Dirtywave M8 - Getting Started with M8

5
Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual
Getting Started
Introduction
The M8 is an 8 track sequencer and synthesizer. Each track can play one single note
at a time using any one of up to 128 instruments in the song. Every instrument can be
congured to be a synthesizer, a sample, or to control external equipment using MIDI.
The sequencer used in the M8 is known as a “music tracker” commonly found in clas-
sic composition software dating as far back as the late 1980s. Unlike typical DAWs and
step sequencers, musical notes and events are arranged from top to bottom and the
tracks are arranged from left to right. At rst glance it might look complicated, but it is
really quite elegant. The advantage of using this layout is that any instrument changes
or commands entered appear more intrinsically tied to the note they reside next to.
PHRASE 00
N V I CMD1 CMD2 CMD3
0 > E-3 64 00 KIL05 ---00 ---00
1 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
2 G#3 -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
3 G-3 60 01 CUT10 ---00 ---00
4 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
5 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
6 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
7 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
8 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
9 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
A --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
B --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
C --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
D --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
E --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
F --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
T>120
1 E-3
2 ---
3 ---
4 ---
5 ---
6 ---
7 ---
8 ---
G
SCP IT
M
On a traditional music tracker a song is constructed by arranging patterns together
where a pattern consists of tracks grouped together for a predened number of steps.
What makes the M8 dierent is each track has its own independent play position, and
the pattern is broken up even further into what are called chains and phrases. Typically
songs are composed of a list of chains per track, where each chain contains a list of
phrases. This structure avoids repetitive copying and pasting, as well as allows for eas-
ily duplicating, cloning, and transposing sections of a melody or progression.
Song Structure
Songs are comprised of 8 functionally identical tracks that play through a list of chains
vertically. Chains are groups of phrases, and phrases contain the notes, velocities, in-
strument assignments, and command eects.
SONG
12345678
00> 00 -- -- -- -- -- -- --
01 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
02 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
03 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
04 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
05 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
06 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
07 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
08 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
09 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
0A -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
0B -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
0C -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
0D -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
0E -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
0F -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
T>120
1 E-3
2 ---
3 ---
4 ---
5 ---
6 ---
7 ---
8 ---
P
S CPIT
M
INST. 00
TYPE SAMPLE LOAD SAVE
NAME ------------
SAMPLE TEST-SAMPLE-TACOS-1
SLICE 00OFF
PLAY 00FWD-PP
START 00
LOOP ST.00
LENGTH FF
DETUNE 80
DEGRADE 00
FILTER 00LOWPASS
CUTOFF FF
RES 00
PAN 00
DRY 00
CHO FF
DEL 00
REV 00
TRANSP. ON
TABLE TIC 01
AMP 00
LIM 00CLIP
PHRASE 00
N V I CMD1 CMD2 CMD3
0 > E-3 64 00 KIL05 ---00 ---00
1 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
2 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
3 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
4 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
5 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
6 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
7 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
8 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
9 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
A --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
B --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
C --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
D --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
E --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
F --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
T>120
1 E-3
2 ---
3 ---
4 ---
5 ---
6 ---
7 ---
8 ---
G
SCP IT
M
CHAIN 00
PH TSP
0 > 00 00
1 01 00
2 -- 00
3 -- 00
4 -- 00
5 -- 00
6 -- 00
7 -- 00
8 -- 00
9 -- 00
A -- 00
B -- 00
C -- 00
D -- 00
E -- 00
F -- 00
T>120
1 E-3
2 ---
3 ---
4 ---
5 ---
6 ---
7 ---
8 ---
P
S C PIT
M
TABLE 00
N V CMD1 CMD2 CMD3
0 > 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
1 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
2 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
3 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
4 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
5 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
6 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
7 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
8 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
9 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
A 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
B 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
C 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
D 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
E 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
F 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00