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How to record without quantize on the FM-1 with Melodee

Melodee, a custom firmware for the M-VAVE FM-1, doesn't make you arm REC before you play. While the transport runs, it keeps what you play, and holding REC turns your last bars into the pattern, with the timing you played them in.

The short answer

Hold REC after you play.

Before you start

These steps are for Melodee 1.4.1. Start on an empty pattern, with no track armed: Capture doesn't work while a track is armed to record, and an armed track has a REC border around its row on the Stage screen. A new song's patterns start empty.

Two steps

Press PLAY, then play something loose. Not recording. Melodee keeps it.
0:07
Hold REC, then let go. Your last bars loop, as played.
0:13

Play it loose. Keep it loose.

Good to know

An empty pattern takes one, two or four bars and sets its length to fit them; a pattern that already has notes takes its last LEN steps. Hold EDIT to undo a capture. If you would rather arm REC and record a take, recording quantize (QNT on the SEQ > TEMPO page) is OFF by default, so that keeps your timing too. What every FM-1 control does in Melodee and in other firmwares: https://les.audio/guides/m-vave-fm-1. Les is independent and not affiliated with M-VAVE or with Melodee's author.

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