Operation Manual

Version 2.7.0 - 21/06/2022

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual I

FCC Compliance Statement

CAUTION: The manufacturer is not responsible for any changes or modifications not
expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance. Such modifications could
void the user’s authority to operate the equipment.

NOTE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class
B digital device, pursuant to part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation.
This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy, and if not in-
stalled and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to
radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur
in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio
or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on,
the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following
measures:

– Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.

– Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
– Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the re-
ceiver is connected.
– Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.

ISED Compliance Statement

This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.

Cet appareil numérique de la classe [B] est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.
CAN ICES-3 (B)/NMB-3(B)

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual II

Credits and Acknowledgments
Concept & Inspiration
Timothy Lamb, Johan Kotlinski, Émilie @ Mutable Instruments

Sound Library / Factory Content

Avrilcadabra, Electronisounds, Mikey303, Tobokegao, Trash80

User Contributed Documentation

Disposable Planet, Fabien Guérin, Gunnbr, Jonbro, Lazerbeat, Mare Corax,
Peter Swimm, Roboctopus, rootnode

Help and Feedback

Everyone who has contributed with time and effort in beta testing and continual support
via Patreon and Discord. Thank you!

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual III

Table of Contents
Introduction1
Operation Manual Conventions 2
Overview3
Physical Layout 3
Powering Up 3
Charging3
Audio Output and Volume Control 4
The microSD Card 4
Getting Started 5
Introduction5
Song Structure 5
Navigation6
Global Key Shortcuts 7
Common Editing Shortcuts 7
Hexadecimal8
Firmware Updates 8
Additional Help and Resources 8
Loading a Demo Song 9
Views10
Song View 10
Live Mode 10
Chain View 12
Phrase View 14
Instrument View 16
Instrument Envelope View 18
Table View 20
Groove View 22
Scale View 24
Mixer View 26
Effect Settings View 28
Project View 30
Theme View 32
MIDI Mapping View 33
MIDI Settings View 34
Render View 36

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual IV

 Effect Command Help View 37
Instruments38
Wavsynth38
Macrosynth40
Sampler42
Sample Editor 44
FM Synth 46
MIDI Out 48
USB Features 49
Appendix50
Troubleshooting50
Key Shortcuts 52
Relative and Absolute FX Commands 53
Sequencer FX Commands  53
Mixer & Effects Commands 56
Instrument FX Commands 58
Macrosynth Models 59
Common Groove Examples 64
Hexadecimal Table 65
Specifications 66

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual V

Introduction

Thank you for exploring the M8. This ambitious little music maker is the end result of a
MIDI tracker project that was started in 2013. Inspired by controlling external synthe-
sizers with Little Sound DJ to bring simplicity and efficiency to modern music making.
In 2019 it was expanded with a more powerful processor, realizing the project could do
more than MIDI alone.

Originally the plan was to have basic sample playback, MIDI, and a version of one of my
chiptune inspired software synthesizers (Oki-Computer, Digitech, Blittersynth). Howev-
er the concept was pushed further over the last 2 years to include original effects al-
gorithms (reverb, delay, chorus, and compressor/limiter), a port of Mutable Instruments
“Macro” synth, a unique 4-op FM synthesizer, song rendering, and sample recording/
editing.

The M8 has transformed from a simple concept to a powerhouse of sound in a portable

form factor. It has been quite the journey and I hope you find it inspirational and useful
for your creative endeavors.

Cheers,
Timothy Lamb - Trash80

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 1

Operation Manual Conventions

The following format is used for describing key combinations:

Examples
• [OPTION]+[EDIT] Hold down the option key and press edit.
• [OPTION, then EDIT] Press and release the option key, then press and release the
edit key.
• [SHIFT]+[OPTION, then EDIT] While holding down the shift key, press and release
the option key, then press and release the edit key.
• [SHIFT]+[UP or DOWN] While holding down the shift key, press and release either
the up or down direction keys.
• [DIRECTION] Use any of the 4 directional keys: left, right, up, or down.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 2

Overview

Physical Layout USB power, audio, MIDI,

and virtual display.
Stereo audio Input MIDI Input (TRS Type A)
(Line-level only)
MIDI Output (TRS Type A)
Headphone/audio output

AUDIO USB MIDI

Battery level indicator

SONG
Current song tempo
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 T>120
00>00
01 --
02 --
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
1
2
E-3
---
Track note monitor
03 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3 ---
04 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 ---

Micro SD - Use suggested 05 --

06 --
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
5
6
---
---
Power button
cards in proper format
07 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 7 ---
08 --
09 --
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
--
8 ---
(Press to power on/off)
dirtywave.com/sd
0A -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
0B -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
0C -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Screen navigation position

0D -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- P
0E -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- SCPIT
0F -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- M

(Mini-map)

Refer to the key command

section of this manual
OPTION EDIT

SHIFT PLAY

Powering Up

The power button is located on the right side of the unit. Press the button for 1 second
to turn on, 2 seconds to turn off. The button is slightly recessed by design to prohibit
unintentional power cycles when stored.

Note: If a software crash occurs or unit is non-responsive, you can power down the unit
by depressing the button for 7 seconds. The unit can be powered back on to continue
normal operation. Please report crashes to [email protected].

Charging

Charge the unit with the included Micro USB cable and an adequate USB power source
(500mA - Standard USB). Battery level and charging indicator status can be found at
the top right of the display. The M8 is charging when the battery icon is animating. You
can operate the M8 while it is charging, however please allow the M8 to fully charge for
the first time before using it without external power.
Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 3
Audio Output and Volume Control

The audio output connector is suitable for both general output and headphone use.
When an output is connected the built-in speakers will stop functioning. You can adjust
the output and speaker volume by navigating to the Project view [SHIFT]+[UP], high-
light the “OUTPUT VOL” setting, and adjust with [EDIT]+[DIRECTION]. Please note
that levels above “F0” will be quite loud when using small headphones/earbuds/IEMs
and as such for your hearing protection “F0” is the maximum volume recalled when the
M8 powers up- regardless of what it was previously set to.

The microSD Card

The M8 uses a microSD card to store data including songs, samples, instruments and
themes. When samples are played, they are streamed directly from the SD card. They
are not read from memory. Therefore the random access read speed of the SD card is
critical to the proper operation of the M8. Most cards are optimized for working with
a single file sequentially and can have performance issues with playback of multiple
samples at the same time. A complete list of tested cards with the M8 is available here:
https://dirtywave.com/sd.

Please be careful inserting the card. The slot in your unit might be slightly bigger than
the card reader. Misaligned insertion may result in the card being stuck in the enclosure.
See the troubleshooting section for more information.

Cards used with the M8 must be formatted using the SD Association SD Memory Card
Formatter tool: https://www.sdcard.org/downloads/formatter. This will ensure the card’s
format is optimized for reading data quickly.

The SD card that ships with the M8 has been tested to have a high enough read speed
to handle most workloads. However, even the included card does have limits. If song
playback is halted with a “CPU TOO BUSY” message, this is most likely the cause. To
limit this issue there are multiple steps you can take:
• Convert stereo samples to mono where stereo is not necessary - e.g. Kick drums
• Convert 24-bit samples to 16-bit or 8-bit where volume detail is not critical
• Avoid playing samples an octave or higher above their recorded frequency (each
octave doubles the amount of data that needs to be read each second)

Converting to mono or dropping the bit rate or sample rate can be done in the sample
editor view. More information can be found in the Sample Editor section of this manual.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 4

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
configured 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 first 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 T>120

0>E-3 64 00 KIL05 ---00 ---00
1 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 1 E-3
2 G#3 -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 2 ---
3 G-3 60 01 CUT10 ---00 ---00 3 ---
4 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 4 ---
5 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 5 ---
6 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 6 ---
On a-traditional music
- - 0 0 tracker
7 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
8 - - -- -- - ---00 a - -song
- 0 0 is constructed
7 ---
8 --- by arranging patterns together
where
9 --- a pattern
- - - - consists
- - - 0 0 -of - -tracks
00 --- grouped
00 together for a predefined number of steps.
A --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 G
What
B - -makes
- - - -the M8
- - - - 0different
0 ---00 is each
- - - 0 0track has
SCPI its
T own independent play position, and
the
D pattern
- - - - - is-broken
- - - - 0up
C --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
0 - even
- - 0 0further
- - - 0 into
0 what are called chains and phrases. Typically
M

songs
E - - -are
- -composed
- - - - - 0 0of -a- list
- 0 0of- chains
--00 per track, where each chain contains a list of
F --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
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 effects.

SONG CHAIN 00 PHRASE 00 INST. 00 TABLE 00

1 2 3 P H4 T S5P 6 7N 8 V I C MTD>T
11Y2P0E
C M D 2 TS>A
1M
C 2P0L
D 3E N VLTO>A
1D
C 2D
M 0S1AVE
CMD2 CMD3
0 0 > 0 0 - - 0->-0 0- -0 0- - - -0 >-E-- 3- -6 4 00 K I LN0A5M E- - - 0 0- - - - -
0-0-
> 0-
0-------00 ---00 ---00
0 1 - - - - 1- -0 1- -0 0- - - -1 ---- -- -- - -- - -1- T
0ER
0-A3N
-S-P-.001O N
E-
- --310 00 T
0AB
-L1E -
- ET-I3C
- 0001
---00 ---00
0 2 - - - - 2- -- -- -0 0- - - -2 ---- -- -- - -- 2 -
- -2- 0-0- -- - - 0 0 -----2 2 ---00 ---00
0 00 0 - - ---00
0 3 - - - - 3- -- -- -0 0- - - -3 ---- -- -- - -- - -3- S
0-A
0-M-P
-L-E-00 3T E
-S
- -T
- --
- 0S
3 0A0M
0PL
-E3- T
- -A-C-O0S
0-1
---00 ---00
0 4 - - - - 4- -- -- -0 0- - - -4 ---- -- -- - -- 4 -
- -4- 0-0- -- - - 0 0 -----4 4 ---00 ---00
0 00 0 - - ---00
0 5 - - - - 5- -- -- -0 0- - - -5 ---- -- -- - -- - -5- S
0-L
0-I-C
-E--00 50 0
-O
- -F
- -F
- 5 5M P
0 00 0 - A
- --0 -00 ---00 ---00
Dirtywave
0 6 -M8 - Operation
- - 6- -Manual
- -- -0 0- - - -6 ---- -- -- - -- - -6- P
0-L
0-A-Y
---00 60 0
-F
- -W
- -D
- 0-
6 0P0P
0 -L6I M
- --0 -0C0LI
-P--00 - - - 050
0 7 - - - - 7- -- -- -0 0- - - -7 ---- -- -- - -- - -7- S
0-T
0-A-R
-T--00 70 0
--
- ---7 7A N
0 00 0 - P
- --0 -00 ---00 ---00
0 8 - - - - 8- -- -- -0 0- - - -8 ---- -- -- - -- - -8- L
0-O
0-O-P
- -S-T0.80 0
0 --
- ---8 8R Y
0 00 0 - D
- --0 -00 ---00 ---00
Navigation

The M8’s user interface is divided into “Views” which can be navigated by holding
[SHIFT] and using the [DIRECTION] keys. There is a helpful mini-map located on the
bottom right of the display. Do not worry about the functionality of each of these views;
we’ll dive into them later.

SONG

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 T>120 OPTION EDIT

00>00 -- -- -- -- -- -- --
01 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 E-3
02 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2 ---
03 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3 ---
04 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 ---
05 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5 ---
06 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 6 ---
07 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 7 ---
08 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 8 ---
09 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
0A -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- P
0B -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- SCPIT
0C -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- M
0D -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
0E -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
0F -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

SHIFT PLAY

MIDI SETTINGS MIDI MAPPING EFFECT COMMAND SELECT/HELP

RECEIVE SYNC OFF T>120 CTL V RANGE DEST T>120 ARPEGGIO: PLAYS FAST TICK-RATE ARP.
RECEIVE TRANSPORT ON 00 027 7F 7F>00 I01:VOL ATK SCALE 00 1ST DIGIT:2ND NOTE.
SEND SYNC OFF 1 --- 01 T:X 12 00>7F I02:CUTOFF 1 E-3 2ND DIGIT:3RD NOTE.
SEND TRANSPORT ON 2 --- 02 --- -- -- -- 2 --- KEY C T>120
REC. NOTE CHAN 09 3 --- 03 --- -- -- -- 3 --- SEQUENCER COMMANDS
REC. VELOCITY OFF 4 --- 04 --- -- -- -- 4 --- I EN OFFSET 1 E-3 ARP CHA DEL GRV HOP KIL RAN RET REP
REC. DELAY/KILL OFF 5 --- 05 --- -- -- -- 5 --- C ON 00.00 2 --- NTH PSL PVB PVX SED TBL THO TIC TPO
CONTROL MAP CHAN 10 6 --- 06 --- -- -- -- 6 --- C# ON 00.00 3 ---
SONG ROW CUE CHAN 11 7 --- 07 --- -- -- -- 7 --- D ON 00.00 4 --- MIXER/FX COMMANDS
8 --- 08 --- -- -- -- 8 --- D# ON 00.00 5 --- VMV XCM XCF XCW XCR XDT XDF XDW XDR
TRACK MIDI INPUT 09 --- -- -- -- E ON 00.00 6 --- XRS XRD XRM XRF XRW XRZ VCH VDE VRE
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 P 0A --- -- -- -- P F ON 00.00 7 --- VT1 VT2 VT3 VT4 VT5 VT6 VT7 VT8 DJF
CHAN. 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 SCPIT 0B --- -- -- -- SCPIT F# ON 00.00 8 ---
INST# 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 M 0C --- -- -- -- M G ON 00.00 CURRENT INSTRUMENT COMMANDS
PG CHANGE ON LEGATO MODE ON 0D --- -- -- -- G#
A
ON
ON
00.00
00.00
VOL PIT FIN PLY STA LOP LEN DEG FLT *EDIT+UP/DOWN ON COMMAND
0E --- -- -- -- CUT RES AMP LIM PAN DRY SCH SDL SRV
SAVE DEFAULTS LOAD DEFAULTS 0F --- -- -- -- A# ON 00.00 S EV1 AT1 HO1 DE1 ET1 EV2 AT2 HO2 DE2 NAME TO VIEW HELP/SELECT
B ON 00.00 G
SCPIT
ET2 LFO LFQ LFT
SCREEN
NAME ---------------- M
LOAD SAVE

