Skiff 2.2: USB MIDI. What the tracks play goes out, timed with the sound, with MIDI clock, external-synth tracks, knob CCs, remote buttons and Song Position.
Thank you, @jsmonzani and @krzyzankowskig (#82), @JijRod (#89), @aehk (#90) and everyone who asked on YouTube for MIDI out and sync; @LevienBrugman for the LFO drift (#94); @zvenson of The Firmware Hub for the new flash chip (#96); Charles Vestal, darosh and @DevinMcDonald for the macOS USB fix (#59, PR #60); @hipnofx for the header mark; @mauricecalhoun for the MENU test fix (PR #84).
Install on the FM-1: in Chrome or Edge with the Skiff installer, or download skiff-2.2.fwsc below and run python tools/fm1_install.py skiff-2.2.fwsc. Custom firmware, at your own risk; the installer page also takes the FM-1 back to the official firmware, V15 or V16.
Install on the SMK-37 Pro: read SMK37.md first, then the same installer page, or python tools/fm1_install.py skiff-2.2-smk37.fwsc.
From 2.0 to 2.1.1:
- Your projects, sounds and patterns stay as they are.
- Windows sets the FM-1 up once more: its USB audio now comes before its MIDI, for macOS. Pick its recording input again in your recorder or DAW; it may be named "Line (2- Felucca)".
From 1.x or Felucca: read 2.0's notes first: the installer page takes a backup and converts what needs it.
NOTES OUT is ALL now: what the sequencer plays goes out over USB MIDI. For only the keys you play, as before, set MENU › MIDI › NOTES OUT KEYS.
New
- MIDI out of everything the tracks play (MENU › MIDI › NOTES OUT: ALL, KEYS, OFF).
- What goes out: steps, ratchets, flams, NUDGE, the arp, chords, chord follow, keys and step preview, each on its
track's channel. - Each note-off goes on the channel its note-on went on, and a track's channel changed mid-note ends only that
track's notes. - The notes leave with their sound, timed to the audio, not a buffer early in a burst.
- A muted track sends nothing, and what MIDI IN plays is never sent back.
- Tried on an FM-1: 1,734 notes in 71 s on five channels, every one paired, through channel changes, sound loads
and a key held over STOP.
- What goes out: steps, ratchets, flams, NUDGE, the arp, chords, chord follow, keys and step preview, each on its
- CLOCK OUT (MENU › MIDI, ON by default): MIDI clock, Start and Stop from the internal clock.
- It runs on the sequencer's own 1/16 grid, and while stopped too.
- On the unit, 99 % of pulses came within 0.6 ms.
- On the SMK-37 the TRS jack sends the same.
- T1–T6 CHANNEL: OFF and CH 1–16 EXT.
- OFF: the track is neither heard nor sent.
- EXT: the track plays only through MIDI, as an external synth's track, with no sound or voices of its own. Its
locks and automation go out as CCs before its notes.
- CC OUT (OFF / ON): a knob turned sends its CC: the one learned to it, else the standard map's (the README's
MIDI implementation). An EXT track always sends. A CC
that came in never goes back out. - REMOTE (OFF / CH 1–16): CC 102–115 on that channel press the 14 buttons, holds and combinations too, in Sloop's
map: 102 FX, 103 SEL, 104 ENV, 105 LFO, 106 EDIT, 107 GLO, 108 HOME, 109 SAVE, 110 ARP, 111 SEQ, 112 PLAY, 113 REC,
114 OCT−, 115 OCT+. - AUTO CHANNEL (OFF / CH 1–16): notes on that channel play the selected track.
- THRU (OFF / ON): what comes in on the TRS jack goes on to USB; on the SMK-37, USB to its TRS jack.
- Song Position in: a DAW's position and Continue pick the patterns up where it says. On the unit, a jump to step
11 played exactly as step 11 does from the start. - macOS: the USB audio interface now comes before MIDI. macOS 13–15 show no FM-1 audio otherwise (Charles
Vestal's fix in Felucca, PR #60). Not yet tried on a Mac by us: tell us in #59. - The README has a MIDI implementation chart: every
message in and out, the CC and REMOTE maps.
Fixed
- Newer FM-1s with the UC25HQ80 flash chip now save and update (#96).
- Skiff before 2.2 took the chip for unknown: everything stayed in RAM and updates were refused.
- From the official firmware, the installer puts 2.2 on as usual.
- From Skiff 2.1.1 or older on such a unit, read
the README first.
- LFO SYNC drifted on drum tracks (#94): a synced LFO now counts whole steps of its own track, and a kit's synced
LFO starts from its PHASE at PLAY. - A key held while its track's MIDI channel changed left its note on at the old channel.
- The header's pattern mark, too long for a SEQ page's title, now gets shorter instead of vanishing (@hipnofx).
- WAITING FOR USB / TRS CLOCK now shows when PLAY finds no clock.
- The SMK-37's TRS out sent stray bytes after a clock message.
- The installer's "no loader" error lists the MIDI ports it saw (#83).
Known
- macOS and Linux with the new USB layout are not tried by us yet (#59).
- The new flash chip (#96) is tried on the computer, not yet on a unit that has it.
- With CLOCK USB or TRS and no clock coming in, PLAY sounds the first step, then stops and says WAITING FOR USB
CLOCK, as 2.1.1 did. - PLAY starts the clock afresh, so one interval right at Start is shorter. A follower restarts its count at Start
anyway. - A changed setting is saved at STOP, or at once when stopped. The save pauses everything for about 17 ms, the clock
too, as in 2.1.1. - 2.1's Known items about the SMK-37 still apply.
Going back to 2.1.1
- Install
skiff-2.1.1.fwsc(or the SMK package) from
2.1.1's release. - Projects saved on 2.2 open there. A track set to OFF or EXT plays as a plain channel, and 2.1.1 sends only the
keys over MIDI. - On an FM-1 with the new flash chip, 2.1.1 can't save: stay on 2.2.
Credits
Skiff is built on Felucca by Leo Kuroshita (Hügelton Instruments). The README's Credits have the rest.
Files
skiff-2.2.fwsc: the FM-1 package (identity FM-1_722)skiff-2.2.zip: the FM-1 package, the app image,SHA256SUMSand every licence and attribution text they needskiff-2.2-smk37.fwsc: the SMK-37 Pro package (identity SMK-37 Pro_722)skiff-2.2-smk37-elite.fwsc,skiff-2.2-smk37-mke.fwsc: the SMK-37 Elite and MKE-P37 packages (identities
SMK-37 Elite_722, MKE-P37_722), not tried on a keyboard yet
SHA-256:
4412ecae63f69f5d288a6d78029272d3685488c4ad3e3be7cd484403429fc3d9 skiff-2.2.fwsc
87a1ef929c5b6f18058d6fd3902ae3c4235a4ec68b7dd6caea964b1fc615d549 skiff-2.2.zip
ae880e4f42bf52a1ded9b6eca65d0ac6c3cbdc941fdbd80d23c5d7a266fc3b7d skiff-2.2-smk37.fwsc
568e186fc35dc2db2de653823e4cda49fdf2e4a4d7f266f3977ba26e1af628cb skiff-2.2-smk37-elite.fwsc
680634a85295a034cbf88ab444f89e998828fe15dbc683ea9a7670b4f33058d9 skiff-2.2-smk37-mke.fwsc
The packages hold three unmodified files of the JieLi AC79 SDK (Apache-2.0); see LICENSING.md. M-VAVE, FM-1 and SMK-37
are trademarks of their respective owners; Skiff is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.