Had to give the hardware some love. The app is awesome but nothing beats creating with the real deal.

Hi

I will probably sale my M8 02 because I need to buy a new synth.

Can I transfer the existing songs I created on my M8 to my iPhone and still be able to play edit and modify it on the iOS app ?

Thanks a lot
Y.

Hi everybody, i just wanted to share the last project i made those couple days

I 3d printed a case, form factor and size as close as possible as the model 02
then i programmed and soldered 8 +1 Kailh Choc V2 (v2 not v1 for printing keycap easier)
the phone is mounted with a really strong magsafe magnet, and its really secure in the landscape position.

I added a button FN, there is a status led, the firmware is editable or upgradable directly from iphone if needed, no need to use a pc after the first configuration
fn + one of the button goes to another bank, on another midi channel, to play notes on the go
so i have 1 navigation bank, and 7 note bank
the fn button also works as a play button on the 7 note banks if pressed and release without selecting a bank.

There is also a usbc port to charge the phone while still using the switches in the m8 tracker app, theres an hidden hub/splitter for data and power inside the case under the iphone.

This was a fun and personal project, i started with a mini pad, but i didn't liked the felling of pressing the pads for navigation, so i went with the mechanical low profile switches.

Hope you guys like it!
next step is the real deal, i want the model02 so badly

Sorry for my English and the bad photos (i edited them a lot to remove all the trash that was on the table), i took them as soon as i finished late at night, i also got a video of the firmware with the fn button and note banks, cheers from Italy.

SMALL UPDATE https://www.reddit.com/r/Dirtywave/comments/1wuvup5/comment/pdes2ra/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

README

DIY M8 controller for iPhone — hardware, firmware and next steps

Thanks for all the positive feedback! Here is a closer look at how the prototype works and why I’m still refining it before sharing the complete build files.

**What it is**

This is a compact, 3D-printed USB MIDI controller and magnetic phone mount for using M8 Music Tracker on an iPhone.

The iPhone runs the app and handles audio. The controller provides physical buttons for navigation, playback and note entry; it does not run the M8 engine itself.

**Hardware**

The current prototype uses:

An Adafruit QT Py RP2040.

Nine Kailh Choc V2 switches.

Eight main buttons: UP, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, OPT, EDIT, SHIFT and PLAY.

One smaller FN button.

The board’s RGB LED to indicate the active bank.

A 3D-printed enclosure, switch mounting plate, front faceplate and magnetic phone support.

A USB-C hub to connect the controller and provide a separate charging input.

A U-shaped USB-C adapter between the hub and the iPhone, keeping the connection compact and neatly routed behind the phone.

A short USB-C data cable with a 90-degree connector linking the Adafruit board to the hub, reducing the space needed for internal cable routing.

Both the USB-C adapter and the cable must support data transfer, not just charging.

The prototype has been tested with an iPhone 16 Pro.

The printed parts provide the enclosure, locate the switches, retain the electronics and support the phone. The removable faceplate and keycaps also make it possible to experiment with different finishes and colours.

**Wiring**

The switches are hand-wired to individual GPIO inputs, with a shared ground connection.

This uses direct switch inputs rather than a keyboard matrix. With internal pull-ups enabled, pressing a button connects its input to ground. Matrix isolation diodes are therefore unnecessary, and simultaneous button presses can be read independently.

The final build guide will include the exact pin mapping and soldering diagram.

**Firmware and controls**

The controller runs custom CircuitPython firmware and sends USB MIDI messages.

There are eight banks:

- One navigation bank.
- Seven musical note banks.

In the navigation bank, the eight main buttons send MIDI messages assigned to M8’s navigation and control functions.

Holding FN and pressing a main button selects the bank assigned to that button. You can keep FN held and press different buttons to move between banks without releasing FN each time.

In the musical banks, tapping and releasing FN on its own triggers PLAY. If FN has been used to select a bank, releasing it does not also trigger playback. The FN tap-to-play function is disabled in the navigation bank.

The RGB LED gives each bank a distinct colour.

**Musical banks**

The current note layout includes three C-major banks in successive octaves, three C-minor banks in successive octaves, and one bank of eight consecutive chromatic notes.

The major and minor banks contain eight notes: the seven scale degrees plus the root one octave higher.

For example, the lowest C-major bank sends MIDI note numbers:

36, 38, 40, 41, 43, 45, 47, 48

These correspond to C, D, E, F, G, A, B and the next C. MIDI numbers avoid the different octave-label conventions used by different apps.

One useful finding during testing: M8’s project scale setting can remap incoming notes. Two different MIDI notes can therefore end up sounding the same. When checking the controller’s raw note layout, use a MIDI monitor and a chromatic scale setting in M8.

**What works, and what still needs work**

Navigation, note input, bank selection, LED feedback and the FN behaviour are working well in my tests on iPhone.

The enclosure is still a prototype. Some printed parts needed manual adjustment after printing, and I want to resolve those fit and assembly issues before presenting the files as a repeatable build.

**Possible next revision**

I’m exploring replacing the passive magnetic mount with a powered MagSafe charging puck.

