SysEx librarian (see Editing patches on a computer).
  3. Send the 32-voice bank to the FM-1.
  4. A bank selection screen appears. Turn one of KNOB 1–KNOB 4 to choose bank A, B, C or D.
  5. Wait a moment: the bank is saved, replacing the 32 presets that were there.

From the community

  • The Yamaha Black Boxes site hosts the original DX7 factory banks and cartridges as SysEx files. The VRC-104 cartridge has percussive sounds that work as a kick low on the keyboard and a snare higher up. via Elektronauts: M-VAVE FM-1 thread
  • To pull one sound out of a 32-voice bank rather than sending the whole thing, owners use the free browser-based Retrokits DX7 bank extractor, which works with the FM-1. via Elektronauts: M-VAVE FM-1 thread
  • For drums on the stock firmware, load DX7 drum and percussion patches from a bank rather than programming them from scratch. via Elektronauts: M-VAVE FM-1 thread

M-VAVE FM-1 Sound Import Tutorial

M-VAVE

Official short demo of pushing DX7 SysEx patches into the FM-1 from Dexed; links to a random-cart generator for patches.

M-Vave FM-1 Review - The $70 Ali/Temu Pocket DX-7 Synthesizer | Synth Anatomy

SYNTH ANATOMY

The most thorough early review (on V14); candid about the mono FX, limited sequencer and patch-bank quirks.

M-Vave FM-1 Review: A Pocket DX7-Style FM Synth

Sid Rockett

Short review that specifically tests DX7 SysEx import, the tiny keys and battery life.

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.

DX-7 Patches to the FM-1

DECIMA1

Two-minute Dexed-to-FM-1 transfer; the description maps banks A-D to preset numbers 1-128.

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.

Real budget DX7 in your pocket? Vintage Yamaha DX7 vs. new M-Vave FM-1 sound comparison (no talking)

jesuzmario

Same patches on a vintage DX7 and the FM-1, recorded side by side with no talking.

Yamaha DX7 ROM1A on M-VAVE FM1 (no talk) demo of sysex Sound patches 1 to 32

Fabricio C Zuardi

All 32 sounds of the classic DX7 ROM1A bank played on the FM-1.

This Tiny $65 Synth Is Full of Famous 80s Sounds

Philipp Prinz Music

Classic 80s DX7 sounds (E.PIANO 1, BASS 1, KOTO and more) performed on the FM-1.

3.5IntermediateFirmware V16+

Exporting a bank (V16)

Until V16 the FM-1 could receive banks but not send them back. Bank Export transmits the selected bank’s 32 saved presets in standard DX7 SysEx format, so you can back them up or open them in any DX7 editor.

What is and isn’t in the file

  • In: the DX7 sound data of the 32 saved presets.
  • Not in: the quick ENV settings, the shared FX library, the Voice setup, patterns, the arrangement and global settings.
  1. Connect the FM-1 to your computer over USB and open a tool that can receive SysEx (see Editing patches on a computer).
  2. Start receiving in the tool.
  3. Choose Bank Export on the FM-1 and pick the bank.
  4. Save the received data as a .syx file.
3.6Intermediate

Editing patches on a computer

Editing six operators through four knobs is fine for tweaks, but a computer shows everything at once. Because the FM-1 speaks DX7 SysEx, DX7 editors work with it. None of these are made by M-VAVE.

ToolWhat it’s good for
DexedA free DX7 emulation and editor for Mac, Windows and Linux. Build or audition sounds on the computer, then send a voice or a bank to the FM-1 over USB.
FM1 Editor & LibrarianA free browser editor made for the FM-1 (Chrome, Edge or Firefox; not Safari). Edits every DX7 parameter and the effects, sends single sounds or banks, and on V16 receives Bank Export.
A SysEx librarianAny app that sends and receives .syx files works for moving whole banks.

From the community

  • As well as Dexed, there is a free browser editor and librarian made for the FM-1 at fm1-editor.com, which runs on any system with Web MIDI. via Elektronauts: M-VAVE FM-1 thread
  • On an iPhone or iPad, send .syx banks with a SysEx utility app. The Dixie DX7 editor also works with the FM-1, because both speak standard DX7 SysEx. via Elektronauts: M-VAVE FM-1 thread

M-VAVE FM-1 Sound Import Tutorial

M-VAVE

Official short demo of pushing DX7 SysEx patches into the FM-1 from Dexed; links to a random-cart generator for patches.

DX-7 Patches to the FM-1

DECIMA1

Two-minute Dexed-to-FM-1 transfer; the description maps banks A-D to preset numbers 1-128.

3.7IntermediateFirmware V15+Manual §3.2 p.8

Resetting a bank

Reset Patches undoes your edits to a whole bank at once. Since V15 you choose which bank, and it goes back to the presets that were last imported into it — not necessarily the factory sounds.

  1. Press GLO and turn SELECT to page 2.
  2. Turn KNOB 1 clockwise to open the reset panel.
  3. Turn one of KNOB 1–KNOB 4 to choose bank A, B, C or D.
  4. Turn SELECT clockwise to confirm, or anticlockwise to cancel.
  5. The screen shows Reset Success.