A world of sound awaits.

First sound

1. Use ALGORITHM to choose the active track.
2. Tap EDIT to enter the remembered EDIT page. Tap again to advance one page. SELECT goes forward or back through the same visible pages.
3. In EDIT → SOUND → PRESETS, turn K2 to pick an engine and K1 to audition its sounds. Play a note and try the engine controls on EDIT 1 and EDIT 2.

The preset browser

• K1 PRESET auditions sounds in the current list. K2 ENG switches to another engine.
• K3 FAV adds a star clockwise and removes it counterclockwise. K4 LIST filters by favorites or by type such as BASS, LEAD and PAD.
• On EDIT’s PRESETS page, the dedicated PRESETS knob follows that engine and filter. On other EDIT pages and HOME it scrolls the whole catalog. In SEQ it opens the pattern phrases.
• SAVE → SOUND → PRESETS shows sounds across engines and keeps the browser filter.

Shape and animate

Set attack, decay, sustain and release in ENV. Watch the skater follow the note. LFO provides two independent modulators, destinations, phase controls and a motion sequencer. In FX, set each track’s sends, then adjust the delay, reverb or chorus bus on its own page.

Repeated FX, ENV and LFO taps visit their individual pages. Set DARK or LIGHT in the display menu, or switch animation off there.

Sidechain ducking and Kick Link

Press FX to reach MASTER, then turn SELECT to DUCK. Choose the trigger with SRC.

• AUTO follows recognized internal kicks or incoming Kick Link. JAZZY recognizes KW KICK and Hortator kick models. For LXR, use K2 LXR KICK to assign the kick track. OFF leaves LXR out of AUTO and outgoing Kick Link.
• T1–T6 follows the audio level of the selected track. That source track stays at its own level. Use THR to set the trigger threshold.
• USB follows incoming USB audio above THR. Use USB Device mode, enable input in MENU → USB → USB AUDIO, and route an isolated audio feed from a USB host such as a computer.
• MIDI triggers from a matching Note On. Set CH to ANY or 1–16, and NOTE to the trigger pitch (default 36). Any positive velocity triggers the same envelope. The matching Note On is consumed as a trigger.

Turn SELECT to DUCK ENV. ATK controls how quickly the gain drops, REL controls the return, and AMT controls the depth. AMT and MASTER → DUCK share one value. At zero amount, there is no ducking. Save the section to keep these settings.

Connect JAZZY and RHYTHMER

For tempo and transport sync, see Sync two FM‑1s over USB.

1. Use a USB host adapter and a data cable to connect the two FM‑1s. Enable MENU → USB → USB HOST on one FM‑1 and leave the other in Device mode.
2. On the unit playing the kick, set MENU → MIDI → MIDI OUT → KICK LINK.
3. On the receiving unit, choose FX → MASTER → DUCK → SRC = AUTO, then raise DUCK ENV → AMT. A qualifying local kick has priority for two beats.

RHYTHMER sidechain guide ↗

Drums and Break

Each HORTATOR, LXR or KW KICK sound occupies one track. LXR's 595 sounds are ordered as 85 sets with seven voices each, from drum voices and snare to cymbal and closed and open hats.

BREAK ships with A / Amen and B / Think. Open EDIT → BREAK for performance, sequencing and return controls. SEQ → BREAK brings the loop and slice events into the step workflow.

Your own Break samples

The easiest preparation: 160 BPM, 4/4, two bars — exactly 3.000 seconds. Export a clean WAV or FLAC with the first downbeat at the very start. Keep the original file.

Prepare in your DAW

1. Set your DAW to 160 BPM and 4/4. If your loop was recorded at another tempo, use your DAW's pitch-preserving stretch before export to retain its pitch.
2. Align the first beat and select exactly two bars / eight quarter-note beats. Export only those three seconds, with no added lead-in or extra tail.
3. Use clean, unclipped audio. Mono is simplest; stereo is accepted but summed to mono. Check the mono version for phase cancellation.

Convert, compare and send

1. Open EDITOR → SAMPLES and choose shared bank A or B. Choose your audio or a previously converted .slot bank.
2. Enter the original source BPM and set START / SECONDS to its downbeat. For the recommended DAW export, enter 160. A longer file can be cropped here. Any suggested BPM assumes the whole file is two bars; it is not automatic tempo detection.
3. Select CONVERT TWO BARS. Listen to ORIGINAL TWO-BAR CROP and DEVICE PREVIEW / 160 BPM. Check the beat, loop boundary, pitch and loudness.
4. Download the converted .slot bank, retain the original, and confirm the preview and audio rights.
5. Browser Workspace saves browser audio only. To replace device audio, select USB FM-1, connect the matching firmware, review A/B replacement and confirm the write. Keep power/USB connected until COMPLETE / device validated. Retry the whole slot if interrupted.
6. On the instrument, choose A or B on a Break track. To start ordered two-bar playback, hold SEQ + F3 / STRAIGHT to write its sequence, then press PLAY. STRAIGHT replaces that track's sequence; save any pattern you want to keep first.

