BEETLE-BLUE
BEETLE BLUE
An open-source, six-channel drum tracker and ROM-based drum workstation for the M-VAVE FM1.
SikkenWorks · Born out of passion.
Install BEETLE BLUE · Project Manager · All-in-One Manager
Current firmware: V1.3 · Tested on two M-VAVE FM1 units · Release history · Validation reports
Hardware tested. BEETLE BLUE has been extensively tested by its developer on two physical M-VAVE FM1 units. Before updating, back up projects, document global User Kit settings and confirm a recovery procedure. Never update while there is unsaved music in RAM.
Overview
BEETLE BLUE is the drum-focused fork of BEETLE, with six drum sequencer lanes and two built-in ROM drum engines. Its main capabilities are:
| Feature | Capability |
|---|---|
| Drum lanes | Six; independently selected drum source and loop length per pattern |
| Patterns | 48 patterns; each of six lanes is 1–16 steps |
| Song Mode | Up to 64 chain positions, with individual source patterns per lane |
| Live Mode | 24-position Setlist; manual-start Perform with loading progress overlay |
| Built-in kits | BEETLE (14 PCM/µ-law components), MONOLITH (16 procedural ROM patches) |
| User Kits | 12 global timbre-preset slots |
| User samples | U01–U13 shared slots, requiring compatible Storage V2 support |
| Drum processing | Per-step FX, Punch-In FX, groove/ratchets, mute groups, snapshots and mixer |
| Storage | 12 project slots, .bdrum exports, BDR1 V33 project format |
| USB capture | Stereo master or six mono stems at 44.1 kHz / 16-bit |
On-device HELP
Press HOME → HELP for a compact, on-device reference. Each screen presents up to three separate cards with a control and its action. Turn K2 to choose one of ten topics and turn K1 to move between short pages in that topic. HOME returns to the menu and SEQ returns to the tracker. These pages are available without altering your project.
Getting started
- Press SEQ to open the Tracker and turn the SELECT encoder to choose CH1–CH6. SEL means pressing the encoder; it is not the same as turning SELECT.
- Turn ALGORITHM to select PAT 01–48 while stopped. K1 selects a step, K2 a field and K3 adjusts its value; the keyboard enters and auditions drum hits on supported pages.
- Turn K4 for BPM. Press PLAY/STOP to start or stop playback.
- Hold SEQ while turning SELECT to assign BEETLE, MONOLITH or an available User Kit to the selected lane.
- Press EDIT for Drum Edit and EDIT again for Kit Designer. Press GLO for Lane Mixer, then GLO again for Drum Mixer.
- Press ARP for Song Mode; use HOME to open project, Live Mode, settings and storage operations.
Independent lane lengths — 1 to 16 steps
Each of the 48 patterns stores six separate loop lengths, one for each lane. For example, in one pattern, CH1 can be 16 steps, CH2 12, CH3 7, CH4 16, CH5 8 and CH6 4. Every lane independently restarts at step 1 when it reaches its own length. The pattern transport cycle never exceeds 16 steps.
To change a lane’s length: open the Tracker (SEQ), rotate SELECT to choose the lane, then hold SEQ and turn K4. The screen displays its current length, such as LEN 07. Only the selected lane changes. The normal K4 action (without SEQ) still changes BPM.
Shortening a lane does not delete notes or FX past the new end. Lengthening it again restores access to them. Lane lengths and the notes they contain survive SAVE/LOAD, block editing, Song Mode and Live Mode. CH6’s extra hits, step FX, ratchets and groove follow their lane’s loop length.
Project compatibility: this firmware saves BDR1 V33. Supported older project versions, including V32, are loaded with their previously shared pattern length applied to all six lanes. Older firmware cannot read V33 saves. Back up before downgrading; no storage wipe is needed for lane lengths.
Built-in drums and User Kits
BEETLE is the factory 14-component PCM/µ-law drum ROM kit. MONOLITH provides 16 distinct, procedurally generated drum sounds, including alternative snares, hats and percussion. MONOLITH is not a copy of the development WAV reference files.