PROJECT PROJECT GROOVE 00 INST. 00 INST. 00

TRANSPOSE 00 T>120 TRANSPOSE 00 T>120 T>120 TYPE SAMPLE LOAD SAVE T>120 TYPE SAMPLE LOAD SAVE T>120
TEMPO 120.00 TEMPO 120 0 06 NAME ------------ NAME ------------
OUTPUT VOL E0 1 E-3 OUTPUT VOL E0 1 E-3 1 06 1 E-3 TRANSP. ON TABLE TIC 01 1 E-3 TRANSP. ON TABLE TIC 01 1 E-3
SPEAKER VOL E0 2 --- SPEAKER VOL E0 2 --- 2 -- 2 --- 2 --- 2 ---
NOTE PREVIEW ON 3 --- 3 --- 3 -- 3 --- ENV1 TO 01VOLUME LFO 00NONE 3 --- ENV1 TO 01VOLUME LFO 00NONE 3 ---
LIVE QUANTIZE 00 CHAIN LEN 4 --- LIVE QUANTIZE 00 CHAIN LEN 4 --- 4 -- 4 --- AMOUNT 00 AMT 00 4 --- AMOUNT 00 AMT 00 4 ---
5 --- 5 --- 5 -- 5 --- ATTACK 00 OSC 00TRI 5 --- ATTACK 00 OSC 00TRI 5 ---
MIDI MIDI SETTINGS 6 --- MIDI MIDI SETTINGS 6 --- 6 -- 6 --- HOLD FF TRG 00FREE 6 --- HOLD FF TRG 00FREE 6 ---
MIDI MAPPING 7 --- MIDI MAPPING 7 --- 7 -- 7 --- DECAY 00 AMT 00 7 --- DECAY 00 AMT 00 7 ---
8 --- 8 --- 8 -- 8 --- 8 --- 8 ---
NAME ------------ NAME ------------ 9 -- ENV2 TO 02CUTOFF ENV2 TO 02CUTOFF
PROJECT LOAD SAVE NEW P PROJECT LOAD SAVE NEW P A -- G AMOUNT 00 E AMOUNT 00 E
EXPORT/SHARE BOUNCE BUNDLE SCPIT SCPIT B -- SCPIT ATTACK 00 SCPIT ATTACK 00 SCPIT
M CLEAR UNUSED INSTRUMENTS M C -- M HOLD FF M HOLD FF M
CLEAR UNUSED PHRASES+CHAINS TABLES D -- DECAY 00 DECAY 00
INSTRUMENTS+TABLES PHRASES+CHAINS E --
F --
THEME EDIT THEME

SONG CHAIN 00 PHRASE 00 INST. 00 TABLE 00

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 T>120 PH TSP T>120 N V I FX1 FX2 FX3 T>120 TYPE SAMPLE LOAD SAVE T>120 N V CMD1 CMD2 CMD3 T>120
00>00 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 0>00 00 0>E-3 64 00 KIL05 ---00 ---00 NAME ------------ 0>00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
01 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 1 E-3 1 01 00 1 E-3 1 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 1 E-3 TRANSP. ON TABLE TIC 01 1 E-3 1 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 1 E-3
02 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 2 --- 2 -- 00 2 --- 2 G#3 -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 2 --- 2 --- 2 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 2 ---
03 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3 --- 3 -- 00 3 --- 3 G-3 60 01 CUT10 ---00 ---00 3 --- SAMPLE TEST-SAMPLE-TACOS-1 3 --- 3 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 3 ---
04 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 4 --- 4 -- 00 4 --- 4 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 4 --- 4 --- 4 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 4 ---
05 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5 --- 5 -- 00 5 --- 5 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 5 --- SLICE 00OFF AMP 00 5 --- 5 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 5 ---
06 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 6 --- 6 -- 00 6 --- 6 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 6 --- PLAY 00FWD-PP LIM 00CLIP 6 --- 6 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 6 ---
07 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 7 --- 7 -- 00 7 --- 7 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 7 --- START 00 PAN 00 7 --- 7 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 7 ---
08 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 8 --- 8 -- 00 8 --- 8 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 8 --- LOOP ST.00 DRY 00 8 --- 8 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 8 ---
09 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 9 -- 00 9 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 LENGTH FF CHO FF 9 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
0A -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- P A -- 00 P A --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 G DETUNE 80 DEL 00 P A 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 E
0B -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- SCPIT B -- 00 SCPIT B --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 SCPIT DEGRADE 00 REV 00 SCPIT B 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 SCPIT
0C -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- M C -- 00 M C --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 M FILTER 00LOWPASS M C 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 M
0D -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- D -- 00 D --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 CUTOFF FF D 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
0E -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- E -- 00 E --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 RES 00 E 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
0F -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- F -- 00 F --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 F 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00

MIXER MIXER MIXER MIXER MIXER

VOLUME:LIMIT E0:00 T>120 VOLUME:LIMIT E0:00 T>120 VOLUME:LIMIT E0:00 T>120 VOLUME:LIMIT E0:00 T>120 VOLUME:LIMIT E0:00 T>120
DJFILT:PEAK 80:80 DJFILT:PEAK 80:80 DJFILT:PEAK 80:80 DJFILT:PEAK 80:80 DJFILT:PEAK 80:80
1 E-3 1 E-3 1 E-3 1 E-3 1 E-3
2 --- 2 --- 2 --- 2 --- 2 ---
3 --- 3 --- 3 --- 3 --- 3 ---
4 --- 4 --- 4 --- 4 --- 4 ---
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 5 --- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 5 --- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 5 --- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 5 --- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 5 ---
E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 6 --- E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 6 --- E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 6 --- E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 6 --- E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 6 ---
7 --- 7 --- 7 --- 7 --- 7 ---
8 --- 8 --- 8 --- 8 --- 8 ---

G G G G G
CHO DEL REV INPUT USB MIX SCPIT CHO DEL REV INPUT USB MIX SCPIT CHO DEL REV INPUT USB MIX SCPIT CHO DEL REV INPUT USB MIX SCPIT CHO DEL REV INPUT USB MIX SCPIT
E0 E0 E0 00 00 M E0 E0 E0 00 00 M E0 E0 E0 00 00 M E0 E0 E0 00 00 M E0 E0 E0 00 00 M
CHO 00 00 X CHO 00 00 X CHO 00 00 X CHO 00 00 X CHO 00 00 X
DEL 00 00 DEL 00 00 DEL 00 00 DEL 00 00 DEL 00 00
REV 00 00 REV 00 00 REV 00 00 REV 00 00 REV 00 00

CHORUS SETTINGS CHORUS SETTINGS CHORUS SETTINGS CHORUS SETTINGS CHORUS SETTINGS
MOD DEPTH 40 MOD DEPTH 40 MOD DEPTH 40 MOD DEPTH 40 MOD DEPTH 40
MOD FREQ. 80 T>120 MOD FREQ. 80 T>120 MOD FREQ. 80 T>120 MOD FREQ. 80 T>120 MOD FREQ. 80 T>120
WIDTH FF WIDTH FF WIDTH FF WIDTH FF WIDTH FF
REVERB SEND 00 1 E-3 REVERB SEND 00 1 E-3 REVERB SEND 00 1 E-3 REVERB SEND 00 1 E-3 REVERB SEND 00 1 E-3
2 --- 2 --- 2 --- 2 --- 2 ---
DELAY SETTINGS 3 --- DELAY SETTINGS 3 --- DELAY SETTINGS 3 --- DELAY SETTINGS 3 --- DELAY SETTINGS 3 ---
FILTER HP:LP 40:FF 4 --- FILTER HP:LP 40:FF 4 --- FILTER HP:LP 40:FF 4 --- FILTER HP:LP 40:FF 4 --- FILTER HP:LP 40:FF 4 ---
TIME L:R 30:30 5 --- TIME L:R 30:30 5 --- TIME L:R 30:30 5 --- TIME L:R 30:30 5 --- TIME L:R 30:30 5 ---
FEEDBACK 80 6 --- FEEDBACK 80 6 --- FEEDBACK 80 6 --- FEEDBACK 80 6 --- FEEDBACK 80 6 ---
WIDTH FF 7 --- WIDTH FF 7 --- WIDTH FF 7 --- WIDTH FF 7 --- WIDTH FF 7 ---
REVERB SEND 00 8 --- REVERB SEND 00 8 --- REVERB SEND 00 8 --- REVERB SEND 00 8 --- REVERB SEND 00 8 ---

REVERB SETTINGS G REVERB SETTINGS G REVERB SETTINGS G REVERB SETTINGS G REVERB SETTINGS G
FILTER HP:LP 10:E0 SCPIT FILTER HP:LP 10:E0 SCPIT FILTER HP:LP 10:E0 SCPIT FILTER HP:LP 10:E0 SCPIT FILTER HP:LP 10:E0 SCPIT
SIZE FF M SIZE FF M SIZE FF M SIZE FF M SIZE FF M
DAMPING C0 X DAMPING C0 X DAMPING C0 X DAMPING C0 X DAMPING C0 X
MOD DEPTH 10 MOD DEPTH 10 MOD DEPTH 10 MOD DEPTH 10 MOD DEPTH 10
MOD FREQ FF MOD FREQ FF MOD FREQ FF MOD FREQ FF MOD FREQ FF
WIDTH FF WIDTH FF WIDTH FF WIDTH FF WIDTH FF

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 6

Global Key Shortcuts

There are quite a few key combinations / shortcuts but for the most part they are shared
across all views on the M8. A printed card was included with the M8 which has a com-
plete list of shortcuts on the reverse side for convenience. Refer to the section on Key
Shortcuts in the appendix. Below is a list of common key commands you should famil-
iarize yourself with:

• [DIRECTION] Move the cursor on the screen.

• [SHIFT] + [DIRECTION] Navigate between Views
• [EDIT] Start editing a value; also functions as a “YES” or “ENTER”
• [OPTION] Varies depending on context; also functions as a “NO” or “EXIT”
• [EDIT]+[OPTION] Sets a highlighted parameter to the default value, or acts as a
“cut” operation on song, chain, phrase, and table “grid” views.
• [SHIFT] by itself has no function.
• [PLAY] Starts/stops the song from the current cursor position on the song view, or
plays the current Chain, Phrase, or Instrument when in those views.
• [SHIFT]+[PLAY] Plays all tracks from the current song cursor position regardless of
current view (song, chain, phrase, etc).

Common Editing Shortcuts

Quite a few of the views in the M8 use a grid layout. In these views there are common
functions such as editing values, cut/copy/paste, and selection mode. It is important to
familiarize yourself with the key shortcuts as this makes editing both fast and fun.

• [EDIT] On an empty cell (“--”): inserts a new value with a default value of the last
edited or deleted value.
• [EDIT]+[UP or DOWN] Edits the selected value in large steps. On a command col-
umn: shows the Effect Help/Selection view.
• [EDIT]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Edits the selected value by small steps.
• [SHIFT]+[OPTION] On any view with a grid (song, chain, phrase, table, etc): enter
selection mode.
• [OPTION] In selection mode: copies the selection and exits selection mode.
• [SHIFT]+[EDIT] On any view with a grid: paste the copied contents from selection
mode.
• [EDIT]+[OPTION] Deletes/cuts the selected value. On selection mode: cuts the se-
lection into the copy buffer.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 7

Hexadecimal

The M8 uses a number system called hexadecimal where numbers 0-15 are represent-
ed as 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, A, B, C, D, E, and F. For example, “40” in hexadecimal
is 64 in decimal (Refer to the hexadecimal table in the appendix). This is useful for quite
a few reasons:

• Screen real estate: 0 to 255 in decimal is 00 to FF in hexadecimal. With 3 command

FX columns, it would be cumbersome to fit 3-digit decimal values on the screen. Fur-
thermore, when a value range includes negative and positive numbers (see Absolute
and Relative in the appendix), this can add up to 4 characters in length: -128 to +127.
• Parameters and FX commands that represent counts of 16 where the first digit will
represent a phrase. Ex: “24” translates to the second phrase on row four.
• FX commands where the left and right digits control different aspects of the com-
mand. Ex: “ARP37” - Plays an arpeggio where the first interval is +3 semitones, and
the second is +7 semitones while presenting a larger range.

Where guidance is needed, help text is presented at the bottom of the screen that dis-
plays the decimal equivalent and/or useful messages while editing values.

Firmware Updates

Updating the firmware is performed via a USB connection to a computer. To perform

the update without issue it is critical that the connection is not hindered by other USB
devices on the same hub. Therefore it is highly recommended to use a dedicated USB
connection without a hub if possible. You can find the latest firmware, changelog, and
instructions at https://github.com/Dirtywave/M8Firmware.

If the firmware fails or the M8 is non-responsive after an update please refer to the sec-
tion on troubleshooting.

Additional Help and Resources

Links and additional resources are available at https://dirtywave.com/support.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 8

Loading a Demo Song

The best way to explore the M8 for the first time is to check out some of the demos
included on the SD card. By default the M8 shipped with “DEMO1” already loaded. You
can press [PLAY] in the song view and navigate around the views to get comfortable
with the layout and watch what is happening during playback.

Let’s familiarize ourselves with the project view and the file browser. Navigate to the
Project which is located above the Song view. If you’re not already in the song view,
hold [SHIFT] and keep pressing [LEFT] until you see “SONG” in the title area of the dis-
play, then navigate up using [SHIFT]+[UP]. Move the cursor down to highlight “LOAD”
and press [EDIT].

LOAD PROJECT

/.. T>120
/DEMOS
1 ---
2 ---
3 ---
4 ---
5 ---
6 ---
7 ---
This is the file browser. By default when loading a song the browser is opened to
8 ---

“/Songs” on the SD card. Any entry that startsP

SCPIT
with a “/” is a directory, and pressing
[EDIT] on a directory will display its contents.
M Pressing [EDIT] on the “/..” entry will take
you back to the previous directory. Furthermore there are a few handy shortcuts that
can be used in this view:

• [LEFT] will navigate to the top of the list.

• [RIGHT] will navigate to the bottom of the list.
• [OPTION]+[UP or DOWN] will skip over 8 entries in the list.
• [PLAY] will preview a sample or instrument when browsing for them.
• [SHIFT]+[OPTION] will sort a directory by name if it is unsorted.
• [OPTION] will exit the file browser.
• [OPTION]+[EDIT] to delete a file.

Highlight “/DEMOS” by pressing [DOWN] and press [EDIT]. Choose a song to load and
press [EDIT] to load it. If a song was already playing when you entered the Load Project
view, the new song will load and start playing back after the playing song reaches the
end of a chain. This is called Queued Song Loading and it is useful for switching songs
in a live setting.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 9

Views

Song View

SONG

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 T>132
00>00>FE>FE -- -- -- -- --
01 00 FE 20 -- -- -- -- -- 1 A#4
02 01 FE 21 -- -- -- -- -- 2 ---
03 01 11 22 -- -- -- -- -- 3 ---
04 01 11 22 -- -- -- -- -- 4 ---
05 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5 ---
06 04 11 22 -- -- -- -- -- 6 ---
07 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 7 ---
08 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 8 ---
09 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
0A -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
0B -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
0C -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --
0D -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- P
0E -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- SCPIT
0F -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- M

The song view is where you create the structure of your song. It is comprised of 8 tracks
from left to right, with a list of chains for each track to play though vertically. When the
song is playing, each track’s song position will increment vertically through the list of
chains until it reaches an empty column (“--”), at which point the given track will loop
back to the beginning of its list of chains.

Since each chain can contain 1 to 16 phrases it is possible to have different play lengths
for each track, causing individual track play positions to be misaligned. If you do not
wish to have this behavior it is recommended to design your chains to all have the same
number of phrases. To maintain a track’s play position with other tracks while it remains
silent, create a chain that contains empty phrases. It is common to use either chain “00”
or “FE” for this purpose. Note that chains which contain no notes are grayed out on the
song screen for readability.

