Groove OS 2.0 · for the M-VAVE FM-1
Turns your FM-1
into
a groovebox.
Sample a sound from your phone and play it on the keys moments later. Add drums, bass, chords and leads on up to eight tracks, mix them and play the whole beat live, on the FM-1 alone.
Installs from Chrome or Edge over USB in about 3 minutes. Already own it? Update to 2.0
01 · Sounds
Find your sound. Then make it yours.
Warm analog-style basses, bright FM keys, wide pads and leads. Groove OS adds a second synth engine to the FM-1, so you can mix both characters in one song and shape each part as you play.
- FM and virtual analog. Pair the warmth of virtual analog with the bite of FM. Give each track the sound that suits it.
- A library to start from. Browse built-in sounds and included genre packs. Hear each sound before choosing it for your track.
- Four knobs for each sound. Shape the tone, attack and movement with controls chosen for the preset. Go deeper in the sound editor.
- Bring your FM favourites. Load classic FM patches over MIDI and use them alongside the sounds you already have.
Included with Groove OS
A groovebox for every genre.
Find a groove you like, then make it your own. Explore genre packs, recorded drums, instruments and loops. Press play on any cover to hear it.
New · Groove OS 2.0
Now it samples.
Record a drum break, a vocal or a few notes from your phone over Bluetooth or USB. Chop the recording across the pads, play it over your beat, or turn a single note into an instrument. Sampling is included in the 2.0 update.
02 · Drums
A whole kit on one track.
Build a beat with up to sixteen drum sounds on one track. Start with analog-style drums, FM drums or a sampled kit. Swap the kit while the pattern plays and hear the whole groove change.
- Find the right kit. Start with punchy synth drums or a recorded kit. Swap the sounds while the beat plays to hear what fits.
- Make it personal. Mix in a clap from your phone, a vocal chop or a sound you made. Build a kit across sixteen pads.
- Give it some feel. Soften a snare, roll a hi-hat or let a hit play only sometimes. Small changes bring a repeating beat to life.
- DICE rolls a new variation of the pattern: same sounds, same feel, different hits. One undo brings the old one back.
03 · Sequencing
64 steps, always in key.
Write a melody, add chords and give individual steps their own sound. Pick a scale to keep the notes in tune, then use small variations to make the pattern feel alive.
- 1The pattern: its pages, and the playhead running over them.
- 2The grid: steps across, notes up. A bar's length is a note's length.
- 3The scale: every row is a note of G Phrygian, so every step is in key.
- 4The step under the cursor: K1 to K4 set its NOTE, VELO, LENGTH and CHANCE.
- 1The pattern: its pages, and the playhead running over them.
- 2The grid: steps across, notes up. A bar's length is a note's length.
- 3The scale: every row is a note of G Phrygian, so every step is in key.
- 4The step under the cursor: K1 to K4 set its NOTE, VELO, LENGTH and CHANCE.
04 · Tracks
Build a song, one part at a time.
Give the drums, bass, chords and melody their own tracks. Let each part loop at a different length, and a few short ideas can grow into a phrase that keeps changing.
- Room to build. Start with drums, bass, keys and a lead, then add more parts as the song grows. Use up to eight tracks.
- Let the parts move. A short bass loop can play beneath a longer melody. Different loop lengths keep a few ideas changing.
- Play full chords. Layer synth chords and a bassline over your drums. Samples have their own voices, alongside the two synth engines.
- Keep playing. Switch tracks and the keys follow, ready for the next part. Your chosen scale keeps the notes in key.
05 · Recording
Record your playing, knobs and all.
Build a part a layer at a time. Play in the notes, record a filter sweep, then listen back and try another take. Undo is always there when you need it.
- Build up a part. Record over a repeating loop, adding notes with each pass. A count-in gives you time to get ready.
- Put movement in the sound. Record your knob turns as automation. Each track keeps its own movements and plays them back with the notes.
- Catch a good idea. Played something worth keeping with recording off? Capture the last loop, including your notes and knob movements.
- Try another take. Undo and redo up to sixteen changes across your tracks, so you can experiment without losing your way back.
- Build up a part. Record over a repeating loop, adding notes with each pass. A count-in gives you time to get ready.
- Put movement in the sound. Record your knob turns as automation. Each track keeps its own movements and plays them back with the notes.
- Catch a good idea. Played something worth keeping with recording off? Capture the last loop, including your notes and knob movements.
- Try another take. Undo and redo up to sixteen changes across your tracks, so you can experiment without losing your way back.
06 · Effects
Effects on every track, and a studio-style mix.
Keep the kick dry, send the chords into reverb and add a little delay to the lead. Each track has its own effects and reverb and delay sends, with separate sends for every drum pad. Pan parts across the stereo mix and hear the delay bounce from left to right.