Kit selection is per lane, saved with the project. In Drum Mixer, turning SELECT changes the kit for the selected lane; use K1/K2/K3 to choose a drum component, parameter and value. The global U01–U13 user-sample library is separate from factory ROM kits.
Editing and storing global User Kits
A Global User Kit contains 14 factory drum-component timbre presets (including ADSR, gain, pitch, drive and choke). It is not a 14- or 16-WAV sample bank; two additional MONOLITH variants are not included.
- In Drum Edit, choose or adjust the settings for your drum components.
- Press EDIT again for Kit Designer. Use K1 for palette entry
INST 1–8, K3 to select the source or USER KIT 01–12, and SEL to store the chosen User Kit when storage is writable and playback is stopped. - After a successful store, that User Kit becomes active on the currently edited lane. Also SAVE the project to retain its lane-to-kit assignment.
Global User Kits live in Storage V2 BBK1 metadata, outside normal .bdrum project exports. Later edits to a global kit affect projects referring to it. The current Project Manager does not export/import this global kit bank. Document critical settings before a destructive format or downgrade.
User samples
Imported U01–U13 samples can be edited with START, END, Attack/Decay/Sustain/Release, GAIN, DRIVE and CHOKE. Their attacks can be prewarmed in RAM; longer tails still stream from flash. These settings do not copy the original WAV into each project. Continue monitoring sample-streaming timing and DMA stability in demanding hardware sessions.
Patterns, step FX and Song Mode
Use K1/K2/K3 in the Tracker to navigate and edit. On a focused FX cell, tap FX to edit up to three step FX slots; double-tap FX for Punch-In, or hold FX for a momentary effect. In the step editor, K1 chooses FX slot, K2 effect type, K3 value, OCT+ next slot, OCT− clear. The VOLUME effect supports 0–200%. REV reverses PCM ROM hits; MONOLITH uses a reverse-style procedural envelope. Streamed U-sample REV is not supported.
Song Mode is a 64-position chain inside one project, distinct from Live Mode’s inter-project Setlist. On the Song Chain page, SEQ+OP1 copies selected position(s) and SEQ+OP2 inserts them after the cursor where space permits. Song Mode uses each source pattern’s independent lane lengths.
Live Mode — Setlist and Perform
At boot choose LIVE MODE, or open HOME → LIVE MODE. Choose SETLIST to arrange projects or PERFORM to play them live. A Live Setlist is global and separate from any project’s Song Chain.
Setlist
The Setlist contains up to 24 positions referring to the existing 12 saved project slots. The same project can appear at several positions. Use K1 to select a setlist position, K2 to assign a saved project, K4 to move the position up or down, OCT+ to insert and OCT− to remove.
Leaving Setlist with HOME or SEL to Perform silently saves changes when the storage volume permits it. Unchanged setlists do not create unnecessary writes. If a save fails, the editor reports an error and preserves the unsaved edits in RAM. HOME returns to the Live Mode menu, and a second HOME returns to the ordinary HOME/Projects menu.
Perform
Perform opens the first assigned project, including its own tempo, selected kits, patterns, Song Chain and mix settings. A loading overlay with real progress appears while project data is read. Press PLAY/STOP to start; the next song is prepared only when the current one finishes, and waits for your next PLAY. This avoids unexpectedly starting the next track.
When you stop during a performance, choose CONTINUE CURRENT TRACK or START CURRENT TRACK AGAIN using K1 and confirm with SEL. A warm digital audio transition is designed to mute output while the next project loads without turning off the analogue output on normal transitions; avoid abrupt analogue switching; test listening levels before live use. No project flash load happens in the audio interrupt.
Battery indicator
The Tracker and Perform show a four-level pixel battery-voltage indicator. Its voltage bands are based on Felucca by Leo Kuroshita / Hügelton Instruments (ADC thresholds 531/561/591); BLUE adds display filtering and an invalid-reading indication. This is not a calibrated percentage or an independently verified charge-current measurement. An enumerated USB connection does not prove that the battery is charging.