The song can contain up to 256 rows of chains. You may find it useful to use unused
rows below the base song structure, “isolating” to experiment or create new arrange-
ments without breaking the existing song (see row “06” in the graphic above).

Live Mode

Live mode allows playing, cueing, or stopping each track independently and from any-
Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 10
where in the song structure. Press [SHIFT]+[LEFT] from the song view to enter or exit
live mode playback.

When a track is cued for playback via [PLAY] the sequencer will wait for the current-
ly playing chain to finish before activating the newly cued chain by default. You can
change this behavior on the Project View under “LIVE QUANTIZE”.

Song View Shortcuts

Navigating
• [DIRECTION] Move cursor.
• [OPTION]+[UP or DOWN] Move/scroll the cursor 16 rows up or down.

Playing
• [PLAY] Plays/stops all tracks.
• [LEFT]+[PLAY] Cue the selected song row for playback.
• [OPTION]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Solo all tracks to the left or right side of the cursor’s
position.
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT] Mute current track (release option first to hold the mute).
• [OPTION]+[PLAY] Solo current track (release option first to hold the solo).
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT]+[PLAY] Clears all mute and solos.

Editing
• [EDIT] On an empty column (“--”): inserts a chain with a default value of the last ed-
ited or deleted chain.
• [EDIT]+[DIRECTION] Edits the chain number on the cursor’s position. In selection
mode: Selected contents can be moved up or down.
• [EDIT]+[EDIT] (double tap) Will insert a new unused empty chain.
• [EDIT]+[OPTION] Deletes/cuts the selected chain. In selection mode, cuts the se-
lection into the copy buffer.
• [SHIFT]+[OPTION] Enters selection mode for moving, copying, or cutting chains.
• [OPTION] While playback is stopped, hold option to reveal the current track’s time in
min:sec. In selection mode: copies the selection and exits selection mode.
• [SHIFT]+[EDIT] Pastes the copy buffer that was copied in selection mode.
• [SHIFT]+[OPTION, then EDIT] Copies the contents of the selected chain into a new
chain number. (I.e. “clone”).
• [SHIFT]+[OPTION, then double tap EDIT] Copies the contents of the selected
chain and the contents of all phrases inside the chain into a new chain and phrases.
(I.e. “deep clone”).
• [OPTION]+[OPTION]+[OPTION] Creates or removes a “bookmark” to mark a chain
• [EDIT]+[EDIT] While playback is stopped and in selection mode, render the selec-
tion to a new instrument.
Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 11
Chain View

CHAIN 00

PH TSP T>120
0>00 00
1 01 00 1 E-3
2 -- 00 2 ---
3 -- 00 3 ---
4 -- 00 4 ---
5 -- 00 5 ---
6 -- 00 6 ---
7 -- 00 7 ---
8 -- 00 8 ---
9 -- 00
A -- 00
B -- 00
C -- 00
D -- 00 P
E -- 00 SCPIT
F -- 00 M

A chain is a playlist of phrases. This allows easy construction of a musical idea that ex-
tends past a single measure without having to copy and paste repetitive sections. You
can use up to 16 rows of phrases per chain, allowing up to 256 steps.

In the chain view, the left column “PH” is the phrase number to play, and the right col-
umn “TSP” is an optional note transpose in semitones. To insert a new phrase, press
[EDIT] on an empty column (“--”). The inserted value will be the last edited phrase. To
create a new empty phrase on a given row, double tap the [EDIT] key. Duplicating a
phrase to a new empty number is also possible by highlighting the desired phrase num-
ber and pressing [SHIFT]+[OPTION, then EDIT].

Playback behavior is determined by the first empty phrase column that the sequencer
encounters in the chain. An empty phrase (“--”) is considered the end of the chain and
the song will continue on to the next chain in the song view.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 12

Chain View Shortcuts

Navigating
• [DIRECTION] Move cursor.
• [OPTION]+[UP or DOWN] Navigate to previous or next chain in the song.
• [OPTION]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Navigate to previous or next track.

Playing
• [PLAY] Starts/stops playing chain at cursor position.
• [SHIFT]+[PLAY] Continue song at cursor position.
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT] Mute current track (release option first to hold the mute).
• [OPTION]+[PLAY] Solo current track (release option first to hold the solo).
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT]+[PLAY] Clears all mute and solos.

Editing
• [EDIT] On an empty row (“--”): insert a phrase with a default value of the last edited
or deleted phrase.
• [EDIT]+[DIRECTION] Edits the phrase number on the cursor’s position.
• [EDIT]+[EDIT] (double tap) Will insert a new unused empty phrase.
• [EDIT]+[OPTION] Deletes/cuts the selected phrase. In selection mode, cuts the se-
lection into the copy buffer.
• [SHIFT]+[OPTION] Enters selection mode for moving, copying, or cutting a block of
phrases.
• [OPTION] In selection mode: copies the selection and exits selection mode.
• [SHIFT]+[EDIT] Pastes the copy buffer that was copied in selection mode.
• [SHIFT]+[OPTION, then EDIT] Copies the contents of the selected phrase into a
new number. (I.e. “clone”).

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 13

Phrase View

PHRASE 00

N V I FX1 FX2 FX3 T>120

0>E-3 64 00 KIL05 ---00 ---00
1 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 1 E-3
2 G#3 -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 2 ---
3 G-3 60 01 CUT10 ---00 ---00 3 ---
4 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 4 ---
5 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 5 ---
6 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 6 ---
7 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 7 ---
8 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 8 ---
9 --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
A --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
B --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
C --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00
D --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 G
E --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 SCPIT
F --- -- -- ---00 ---00 ---00 M

A phrase contains 16 steps of notes with volume, instrument number, and 3 command
effect columns. By default each step represents a 16th note in time, but can be altered
by defining the number of ticks per step in the Groove View.

The first column “N” is the note with its current octave spanning 11 octaves. It covers the
entire 128 MIDI note range. The value can be changed in semitones using [EDIT]+[LEFT
or RIGHT] or by octave using [EDIT]+[UP or DOWN]. The next column “V” is the vol-
ume which determines the loudness of the corresponding note from 00 (silence) to 7F
(maximum volume) with a default of 64. The “I” column specifies the instrument number
to play. Leaving it empty (“--”) allow notes to be changed without the instrument retrig-
gering. You can press [EDIT] twice on this column to choose a new/unused instrument
number, or press [SHIFT]+[OPTION then EDIT] to copy the contents of the current
instrument to a new number for editing.

The three “FX” columns are for placing commands that affect the sequence, notes, or
instruments in different ways. The commands available are determined by the type of
instrument that is currently being used. To see a helpful view for selecting and placing
commands use [EDIT]+[UP or DOWN] which will launch the Effects Command Help
view.

An asterisk next to the phrase number (“PHRASE 00*“) indicates that the phrase is used
elsewhere in the chain or song.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 14

Phrase View Shortcuts

Navigating
• [DIRECTION] Move cursor.
• [OPTION]+[UP or DOWN] Navigate to previous or next phrase in the chain.
• [OPTION]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Navigate to previous or next track.

Playing
• [PLAY] Starts/stops playing phrase.
• [SHIFT]+[PLAY] Continue song at chain position.
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT] Mute current track (release option first to hold the mute).
• [OPTION]+[PLAY] Solo current track (release option first to hold the solo).
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT]+[PLAY] Clears all mute and solos.

Editing
• [EDIT] On an empty cell: insert a new value with a default value of the last edited or
deleted value.
• [EDIT]+[UP or DOWN] Edits the selected value on the cursor’s position increment-
ing by large steps. On a command column: show the Effect Help/Selection view. In
selection mode: If multiple colums and row are selected the contents can be shifted
up or down.
• [EDIT]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Edits the selected value on the cursor’s position incre-
menting by small steps.
• [EDIT]+[EDIT] (double tap) On the instrument column: set the selected instrument
value to a new unused instrument. On a command value column where the command
is the table or groove command (TBL or GRV): set the value to a new unused table.
• [EDIT]+[OPTION] Deletes/cuts the selected value. In selection mode: cuts the se-
lection into the copy buffer.
• [SHIFT]+[OPTION] Enters selection mode for moving, copying, or cutting a block of
phrase data.
• [OPTION] In selection mode: copies the selection and exits selection mode.
• [SHIFT]+[EDIT] Pastes the copy buffer that was copied in selection mode. In se-
lection mode: with a series of rows and a single column highlighted: interpolate the
selected range.
• [SHIFT]+[OPTION, then EDIT] On the instrument column or on a command value
column where the command is the table or groove command (TBL or GRV): copy the
contents of the selected data into a new number. (I.e. “clone”).

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 15

Instrument View

INST. 00

TYPE SAMPLE LOAD SAVE T>120

NAME ------------
TRANSP. ON TABLE TIC 01 1 ---
2 ---
SAMPLE TEST-SAMPL-TACOS EDIT 3 ---
4 ---
SLICE 00OFF AMP 00 5 ---
PLAY 00FWD-PP LIM 00CLIP 6 ---
START 00 PAN 00 7 ---
LOOP ST 00 DRY C0 8 ---
LENGTH FF CHO 00
DETUNE 80 DEL 00
DEGRADE 00 REV 00
FILTER 00LOWPASS
CUTOFF FF P
RES 00 SCPIT
M

Use the instrument view to load, save, or edit the main settings for the sounds used in
the song. There are 128 instruments available per song that each contain settings, 2
envelopes, 2 LFOs, and a table.

The M8 has 5 instrument types to choose from. Change the “TYPE” parameter to select
one of the types currently available: Wavsynth, Macrosynth, Sampler, FM Synth, and
MIDI Out. The default type is set to “NONE” which helps both you and the M8 know
when a instrument slot is being used. Use “LOAD” or “SAVE” to load or save an instru-
ment preset from the SD card.

General Instrument Settings

• TYPE - Set the instrument type as described above.

• LOAD / SAVE - Load or save a instrument preset to the SD card.
• NAME - helps keep your song organized when browsing through instruments, saving
an instrument, or exported when “bundling” your song.
• TRANSP. - Enable or disable all note transpositions from scales, chain transpose
columns, or the project view transpose setting. This is useful for selectively disabling
transposition on instruments that are used for percussive or effect elements.
• TABLE TIC - Set the default speed at which the instrument’s table increments through
each step. The default is “01” or one tick per table step. “02” will be two ticks per
step and so forth. “00” will hold and step through the table each time the instrument
is triggered successively. “FF” sets the rate to 400 Hz. This setting can be overwrit-
ten by the TIC command effect in the phrase or table.
Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 16
Instrument View Shortcuts

Navigating
• [DIRECTION] Move cursor.
• [OPTION]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Navigate to previous or next instrument.
• [OPTION]+[UP or DOWN] Navigate +/- 16 instruments.
• [SHIFT]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Will navigate to the phrase or table view respectively
(from both the Instrument view or Instrument Envelopes view) and set the default FX
command value to the instrument parameter that is highlighted.

Playing
• [PLAY] Start/stops playing phrase.
• [EDIT]+[PLAY] Preview instrument.
• [SHIFT]+[PLAY] Continue song at chain position.
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT] Mute current track (release option first to hold the mute).
• [OPTION]+[PLAY] Solo current track (release option first to hold the solo).
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT]+[PLAY] Clears all mute and solos.

Editing
• [EDIT]+[UP or DOWN] Edit the selected value on the cursor’s position incrementing
by large steps.
• [EDIT]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Edit the selected value on the cursor’s position increment-
ing by small steps.
• [EDIT]+[OPTION] Set the selected value to the default setting.
• [SHIFT]+[OPTION] Copy current instrument.
• [SHIFT]+[EDIT] Paste instrument or undo a paste operation.
• [EDIT+TOUCHSCREEN] Edit selected value with the position of a finger on any
value with a visual slider.
• [OPTION+TOUCHSCREEN] Assign the touchscreen axis to the selected parameter
on any value with a visual slider. See the section on the MIDI Mappings view.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 17

 Instrument Envelope View

INST. 00

TYPE SAMPLE LOAD SAVE T>120

NAME ------------
TRANSP. ON TABLE TIC 01 1 E-3
2 ---
ENV1 TO 01VOLUME LFO1 00OFF 3 ---
AMOUNT 00 AMT 00 4 ---
ATTACK 00 OSC 00TRI 5 ---
HOLD FF TRG 00FREE 6 ---
DECAY 00 AMT 00 7 ---
8 ---
ENV2 TO 02CUTOFF LFO2 00OFF
AMOUNT 00 AMT 00
ATTACK 00 OSC 00TRI
HOLD FF TRG 00FREE
DECAY 00 AMT 00 E
SCPIT
M

This view is accessible above the instrument view ([SHIFT]+[UP]). The envelopes and
LFOs alter instrument parameters over time. The view is divided up so that the two en-
velopes are on the left, and two LFOs on the right.

Envelopes

Each envelope has a destination, amount, and 3 “stages” - Attack, Hold, and Decay
(AHD)
Amount

Attack Hold Decay

“ENV TO” assigns an instrument parameter to the envelope, with “AMOUNT” setting
the maximum amount the envelope controls. “ATTACK” is the time it takes for the en-
velope to reach the specified amount, “HOLD” is the time to wait after the attack is
completed before proceeding to decay, and “DECAY” is the time it takes to decrease
the envelope back to zero. All time-based values are in ticks and thus relative to the
current song tempo. Refer to the help text at the bottom of the screen while editing a
parameter for assistance.
Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 18
Instrument Envelope View - LFOs

LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator) modulates an instrument parameter over time. Unlike
an envelope, it has a static shape that can be configured to repeat infinitely or trigger
once like an envelope.

Each LFO has a destination, amount, oscillator shape selection, trigger behavior, and
frequency. The first parameter “LFO” assigns an instrument parameter to the LFO, with
“AMT” controlling the amount. “OSC” is the oscillator shape - Triangle, sinusoidal, ramp
down, ramp up, exponential down, exponential up, square down, square up, random,
and drunk. The initial 10 shapes repeat with an additional “T” added to the end which
signifies “Tick rate” where the frequency range runs much faster in ticks.
TRI SIN RAMP DN RAMP UP EXP DN

EXP UP SQU DN SQU UP RANDOM DRUNK

Trigger behavior (“TRG”) configures how the LFO will react when the instrument triggers
and when the shape reaches the end of a cycle:

• FREE - Loop the shape and not reset on new notes/instrument triggers.
• RETRIG - Loop the shape and reset on each new instrument trigger.
• HOLD - Hold the last value of the shape instead of repeating from the beginning.
• ONCE - Play through the shape once and reset to the start value.

