PIGEON — complete feature list

0.5.0-beta.1 · THE FINAL BETA for the M-VAVE FM1. This page covers existing features and additions in 0.5. The tutorial and controls explain how to use them.

Instrument and sample storage

• Three tracks: Song 1, a 16-pad drum kit, and Song 2.
• Up to 32 chops per song, plus 16 drum hits: up to 80 assignments across the instrument.
• 500 KiB usable shared sample storage, including encoded audio, waveforms and seek data. Duration depends on format, bitrate and the other sounds loaded.
• Indexed mono MP3 or IMA ADPCM song playback; ADPCM drum hits and USB recordings.
• Eight shared song voices and four additional drum voices. Empty slots stay silent.
• Waveform display, scroll and zoom; two alternate chop layouts sharing source audio.
• Samples and chop settings persist in flash. Patterns share the loaded bank rather than carrying separate copies of its audio.

Chopping and performance

• Independently editable start/end boundaries and first-pass playback point.
• Forward or reverse per chop; semitone pitch and fine tuning in cents.
• Per-chop nondestructive gain and loop crossfade up to 8 ms; browser normalization.
• Envelope controls, held-loop/latch behavior, one-shot playback and choke groups.
• Split/join, copy whole chop, copy settings, duplicate, swap and move assignments.
• Chop-edit undo/redo and reset to original source assignments.
• Hold SEL and a key to audition the ending and loop while held; audition boundary changes immediately while editing.
• FIFO chop queues with repeated entries, selected-entry removal and queue inspection.
• Tap tempo, reference-loop beat count, loop-to-BPM tools and speed sync. Sync follows tempo by changing playback speed and pitch, within 50–200%.

USB sampling and output

• Record incoming digital USB audio to the selected song or drum pad.
• Input level meter, latched clipping warning and remaining recording-time display.
• Immediate or threshold-triggered start; manual stop, seconds limit or bars limit.
• Audition an unsaved take with PLAY; fine/coarse start/end trimming and selected-range audition.
• Confirmed save to the selected destination, retry confirmation and take discard.
• Other songs/pads remain intact when the selected destination is saved.
• Failed, interrupted or overrun recordings are rejected instead of offered as successful takes.
• Input format: mono 16-bit PCM at 22.05 kHz, encoded to IMA ADPCM.
• Record the FM1's stereo master output on a computer over USB audio.

Keep sounds and reclaim space

• On-device Keep selected chops retains marked regions and trims unused source audio.
• Retain in the same song while preserving key numbers, or append to empty keys in the other song.
• Browser selected-chop trimming with encoded-space preview and local undo; retained chops are renumbered consecutively.
• Reclaim obsolete payloads by compacting the live bank.
• Browser chop collections preserve useful regions from multiple source songs independently of the current bank/session.
• Export/import collections, reorder collected sounds, and assemble song banks or drum kits.

Sequencer

• Step grid and piano roll edit the same sequences.
• 1–64 steps per track, with up to four notes per step.
• Live recording and chord-based step entry; stopped/unarmed note toggling.
• Velocity, gate, probability, repeats/ratchets, pitch, step nudge and conditions.
• Independent note length and nudge for notes within a chord; piano-roll duration display.
• Conditional fills and a:b conditions, Euclidean rhythms, DOUBLE/HALF tools and velocity/timing humanization.
• Swing, quantization, step duration/division, tempo timing and sample-end timing.
• Metronome and count-in; sequence undo/redo, automation and parameter locks.
• Custom note timing shares a 128-entry budget with automation/locks; the editor reports a full store.

Patterns and arrangement

• Saved patterns A–D, containing all three tracks' sequences, timing and automation.
• Pattern copy/paste, unsaved-work indication and overwrite confirmation.
• Quantized switching at the next bar or pattern end; change or cancel a pending launch.
• A 16-section arrangement with per-track pattern selections, repeats, section insertion/deletion and captured mutes.
• Complete session backup retains current work, saved patterns, arrangement and sample bank.

Mixer and effects

• Three-track mixer with levels, mutes and FX sends.
• Filter, delay, chorus, reverb, distortion and compression.
• Drum-pad playback controls and choke grouping.

MIDI and accessibility

• USB MIDI note/control integration and MIDI clock synchronization.
• Per-track MIDI channels, OMNI/OFF choices, incoming-note selection and MIDI screen wake.
• Standard firmware screen-reader support through the FM-1 Screen Reader protocol; no separate firmware fork required.
• Page/control/value announcements, WHERE/read-current-screen, transport/recording states, errors and confirmations.
• Emulator browser speech or screen-reader live-region output, repeat-last announcement and remembered preferences.
• Keyboard-accessible virtual keys, buttons and knobs.

