Melodee (Tess)

Melodee (Tess) v1.3.3 is an experimental generative sequencing fork of the M-Vave FM-1 alt-firmware Melodee (GPL-3.0-only). It is also listed on altstrument.org.

✨ What's New since v1.3.1

• TWEAK 2 page (after TWEAK, on generator tracks):
  • BRANCH sends hits to another track's sound. COIN tosses a coin for each hit, TOGGLE alternates and LATCH picks once per bar. In COIN mode the fork picture shades each arm by its share of the hits.
  • LOGIC combines this track's hits with another track's: AND, OR, XOR or NOT.
  • COND plays only on certain bars: 1:2, 2:2, 1:4 to 4:4, 1:8, 8:8, FIRST or !FIRST.
• SLOTH and OCHD, slow organic mod sources, one set per track:
  • SLOTH has three chaotic circuits: TORPOR (about 17 minutes a turn), APATHY (about 1 minute) and INERTIA (about 3 minutes).
  • OCHD has eight free-running LFOs, from 64 s down to 2.4 s a turn.
  • SPEED and RATE are on the new LFO > ORGANIC page, which shows them moving. PLAY restarts them from the track's SEED, so a piece replays the same way.
• Live mod feedback:
  • When a mod reaches a knob, its card shows a mark where the mods are moving it now.
  • Each MODS row has a moving mark.
  • The new MATRIX page shows which tracks modulate which, lit as the mods move. OCT+ opens a mod in MODS.
• Track 1 starts on PHYS DRONE STRING at power-on and on a new project.
• New projects start with no mods. Until now a new project, or power-on without a BOOT project, came with 8 DRIFT mods on each track's CUTOFF and FX SEND. Now all 16 slots start empty, so movement is only there if you patch it. Saved projects keep their own mods.
• BRANCH as a mod destination, and the 11 new mod sources described in the online parameter reference.

📦 Installation

Flash it with the web installer (Chrome or Edge), or download a .fwsc from the assets below:

• melodee-tess-1.3.3.fwsc: the standard (dual-core) build. Start here.
• melodee-tess-1.3.3-1core.fwsc: single core, for FM-1s that crash with the standard build (red MELODEE CRASH screen, freezes, or restarts into update mode).

Projects saved by earlier Tess versions still load and convert. The new settings start off, so old projects play as before. Do not unplug the FM-1 while it is writing. This is experimental firmware: use it at your own risk.