- Shape each part. Warm up a bass, crush the drums or chop a pad into a rhythm. Each track has its own effects.
- Give sounds their own space. Send a snare into reverb or add echoes to a single hit, while the rest of the kit stays dry.
- Bring the mix together. Add chorus, phaser or drive to the whole song, then sweep the filter as you play.
- Keep loud moments smooth. A soft limiter catches peaks at the end of the chain, helping your mix stay clear of clipping.
- Hear it in stereo. Connect headphones, speakers or an audio interface to the stereo jack. The built-in speaker plays the same mix in mono.
In the browser the effects are a close model of the FM-1's own.
07 · Perform
A live set on 27 keys.
Drop the drums out, bring in the bass and switch to the chorus on the bar. Play effects over the mix, build a little tension, then bring the beat back. Your patterns become a song you can perform.
- Build the arrangement live. Drop parts in and out, or switch to another scene. Changes land on the bar, keeping the song moving.
- Make a moment of it. Repeat a slice of the beat, throw a phrase into echo or wash the mix in reverb, then let it go.
- Bring in a fill. Hold FILL to hear the extra drum hits you wrote. Release it and settle back into the groove.
- Stay in the flow. Play without worrying about deleting a part. While the song runs, an accidental wheel turn keeps you on the performance page.
08 · Connect
Plays with your phone and your gear.
Sample audio from your phone over Bluetooth. Play the FM-1 from a MIDI keyboard, sync it with your music software, or export the notes from a song as a MIDI file. Connect over USB or Bluetooth, depending on your setup.
- Your phone: pair it over Bluetooth to hear its audio through the FM-1 and record it in the sampler.
- Your controller: plays any track, each on a channel of its own, over USB or Bluetooth.
- Your music program: keeps time with the FM-1 and plays it, over USB or Bluetooth.
- MIDI files: export your notes to keep working in your music software, or import a MIDI file to play on the FM-1. Sounds and effects stay on the FM-1.
Coming soonGroove OS Studio for iPhone and iPad
Your FM‑1, on the big screen.
Plug it into an iPhone or iPad and its limits fall away: any number of tracks, samples of any length, proper effects with your plugins, wide stereo sound. Sample the mic and the radio, and finish whole songs on the big screen. Your hands stay on the FM‑1.
09 · Features
More to make music with.
Chord pads, arpeggios and projects that pick up where you left off. Explore the extras, then follow any topic for the full details.
Keys and chords01
- Play a chord with one key, turn held notes into an arpeggio and stay in your chosen scale.
Projects02
- Pick up where you left off. Back up a song or share it with its samples included.
Sequencer03
- Change a sound on just one step, add a little chance or save a hit for the fill.
Sound engines04
- Get into the sound editor to shape your own basses, keys, pads and leads.
Sampler05
- Turn your whole groove into a sample, then chop it into something new.
Drums06
- Tune each hit, add flams and rolls, or mix your own recordings into the kit.
Recording and undo07
- Keep a good pass, try another take and bring back an earlier idea with undo.
Mix and effects08
- Shape each part with its own effects and give the whole song a sense of space.
Performance09
- Move between scenes, bring parts in and out, and play effects over the whole mix.
MIDI and sync10
- Play from a controller, stay in sync with other gear and take your notes into music software.
Install and safety11
- Install from your browser over USB, with your songs and samples backed up along the way.
10 · Learn
Learn it at your own pace.
Five short courses guide you through making a beat, sampling your own sounds and playing live. Follow the steps on the FM-1’s screen and try each one as you go.
- On the FM-1
Right on its screen.
Open LEARN in SETTINGS and choose a course. The screen shows you what to play and checks each step as you do it. You can learn without a computer or an internet connection.
- 5 courses
From first groove to playing live.
First Groove, Lock it in, Your sound, Space + mix and Play it live, about ten minutes each.
11 · Try it
Play it before you buy it.
The whole of Groove OS runs right here in your browser, the same code as on the FM-1, and your keyboard plays it.
Try it in your browserNot sure where to start? Build a beat step by step, right there in the browser.
Press · What they wrote
“…a full-fledged groovebox that fits in your pocket.”
“It’s crazy to see the transformation the little, super-affordable FM-1 synthesizer is currently undergoing.”
12 · Install
Installs from a browser tab.
Connect your FM-1 over USB and open the Install page in Chrome or Edge. It guides you through the update in about three minutes. There is no installer app to download.
- Step 1
Connect the FM-1
to a computer with a USB data cable (some cables only charge).
- Step 2
Open the install page
in Chrome or Edge. It reads what your FM-1 runs before it writes anything.
- Step 3
Install.
About 3 minutes, with the time left on screen. The page keeps the computer awake.
- Step 4
Switch it off and on
and it starts into Groove OS.