Sample loader and session tools

• Browser-local audio import, editing, previews and encoding; Song 1/Song 2 assembly and up to 16 drum hits.
• Append multiple source files to a song, select sections, trim, rearrange and automatically slice remaining keys.
• Chop boundaries, playback point/direction, pitch/cents, gain, normalization, crossfade and matching audition previews.
• Waveform selection, zoom, numeric trim, validated drafts, Apply, reset and workspace undo/redo.
• Bank library and full-session library with summaries and overwrite previews.
• Export/import .kob sample banks, .pigeon complete sessions and .pigeon-chops collections.
• Connected-device backup/restore, bank upload/readback and firmware installation with recovery backup.
• Capacity/capability checks for older firmware and expanded 0.5 banks.
• Offline-capable sample tool; user audio stays local to the browser/device workflow.

Emulator and website

• Browser emulator built from the firmware source, with the instrument screen, sound, mouse/touch knobs and playable keys.
• Desktop/mobile layouts, sample loading and browser persistence.
• Output recording with downloadable WAV or MP3.
• Screen-reader support and common navigation across the website, emulator and sample loader.
• Tutorials, control maps, hardware checklist, validation record, source downloads, licensing and credits.

Updates and provenance

• Firmware installation uses M-UPGRADE over USB MIDI SysEx.
• Compatibility checks, complete-session backup and recovery boot-stub support.
• Expanded-bank downgrade protection refuses an older layout when it cannot preserve the live bank.
• Tagged releases are built and attested by Firmware Hub's shared GitHub workflow. Verify the exact release file with the instructions in release signing; a local rebuild is not the attested artifact.
• Free and open source under GPL-3.0-only, based on Felucca 1.5.1, with upstream and creative credits.

Limits

Scratch mode and synth engines are excluded from the 0.5 product profile. There is no internal resampling or live USB-input monitoring. USB sampling needs free space alongside the existing bank. Sample-rate/format conversion is the host's responsibility. Speed sync is not pitch-preserving time stretching. Save/reclaim operations require steady power; keep downloaded recovery archives. The emulator does not emulate the physical USB recording peripheral.

The maintainer reports the hardware checklist completed on 2026-10-21. Version/label-only publication changes are covered by software checks; see validation.

New and expanded in 0.5

• USB sampling into the FM1: record to the selected song or drum pad, with input metering, clipping indication, sound-triggered start, and seconds or bars limits.
• Review before saving: audition an unsaved take, trim its start/end, retry or discard, and confirm before replacing the destination.
• Keep selected chops: retain useful regions, trim away the rest, and build up either song. On-device retention preserves key numbers; browser trimming renumbers them.
• Reclaim sample storage: compact live audio and remove obsolete payloads. The shared sample bank now has 500 KiB usable.
• More control per chop: independent playback start, reverse, fine tuning, nondestructive gain, and loop crossfade. The loader adds normalization and matching previews.
• Safer chop editing: reset to source assignments, undo/redo, and immediate boundary audition while holding SEL and a chop key.
• Reusable chop collections: collect sounds from multiple sources in the browser, export/import collections, and assemble song banks or drum kits.
• Pattern launch controls: choose next-bar or pattern-end switching and cancel a pending launch.
• Clearer session management: bank/session summaries and overwrite previews help distinguish sample-only transfers from full-session restores.
• Emulator output recording: download performances as WAV or MP3.
• Accessibility and interface polish: screen-reader support, shared site navigation, corrected SEL button hints, and fixes for Settings and recorder text flicker.
• Update safeguards: expanded-bank compatibility checks prevent an older updater from overwriting audio in the new flash region; recovery documentation and complete-session backups accompany the beta.

Scratch mode is excluded to make room for USB sampling. Ordinary per-chop reverse remains available.

The maintainer reports the hardware checklist complete on 2026-10-21. The final SEL label-only rebuild has automated software checks; it does not change recording or storage behavior. See validation and the tutorial for evidence, controls and limits.

Verify this GitHub build

Download the attached pigeon-0.5.0-beta.1.fwsc. This exact artifact was built and attested by Firmware Hub’s shared workflow from the release tag. Verify it independently:

gh attestation verify pigeon-0.5.0-beta.1.fwsc --repo TheShrimpBlimp/pigeon --signer-workflow zvenson/fm1-build/.github/workflows/build.yml

Build provenance identifies the source and build workflow; it is not on-device secure boot. Credit to Firmware Hub and zvenson for the shared build/signing protocol. Back up a complete session before installing.

PIGEON 0.4.1 adds Firmware Hub-compatible build provenance to the v0.4 sampler.