Frequency (“FRQ”) is the rate at which the LFO cycles. The value is represented in steps
(16th notes) or in ticks when the OSC is set to one of the tick “T” rate shapes.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 19

Table View

TABLE 00

N V FX1 FX2 FX3 T>120

0>00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00
1 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 1 E-3
2 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 2 ---
3 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 3 ---
4 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 4 ---
5 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 5 ---
6 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 6 ---
7 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 7 ---
8 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 8 ---
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
E 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 SCPIT
F 00 -- ---00 ---00 ---00 M

Tables are little sequencers that play alongside instruments. They are an incredibly pow-
erful tool to transform instruments and compositions, from arpeggios and volume slides
to multi-stage envelopes and effects. Every instrument has its own dedicated table with
an additional 128 tables freely assignable via the table (“TBL“) FX command.

Each table has 16 rows that include a note transpose, volume amount, and 3 FX com-
mand columns. Unlike a phrase which runs at the speed of the global tempo and groove,
tables run at the user-defined speed that is set by the Table Tic Rate in the Instrument
View. By default when the play position reaches the bottom of a table it loops back to
the top and continues for as long as the instrument is played.

The left column “N” is the transpose column. Entering a value here will transpose the
instrument for the duration of the step. The “V” column is the volume column. These
values are multiplied by the “V” in the Phrase View.

The three “FX” columns are identical to the “FX” columns in the phrase screen, how-
ever some commands have a different behavior. To see a helpful view for selecting and
placing commands use [EDIT]+[UP or DOWN] which will launch the Effects Command
Help view.

To shorten a table refer to the HOP command in the sequencer commands appendix.
Each command column can run at different speeds by using the tick (“TIC”) command
in an FX column. You can place TIC commands at the end of the table to affect all rows
to save space.
Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 20
Table View Shortcuts

Navigating
• [DIRECTION] Move cursor.
• [OPTION]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Navigate to previous or next table.
• [OPTION]+[UP or DOWN] Navigate +/- 16 tables.

Playing
• [PLAY] Starts/stops playing phrase.
• [SHIFT]+[PLAY] Continue song at chain position.
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT] Mute current track (release option first to hold the mute).
• [OPTION]+[PLAY] Solo current track (release option first to hold the solo).
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT]+[PLAY] Clears all mute and solos.

Editing
• [EDIT] On an empty cell: insert a new value with a default value of the last edited
or deleted value. In selection mode with a single column highlighted: interpolate the
selected range.
• [EDIT]+[UP or DOWN] Edits the selected value on the cursor’s position increment-
ing by large steps. On a command column: show the Effect Help/Selection view. In
selection mode: If multiple colums and row are selected the contents can be shifted
up or down.
• [EDIT]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Edits the selected value on the cursor’s position incre-
menting by small steps.
• [EDIT]+[OPTION] Deletes/cuts the selected value. In selection mode, cuts the se-
lection into the copy buffer.
• [SHIFT]+[OPTION] Enters selection mode for moving, copying, or cutting a block of
table data.
• [OPTION] In selection mode: copies the selection and exits selection mode.
• [SHIFT]+[EDIT] Pastes the copy buffer that was copied in selection mode.
• [SHIFT]+[OPTION, then EDIT] On a command value column where the command is
the table or groove command (TBL or GRV): copy the contents of the selected data
into a new number. (I.e. “clone”).

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 21

Groove View

GROOVE 00

T>120
0 06
1 06 1 E-3
2 -- 2 ---
3 -- 3 ---
4 -- 4 ---
5 -- 5 ---
6 -- 6 ---
7 -- 7 ---
8 -- 8 ---
9 --
A --
B --
C --
D -- G
E -- SCPIT
F -- M

Grooves allow defining the speed of each of the 16 steps in a phrase by altering the
number of ticks each step consumes. This allows swing, shuffle, triplets, and faster
phrases. See the section on common grooves in the appendix.

Groove “00” is the default groove for all 8 tracks. Each track can use a different groove
independently. Assign a groove to a track by using the groove (“GRV”) FX command in
a phrase.

Add swing to a song by navigating to the Groove view that is located above the phrase
[SHIFT]+[UP]. Start the song by pressing [SHIFT]+[PLAY] and edit the value in row 0
by using [EDIT]+[UP or DOWN]. Notice that it alters both rows 0 and 1 at the same
time. A common swing setting is 07,05 or 08,04.

The Groove Math(s)

The M8 has a resolution of 24 ticks per quarter note (24PPQ). Since there are 4 six-
teenth notes in a quarter note and each row in a phrase represents a sixteenth note in
time, there are 6 ticks per row (24PPQ / 4 sixteenth notes = 6 ticks). Therefore by default
all grooves have two rows of “06”. If you want to stick with the same count, the total
ticks in a phrase should be equal to 96 (16 steps x 6 ticks per step). When editing a
groove there is a help message at the bottom of the screen that sums the ticks for your
convenience.

The groove will loop to the beginning when an empty row (“--”) is encountered, and a
row of “00” will skip the phrase step.
Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 22
Groove View Shortcuts

Navigating
• [DIRECTION] Move cursor.
• [OPTION]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Navigate to previous or next groove.
• [OPTION]+[UP or DOWN] Navigate +/- 16 grooves.

Playing
• [PLAY] Starts/stops playing phrase.
• [SHIFT]+[PLAY] Continue song at chain position.
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT] Mute current track (release option first to hold the mute).
• [OPTION]+[PLAY] Solo current track (release option first to hold the solo).
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT]+[PLAY] Clears all mute and solos.

Editing
• [EDIT] On an empty cell: insert a new value with a default value of the last edited or
deleted value.
• [EDIT]+[UP or DOWN] Edits the selected value and the value above or beneath.
• [EDIT]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Edits the selected value by small increments.
• [EDIT]+[OPTION] Deletes/cuts the selected value. In selection mode: cut the selec-
tion into the copy buffer.
• [SHIFT]+[OPTION] Enters selection mode for moving, copying, or cutting a block of
table data.
• [OPTION] In selection mode: copy the selection and exits selection mode.
• [SHIFT]+[EDIT] Pastes the copy buffer that was copied in selection mode.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 23

Scale View

SCALE 00

KEY C T>120

I EN OFFSET 1 E-3
C ON 00.00 2 ---
C# ON 00.00 3 ---
D ON 00.00 4 ---
D# ON 00.00 5 ---
E ON 00.00 6 ---
F ON 00.00 7 ---
F# ON 00.00 8 ---
G ON 00.00
G# ON 00.00
A ON 00.00
A# ON 00.00 S
B ON 00.00 G
SCPIT
NAME ---------------- M
LOAD SAVE

Scales allow defining and quantizing note related events in M8. This includes project
transpose, chain transpose, note entry, arpeggio (“ARP”) command, pitch (“PIT”) effect
command, the “PIT” modulation modifier in FMSynth, and the MIDIOUT instrument
chord (“CHD”) and add note (“ADD”) effect commands, respectively.

There are up to 16 user defined scales available per project. Scale “00” is the default
scale for all 8 tracks. Each track can independently use a different scale. Assign a scale
and key signature to a track by using the scale (“SCA”) FX command, or apply a scale
globally using the global scale (“SCG“) command. Enabling or disabling scales per-in-
strument is possible by editing the “TRANSP.” option in the Instrument view.

The “Key” is a global setting that defines the root note for the default scale. It can be
overwritten on a per-track basis by using the scale “SCA” command as mentioned
above.

For any given scale each of the 12 note intervals can be enabled by setting “EN” to
“ON” with an optional detuning offset from -24.00 to +24.00 semitones.

Name, load and save any of the 16 scales for use in other projects. On power-up M8
pre loads the installed SD card with 92 different scales which can be found in /Scales/
Factory

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 24

Scale View Shortcuts

Navigating
• [DIRECTION] Move cursor.
• [OPTION]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Navigate to previous or next scale.
• [OPTION]+[UP or DOWN] Navigate to the first or last scale.

Playing
• [PLAY] Starts/stops playing phrase.
• [SHIFT]+[PLAY] Continue song at chain position.
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT] Mute current track (release option first to hold the mute).
• [OPTION]+[PLAY] Solo current track (release option first to hold the solo).
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT]+[PLAY] Clears all mute and solos.

Editing
• [EDIT] On an empty cell: insert a new value with a default value of the last edited or
deleted value.
• [EDIT]+[UP or DOWN] Edits the selected value and the value above or beneath.
• [EDIT]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Edits the selected value by small increments.
• [EDIT]+[OPTION] Deletes/cuts the selected value. In selection mode: cut the selec-
tion into the copy buffer.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 25

Mixer View

MIXER

VOLUME:LIMIT E0:00 T>120

DJFILT:PEAK 80:80
1 E-3
2 ---
3 ---
4 ---
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 5 ---
E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 E0 6 ---
7 ---
8 ---

CHO DEL REV INPUT USB MIX

E0 E0 E0 00 -- 00
G
CHO 00 00 SCPIT
DEL 00 00 M
REV 00 00 X

The mixer allows you to view and adjust the volume of each of the 8 tracks, the 3 send
effects (chorus, delay, and reverb, see Effect Settings View), analog and USB input for
monitoring; control the global DJ filter effect; and overall song volume and limiter. When
an instrument is triggered on a given track, its volume parameters are applied to the
given track’s outputs. The track’s volume in the mixer also adjusts its effect send levels.
The effect volumes of the 3 send effects can be adjusted under “CHO”, “DEL”, and
“REV”. The analog and USB inputs can be mixed in for live monitoring as well as routed
to the 3 send effects. “INPUT” refers to the analog input and “USB” refers to anything
the USB host computer is sending to the M8.

All of the tracks, inputs, and effects are mixed together and routed through the limiter,
DJ filter, and finally though the main song volume. Any clipping will appear as a red bar
on the graphical meter.

The DJ filter is a mixed low-pass / high-pass filter. When the value is above “80” it
sweeps upward removing the bass frequencies. Below 80 it sweeps downward remov-
ing high frequencies. This is useful in a live setting when it is mapped to the touchscreen
or an external controller, or automated in the song using the “DJF” FX command.

The limiter is engaged when its value is above 00. There is a white line drawn on the
“MIX” graphical indicator to show the limiters compression activity.

Dual-mono input mode can be enabled by setting the “--“ cell to the right of the input
volume “00 --”. Clear this value with [EDIT]+[OPTION] to disable it.
Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 26
Mixer View Shortcuts

Navigating
• [DIRECTION] Move cursor.

Playing
• [PLAY] Plays/stops all tracks.
• [SHIFT]+[PLAY] Plays/stops all tracks.
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT] Mute current track (release option first to hold the mute).
• [OPTION]+[PLAY] Solo current track (release option first to hold the solo).
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT]+[PLAY] Clears all mute and solos.

Editing
• [EDIT]+[UP or DOWN] Edits the selected value incrementing by large steps.
• [EDIT]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Edits the selected value incrementing by small steps.
• [EDIT]+[OPTION] Set selected parameter to its default value.
• [SHIFT]+[OPTION] Creates a song snapshot for temporarily storing entire song to
recall at a later point.
• [SHIFT]+[EDIT] Recall song snapshot. See [SHIFT]+[OPTION]
• [OPTION+TOUCHSCREEN] Assign the touchscreen axis to the selected parameter.
See MIDI Mappings view.
• [OPTION+MIDI CC] Assign a MIDI CC to the selected parameter. See MIDI Map-
pings view.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 27

Effect Settings View

CHORUS SETTINGS
MOD DEPTH 40
MOD FREQ. 80 T>120
WIDTH FF
REVERB SEND 00 1 E-3
2 ---
DELAY SETTINGS 3 ---
FILTER HP:LP 40:FF 4 ---
TIME L:R 30:30 5 ---
FEEDBACK 80 6 ---
WIDTH FF 7 ---
REVERB SEND 00 8 ---

REVERB SETTINGS
FILTER HP:LP 10:E0
SIZE FF
DAMPING C0 G
MOD DEPTH 10 SCPIT
MOD FREQ FF M
WIDTH FF X

The effect settings view is accessible under the mixer view [SHIFT]+[DOWN].
The M8 has 3 send effects that are utilized by the instrument settings “CHO”, “DEL”
“REV”, as well as on audio and USB input configured in the mixer view.

Chorus
Stereo width effect with subtle modulation. Created by using a stereo delay buffer while
smoothly modulating the read position between the left and right channels.
Not recommended for bass heavy sounds.

• MOD DEPTH - The amount of modulation that occurs in the stereo signal.
• MOD FREQ - The speed of the modulation.
• WIDTH - Stereo width. “00” is mono, “FF” is stereo.
• REVERB SEND - Adjusts the amount to send to the reverb effect.

Delay
Ping-pong delay where the incoming audio bounces between left and right channels.

• FILTER HP:LP - high-pass and low-pass filter removing undesired frequencies.

• TIME L:R - Delay time for left and right channels. First digit is in beats, second digit
is in fractions of a beat. Ex: “40” is 4 beats long.
• FEEDBACK - Adjusts the amount that the signal is fed back into itself.
• WIDTH - Stereo width. “00” is mono, “FF” is stereo.
• REVERB SEND - Adjusts the amount to send to the reverb effect.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 28

Reverb
Simple reverb with subtle modulation similar to the chorus. Particular attention has
been given to this model to prevent metallic / ringing feedback.

• FILTER HP:LP - high-pass and low-pass filter removing undesired frequencies.

• SIZE - The size of the room.
• DECAY - Amount to decay the signal over time.
• MOD DEPTH - The amount of modulation that occurs in the stereo signal.
• MOD FREQ - The speed of the modulation.
• WIDTH - Stereo width. “00” is mono, “FF” is stereo.

Effect Settings View Shortcuts

Navigating
• [DIRECTION] Move cursor.

Playing
• [PLAY] Starts/stops all tracks.
• [SHIFT]+[PLAY] Starts/stops all tracks.
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT] Mute current track (release option first to hold the mute).
• [OPTION]+[PLAY] Solo current track (release option first to hold the solo).
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT]+[PLAY] Clears all mute and solos.

Editing
• [EDIT]+[UP or DOWN] Edits the selected value incrementing by large steps.
• [EDIT]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Edits the selected value incrementing by small steps.
• [EDIT]+[OPTION] Set selected parameter to its default value.
• [OPTION+TOUCHSCREEN] Assign the touchscreen axis to the selected parameter.
See MIDI Mappings view.
• [OPTION+MIDI CC] Assign a MIDI CC to the selected parameter. See MIDI Map-
pings view.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 29

Project View

PROJECT

TRANSPOSE 00 T>120
TEMPO 120.00
OUTPUT VOL E0 1 E-3
SPEAKER VOL E0 2 ---
NOTE PREVIEW ON 3 ---
LIVE QUANTIZE 00 CHAIN LEN 4 ---
5 ---
MIDI MIDI SETTINGS 6 ---
MIDI MAPPING 7 ---
8 ---
NAME ------------
PROJECT LOAD SAVE NEW
EXPORT/SHARE BOUNCE BUNDLE

CLEAR UNUSED PHRASES+CHAINS P

INSTRUMENTS+TABLES SCPIT
M
THEME EDIT THEME

The project view contains settings relevant to the song as a whole. Saving, loading, and
exporting can be found here as well as display color and brightness settings.

