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GR!MM V2.0

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@GRiMMBIENT GRiMMBIENT released this 31 Oct 21:52
· 8 commits to main since this release
v2.0
f272a35

GR!MM V2.0

GR!MM V2.0 is a free update for the M-VAVE FM-1. Same install as V1.0, and your sounds, projects and samples stay where they are.

Unofficial firmware. Not made or supported by M-VAVE. Install at your own risk and back up first. You can always go back to the stock firmware.

What's new

GENERATE: GR!MM plays by itself

  • Hold FX + a black key (F#3, G#3, A#3, C#4) and that track plays by itself, always in its SCALE (and in chords when chord mode is on).
  • Three moods: DRIFT, PULSE and STORM (FX + D#4).
  • Set the octave (FX + F#4 / G#4) and how wide it roams (FX + A#4, 1–3 octaves), per track or for all four.
  • Follows the tempo, including an external MIDI clock.

New sounds

  • Real choirs: the VOICE source gets a TYPE with three real-singer choirs (GREGORIAN, NUNS, CATHEDRAL), and VOWEL sweeps clearly through the vowels.
  • Four new choir presets: GREGORIAN, PLAINCHANT, CATHEDRAL CHOIR and NUNS (44 factory sounds now).
  • GLIDE on every source (SOURCE page, KNOB 4).
  • PHASE gets a full second line (LINE 2: its own WAVE and DCW, RING and NOISE) and its own envelopes for the timbre and pitch (PHASE ENV).

Effects and mixing

  • MASTER filter on the whole mix: LP / HP / BP, placed before the effects, after the reverb, or at the very end.
  • DRIVE with four types: SOFT, FUZZ, CLIP and FOLD.
  • Track filter with TYPE (LP / HP / BP) and POSITION (PRE / POST) on MIXER 2.
  • MIXER 1 redesigned: six tiles per track (LEVEL, DELAY, REVERB, TAPE, GRAIN, DRIVE).
  • TAPE now works per track: turn up a track's TAPE tile on MIXER 1 and only that track goes through the tape.
  • TAPE WOW reworked: like a worn VHS or cassette, the pitch stays steady and every few seconds the tape briefly slips or drags. The knob sets how strong.
  • 6 dB of headroom and a safety limiter, so loud patches no longer distort.
  • Cleaner fades: long releases and reverb tails now fade smoothly into silence.

MIDI

  • MIDI clock in (USB or the 3.5 mm TRS jack) and clock out over USB: SYSTEM 2, CLOCK.
  • MIDI IN on the TRS jack (TRS-to-DIN adapter).
  • One MIDI channel to the selected track: SYSTEM, MIDI CHANNEL, CH n > SEL.
  • VELOCITY on or off for incoming MIDI notes (SYSTEM 3).
  • SEQ MIDI OUT now also sends GENERATE's notes.

Workflow

  • LATCH on or off from any page: SEL + OCT+. SYSTEM 3 LATCH OFF keeps loaded sounds from switching it on.
  • Hold REC for 1 second to clear a pattern (undoable).
  • The six voices are shared more fairly: a drone keeps playing when you hold a big chord on another track.
  • New boot screen (a bat swarm startles the eye awake) and creepier visuals.
  • The candles on HOME now come alive: no flame while a track is silent, and the flame grows with its volume.
  • HOME warns you: a small red CUT under a track's name when its filter is closed, and DRY when its FX is at 0, so it gets no effects. MIXER 1 then dims that track's send tiles and shows FX0.
  • NEW (SAVE > PROJECTS) now also puts the mixer back to its defaults.
  • SYSTEM 2 shows USB REC DROPS next to CPU: it counts gaps in the audio sent over USB (stopping or pausing your DAW adds to it too; OCT- + OCT+ resets it).

Editor

  • BACKUP now includes your four samples.
  • Sample upload: no more clicks on bright samples, and NORMALISE can be switched off.

Fixed

  • An arp note could go missing at the loop point with MIDI from a DAW.
  • A latched note could get stuck after stopping a DAW (MIDI in, PHYS).
  • Backups and restores with samples could stop halfway ("no answer").
  • The "SAVES WHEN SILENT" message no longer stays on top of the screen.
  • Fading sounds no longer break up at the end.
  • Recording the FM-1 over USB could drop out (short stutters) with heavy sounds, like a choir chord with SPACE on.
  • An LFO on VOLUME or a send could still be heard with the knob at 0.
  • A sound or project with out-of-range values (from a damaged save) could make the filter crackle. Values now load within range.
  • When the FM-1 has too much to play at once, it now lets go of fading and generated notes first and keeps your held and latched notes. The header says CPU FULL: NOTE DROPPED.
  • With an effect tail that rings for ever (DELAY feeding back, SPACE on INF, GRAIN frozen), settings, sample uploads and editor writes could wait for ever. They now go ahead 10 s after the last note.
  • While a computer records the FM-1 over USB, an autosave could make the lights flicker and leave a short gap in the recording. It now waits until you have left the FM-1 alone for a minute, and saves straight away when the recording stops.
  • The choir sounds (GREGORIAN, CATHEDRAL CHOIR, NUNS) no longer switch chord mode on when you load them. Their chord type is still set, so hold SEL to hear them as chords.
  • After an unexpected restart, the header now says why: WATCHDOG RESET, or LOW VOLTAGE RESET after a dip in the power supply.

Credits

Choir recordings from VocalSet (Wilkins et al., 2018), licensed CC BY 4.0.

Coming from V1.0

  • TAPE is now per track. A V1.0 project that used TAPE on the whole mix loads clean: turn up the TAPE tile on MIXER 1 for the tracks that should go through the tape.

Install

Same as V1.0: open the FM-1 Firmware Hub (https://thefirmwarehub.com/) in Chrome or Edge, connect your FM-1, pick GR!MM and press install. Back up with the editor first. The manual and the controls sheet are updated for V2.0.

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