Connecting
When connected over USB, the FM-1 appears as a standard MIDI device and does not need a driver. It also supports Bluetooth MIDI, and can be paired from any computer, phone, or tablet that supports Bluetooth MIDI.
The TRS socket is a MIDI input only. The FM-1 does not transmit anything through it.
The Two Channel Settings
The FM-1 has two separate MIDI channel settings, both located on the GLOBAL page. Each setting applies to a different group of messages.
- Midi Chn is the channel on which the FM-1 receives notes, pitch bend, Program Change, and the mod wheel, breath controller, foot controller, and sustain pedal. The factory setting is All, which accepts these messages on every channel. Setting it to a number restricts them to that one channel.
- Effect Chn is the channel on which the FM-1 receives CC 0 through CC 23, which control the six effects. The factory setting is 2. There is no All option for this setting.
Pro Tip
With the factory settings, a keyboard transmitting on channel 2 will lose its mod wheel and its sustain pedal, because any CC received on the Effect Chn is treated as an effect control: CC 1 becomes Filter Type, and CC 64 is discarded. Set the keyboard to channel 1, and set the knob controller to channel 2 to match the factory Effect Chn.
Playing From a Keyboard
The FM-1 responds to note velocity and to pitch bend. The pitch bend range is set by the Pitch Up and Pitch Dn settings on the GLOBAL page, each from 1 to 24 semitones. The factory setting for both is 12.
The FM-1 responds to the following four controllers, received on the Midi Chn:
| Your Keyboard Sends | The FM-1 Reads It As |
|---|---|
| CC 1 | Mod wheel |
| CC 2 | Breath controller |
| CC 4 | Foot controller |
| CC 64 | Sustain pedal |
Changing Presets
A Program Change message selects a preset, exactly as turning the Preset knob does. The numbering is offset by one: Program Change 0 selects preset 1, so to select preset 10, send Program Change 9.
Loading DX7 Patches
The FM-1 accepts Yamaha DX7 patches sent over SysEx. This is not mentioned in the manual.
Both DX7 dump formats are accepted: a single patch, and a bank of 32 patches. DX7 patches are widely available online as .syx files. Dexed is a free DX7 editor that runs as a standalone application or as a plug-in, and it is the recommended tool for sending patches to the FM-1 and for managing a patch collection.
Send the file to the FM-1 over USB. Neither channel setting applies to SysEx, and the FM-1 does not need to be put into a receive mode first.
Following a Clock
The Sync setting is found on the Arpeggio page and the Sequencer page. When Sync is on, the FM-1 follows incoming MIDI clock at the standard rate of 24 clocks per beat, and it starts and stops together with the DAW or drum machine that is sending the clock.
Pro Tip
While Sync is on, the Tempo knob has no effect, because the tempo is taken from the incoming clock. If the Tempo knob appears to be unresponsive, check whether Sync is on.
The Effect CCs
The FM-1 responds to CC 0 through CC 23, received on the Effect Chn. These are assigned to the six effects on the FX page, with four CCs per effect, in the order Filter, Reverb, Delay, Distortion, Chorus, and Phaser. The assignment is fixed in the firmware and is the same for every preset.
| CC | Effect | Parameter | Values |
|---|---|---|---|
| CC 0 | Filter | On/off | 0 is off, anything else is on |
| CC 1 | Filter | Type | 0 Low Pass, 1 Band Pass, 2 High Pass |
| CC 2 | Filter | CutOff | 0 to 107, from 100 Hz up to 20 kHz |
| CC 3 | Filter | Q | 0 to 10 |
| CC 4 | Reverb | On/off | 0 is off, anything else is on |
| CC 5 | Reverb | Type | 0 Room, 1 Hall, 2 Plate |
| CC 6 | Reverb | Decay | 0 to 100 |
| CC 7 | Reverb | Mix | 0 to 100 |
| CC 8 | Delay | On/off | 0 is off, anything else is on |
| CC 9 | Delay | Decay | 0 to 100 |
| CC 10 | Delay | Rate | 0 to 100 |
| CC 11 | Delay | Mix | 0 to 100 |
| CC 12 | Distortion | On/off | 0 is off, anything else is on |
| CC 13 | Distortion | Gain | 0 to 100 |
| CC 14 | Distortion | Tone | 0 to 100 |
| CC 15 | Distortion | Level | 0 to 100 |
| CC 16 | Chorus | On/off | 0 is off, anything else is on |
| CC 17 | Chorus | Freq | 0 to 100 |
| CC 18 | Chorus | Depth | 0 to 100 |
| CC 19 | Chorus | Mix | 0 to 100 |
| CC 20 | Phaser | On/off | 0 is off, anything else is on |
| CC 21 | Phaser | Freq | 0 to 100 |
| CC 22 | Phaser | Depth | 0 to 100 |
| CC 23 | Phaser | Mix | 0 to 100 |
Pro Tip
On the FM-1, CC 7 and CC 11 are assigned to Reverb Mix and Delay Mix, not to volume and expression as on most instruments. Any CC above 23 received on the Effect Chn is discarded. If the controller on the Effect Chn transmits CC 7 or CC 11 on its own, it will change Reverb Mix and Delay Mix, so check what your controller sends.
A controller knob transmits values from 0 to 127, but the FM-1 limits each parameter to the maximum value shown in the table, so the last part of the knob's travel has no effect. If your controller allows a maximum value to be set for each knob, set it to the maximum shown in the table.
Rearranging the effects on the FX page does not change the CC assignments. CC 4 is still assigned to turn Reverb on or off, regardless of where the Reverb effect is located in the signal chain. The FM-1 does not yet have a setting for changing the CC assignments.
What It Sends
The FM-1 transmits every note that it plays, whether from its own keys, its arpeggiator, or its sequencer. These notes are sent over USB and Bluetooth on MIDI channel 1, so a DAW can record an arpeggiator line, and another synth set to receive on channel 1 can be played by the FM-1's sequencer.
The FM-1 transmits nothing else: no CCs, no Program Change, no pitch bend, and no clock. Notes received over MIDI are played but are not retransmitted, so the FM-1 cannot be used as a MIDI thru.
Firmware Updates
Firmware updates are sent over the same USB connection used for MIDI, from the updater application on your computer, while the FM-1 is switched on and running normally. No special cable is needed, and no button needs to be held.
Quick Reference
| To | Send |
|---|---|
| Play a note | A Note On message on the Midi Chn. |
| Change preset | A Program Change on the Midi Chn, numbered from 0. |
| Use a mod wheel, breath controller, foot controller or sustain pedal | CC 1, 2, 4, or 64 on the Midi Chn, but not on the Effect Chn. |
| Bend a note | Pitch Bend on the Midi Chn. |
| Switch or adjust an effect | CC 0 through CC 23 on the Effect Chn. |
| Follow a clock | MIDI Clock with Start and Stop, with Sync switched on. |
| Load a DX7 patch | A Yamaha DX7 single-patch or 32-patch bank dump. |
| Record the arpeggiator or sequencer | Nothing. Receive on channel 1 over USB or Bluetooth. |
The FM-1 discards MIDI Time Code, Song Position Pointer, and any CC above 23 received on the Effect Chn. The Tempo knob has no effect while Sync is on.