• TRANSPOSE - Globally transpose the song in semitones. The transposition only af-
fects instruments that have “TRANSP.” enabled. The transposition occurs when the
edit key is released, which is useful for live performance.
• TEMPO - Set the song tempo in beats per minute (BPM).
• OUTPUT VOL - Main output volume control.
• SPEAKER VOL - Built-in speakers volume control.
• NOTE PREVIEW - Enable note preview when editing notes in phrase view.
• LIVE QUANTIZE - Set the cue-waiting behavior when playing a chain in live mode.
• MIDI SETTINGS - See the section on MIDI Settings View.
• MIDI MAPPINGS - See the section on MIDI Mappings View.
• NAME - Enter a name for the current song for saving.
• LOAD, SAVE, NEW - Load, save, or create a new song.
• RENDER - See the section on Render View.
• BUNDLE - See the next page on Bundles.
• CLEAR UNUSED - Frees/clears unused chains, phrases, instruments and tables not
used in the song.
• THEME - See the section on Theme View.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 30

About Project Files
Project files contain all song data including chains, phrases, instruments, as well as MIDI
mappings and settings configurations. Output volume, speaker volume, and theme col-
ors are stored internally on the M8. Samples are not stored in the project file. Moving or
deleting samples will result in samples failing to load with the song.

Bundles
Since samples are not stored inside the project file, you may want to share your work
or archive a song before moving samples around on the SD card. Bundling a song han-
dles this. It creates a sub-folder in the “/Bundles” directory that contains the project file,
samples, and instruments.

Project View Shortcuts

Navigating
• [DIRECTION] Move cursor.

Playing
• [PLAY] Plays/stops all tracks.
• [SHIFT]+[PLAY] Plays/stops all tracks.
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT] Mute current track (release option first to hold the mute).
• [OPTION]+[PLAY] Solo current track (release option first to hold the solo).
• [OPTION]+[SHIFT]+[PLAY] Clears all mute and solos.

Editing
• [EDIT]+[UP or DOWN] Edits the selected value incrementing by large steps.
• [EDIT]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Edits the selected value incrementing by small steps.
• [EDIT]+[OPTION] Set selected parameter to its default value.
• [SHIFT]+[OPTION] Creates a song snapshot for temporarily storing entire song to
recall at a later point.
• [SHIFT]+[EDIT] Recall song snapshot. See [SHIFT]+[OPTION]

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 31

Theme View

THEME SETTINGS

BACKLIGHT 80 T>120
R G B
BACKGROUND 00 00 00 1 ---
TEXT:EMPTY 1E 1E 28 2 ---
TEXT:INFO 60 60 8E 3 ---
TEXT:DEFAULT 8C 8C BA 4 ---
TEXT:VALUE FA FA FA 5 ---
TEXT:TITLES 32 EC FF 6 ---
PLAY MARKERS 00 FF 70 7 ---
CURSOR 32 EC FF 8 ---
SELECTION FF 00 D2
SCOPE/SLIDER 32 EC FF
METER LOW 00 FF 50
METER MID FF E0 00
METER HIGH FF 30 70 P
SCPIT
NAME ------------ M
LOAD SAVE RESET

The theme view is accessible from the project view. Adjust brightness and interface
colors, load presets, and save preset themes for sharing.

Brightness affects battery life as it physically changes the brightness of the backlight
LEDs on the display. The recommended default setting is 80 which is still bright in mod-
est settings while still remaining usable.

Adjust the colors of each property in real time to understand what each value controls.
The values are in RGB for convenience however the display uses colors in 16-bit (565)
and thus not a true 24-bit display, so minor adjustments may not produce any change.

The M8 firmware has a handful of default themes which are also located on the SD card.
Try out a few by selecting “LOAD” at the bottom of the screen.

Theme View Shortcuts

Navigating
• [DIRECTION] Move cursor
• [OPTION] Exits view

Editing
• [EDIT]+[UP or DOWN] Edits the selected value incrementing by large steps
• [EDIT]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Edits the selected value incrementing by small steps.
• [EDIT]+[OPTION] Set selected parameter to its default value.
Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 32
MIDI Mapping View

MIDI MAPPING

CTL V RANGE DEST T>120

00 027 7F 7F>00 I01:VOL ATK
01 T:X 12 00>7F I02:CUTOFF 1 ---
02 --- -- -- -- 2 ---
03 --- -- -- -- 3 ---
04 --- -- -- -- 4 ---
05 --- -- -- -- 5 ---
06 --- -- -- -- 6 ---
07 --- -- -- -- 7 ---
08 --- -- -- -- 8 ---
09 --- -- -- --
0A --- -- -- --
0B --- -- -- --
0C --- -- -- --
0D --- -- -- -- P
0E --- -- -- -- SCPIT
0F --- -- -- -- M

The MIDI mapping view is accessible from the project view. Midi mappings are MIDI
CCs (Continuous Control - knobs on an external MIDI controller) or the touchscreen that
are assigned to instrument or mixer parameters. Up to 128 mappings are available per
song. The destination parameter can only be assigned to one mapping, but one control/
touchscreen axis can control many parameters. Assign a MIDI CC or touchscreen to a
parameter by placing the cursor on the desired parameter, holding down the [OPTION]
key, and turning the MIDI CC or touching and sliding vertically or horizontally on the
touchscreen. All mappings are stored within the song file.

This view allows you view and edit the range of the mappings, as well as remove them
by pressing [OPTION]+[EDIT].

MIDI Mapping View Shortcuts

Navigating
• [DIRECTION] Move cursor.
• [OPTION] Exits view.

Editing
• [EDIT]+[UP or DOWN] Edits the selected value incrementing by large steps.
• [EDIT]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Edits the selected value incrementing by small steps.
• [EDIT]+[OPTION] Delete a mapping.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 33

MIDI Settings View

MIDI SETTINGS

RECEIVE SYNC OFF T>120

RECEIVE TRANSPORT ON
SEND SYNC OFF 1 ---
SEND TRANSPORT ON 2 ---
REC. NOTE CHAN 09 3 ---
REC. VELOCITY OFF 4 ---
REC. DELAY/KILL OFF 5 ---
CONTROL MAP CHAN 10 6 ---
SONG ROW CUE CHAN 11 7 ---
8 ---
TRACK MIDI INPUT
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
CHAN. 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08
INST# 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00
PG CHANGE ON MODE LEGATO P
SCPIT
SAVE DEFAULTS LOAD DEFAULTS M

The MIDI settings view is accessible from the project view. Edit the MIDI settings for
sync input and output, transport control (play, stop, continue), MIDI note recording op-
tions, and MIDI channel assignments. All parameters in this page are stored within the
song. Save or load the default configuration used when creating a new song.

MIDI Settings

• RECEIVE SYNC - Enable the song to be synced from an external MIDI clock.
• RECEIVE TRANSPORT - Enable song start/stop controlled from MIDI transport mes-
sages. “PATTERN” will start the song where you last played the song from. “SONG”
will respond to “MIDI song position pointer” messages.
• SEND SYNC - Enable sending MIDI clock messages.
• SEND TRANSPORT - Enable sending song start and stop messages. “PATTERN”
will only send the start and stop messages where as “SONG” will also send a song
position pointer message.
• RECORD NOTE CHANNEL - MIDI channel for recording incoming MIDI notes. See
next section under Recording MIDI Notes.
• RECORD VELOCITY - Enables recording note velocity when recording MIDI notes.
• RECORD DELAY/KILL - Record delay (“DEL”) and kill/note off (“KIL“) FX commands
when recording incoming MIDI notes into a phrase.
• CONTROL MAP CHANNEL - MIDI channel for incoming MIDI CCs for MIDI Map-
ping. Refer to MIDI Mappings View.
• SONG ROW CUE CHANNEL - MIDI channel for incoming MIDI notes for cueing song
rows.
Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 34
Recording MIDI Notes

Inserting and recording MIDI notes from an external controller can be accomplished by
selecting the correct “REC. NOTE CHAN” channel for your controller and highlighting a
note column in the phrase view. While the song is playing, notes will be inserted based
on the time they were played. Notes and instruments can be previewed when the cursor
is outside the note column.

Track MIDI Input

The M8 can act like a sound module, where each of the 8 tracks can be independently
controlled by an external sequencer or controller. Changing the instrument can be ac-
complished by sending a MIDI program change message from the external controller or
selecting the instrument number in the MIDI Settings view under the appropriate track
number.

• CHAN - MIDI channel selection for the given track.

• INST# - Instrument number to be used for the given track.
• PG CHANGE - Enable instrument selection via MIDI Program change messages.
• MODE - 3 different modes to choose from:
• MONO - Mono mode plays all tracks of the same MIDI channel together in unison.
• LEGATO - Same as Mono mode but overlapping notes will not cause the instru-
ment to retrigger.
• POLY - Poly mode plays each track of the same MIDI channel one after the other
(round-robin) on each incoming MIDI note.

MIDI Settings View Shortcuts

Navigating
• [DIRECTION] Move cursor.
• [OPTION] Exits view.

Editing
• [EDIT]+[UP or DOWN] Edits the selected value incrementing by large steps.
• [EDIT]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Edits the selected value incrementing by small steps.
• [EDIT]+[OPTION] Delete a mapping.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 35

Render View

RENDER AUDIO

SONG ROW START 00 T>120

SONG ROW LAST -- AUTO
REPEAT SONG 00 OFF 1 ---
2 ---
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 3 ---
TRACKS ON ON ON ON ON ON ON ON 4 ---
CHORUS ON 5 ---
DELAY ON 6 ---
REVERB ON 7 ---
LIMITER ON 8 ---

NAME ------------
MIXED STEMS
P
SCPIT
M

The render view is accessible from the project view. Rendering allows you to export
sections, tracks (“STEMS”), or the entire song (“MIXED”) as a 16-bit 44.1kHz stereo wav
file located in “/Renders”.

• SONG ROW START - The first song row to start rendering from.
• SONG ROW LAST - The last song row that will be rendered.
• REPEAT SONG - Repeat the song a given number of times.
• TRACKS - Selectively choose which tracks to render.
• CHORUS - Enable the chorus send effect in the render.
• DELAY - Enable the delay send effect in the render.
• REVERB - Enable the reverb send effect in the render.
• LIMITER - Enable the limiter effect in the render.
• NAME - Choose a name for the rendering.
• MIXED STEMS - “MIXED” creates one wav file with all tracks mixed together where-
as “STEMS” creates a file for each enabled track that has chains within the selected
range.

MIDI Settings View Shortcuts

• [DIRECTION] Move cursor

• [OPTION] Exits view
• [EDIT]+[UP or DOWN] Edits the selected value incrementing by large steps
• [EDIT]+[LEFT or RIGHT] Edits the selected value incrementing by small steps.
• [EDIT]+[OPTION] Delete a mapping.
Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 36
Effect Command Help View

EFFECT COMMAND SELECT/HELP

ARPEGGIO: PLAYS FAST TICK-RATE ARP.

1ST DIGIT:2ND NOTE.
2ND DIGIT:3RD NOTE.

SEQUENCER COMMANDS
ARP CHA DEL GRV HOP KIL RAN RET REP
NTH PSL PBN PVB PVX SCA SCG SED SNG
TBL THO TIC TPO TSP

MIXER/FX COMMANDS
VMV XCM XCF XCW XCR XDT XDF XDW XDR
XRS XRD XRM XRF XRW XRZ VCH VDE VRE
VT1 VT2 VT3 VT4 VT5 VT6 VT7 VT8 DJF
IVO ICH IRE IDE IV2 IC2 IR2 ID2 USB

CURRENT INSTRUMENT COMMANDS

VOL PIT FIN PLY STA LOP LEN DEG FLT
CUT RES AMP LIM PAN DRY SCH SDL SRV
EV1 AT1 HO1 DE1 ET1 EV2 AT2 HO2 DE2
ET2 LFO LFQ LFT

The effect command help view can be accessed by holding down [EDIT] and pressing
[UP or DOWN] on any FX command column on the phrase or table view.

The view allows you to select an FX command by using any [DIRECTION] key. A small
description of the highlighted effect is displayed at the top. Insert the selected com-
mand by releasing the [EDIT] key.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 37

Instruments

Wavsynth

INST. 00

TYPE WAVSYNTH LOAD SAVE T>120

NAME ------------
TRANSP. ON TABLE TIC 01 1 ---
2 ---
SHAPE 00PULSE 12% 3 ---
4 ---
SIZE 00OFF AMP 00 5 ---
MULT 00 LIM 00CLIP 6 ---
WARP 00 PAN 00 7 ---
MIRROR 00 DRY C0 8 ---
FILTER 00OFF CHO 00
CUTOFF FF DEL 00
RES 00 REV 00

P
SCPIT
M

Wavsynth is a wave table synthesizer and noise generator. The wave table is an 8-bit
sample buffer that is generated in realtime from one of 9 basic shapes that can be re-
peated, skewed/biased, mirrored, filtered and overdriven.

Wavsynth Parameters

• SHAPE - This selects from several standard shapes:

• PULSE 12% TO 75% - 4 Pulse width options. For pulse width modulation (PWM)
set the shape to “PULSE 50%” and adjust the “MIRROR” parameter. Smoothness
of the PWM is determined by the “SIZE” parameter.
• SAW - Saw wave.
• TRIANGLE - Triangle wave.
• SINE - Sine wave.
• NOISE PITCHED - Classic LFSR Noise with an in-tune tonal pitch.
• NOISE - Classic LFSR noise.
• OVERFLOW - Waveforms that explore the remnants of what exists when you go
off the grid.
• SIZE - Horizontal size of the waveform (number of samples).
• MULT - Multiplies the waveform by adding more and more repeats of the selected
shape. This can sound like a “hard sync” effect.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 38

Wavsynth Parameters (Continued)

• WARP - Push the shape to one side of the wave table.

• MIRROR - Mirrors the waveform at the specified position, the value range is from 0
to 200%. Note this will do nothing on triangle waveforms since the triangle is a mirror
reflection at center.

Multi-mode Filter Parameters

• FILTER - Filter type - Lowpass, Highpass, Bandpass, Bandstop, and LP>HP (Low-
pass with RES controlling the frequency of a 1-pole highpass filter). Note Wavsynth
has 4 extra modes which apply the filter into the waveform: “WAV LP” - Lowpass,
“WAV HP” - Highpass, “WAV BP” - Bandpass, and “WAV BS” Bandstop.
• CUTOFF - Filter cutoff frequency.
• RES - Filter resonance amount.

Amplification Parameters

• AMP - Amplifies the waveform. Any value higher than the maximum level allowed is
handled according to the “LIM” setting.
• LIM - Set the limit / clipping behavior of the amplified signal.
• CLIP - Any value higher than the maximum level is clipped.
• SIN - The waveform is fed through a sine function.
• FOLD - Any value higher than the maximum level is folded back into itself.
• WRAP - Any value higher than the maximum level is vertically wrapped.
• POST - The amplification is applied with hard-clipping after the filter stage.
• POST:AD - The amplification is applied with soft-clipping after the filter stage.

Mixer Parameters

• DRY - Dry volume sent to the mixer channel.

