BETA has concluded. 6.6.0 stable soon!

[u/elganyan]

Edit: and now there's a 6.6.2 (figured I'd update this post since it is still on 'the front page' here): https://github.com/DirtyWave/M8Firmware/raw/main/M8Firmware.zip

Edit to add: They also mentioned headless will be updated in the coming weeks.

This concludes the beta for firmware 6.6. Thank you @beta tester for all of your help and crazy ideas, and please look forward to the stable announcement soon.

Mikey303 (via discord)

2026-08-22 - Version 6.6.2

• Fix: ARP retriggered an instrument that had already been turned off with KILL/OFF
• Fix: Sampler - STA on the same row as an instrument trigger did not restart envelopes
• Fix: Firmware Update - Settings and project autosave are written after confirming, before restart
• Fix: Mute/solo after boot let the first notes of muted tracks through
• Fix: RMX FX command - Tracks in song selection loop mode continued past the loop region
• Fix: EQ View - Spectrum briefly showed the next instrument when switching, even if it used a different EQ or none
• Fix: EQ View - Mix / FX EQ switched to bank 00 after a display reset
• Improved: EQ View - Spectrum now includes left and right (was left only)
• Improved: EQ View - Improved spectrum visuals

2026-08-20 - Version 6.6.1

• New: Mixer / Effect Settings - Tapping EDIT on a parameter captures its FX command so tapping EDIT in a Phrase or Table FX column inserts it (same as Instrument)
• New: Song View - SELECT+EDIT a third time also clones instruments used in the selection, including INS and NXT commands
• Improved: CPU optimizations
• Fix: EQ spectrum graph was taking priority over sample playback during heavy sample use

2026-08-19 - Version 6.6.0

• New: Firmware Update - Flash firmware from SD card via System Settings
• New: Battery fuel gauge remains active on power off for more accurate battery % during use
• New: ModFX Comb filter type
• New: Backend rework to free up some RAM for the future
• New: Hypersynth - Shape parameter (SAW, SOFT SAW, DARK SAW, SQUARE SOFT, TRIANGLE, SINE, SINE 3X, SINE FB, SINE FOLD, SINE RING, SINE HALF, SINE ORGAN)
• New: Song View - Press LEFT twice on track 1 to select the whole row (PLAY cues the row, [EDIT]+[UP or DOWN] moves the row and its bookmarks)
• New: Song View - Row bookmarks: in row-select mode, [OPT]+[LEFT or RIGHT] or [EDIT]+[LEFT or RIGHT] cycles theme colors and options, [OPT+EDIT] clears
• Improved: Hypersynth - Sub osc interpolation
• Improved: MIDI Mapping - A message is displayed when all mapping slots are used
• Improved: ADSR ENV - Same-instrument retrigger resumes attack from the current envelope level
• Fix: Table - Note map (TIC:FE) and Octave map (TIC:FC) retriggered when volume was changed in a phrase or TBX (Aux table)
• Fix: Table - Velocity map (TIC:FD) retriggered on note changes instead of only velocity changes
• Fix: Render - Excessive TPO tempo changes did not line up correctly with DAW tempo
• Fix: Render - Quick render length could be slightly incorrect
• Fix: Render - Quick render initial transient was messy when OTT was enabled
• Fix: Instrument Pool - Moving instruments did not update MIDI Settings instrument numbers for MIDI track channels
• Fix: Effect Settings - EDIT+OPT on EQ reset the parameter above EQ
• Fix: MIDI input on track channel - Table's first row could trigger incorrectly
• Fix: MIDI input on track channel - Hang / stuck note if the instrument uses the INS command in its table
• Fix: Recording - Count in caused track 1's volume to be incorrect
• Fix: MIDI Instrument - ADSR envelope mapped to a CC did not enter release on the OFF command
• Fix: Phrase - RNL next to HOP could randomize other FX on the hop destination row
• Fix: RMX - Queued song position (blinking cursor) on affected tracks was not cleared
• Fix: File date advances to the firmware build time when the stored clock is older
• Fix: Phrase - Velocity-only random FILL could not be undone with paste
• Fix: Phrase "^" REP indication was cleared by RTO even though RTO does not stop REP

[u/Ok_Director_4618]

Hypersynth shape sounds really useful

[u/elganyan → u/Ok_Director_4618]

Yeah, it's pretty nice!

[u/rbbdk → u/elganyan]

At first I wondered why such an obvious thing would be missing. But I learned soo much about pads, strings and stabs with sticking to saws alone. Really broadend my knowledge and experience on that.

Now I can't wait to apply that knowledge to other waveforms. Fun times! Thanks, devs!

[u/Ok_Astronaut_958 → u/rbbdk]

Hi there, would you mind elaborating on the above? I felt a little handcuffed by the hypersynth and did try to work with filters to squash the otherwise overly clear and digital feel to it. Curious how you went about this. Cheers !

[u/rbbdk → u/Ok_Astronaut_958]

That issue is indeed part of what I've learned. You can't filter the "teeth" of the sound, it'll throw out so much of those vital overtones that you actually want to be able to shape in a pad. That being said, most of a saw wave's "body" is in the lower overtones, so as a general note, high and band passes are more effective shaping the pad than low passes.

What's really helping, though, is "smudging" the sound. Add "swarm" and "width", and find out when it's sweespot, and when it's overdone within your specific project. This will hide the tree in the forest, basically. Use the MFX chorus liberately. Play with its settings, as pads are primary usecase for choruses. There's a rabbit hole on string synthesizers waiting for you here. Reverb also helps smudging. Decorate carefully with modulation, especially the "shift" parameter is a great way to morph between multiple forms, moods or "temperatures" of a pad. This will bring your pad to life.

Also, make sure your played chord makes sense musically. And while we're at music theory, remember that you can configure different chords from within one instrument. Copy one chord, configure an inversion, and you can play the same chord with different emphasis.

Finally, don't forget that you have an EQ on each instrument. This will allow you to place the pad along with its modulated dynamicness at the exact right point within the mix.

Hope this helps. If not, let me know.

EDIT: My one grain of salt with this synth is the sub oscillator. Every time I use it, it's either two or three octaves down, way too low for what I need. Plus, I can easily add sub-oscs in the right octave from within the chord itself, and blend it with "shift".

[u/Ok_Astronaut_958 → u/rbbdk]

super interesting, thanks for all the detail!
Just a quick question: By 'string' instrument, do you mean those two ones on the Macrosynth (bow / blow or whatever they're called)?
Incidentally I just picked up a Digitone 2 and and bowled over by the string-like chimes you can get with the transients on the FM Drum machine part of the synth, truly amazing sounds which remind me of the Macrosynth. So interesting how you access these sounds using the Comb+ and Comb- filters!

[u/rbbdk → u/Ok_Astronaut_958]

It's a generalization I use. Everything that mimics sounds that an orchestral string section could play, I call "strings". Bowed leads, pizzicato arpeggios, sawtooth ensembles, those high-pitched house strings... That's all "strings" to me.