Limits and sound changes

A/B are shared — protect your originals

Replacing A changes A in every project and every Break track using it; replacing B changes B everywhere. Bank audio is shared rather than stored inside an individual track or project.

• The device's current sample audio cannot be downloaded through this USB protocol. Keep the original and converted .slot files before replacement.
• Musical archives include projects, sounds and settings, not sample audio.
• In Browser Workspace, SAVE FOR PLAY / ALL PROJECTS + BOTH SAMPLES includes the browser's projects and audio for Web Play. It does not read the samples currently on a physical FM-1.
• Firmware installation replaces A/B with the package's factory loops. Re-upload your own retained banks afterward.

Use audio you have permission to use. Conversion and real-device transfer are separate operations.

Prepare in the browser → Open USB sample editor →

Sequence and GEN

Use SEQ to move through pattern, track, step, automation and engine-specific pages. Hold HOME and turn SELECT to open GEN. Choose a style and use OCT+ to generate a starting point with musical roles such as bass, chords, lead and arpeggio.

HORTATOR, KW KICK and LXR also expose SEQ → GEN for one-track Euclidean, Mutate, Turing, Cellular and Grids patterns.

Save and switch projects

SAVE groups the library into SONG → PROJECT → SOUND. Open PROJECTS to switch projects, SECTIONS to work with A–D, and USER to save a sound.

In PROJECT → CLEAR, K1 selects the project and K2 the section. K3 selects section clear and K4 whole-project clear. OCT+ opens the review, and a second OCT+ executes the selected clear.

USB MIDI

JAZZY starts in USB Device mode. To use a compatible MIDI controller, stop playback and open MENU → USB → USB HOST, then confirm with OCT+. Host mode lasts for that session. Use external power for a controller that needs USB bus power.

Sync two FM‑1s over USB

Example: RHYTHMER sets the tempo and JAZZY follows.

1. Stop both FM-1s. On JAZZY, set MENU → USB → USB HOST to ON and confirm with OCT+. Leave RHYTHMER in USB Device mode.
2. Connect the FM-1s with a USB data cable through an externally powered USB host hub or adapter on the JAZZY side. The FM-1 host port does not supply USB bus power. Wait for USB MIDI CONNECTED on JAZZY.
3. On RHYTHMER, set GLO → GLOBAL → CLOCK to INT and MENU → MIDI → MIDI OUT to CLOCK. Set the tempo on RHYTHMER.
4. On JAZZY, set GLO → GLOBAL → CLOCK to USB and MENU → MIDI → MIDI OUT to OFF.
5. Press PLAY on RHYTHMER. JAZZY follows its tempo and start/stop commands. To check timing, try 120 BPM and listen to both patterns for several bars.

USB Host is the connection role. In this example JAZZY hosts the cable while RHYTHMER leads the tempo. Enable Host again after restarting JAZZY.

On current builds, CLOCK and KICK LINK are separate MIDI OUT modes. Use CLOCK on RHYTHMER for this example.

RHYTHMER tempo sync guide ↗

Elixir / LXR-02 credits and license

Engine code. JAZZY’s LXR drum engine adapts dmajka’s Elixir port of the LXR-02 firmware, © 2012–2026 Erica Synths, based on the original Sonic Potions LXR by Julian Schmidt. The engine code is licensed under GPL-3.0-only. JAZZY adapts it to play one drum sound per track with its own controls, mixer and effects. The Grids pattern generator draws on Emilie Gillet’s Mutable Instruments Grids, © 2011–2012, used here under GPLv3.

Factory presets. The LXR preset bank contains 595 individual drum sounds adapted from 85 LXR-02 factory kits by Erica Synths and Hrtl. Elixir distributes the original kits with permission from Erica Synths. The kit data has separate terms from the GPL-licensed engine code. JAZZY has not obtained rights-holder authorization to redistribute its adapted presets.

JAZZY is an independent firmware for the M-VAVE FM-1. Erica Synths, LXR and LXR-02 are trademarks of Erica Synths.

Elixir source credits ↗ · LXR-02 source and terms ↗ · GNU GPL v3 ↗