• CHO - Chorus send effect volume.
• DEL - Delay send effect volume.
• REV - Reverb send effect volume.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 39

Macrosynth

INST. 00

TYPE MACROSYN LOAD SAVE T>120

NAME ------------
TRANSP. ON TABLE TIC 01 1 ---
2 ---
SHAPE 00CSAW 3 ---
4 ---
TIMBRE 80 AMP 00 5 ---
COLOR 80 LIM 00CLIP 6 ---
DEGRADE 00 PAN 00 7 ---
REDUX 00 DRY C0 8 ---
FILTER 00OFF CHO 00
CUTOFF FF DEL 00
RES 00 REV 00

P
SCPIT
M

The Macrosynth contains 44 different models or “SHAPES”. From basic analog to 2-op
FM, physical modeling, and percussive sounds. The two parameters “TIMBRE” and
“COLOR” control the overall characteristics and change depending on the shape se-
lected. Refer to the Macrosynth Models section in the appendix for details.

Macrosynth Parameters

• SHAPE - Select one of the 44 different engines. Refer to the Macrosynth Models
section in the appendix for details.
• TIMBRE - First parameter of the Macrosynth shape.
• COLOR - Second parameter of the Macrosynth shape.
• DEGRADE - Sample rate reduction effect.
• REDUX - Bit rate reduction effect.

Multi-mode Filter Parameters

• FILTER - Filter type - Lowpass, Highpass, Bandpass, Bandstop, and LP>HP (Low-
pass with RES controlling the frequency of a 1-pole highpass filter).
• CUTOFF - Filter cutoff frequency.
• RES - Filter resonance amount.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 40

Amplification Parameters

• AMP - Amplifies the waveform. Any value higher than the maximum level allowed is
handled according to the “LIM” setting.
• LIM - Set the limit / clipping behavior of the amplified signal.
• CLIP - Any value higher than the maximum level is clipped.
• SIN - The waveform is fed through a sine function.
• FOLD - Any value higher than the maximum level is folded back into itself.
• WRAP - Any value higher than the maximum level is vertically wrapped.
• POST - The amplification is applied with hard-clipping after the filter stage.
• POST:AD - The amplification is applied with soft-clipping after the filter stage.

Mixer Parameters

• DRY - Dry volume sent to the mixer channel.

• CHO - Chorus send effect volume.
• DEL - Delay send effect volume.
• REV - Reverb send effect volume.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 41

Sampler

INST. 00

TYPE SAMPLE LOAD SAVE T>120

NAME ------------
TRANSP. ON TABLE TIC 01 1 ---
2 ---
SAMPLE TEST-SAMPL-TACOS EDIT 3 ---
4 ---
SLICE 00OFF AMP 00 5 ---
PLAY 00FWD-PP LIM 00CLIP 6 ---
START 00 PAN 00 7 ---
LOOP ST 00 DRY C0 8 ---
LENGTH FF CHO 00
DETUNE 80 DEL 00
DEGRADE 00 REV 00
FILTER 00LOWPASS
CUTOFF FF P
RES 00 SCPIT
M

Sampler is a sample player, editor and recorder. Only 1 or 2 channel (stereo) PCM 8,
16, or 24-bit “.wav” files are supported. When a sample is not present, to the right of
“SAMPLE” press [EDIT] on “LOAD” to browse for a sample to load, or “REC.” to record
a new sample. See the next section on the Sample Editor for sampling and editing files.

Samples are streamed from SD. To prevent issues with playback there is an upper-pitch
limitation enforced based on bit-depth and mono/stereo samples. You can reduce this
limitation by either converting to mono, dropping the bit depth, or downsampling via the
Sample Editor.

Sampler Parameters

• SLICE - “slices” the sample into equal length sections and maps each slice starting
from the lowest octave (C-1). Ex: “02” would map C-1 to the first half of the sample
and C#1 to the second.
• PLAY - Sets the play direction and loop mode.
• FWD - Forward playback with no loop.
• REV - Reverse playback with no loop.
• FWDLOOP - Looping forward playback.
• REVLOOP - Looping reverse playback.
• FWD PP - Ping-pong looping forward - Plays forward and reverse back and forth.
• REV PP - Ping-pong looping reverse - Plays reverse and forward back and forth.
• OSC - Oscillator forward mode - “Oscillator” modes ignore start position and do
not start from the beginning when retriggered.
Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 42
Sampler Parameters (Continued)

• OSC REV - Oscillator reverse mode.

• OSC PP - Oscillator ping-pong mode.
• START - Sample start position. This parameter is ignored when in “OSC” play modes.
• LOOP ST. - Loop start position. When in a looping play mode, sample will loop back
to this position after it reaches the end.
• LEN - Sample length.
• DETUNE - Detune sample with “80” being the center frequency. First digit incre-
ments semitones, second increments 1/16 semitone.
• DEGRADE - Sample rate reduction effect. Any value above “00“ disables sample
interpolation.

Multi-mode Filter Parameters

• FILTER - Filter type - Lowpass, Highpass, Bandpass, Bandstop, and LP>HP (Low-
pass with RES controlling the frequency of a 1-pole highpass filter).
• CUTOFF - Filter cutoff frequency.
• RES - Filter resonance amount.

Amplification Parameters

• AMP - Amplifies the waveform. Any value higher than the maximum level allowed is
handled according to the “LIM” setting.
• LIM - Set the limit / clipping behavior of the amplified signal.
• CLIP - Any value higher than the maximum level is clipped.
• SIN - The waveform is fed through a sine function.
• FOLD - Any value higher than the maximum level is folded back into itself.
• WRAP - Any value higher than the maximum level is vertically wrapped.
• POST - The amplification is applied with hard-clipping after the filter stage.
• POST:AD - The amplification is applied with soft-clipping after the filter stage.

Mixer Parameters

• DRY - Dry volume sent to the mixer channel.

• CHO - Chorus send effect volume.
• DEL - Delay send effect volume.
• REV - Reverb send effect volume.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 43

Sample Editor

SAMPLE
REC. SRC VOL ARM PLAY
RECORD START ALL C0 10 NO T>120

1 ---
2 ---
3 ---
4 ---
5 ---
6 ---
7 ---
SELECT 00000000 00FF1234 8 ---

LOOP REGION 00000000 00FF1234

SLICE MARKER 00:00000000

PROCESS CROP > UNDO G

SCPIT
NAME ------------------ M
SAVE OVERWRITE

The sample editor can be accessed in the Instrument View by selecting “SAMPLER” as
the instrument type and pressing [EDIT] on “REC.” (or “EDIT” if there is a sample load-
ed). Exit the sample editor view by pressing [OPTION].

Recording Audio

Recording can be performed by pressing [EDIT] on “START”. Once you have finished
recording you can process the sample and give it a name. Save the sample before ex-
iting this view.

• START - Starts recording audio.

• SRC - Input source - ALL (Line-in & USB), INL (Line-in left), INR (Line-in right), USB.
• VOL - Input volume
• ARM - Starts recording when the input volume reaches above the given threshold.
• PLAY - Will start playing the song (without any samples) at the song row position in-
dicated. This is useful for recording external music gear that is being controlled from
a MIDI Out Instrument.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 44

Sample Editor Actions

• SELECT - Selects a start and end range using the two values provided. Using
[EDIT]+[UP or DOWN] in large increments with [EDIT]+[LEFT or RIGHT] displaying
a zoomed in view for small increments. [OPT]+[UP or DOWN] will snap the marker
to the song’s tempo in beats.
• LOOP REGION - Edits the start and end loop points which are stored within the wav
file. The settings are used when the sampler “PLAY” mode is set to loop with “LOOP
ST” and “LENGTH” set to their default values. Using [EDIT]+[UP or DOWN] in large
increments with [EDIT]+[LEFT or RIGHT] displaying a zoomed in view for small in-
crements.
• SLICE MARKER - Edit up to 32 markers that are stored within the wav file as “cue”
points. These markers can be played back by when “SLICE” is set to “01 FILE”
starting from C-1. They can also be used as general cue points by using the “SLI”
effect command.
• PROCESS - Choose a process by using [EDIT]+[LEFT or RIGHT] to select and tap
[EDIT] once more to perform the selected action:
• CROP - Trims the waveform to the selected range
• NORMALIZE - Adjusts the selected region’s overall volume to its maximum with-
out clipping.
• MONO: MIX - Sums a stereo samples left and right channel to mono.
• MONO: LEFT - Removes the right channel to create a mono sample.
• MONO: RIGHT - Removes the left channel to create a mono sample.
• DOWNSAMPLE - Halves the current sample rate of the sample.
• 16-BIT/8-BIT - Reduce the sample’s bit rate to 16 or 8-bit.
• SLICE:AUTO - Sets the slice markers using transient detection.
• SLICE:SILENC - Sets the slice markers using silence detection.
• SLICE:[0-31] - Sets the slice markers into evenly distributed divisions using the
specified number.
• NAME - Give the sample a name before saving.
• SAVE / OVERWRITE - Save or overwrite the current sample.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 45

FM Synth

INST. 00

TYPE FMSYNTH LOAD SAVE T>120

NAME ------------
TRANSP. ON TABLE TIC 01 1 ---
2 ---
ALGO 00A>B>C>D 3 ---
A SIN B SIN C SIN D SIN 4 ---
RATIO 01.00 02.00 01.01 01.00 5 ---
LEV/FB 80/00 80/00 80/00 80/00 6 ---
MOD 1>LEV ----- 2>PIT ----- 7 ---
----- ----- ----- ----- 8 ---
MOD1 FF AMP 00
MOD2 00 LIM 00CLIP
MOD3 00 PAN 00
MOD4 00 DRY C0
FILTER 00LOWPASS CHO 00 P
CUT FF DEL 00 SCPIT
RES 00 REV 00 M

FM Synth is a uniquely simple four operator 12 algorithm FM (frequency modulation)

synthesizer. Each of the four operators can have one of 12 base shapes with ratio, level,
feedback, and two modulation slots for assigning one of the four modulation macros to
control the parameters.

FM Synth Parameters

• ALGO - Select one of 12 algorithm (oscillator routing) configurations. Use the last
algorithm to use “additive mode”- 4 oscillator subtractive synth. See the algorithm
diagram on the next page.
• A / B / C / D - The operator letter with optional shape. See the shapes diagram on
the next page.
• RATIO - Frequency ratio relative to the currently playing note. Ex: “2.00” will play an
octave up, “0.50” will play an octave lower.
• LEV/FB - Volume and Feedback for each operator.
• MOD - Two modulation slots that assign MOD[1 to 4] to control a destination on the
given operator.
• LEV - Controls the level from “00” to the currently set level.
• RAT - Adds 0.00 to +16.00 to the current ratio.
• PIT - Adds to the note pitch in semitones for the current operator.
• FBK - Controls the feedback from “00” to the currently set feedback.
• MOD[1-4] - The modulation source values that are freely assigned to the operators
via the “MOD” slots described above.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 46

FM Synth Algorithms and Shapes
00 A 01 02 03 04 05
A B A A A
B
B C B C A B C B
C C
C D
D D D D D

A>B>C>D [A+B]>C>D [A>B+C]>D [A>B+A>C]>D [A+B+C]>D [A>B>C]+D

06 07 08 09 0A 0B
A

B A C A A A

C D B D B C D B C D B C D A B C D

[A>B>C]+[A>B>D] [A>B]+[C>D] [A>B]+[A>C]+[A>D] [A>B]+[A>C]+D [A>B]+C+D A+B+C+D

SIN SW2 SW3 SW4 SW5 SW6

TRI SAW SQU PUL IMP NOISE

Multi-mode Filter Parameters

• FILTER - Filter type - Lowpass, Highpass, Bandpass, Bandstop, and LP>HP (Low-
pass with RES controlling the frequency of a 1-pole highpass filter).
• CUTOFF - Filter cutoff frequency.
• RES - Filter resonance amount.

Amplification Parameters

• AMP - Amplifies the waveform. Any value higher than the maximum level allowed is
handled according to the “LIM” setting.
• LIM - Set the limit / clipping behavior of the amplified signal.
• CLIP - Any value higher than the maximum level is clipped.
• SIN - The waveform is fed through a sine function.
• FOLD - Any value higher than the maximum level is folded back into itself.
• WRAP - Any value higher than the maximum level is vertically wrapped.
• POST - The amplification is applied with hard-clipping after the filter stage.
• POST:AD - The amplification is applied with soft-clipping after the filter stage.
•
Mixer Parameters

• DRY - Dry volume sent to the mixer channel.

• CHO - Chorus send effect volume.
• DEL - Delay send effect volume.
• REV - Reverb send effect volume.
Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 47
MIDI Out

INST. 00

TYPE MIDI OUT LOAD SAVE T>120

NAME ------------
TRANSP. ON TABLE TIC 01 1 ---
2 ---
PORT 00MIDI+USB 3 ---
CHANNEL 001 4 ---
BANK:PG ---:--- 5 ---
CCA CC:VAL 001:00 6 ---
CCB CC:VAL ---:-- 7 ---
CCC CC:VAL ---:-- 8 ---
CCD CC:VAL ---:--
CCE CC:VAL ---:--
CCF CC:VAL ---:--
CCG CC:VAL ---:--
CCH CC:VAL ---:-- P
CCI CC:VAL ---:-- SCPIT
CCJ CC:VAL ---:-- M

Control external devices with the MIDI Out instrument either by USB MIDI or the built-in
TRS (type A) MIDI output.

MIDI Out Parameters

• PORT - Set the MIDI Output port: MIDI and USB, MIDI only, USB only, or Internal for
use with Track MIDI Input or sending global MIDI CCs configured in the MIDI Settings
View.
• CHANNEL - MIDI Channel selection 1 to 16.
• BANK:PG - Optional MIDI Bank select and Program change. Program change mes-
sages can also be sent as an FX command.
• CC[A-J] CC:VAL - Up to 10 custom MIDI CC numbers with optional default values
can be assigned per MIDI instrument. If a default value is present, it will be sent with
the note on command after program change messages.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 48

USB Features

USB Audio & MIDI

The M8 is USB audio and MIDI compliant. Audio input and output is 16-bit 2 channel
stereo only. It can work with any host computer including iOS and Android devices as
long as the power provided via USB is sufficient (500mA USB standard).

USB Audio into the M8 can be monitored in the Mixer view by adjusting the volumes
under “USB”. It can also be recorded and saved in the Sample Editor view.

USB MIDI behaves the same way as the physical TRS MIDI connections allowing sync,
remote control, and sequencing. See MIDI Settings and the MIDI OUT Instrument views.

Remote Host Display

It is possible to stream the M8 display directly to a remote host computer via USB for
screen capturing and editing with the comfort of a large display. Please see the full list
of suggested host programs at https://dirtywave.com/support.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 49

Appendix

Troubleshooting

The M8 will not turn on

Plug into a standard USB charger or host computer using the cable provided. Ensure
the plug is capable of providing sufficient power. If the unit is still non-responsive con-
tact [email protected].

The M8 is non-responsive after updating the firmware

Make sure to not use a USB hub when flashing the M8 firmware. Some hubs under cer-
tain conditions cannot reliably transfer the firmware without issue.