- Before it writes, the page checks your FM-1 and the file. If the cable comes out, plugging it back in finishes the install.
- Mac, Windows, Linux and ChromeOS, with the FM-1 on M-VAVE's V15 or V16 (or on Groove OS; the page handles other firmware too). Not Safari, iPhone or iPad: they have no Web MIDI.
- Updates install the same way, and what you made stays.
What stays.
Updating, or moving between 1.4 and 2.0, keeps what you made on its own: before it writes anything, the installer saves your projects to your downloads and your samples and kits in this browser, then puts them back.
Going back.
Back to 1.4 is the same page, and your projects and samples come along. M-VAVE's original firmware has no room for Groove projects, so going back to it erases them from the FM-1. The page saves a copy to your downloads first, and the Projects page exports them any time. The backup stays on your computer, not on our servers: .groove files in your downloads folder, and your samples and kits in this browser's storage. How the install works
13 · Price
$29Once.
Included
- 1.4 and 2.x updates included with your purchase, installed from the same page. Later major versions are not included.
- The installer in this browser, over USB. It checks the unit and the file before every write.
- The way back 1.4, or M-VAVE's original firmware (V15 or V16), from the install page whenever you like. Your projects and samples are saved first.
- The sampler Sample from your phone or the FM-1 itself, chop it across the pads and play it. No extra cost, no extra gear.
- The sample packs and sound packs Sampled drum kits, played instruments and loops, and a kit, 24 sounds and songs to start from for each genre, added from the Sounds page.
Secure payment by Stripe. You need an FM-1 on M-VAVE's V15 or V16, a USB data cable and Chrome or Edge on a computer.
After you buy
- Step 1
Buy.
Pay once on Stripe. The installer opens on your account.
- Step 2
Install.
Connect the FM-1 with a USB cable and install from this browser, Chrome or Edge, in about 3 minutes.
- Step 3
Play.
Open LEARN in SETTINGS and choose First Groove. The course walks you through making your first beat on the FM-1.
One purchase, with 2.x updates included. Everything on this page works in 2.0. Your purchase covers Groove OS 1.4 and updates within 2.x, installed from the same page.
14 · Questions
Questions before you install.
Will my FM-1 still be an FM-1?
Yes. It is the same hardware, and nothing is permanent. Going back is answered below.
How do I go back?
Back to 1.4 is the same page, and your projects and samples come along. M-VAVE's original firmware (V15 or V16) goes back on from M-VAVE's own file, FM-1.fwsc. M-VAVE's original firmware has no room for Groove projects, so going back to it erases them from the FM-1. The install page saves them to your downloads first (the Restore page does too, for a 2.0 FM-1); export them from the Projects page as well, and keep those files. The backup stays on your computer, not on our servers: .groove files in your downloads folder, and your samples and kits in this browser's storage.
What do I need?
An FM-1 on M-VAVE's V15 or V16, a USB data cable, and Chrome or Edge on Mac, Windows, Linux or ChromeOS.
What if the cable comes out halfway?
Plug it back in and open the page again: it finishes the install, even from a unit stuck in its updater.
Do I need a computer to play?
No. Everything runs on the FM-1, and a phone is all you need to sample from. A computer is needed to install, update, add sound packs and copy projects.
Will it get updates?
New purchases include Groove OS 1.4 and all updates within 2.x. Later major versions are not included. Updates install from the same page, with your projects and samples backed up and restored.
Does it sync with my other gear?
Yes. It follows MIDI clock and sends it over USB and Bluetooth, and each track listens on its own MIDI channel, so a DAW or a controller can play any track. MIDI OUT tracks play other instruments. How it connects
Can I use my phone?
Yes. Pair it once over Bluetooth, with no code: what it plays comes out of the FM-1, you can sample it, and Bluetooth MIDI works too. See how it connects
Can I back up and share projects?
Yes. The projects page copies each one to your computer as a small .groove file you can keep or send to a friend, and puts files back.
Can I load classic FM patches?
Yes. A single voice sent over MIDI becomes the selected track's sound; a 32-voice bank opens in the sound browser to pick from.
Does it play samples?
Yes. Record anything on the FM-1 itself or from your phone, chop it across the pads, and play it as a drum kit or as an instrument on a track. The rest is synthesised by the FM and VA engines. Meet the sampler
Is this made by M-VAVE?
No. Groove OS is independent firmware for the M-VAVE FM-1, installed through the FM-1's own update protocol.
A whole song, on the keys you already have.
Drums, a bass, chords and a lead, sampled, written, mixed and played live on the FM-1 itself. Groove OS 2.0 for the M-VAVE FM-1, $29 once, with Groove OS 1.4 and 2.x updates.
Installs from Chrome or Edge over USB · Already own it? Update to 2.0 · How the install works