Switching firmware and returning to M-VAVE stock
BEETLE BLUE identifies itself as FM-1_2224 over USB MIDI. Its update service supports the FM1 update handshake, including The Firmware Hub’s Back to official V15 action. It can receive the official V15 update request while a stopped project upload or sample transfer is open: that unfinished transfer is cancelled so firmware switching can proceed. Uncommitted transfer data is lost. Save and back up all work before switching.
To return to stock through The Firmware Hub: connect the FM1 over USB using Chrome/Edge, back up project and User Kit data, select Back to official V15, and leave USB/power connected until the device restarts and the Hub recognizes the stock firmware. The stock image must be M-VAVE’s unmodified V15; firmware identity alone does not authorize rewriting the boot area. The firmware verifies both the official image fingerprint and its loader metadata before staging the loader. If the package is unrecognized, the update fails closed rather than blindly installing it.
M-VAVE also publishes newer V16 stock firmware, but The Firmware Hub’s official-return button currently installs V15. V16 uses a different package and has not been approved by BEETLE BLUE’s pinned V15-only stock loader check. Use M-VAVE’s current official updater or a separately verified recovery path for V16. No firmware can guarantee an update will work after a broken USB cable, power loss or damaged flash. If normal Web MIDI updating fails, consult the Firmware Hub rescue instructions; never repeatedly erase/format storage as an OTA workaround.
Projects, storage and backup
BEETLE BLUE supports 12 project slots. Project files use BDR1 V33; .bdrum backups are not interchangeable with original BEETLE TRK1 projects. The optional .beetlebank library is separate from both project files and global User Kit presets.
Project slots and imported samples share finite flash storage. WIPE ALL STORAGE is a destructive Storage V2 format, not a repair for unsaved edits: it deletes all saved projects, setlists, imported samples and global User Kits. Only perform it after a verified, complete backup and explicit confirmation; never wipe simply to fix another feature.
Web tools and development
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
WebInstaller.html |
USB-MIDI firmware installer |
BEETLE-BLUE-Project-Manager.html |
Project/sample backup and transfer |
BEETLE-BLUE-Manager.html |
All-in-One web interface |
Installation: this source bundle contains the V1.3 HELP and the paired V1.3 WebInstaller. Before flashing, read STATUS.md, verify your backups, and confirm a tested independent recovery procedure. Firmware packaging and hash verification are software checks, not a guarantee of safe hardware recovery.
The USB audio interface can expose stereo or six-channel mono capture, and has been tested as part of BEETLE BLUE development on physical FM1 hardware. Specific USB configurations and recovery paths should still be checked on the target setup. Native LCD reference images under UI-CAPTURES-NATIVE-1920/ are screenshots of the C display renderer, not photos of hardware.
Build from source
Provide the compatible JieLi Linux toolchain separately, then from the source directory run:
export JIELI_TOOLCHAIN=/path/to/jieli-linux-toolchains-20260730.1
python firmware/fm1-native/build.py --drum-edition --beetle-storage-lab --beetle-v2 --updater --usb-audio
The toolchain is not distributed in the release archive. Native build success is separate from on-device testing, OTA recovery validation and verified backups. Detailed version-by-version changes belong only in CHANGELOG.md; technical checks are in validation/.
Reporting issues
Include the firmware version, page, exact control sequence, kit and component, whether transport was stopped, and any DMA DEADLINE / AUDIO STOP, storage or audible pop errors. Keep personal project exports/flash dumps private unless deliberately sanitized.
Credits and licenses
BEETLE BLUE is developed by SikkenWorks and derived from BEETLE and ETCH. The Felucca project by Leo Kuroshita (@kurogedelic) / Hügelton Instruments contributes FM1 platform foundations and the battery ADC voltage thresholds. JieLi Technology produces the target chipset/toolchain. Source-level licence notices, LICENSE, LICENSES/, and full attributions remain part of this source release.
BEETLE BLUE · SikkenWorks · Born out of passion.