1. Gently insert a SIM card removal tool (or bent paper-clip, etc) into the center hole
located on the bottom of the M8 about an inch below the serial number. You should
feel a click as the reset button located inside actuates.
2. Press the power button for 2 seconds to ensure unit is powered on and hold down
the reset button for approximately 15 seconds.
3. Remove the tool and a dim red light should appear though the USB port and audio
jacks. After another 10 seconds the red light will turn off. The M8 is now ready for you
to retry the firmware update process.

USB Audio and MIDI is not working

Use the micro USB cable provided with the M8 or try another cable. Some cables do
not support USB data.

The M8 is not charging or it shuts off when plugged into a host computer
Ensure the USB port provides enough power. The M8 requires USB standard 5V 500mA.

The microSD card is stuck

If the SD card is stuck you may attempt to free the card using a pair of tweezers or loos-
en the two screws on the left side of the case using a #2 metric hex tool.

Samples are not listed when attempting to load a sample

Ensure that you are in the Sample Load view and not the Instrument Preset view. See
the instructions on the Sampler section.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 50

Samples “failed to load”
Check that the following are true:
• Sample is 8,16, or 24 bit and is mono or stereo.
• Sample is “PCM” or “PCM Raw”. Compressed samples do not work.
• The entire path length of the sample is under 128 characters.

The microSD card is not working

If the card you are using is the factory card that came with the M8, try reinserting it. If
it still does not work contact [email protected]. If you are using your own card
make sure it is formatted as described in the section about SD cards.

“CPU TOO BUSY” message

The cause of this message is almost certainly caused by the SD card being overworked.
Please refer to the section about SD cards.

The start-up sound is annoying

You can edit the start-up sound by opening the “STARTUP“ song file in /System. Dele-
ing or moving the file skips the intro entirely.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 51

Key Shortcuts
UP or DOWN or LEFT or RIGHT
Move cursor position.
SHIFT + [UP or DOWN or LEFT or RIGHT]
Screen navigation.
EDIT + [LEFT or RIGHT]
Edit value - Fine.
EDIT + [UP or DOWN]
Edit value - Coarse. On command column - displays command help / selection screen.
EDIT + OPTION
Clears or cuts value to default setting. On file browser - delete selected file prompt.
EDIT (double-tap)
Increments chain, phrase, or instrument to next available empty slot.
EDIT + [Touchscreen LEFT/RIGHT]
On instrument screen edit currently selected parameter.
PLAY
On song screen - play song at cursor position. On chain and phrase - play chain or phrase.
On instrument and sample file browser - preview selected file.
LEFT + PLAY
While playing song on the song screen, cues selected row for playback.
SHIFT + PLAY
Play song from current song position.
SHIFT + OPTION
Toggles selection mode. On Instrument screen - copies current instrument. On file
browser - sort current directory.
SHIFT + [OPTION, then EDIT]
Clones a chain, phrase, or instrument to a new slot.
SHIFT + [OPTION, then double tap EDIT]
On song screen - clones a chain and all phrases within the chain to new slots.
OPTION
While in selection mode - copy the current selection. (see SHIFT + OPTION)
SHIFT + EDIT
Paste copy buffer. While in selection mode on phrase and table - interpolate values in
selection.
OPTION + SHIFT
Mute current track. (Release option button first to hold mute)
OPTION + PLAY
Solo current track. (Release option button first to hold solo)
OPTION + SHIFT + PLAY
Clear all mutes and solos
OPTION + [LEFT or RIGHT]
On song screen - solo all tracks to the left or right of cursor. On chain and phrase -
jump to the track left or right of selected track. On instrument, table, and groove -
increment current view by +/- 1.
OPTION + [UP or DOWN]
On song screen - Jump 16 rows up or down. On Chain and phrase - navigate to previous
or next phrase or chain in song.
OPTION + [Touchscreen LEFT/RIGHT or Touchscreen UP/DOWN]
On instrument or mixer screen - Maps touchscreen axis to selected parameter.
Refer to the "MIDI MAPPING" configuration accessible via project screen.
OPTION + [MIDI Input CC]
On instrument or mixer screen - Maps MIDI input to selected parameter.
Refer to the "MIDI MAPPING" configuration accessible via project screen.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 52

Relative and Absolute FX Commands

Relative commands relate to the current value of an instrument parameter. For example,
if your instrument parameter is “10”, and you use an FX command value of “10”, that
parameter’s value becomes “20”. If you use the same FX command with a value of “10”
again, that parameter’s value will now be “30”.

Relative commands stay relative until a note is triggered either with a RET command or
with an instrument number present in the “I” column. At which point all parameters are
reset to the instrument’s assigned values.

Relative FX commands between “01” to “7F” will add to the value, while values between
“FF” to “80” will subtract. Ex: If the instrument parameter has a value of “10”, and an FX
command for that parameter is set to “FF”, the parameter will now be “09”.

The point of relative values is to be able to finely adjust the current value a given pa-
rameter is currently set to, whatever that may be. It allows for smoother, less step-wise
results.

If the FX command is absolute, then assigning a value of “10” will set that parameter
value to “10” no matter its value in instrument settings.

Sequencer FX Commands

ARP XY (Arpeggio)
Produces a rapid 3 note arpeggio. The currently playing note is the base note with X
representing the first note interval in semitones, and Y as the second. Ex: “ARP37“ on
note C-4 plays C-4, D#4 (+3), and G-4 (+7).

CHA XY (Chance)
In a phrase: Individually set the probability to the left (X) or right (Y) side of the com-
mand. The value range is from 0 (never) to F (always). Ex: “CHA1F” will give the note a
~10% chance of triggering, and all other FX commands 100%.

In a table: Set the probability for everything to the left that “CHA” is on from 00 (never)
to FF (always).

DEL XX (Delay)
Delays the entire row the command is on by a given number of ticks (XX). “DEL” in table
has no effect.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 53

Sequencer FX Commands (Continued)

GRV XX (Groove)
Sets the groove number (XX) for the current track. “GRV” is held until a new groove
command is triggered.

HOP XY
In phrase: Jumps the play position to row Y on the next phrase in the song. HOPFF
stops playback of the current track. In table: Jumps the play position to row Y for X
number of times.

KIL XX (Kill Note)

Stops the currently playing instrument after a given number of ticks (XX).

RAN XY (Random)
Randomizes the previously active FX command in a phrase/table. Independently con-
trol the range’s left (X) and right (Y) values from 0 (no randomness) to F (full range).

RET XY (Retrig)
Retrigger the current row with volume ramping at a given number of ticks. If Y is not
zero, Y sets the number of ticks to retrig while X changes the volume. An X value of 0 to
7 decreases and 8 to F increases the volume on each retrig. If Y is zero, RET is in single
retrig mode where X sets the number of ticks to wait.

REP XX (Repeat)
Repeat the last FX command, incrementing by a given amount per step (XX). REP will
continue to be active until a new command stops it. It does not need to be present on
every successive row. On new instrument triggers, the value will maintain it’s position
and continue to repeat. This is tremendously useful for automation where you may
want to have the parameter ramp up or down slowly through a number of phrases. Ex:
“CUT00” (filter cutoff) followed by a “REP04” on the next row will increment the cutoff
parameter by 4 every row/step. To stop “REP” either put a new command or “REP00”
in the FX column.

NTH XY (Nth trigger)

NTH is a conditional trigger based on loop count. Skips either everything to the left (X)
or right (Y) side of the FX command in phrase, or everything to the left (XX) in table. Skip-
ping is determined by the value and how many times the phrase or table has looped.
Refer to the help text at the bottom of the screen when editing the value.

PSL XX (Pitch Slide)

Enables portamento for the currently playing instrument. The value (XX) is in ticks.
Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 54
PBN XX (Pitch Bend)
Enables a continuous pitch slide up (00-7F) or down (80-FF) by the given amount.

PVB XY (Vibrato)
Apply vibrato to the currently playing instrument. Speed is set by X, and depth by Y.

PVX XY (Extreme Vibrato)

Same as PVB (Vibrato) above with a high and more extreme depth and rate.

SCA XY (Track Scale)

Sets the key signature (X) and scale number (Y) to use for the given track.

SCG XY (Global Scale)

Sets the key signature (X) and scale number (Y) to use for the song.

SNG XX (Song Hop)

Sets the play position for the given track to a relative song row from it’s current position.
If the given song position is not playable the command is ignored.

SED XX (Random Seed)

Set the random seed (XX) for the current track. This will reset all random values to a
specific state.

TBL XX (Table)
Set the table number (XX) for the current instrument.

THO XX (Table Hop)

Hop/jump to a specific table position (0X). This command hops all columns when used
inside a table.

TIC XX (Table Tick)

Set the table tick rate for the current instrument. In a table this allows each FX com-
mand column to run at independent rates. You can also place this command on the last
table row. Refer to the section on Table View for information on the tick value.

TPO XX (Tempo)
Set the song tempo in BPM. Refer to the help text at the bottom of the screen to trans-
late the hex value to decimal.

TSP XX (Global Song Transpose)

Transposes the entire song - Identical to the transpose value in the Project View.
Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 55
Mixer & Effects Commands

VMV XX (Main Volume)

Set the main song volume. Changes the value located in the Mixer view.

XCM XX (Send Effect: Chorus Mod Depth)

Set the chorus mod depth. Changes the value located in the Send Effects settings view.

XCF XX (Send Effect: Chorus Mod Frequency)

Sets the chorus mod frequency. Changes the value located in the Send Effects settings
view.

XCW XX (Send Effect: Chorus Stereo Width)

Sets the chorus stereo width. Changes the value located in the Send Effects settings
view.

XCR XX (Send Effect: Chorus to Reverb Mix)

Sets the chorus reverb send amount. Changes the value located in the Send Effects
settings view.

XDT XY (Send Effect: Delay Time)

Sets the left (X) and right (Y) delay times in large increments. Changes the value located
in the Send Effects settings view.

XDF XX (Send Effect: Delay Feedback)

Sets the delay feedback amount. Changes the value located in the Send Effects set-
tings view.

XDW XX (Send Effect: Delay Stereo Width)

Sets the delay stereo width. Changes the value located in the Send Effects settings
view.

XDR XX (Send Effect: Delay to Reverb Mix)

Sets the delay reverb send amount. Changes the value located in the Send Effects set-
tings view.

XRS XX (Send Effect: Reverb Room Size)

Sets the reverb room size. Changes the value located in the Send Effects settings view.

XRD XX (Send Effect: Reverb Decay)

Sets the reverb decay. Changes the value located in the Send Effects settings view.
Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 56
XRM XX (Send Effect: Reverb Mod Depth)
Sets the reverb mod depth. Changes the value located in the Send Effects settings view.

XRF XX (Send Effect: Reverb Mod Frequency)

Sets the reverb mod frequency. Changes the value in the Send Effects settings view.

XRW XX (Send Effect: Reverb Stereo Width)

Sets the reverb stereo width. Changes the value in the Send Effects settings view.

XRZ XX (Send Effect: Reverb Freeze)

Freezes the reverb. Freeze is enabled with a value greater than “00”, otherwise it is dis-
abled.

VCH XX (Chorus Volume)

Sets the chorus volume. Changes the value located in the Mixer view.

VDE XX (Delay Volume)

Sets the delay volume. Changes the value located in the Mixer view.

VRE XX (Reverb Volume)

Sets the reverb volume. Changes the value located in the Mixer view.

VT[1-8] XX (Track [1-8] Volume)

Sets the track volume. Changes the value located in the Mixer view.

DJF XX (DJ Filter Frequency)

Sets the DJ Filter cutoff. “80” is disabled. Lower than 80 is a lowpass filter. Above 80 is
a highpass filter.

IVO ICH IDE IRV XX (Analog Input Mixer Controls)

Sets the Volume (IVO), Chorus (ICH), Delay (IDE), and Reverb (IRE) settings for the an-
alog input.

IV2 IC2 ID2 IR2 XX (Analog Input Mixer Controls: Right channel)
In dual-mono input mode configured in the Mixer View sets the Volume (IV2), Chorus
(IC2), Delay (ID2), and Reverb (IR2) settings for the analog input’s second “right” chan-
nel.

USB XX (USB Input Volume)

Set the USB input volume.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 57

Instrument FX Commands

Almost all parameters for a given instrument type have an FX command associated to it.
Check the FX command help view with the desired instrument in use to see the full list.
Note that highlighting an instrument parameter in the instrument view and navigating
back to the phrase or table will set the default FX command to the selected parameter.

Below is a list of common FX commands for instruments.

VOL XX (Volume)
Offset the instrument volume.

PIT XX (Pitch)
Offset the note pitch in semitones.

FIN XX (Fine tune)

Offset the note pitch from -1 to +1 semitones.

EA[1-2] XX (Envelope Amount)

Offset the Envelope amount.

AT[1-2] XX (Envelope Attack)

Offset the Envelope attack time.

HO[1-2] XX (Envelope Hold)

Offset the Envelope hold time.

DE[1-2] XX (Envelope Decay)

Offset the Envelope decay time.

ET[1-2] XX (Envelope Retrigger)

Retrigger the Envelope. Any value (XX) greater than “00” will retrigger the envelope.

LA[1-2] XX (LFO Trigger)

Offset the LFO amount.

LF[1-2] XX (LFO Frequency)

Offsett the LFO frequency.

LT[1-2] XX (LFO Retrigger)

Retrigger the LFO. The value (XX) sets the desired phase offset (start position) of the
LFO.
Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 58
Macrosynth Models

The content within this section is under a CC BY-SA 3.0 license and was originally created by Mutable
Instruments - https://mutable-instruments.net/modules/braids/manual/.

CSAW
This model is inspired by a quirk/defect of the Yamaha CS80 sawtooth wave shape,
consisting of a fixed-width “notch” after the raising edge. The width of the notch can be
controlled by TIMBRE; and its depth and polarity can be controlled by COLOR - pro-
ducing phasing effects.

MORPH
This model produces the classic waveform trajectory from triangle to sawtooth to square
to pulse found in synthesizers such as the RSF Kobol or the Moog Voyager. TIMBRE
sweeps through the waveforms. COLOR morphs from several tonal characters by in-
creasingly removing the high-frequencies with a 1-pole filter, and recreating them with
a waveshaper.

SAW SQUARE
This model blends a sawtooth wave with dephasing control, with a square wave with
PWM. TIMBRE controls the dephasing amount or pulse width, and COLOR morphs the
waveshape from sawtooth to square.

SINE TRIANGLE
This model is built with sine and triangle oscillators sent into a wavefolder. TIMBRE
controls the wavefolder strength, and COLOR controls the balance between the sine
and triangle signals sent to it.

BUZZ
This digital synthesis algorithm generates a smooth sequence of waveforms, transition-
ing from a sine wave to a Dirac comb, as controlled by TIMBRE. The intermediary steps
are reminiscent of a single formant. Two such waveshapes are blended together, with
the detuning amount controlled by COLOR.