• GitHub builds and attests the attached .fwsc through zvenson/fm1-build/.github/workflows/build.yml@v1.
• Product, sanitizer, codec, recovery, and release-package checks block publication on failure.
• Sampler functionality, saved-data formats, flash layout, and FM-1_900 update identity remain compatible with v0.4. The displayed version is now v0.4.1.
• v0.5 development features are not included.

Verify the downloaded release asset:

gh attestation verify pigeon-0.4.1.fwsc --repo TheShrimpBlimp/pigeon \
  --signer-workflow zvenson/fm1-build/.github/workflows/build.yml

Use the attached GitHub-built package; a local rebuild is not the attested release asset. Provenance identifies the source commit and build workflow; it does not add on-device secure boot.

Signing protocol and rationale

PIGEON V0.4 BETA: Some fixes, some cool stuff, some experiments

Some fixes

• More reliable REC arming and recording, with the REC light staying on while armed.
• Hold SEL and trigger a chop to audition its ending without hiding the waveform. It then loops back to the beginning while held.
• Sample-tool editing now preserves all four notes in a chord and supports the v0.4 project format alongside older projects.

Some cool stuff

• Queue mode: line up chops to play in order, including repeats. Add up to 64 waiting chops and remove entries while the current chop keeps playing.
• Individual note lengths and nudges in the piano roll: extend notes beyond one step and move each note independently for more groove.
• More sequencing tools: conditional fills, Euclidean rhythms, DOUBLE/HALF, and velocity/timing humanization.
• Pattern copy/paste, with confirmation before overwriting a destination.
• Per-track MIDI channels, including OMNI/OFF, incoming-note track selection and MIDI screen wake.

Some experiments

• Scratch decks with waveform and record views: jog, cut, reverse, brake, glide, and set/return to a cue.
• Cent tuning and saved scratch preferences for each song.
• Screen-reader support in the standard firmware and optional spoken announcements in the browser emulator.
• A little more UI whimsy, including the record-centre pigeon and illustrated empty-song screen.

The exact release passed automated validation and the owner’s FM1 hardware smoke test. Back up a complete session before updating: v0.3.1 cannot open v0.4 projects. From another custom firmware, return to official V15 first.

PIGEON v0.3.1 adds the piano roll and polyphonic sequencer entry.

• Press SEQ again to switch between grid and piano roll; HOME returns to the waveform.
• Both views support up to four notes per step over 1–64 steps. PRESETS scrolls piano-roll rows.
• Stopped and unarmed: keys toggle individual notes on the selected step.
• Stopped with REC armed: hold a chord, then release every key to advance once.
• Live overdubbing retains four notes without replacing a stored note with a fifth.
• REC remains lit when any track is armed, including inverted LED mode.
• Updated controls and tutorial. Project and bank formats remain compatible; sample storage remains 496 KiB.

Installation and reboot were verified on a physical FM1; the complete sample bank and all session objects matched before and after flashing. Functional, sanitizer, browser-WASM, storage and codec checks passed. Hands-on checks of the new controls remain pending.

Known validation limit: the static audio-ISR instruction estimate is +14% against its baseline, above the +10% threshold. Host DSP regression reports no CPU entries over budget. Sustained hardware polyphony and physical interrupted-update recovery remain unverified.

Back up before updating. If coming from another custom firmware, return to official M-VAVE V15 using that firmware’s stock-return procedure first.

PIGEON v0.3 for the M-VAVE FM1. Main firmware, without the experimental screen reader.

• 496 KiB shared sample storage, two song tracks and 16 drum pads.
• Unified sampler UI; page buttons respond on press. HOME returns to the waveform, and HOME on the waveform opens Settings.
• Hold EDIT and play a chop key to audition its final two seconds without recording or changing its boundaries.
• Sample Loader 2.0: waveform editing, delete/cut/copy/paste, undo, clip rearrangement and append. Merged audio keeps whole sections first, then automatic chops in remaining slots (up to 32). Reapply existing merged songs to generate the extra chops.
• Emulator bank/session import and export, loader handoff, and matching expanded storage.
• Removes unused synth screens/assets and silent-slot synth fallback; fixes startup selection and sequencer state.

Install through https://theshrimpblimp.com/pigeon/webapp/installer/ . Back up first. From another custom firmware, return to official V15 using its documented procedure before installing PIGEON.

Validation: product and recovery host suites, 92 unchanged audio renders, sanitizer/codec checks, browser/offline tests, WASM playback and two identical target builds. Basic FM1 installation/reboot and sample/chop preservation were checked; extended manual performance and recovery-interruption tests remain pending. See PIGEON_V03_RELEASE.md in the matching source and the attached validation notes.