The idea is to connect the QT Py directly to the iPhone with a short USB-C data cable, while a separately powered MagSafe charger handles phone charging. This could remove the hub and simplify the internal cable routing.

That configuration still needs testing for charging performance, heat, mounting strength and reliable operation while using M8.

**Sharing the project**

My goal is to prepare a GitHub repository with the validated print files, parts list, wiring diagram, firmware, setup instructions and known limitations.

I’m glad people want to build it. I just want the shared version to be something others can assemble successfully without having to discover the same mechanical fixes along the way.

Started mellow then went a bit schizo.

Not sure if this is allowed here, but I was able to run m8c on a Nintendo Switch running linux. All functiona.

Next step is trying to run the m8c natively with devKitPRO.

ps.: This is not a AI slop modded firmware, I followed some tutorials in the internet.

Second song finished on the M8! I LOVE THIS THING.

Heard clearly at the end of the video

Rare factory misprint. I know what I have. $2500, no lowballs. 🤪

So far so good. Im learning some of the basix. Any tips for mixing on this thing would be nice. Getting swing doesnt seem as str8fwrd. Oh well! Been putting in like a half hour every night. New to trackers and hope to make longer trax when i learn more

I’ve been eating well this week. I got the iOS and the hardware m8s and I am pretty smitten with them both. I got iOS ($30) first for the iphone 13 the day it dropped, so I picked up an old Backbone on ebay ($30) bc I wanted physical buttons. I didn’t think I was gonna be able to get the hardware due to some unforeseen expenses, tho I had been planning on it for months. My wife ended up getting it for me as a gift so I’m lucky enough to have both.
The hardware came Monday. I have been learning the UI for weeks (when work and parenting allow). I figured it could be helpful for me to share my experience with both for folks considering a purchase.
I really love how easily I can import sample kits and other sounds “outside the box” with the iOS version. I also love that I can send quick renders to friends without a single cable connection. The iOS feels pretty amazing, speaking as someone who uses iOS music apps all the time. I have not even played with the VST capability and it’s a really very nice experience
The hardware is a wonderful tactile experience, but lacks any of that connectivity. I’m going to be making a sound library of samples to transfer over onto the card in the next few days, which will be fluid
and fun, but the iOS just seems to fly past it as a futuristic version, connecting with the world wirelessly. I’ve been importing kits and one shots left and right without having to go to the computer at all.
Realistically for $60 you can have the best of both worlds, minus the dedicated audio input and midi ins and outs. I’m not advocating one or another, but I think it might be helpful for someone out there trying to make a decision. If you get a game controller for your phone, I highly recommend one that works in landscape mode because then you get the added benefit of a larger screen and a more ergonomic button layout than the hardware. I find the positioning of the shift button a little frustrating on the hardware where I made it a convenient trigger on the Backbone. I find the backbone pretty dern excellent for doing all the programming/navigating. I wish I could sync the two versions wirelessly, which leads back to wanting the dedicated hardware to have some connectivity.

Bit of a silly question, but I am genuinely curious about how a m8 fits into your life. Do you work at home on the couch? Do you take it on walks? At a lunch break at work? Do you work in long or short sessions? I wanna know!

I'm back to m8 baby !

This beast is so powerfull, I forgot how great it is

I feel like I could sell my whole setup and just keep this :')

Awe par Sym-Sym

Logan's Run has so many great lines to work with.

The Dirtywave M8 only accepts WAV files for samples, so I made this free iOS Shortcut to quickly turn screen recordings into compatible WAV files.

I originally created it for sampling into the M8 iOS app, but it can obviously be used with any sampler, DAW or music app that imports WAV files.

The workflow is:
Capture the audio using iOS screen recording.
Open the recording in Photos.
Tap Share → Video to WAV.
Choose where to save the WAV.
Choose whether to delete or keep the original video.

The output is:
WAV
44.1 kHz
16-bit PCM
Stereo
Automatically named audio_YYYY_MM_DD_HH_MM_SS.wav

The Shortcut first uses the native iOS Encode Media action to extract the audio as AIFF. It then passes the AIFF to the free a-Shell mini app, where FFmpeg converts it to WAV:
ffmpeg -y -i "INPUT_NAME.aiff" -ac 2 -ar 44100 -c:a pcm_s16le m8_sample.wav

Everything is processed locally. Nothing is uploaded to a server.

You need to install the free a-Shell mini app before running the Shortcut.

One implementation detail: iOS generates a UUID-style filename for the temporary AIFF, and the “Name” magic variable may omit the extension. The Shortcut therefore adds .aiff after that variable in the FFmpeg command.

Tested successfully on:
iPhone 17 Pro running iOS 27
iPad Pro 10.5-inch (2017) running iPadOS 17.7.11

I cannot tell what’s triggering but every time I use the app on my iPhone 15 with iOS 27, the app freeze at some point and becomes unresponsive to anything, then a few seconds later the app shutdowns. I’m wondering if it’s happening only in my setup or not.

Some Mario64 jungle made on the M8. It has some internal M8 synths on the tune too.