SQUARE SUB / SAW SUB

A single square or saw wave oscillator with width modulation controlled by TIMBRE
and a sub oscillator that can be -1 or -2 octaves below the primary oscillator controlled
by COLOR.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 59

SQUARE SYNC / SAW SYNC
Two oscillator hard-sync with both oscillators emitting square or saw waves. Note pitch
controls the main frequency, with TIMBRE controlling the synced frequency. The mix is
controlled by COLOR.

TRIPLE (SAW, SQUARE, TRIANGLE, and SIN)

Three sawtooth (or square, triangle, sine) oscillators which can be individually tuned.
COLOR and TIMBRE control the relative frequency of the second and third oscillator
with respect to the main oscillator. These two controls are quantized to “snap” on mu-
sical intervals like octaves or fifths.

TRIPLE RING
Three sine wave oscillators are ring-modulated together, and colored by a waveshaper.
The main oscillator frequency controls the frequency of the first sine wave, and TIMBRE
and COLOR control the relative frequency of the second and third sine waves.

SAW SWARM
This model simulates a swarm of 7 sawtooth waves. TIMBRE controls their detuning,
and COLOR applies a high-pass filter to the resulting sound.

SAW COMB
This model generates a sawtooth waveform, and sends it into a comb filter (tuned delay
line). The frequency of the delay line tracks the frequency of the sawtooth oscillator, with
a transposition controlled by the TIMBRE knob. COLOR selects the feedback amount
and polarity: at 80 no feedback is applied. From 80 to FF, positive feedback is increas-
ingly applied. From 80 to 00, negative feedback is progressively applied.

TOY
This model traverses a space of timbres typical of (circuit-bent) electronic musical toys.
TIMBRE simulates an alteration of the toy’s clock rate, while COLOR creates glitches
or short-circuits on a converter or memory chip’s data lines.

DIGITAL FILTER (LP, PK, BP, and HP)

This family of models directly synthesize in the time-domain the response of a low-pass,
peaking, band-pass or high-pass filter excited by classic analog waveforms. Rather
than synthesizing the waveform and filtering it (which is what a VA synthesizer would
do), this approach directly aims at building the filtered waveshape from scratch. This
technique has been used in the Casio CZ or the Roland D series, but is extended here
to cover different filter types and waveshapes. TIMBRE controls the cutoff frequency of
the filter. COLOR continuously modifies the waveshape, from saw to square to triangle.

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VOSIM
This model uses a combination of 3 oscillators arranged in a clever ring-modulation/
hardsync patch to emulate formant synthesis - a technique named VOSIM and de-
scribed by Kaegi and Tempelaars. COLOR and TIMBRE control the relative frequencies
of the two formants.

VOWEL, VOWEL FOF

Both models synthesize vowel sounds. VOWL is a faithful recreation of early computer
speech synthesis programs. VFOF uses a simplified version of Rodet’s FOF synthesis
technique. Both have the same control layout: TIMBRE controls the vowel, morphing
between a, e, i, o, u. COLOR shifts the formants in frequency. Main oscillator frequency
and COLOR can be used altogether to simulate age and gender transformations.

HARMONICS
This model uses additive synthesis, by summing 12 sine harmonics. COLOR modifies
the distribution of the amplitudes of each harmonics, around a central frequency set by
TIMBRE.

FM, FEEDBACK FM, CHAOTIC FEEDBACK FM

Three flavors of 2-operator phase-modulation synthesis. TIMBRE controls the modu-
lation amount. COLOR controls the relative frequency interval between modulator and
carrier. FM is a well-behaved implementation. FEEDBACK FM uses feedback from the
carrier to itself to produce harsher tones. CHAOTIC FEEDBACK FM uses two feedback
paths, from carrier to modulator and carrier to itself to achieve droning, unstable tones.

PLUCKED
Raw plucked string synthesis. TIMBRE controls the damping, COLOR the plucking
position.

BOWED
Bowed string modeling. TIMBRE controls the friction level, COLOR the bowing posi-
tion. A trigger or gate signal is required. Note that this model does not include a body
filter - which would be necessary to simulate an actual string instrument.

BLOWN / FLUTED
Reed instrument model. TIMBRE controls the air pressure, COLOR the geometry of
the instrument. Note that this model does not include a filter - which would have been
necessary to simulate an actual instrument.

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STRUCK BELL
This model established by Risset uses additive synthesis to recreate the tone of a bell.
TIMBRE controls the damping of the sound; and COLOR the inharmonicity of the sound.

STRUCK DRUM
This variant of the BELL model uses different parameters (partials frequencies and am-
plitudes) to generate a sound reminiscent of a metallic drum. TIMBRE controls the
damping and COLOR the brightness.

KICK
This model is a simulation of the TR-808 bass drum circuit. TIMBRE controls the decay
time, while COLOR controls the brightness (“tone”) of the sound. The main oscillator
frequency controls the tuning of the bridged-T filter.

CYMBAL
Raw material for cymbal sound synthesis, as inspired by the TR-808 circuits. COLOR
controls the balance between a droning sum of square waves and noise. TIMBRE con-
trols the cutoff of a band-pass filter applied on the resulting signal.

SNARE
This model is a simulation of the TR-808 snare drum circuit. TIMBRE controls the bal-
ance between the two modes of the resonator (“tone”), and COLOR controls the amount
of noise (“snappy”).

WAVETABLES
Wavetables is a classic implementation of wavetable synthesis. TIMBRE sweeps the
wavetable, and COLOR selects one of the 20 wavetables to play with. The waveforms
are interpolated when traveling through a wavetable, but not when switching from one
table to another.

WAVE MAP
Wave Map is a two-dimensional implementation of wavetable synthesis. 256 waveforms
have been laid out in a 16x16 grid, so that adjacent waveforms are similar sounding.
The TIMBRE parameter scans the table in the X direction, and the COLOR parameter
scans the table in the Y direction, with smooth interpolation across the two directions.

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WAV LINE
Wav Line allows one dimensional scanning through the entirety of Braids’ wavetables.
TIMBRE moves through the waves, while COLOR selects the interpolation method.
When COLOR is set to 00, no interpolation is applied. When COLOR is at 40, inter-
polation is applied between samples, but not between waves. When COLOR is at 80,
interpolation is always applied. When COLOR goes past 80, interpolation is applied
between waves, but the resolution of the playback resolution is decreased.

WAV PARAPHONIC
This mode is a 4-voice variant of WAV LINE. TIMBRE morphs through a small selec-
tion of 16 waves. COLOR selects the harmonic structures between the 4 voices - from
a predefined set of chords. When COLOR is set to 00, all voices are playing the same
note with a variable amount of detuning, creating a thick chorus effect.

FILTERED NOISE
This model filters white noise with a state-variable filter. The main oscillator frequency
controls the cutoff frequency of the filter. TIMBRE controls the resonance of the filter.
COLOR performs a crossfade between the low-pass and high-pass outputs of the filter.

TWIN PEAKS NOISE

This “Twin Peaks” model generates white noise and process it with two band-pass fil-
ters (resonators). TIMBRE controls the Q factor of the filters, and COLOR changes their
spacing. The frequency of both filters track the main frequency.

CLOCKED NOISE
This model generates random samples at a given rate, determined by the main pitch
control. TIMBRE controls the periodicity of the generator (up to a 2 samples cycle), and
COLOR its quantization level (from 2 distinct values to 32 distinct values).

GRANULAR CLOUD / PARTICLE NOISE

These granular synthesis models create natural textures by mixing short grains of win-
dowed sine waves (CLOUD) or short decaying “pings” (PARTICLE). The frequency of
the grains is controlled by the main frequency control, but is randomized by an amount
proportional to the COLOR control. TIMBRE controls the density and overlap of the
grains.

DIGITAL MOD
This model generates - in the audio frequency range - the kind of modulated signals
used in digital telecommunication systems. The main oscillator frequency is the carrier
frequency. The bit-rate is controlled by TIMBRE. COLOR sets an 8-bit value which is
modulated into the carrier using QPSK modulation.
Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 63
Common Groove Examples

Here are a few Groove examples to get an idea of the possiblities:

Swing 1 Swing 2 Triplets

GROOVE 00 GROOVE 00 GROOVE 00

0 07 0 08 0 08
1 05 1 04 1 08
2 -- 2 -- 2 08
3 -- 3 -- 3 00
4 -- 4 -- 4 --
5 -- 5 -- 5 --
6 -- 6 -- 6 --
7 -- 7 -- 7 --
8 -- 8 -- 8 --
9 -- 9 -- 9 --
A -- A -- A --
B -- B -- B --
C -- C -- C --
D -- D -- D --
E -- E -- E --
F -- F -- F --

2x Speed 3/4 Time Swing Last Step

GROOVE 00 GROOVE 00 GROOVE 00

0 03 0 06 0 06
1 -- 1 06 1 06
2 -- 2 06 2 06
3 -- 3 06 3 06
4 -- 4 06 4 06
5 -- 5 06 5 06
6 -- 6 06 6 06
7 -- 7 06 7 06
8 -- 8 06 8 06
9 -- 9 06 9 06
A -- A 06 A 06
B -- B 06 B 06
C -- C 00 C 06
D -- D 00 D 06
E -- E 00 E 07
F -- F 00 F 05

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 64

Hexadecimal Table
Abs Rel Hex Abs Rel Hex Abs Rel Hex Abs Rel Hex Abs Rel Hex Abs Rel Hex Abs Rel Hex Abs Rel Hex
0 - 00 16 - 10 32 - 20 48 - 30 64 - 40 80 - 50 96 - 60 112 - 70
1 - 01 17 - 11 33 - 21 49 - 31 65 - 41 81 - 51 97 - 61 113 - 71
2 - 02 18 - 12 34 - 22 50 - 32 66 - 42 82 - 52 98 - 62 114 - 72
3 - 03 19 - 13 35 - 23 51 - 33 67 - 43 83 - 53 99 - 63 115 - 73
4 - 04 20 - 14 36 - 24 52 - 34 68 - 44 84 - 54 100 - 64 116 - 74
5 - 05 21 - 15 37 - 25 53 - 35 69 - 45 85 - 55 101 - 65 117 - 75
6 - 06 22 - 16 38 - 26 54 - 36 70 - 46 86 - 56 102 - 66 118 - 76
7 - 07 23 - 17 39 - 27 55 - 37 71 - 47 87 - 57 103 - 67 119 - 77
8 - 08 24 - 18 40 - 28 56 - 38 72 - 48 88 - 58 104 - 68 120 - 78
9 - 09 25 - 19 41 - 29 57 - 39 73 - 49 89 - 59 105 - 69 121 - 79
10 - 0A 26 - 1A 42 - 2A 58 - 3A 74 - 4A 90 - 5A 106 - 6A 122 - 7A
11 - 0B 27 - 1B 43 - 2B 59 - 3B 75 - 4B 91 - 5B 107 - 6B 123 - 7B
12 - 0C 28 - 1C 44 - 2C 60 - 3C 76 - 4C 92 - 5C 108 - 6C 124 - 7C
13 - 0D 29 - 1D 45 - 2D 61 - 3D 77 - 4D 93 - 5D 109 - 6D 125 - 7D
14 - 0E 30 - 1E 46 - 2E 62 - 3E 78 - 4E 94 - 5E 110 - 6E 126 - 7E
15 - 0F 31 - 1F 47 - 2F 63 - 3F 79 - 4F 95 - 5F 111 - 6F 127 - 7F

Abs Rel Hex Abs Rel Hex Abs Rel Hex Abs Rel Hex Abs Rel Hex Abs Rel Hex Abs Rel Hex Abs Rel Hex
128 -128 80 144 -112 90 160 -96 A0 176 -80 B0 192 -64 C0 208 -48 D0 224 -32 E0 240 -16 F0
129 -127 81 145 -111 91 161 -95 A1 177 -79 B1 193 -63 C1 209 -47 D1 225 -31 E1 241 -15 F1
130 -126 82 146 -110 92 162 -94 A2 178 -78 B2 194 -62 C2 210 -46 D2 226 -30 E2 242 -14 F2
131 -125 83 147 -109 93 163 -93 A3 179 -77 B3 195 -61 C3 211 -45 D3 227 -29 E3 243 -13 F3
132 -124 84 148 -108 94 164 -92 A4 180 -76 B4 196 -60 C4 212 -44 D4 228 -28 E4 244 -12 F4
133 -123 85 149 -107 95 165 -91 A5 181 -75 B5 197 -59 C5 213 -43 D5 229 -27 E5 245 -11 F5
134 -122 86 150 -106 96 166 -90 A6 182 -74 B6 198 -58 C6 214 -42 D6 230 -26 E6 246 -10 F6
135 -121 87 151 -105 97 167 -89 A7 183 -73 B7 199 -57 C7 215 -41 D7 231 -25 E7 247 -9 F7
136 -120 88 152 -104 98 168 -88 A8 184 -72 B8 200 -56 C8 216 -40 D8 232 -24 E8 248 -8 F8
137 -119 89 153 -103 99 169 -87 A9 185 -71 B9 201 -55 C9 217 -39 D9 233 -23 E9 249 -7 F9
138 -118 8A 154 -102 9A 170 -86 AA 186 -70 BA 202 -54 CA 218 -38 DA 234 -22 EA 250 -6 FA
139 -117 8B 155 -101 9B 171 -85 AB 187 -69 BB 203 -53 CB 219 -37 DB 235 -21 EB 251 -5 FB
140 -116 8C 156 -100 9C 172 -84 AC 188 -68 BC 204 -52 CC 220 -36 DC 236 -20 EC 252 -4 FC
141 -115 8D 157 -99 9D 173 -83 AD 189 -67 BD 205 -51 CD 221 -35 DD 237 -19 ED 253 -3 FD
142 -114 8E 158 -98 9E 174 -82 AE 190 -66 BE 206 -50 CE 222 -34 DE 238 -18 EE 254 -2 FE
143 -113 8F 159 -97 9F 175 -81 AF 191 -65 BF 207 -49 CF 223 -33 DF 239 -17 EF 255 -1 FF

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 65

Specifications

Sequencer

• 8 Monophonic Tracks/Voices
• 255 Patterns/Phrases & chains
• 128 Instruments per song
• 256 Instrument Tables

Instruments and Effects

• Wavsynth engine for classic console & computer chip emulation.

• Macrosynth engine - Over 40 synthesis types based on Mutable Instruments Braids
• Sample Playback engine - 8/16-bit mono or stereo wav files. Streamed from SD - No
memory/length limitation.
• FM Synth engine - Unique 4-op 12-algorithm FM synthesis with feedback per op.
• MIDI Output engine with 10 user defined CCs per instrument.
• Global reverb, chorus, delay, multi-mode filter, and a master bus limiter.
• Sample recording of any reasonable length.

Hardware

• 3.5mm TRS MIDI (Type A) input and output.

• Stereo audio input (effects routed) and headphone/main output.
• USB MIDI and Audio Class 1 compliant.
• SDHC microSD slot for storage. FAT32 / exFAT compatible.
• 1200mAh USB rechargeable battery with up to 4 hours of use.
• High quality 2.8” IPS display with capacitive touch.
• Dimensions: 96 x 133 mm.
• Weight: 218 grams.

Dirtywave M8 Operation Manual 66