Desktop Manual

1. About VMEGAfm

VMEGAfm is a four-operator FM synthesizer inspired by the distinctive sound and hands-on workflow of the Twisted Electrons MEGAfm. It provides 12 synthesis voices, eight FM algorithms, three freely assignable LFOs, an arpeggiator and step sequencer, operator envelope looping, plate reverb, and a lively output character.

Each operator generates a sine wave. Harmonic complexity comes from one operator modulating another, from operator frequency ratios, feedback, envelope movement, detuning, and the modulation matrix. VMEGAfm is therefore best approached as an instrument whose tone is built from relationships, not as a subtractive synthesizer with a filter.

The desktop standalone and plug-ins include powerful analog modeling based on the output character of the actual MEGAfm Mark I hardware. It adds the subtle compression, saturation, and non-linear response that help the digital FM core feel like an instrument rather than a perfectly clean signal generator.

2. System Requirements

The same macOS installer supports Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. Rosetta is not required for VMEGAfm itself. A VST3-compatible or Audio Unit-compatible host is required to use the plug-ins.

Practical performance depends on sample rate, audio-buffer size, patch complexity, polyphony, and the rest of the DAW session. The standalone application offers direct control of the audio device and buffer; a plug-in follows the DAW's audio settings.

3. Installation

macOS

1. Quit audio hosts before installing so they do not continue using a previously installed copy.
2. Open the downloaded VMEGAfm macOS installer package.
3. At Installation Type, use Customize if you do not want all three components.
4. Select any combination of Standalone App, VST3 Plugin, and Audio Unit Plugin, then complete the installer.
5. Reopen the DAW and run its plug-in rescan if VMEGAfm is not found automatically.

If macOS blocks the installer, confirm that it came from the official Twisted Electrons download and that the Mac meets the minimum OS requirement. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security to review any security message.

Windows

1. Quit audio hosts before installing.
2. Run the downloaded VMEGAfm Windows installer.
3. Choose the standalone application, the VST3 plug-in, or both. The optional desktop shortcut applies only to the standalone application.
4. Complete the installer with administrator permission. The system VST3 directory requires it.
5. Open the DAW and rescan VST3 plug-ins if necessary.

The standalone application is installed under Program Files\twisted-electrons\VMEGAfm. The plug-in is installed in the common 64-bit VST3 directory, normally Program Files\Common Files\VST3\VMEGAfm.vst3.

Finding VMEGAfm in a DAW

Create an instrument or MIDI track and insert VMEGAfm as an instrument, not as an audio effect. It appears under the manufacturer name twisted-electrons. If both AU and VST3 are available, use one format consistently within a project; a DAW normally treats the AU and VST3 as different plug-ins even though they share the same sound engine and user-preset bank.

4. Standalone Application vs Plug-in

The standalone application and plug-ins sound the same. Their differences are limited to the way audio, MIDI, the onscreen keyboard, and project recall are handled.

5. Quick Start

1. Launch the standalone application or load VMEGAfm on an instrument track.
2. Choose 07 Time To Rain or another sound from the factory browser.
3. Play from the standalone keyboard, a MIDI controller, or the DAW.
4. Move an operator total level fader to hear how a carrier changes loudness or a modulator changes brightness.
5. Click an algorithm drawing or LED to hear a different operator routing.
6. Move a target control, then press the relevant LFO link button. Increase LFO depth to hear the modulation.
7. Press write, enter a name, and save the result to the user bank.

6. Interface Map and Basic Interaction

Header controls

Factory browser

Opens the numbered, read-only factory bank. Selecting a row loads it immediately. Dragging or scrolling the list does not load a preset until a deliberate tap/click is completed.

User browser

Opens presets you have written or imported. The selected user preset is the target for Delete.

Write

Stores the current patch in the user bank. Reusing an existing name, ignoring case, updates that preset rather than creating a duplicate.

Delete

Shows a confirmation box for the selected user preset. Factory presets cannot be deleted.

Import

Reads a VMEGAfm XML user bank or a compatible MEGAfm preset-dump .syx file. You can add to or replace the current user bank.

Export

Writes the complete user bank as VMEGAfm-user-presets.xml for backup or transfer.

Settings

Opens global controller, tuning, clock, mapping, reverb-bypass, and standalone utility settings.

Links

Slides to the full LFO routing matrix. Press again to return to the main panel.

CC learn

Enables direct MIDI CC assignment for panel knobs and faders. See CC Learn.

Hold

Standalone only. Sends sustain-pedal behavior to the engine so notes remain held while you play other keys.

Moving controls

Drag knobs vertically or in the direction preferred by your host. Drag faders along their track. Mouse-wheel editing is disabled to prevent accidental changes while navigating the interface. The visual control may glide when a preset is loaded, but direct mouse, touch, CC, and automation movement is applied immediately to the sound.

The global and preset tune sliders have a visible center mark. Double-click either tune slider to return to zero. Other quantized controls display their panel value on the two-character display while they move.

Display and LEDs

• The display shows the active preset number when the panel is idle.
• Moving a control temporarily replaces the preset number with that control's value or status.
• Algorithm LEDs indicate the current routing. The algorithm silkscreen and LED areas are clickable.
• The selected LFO's waveform LED remains lit and brightens with the LFO value.
• Link LEDs show whether the most recently targeted control is connected to LFO 1, 2, or 3.
• When velocity, aftertouch, or slide overrides an LFO, the display can show VE, AT, or SL during a direct rate/depth edit. Loading a preset does not leave these status codes on screen.

7. Presets and User Banks

Factory presets

The factory bank cannot be overwritten. The standalone application opens on factory preset 07 Time To Rain. The panel reset button loads factory preset 01 Clean(ish) Sine. In a plug-in, a saved DAW project takes priority when the project is reopened.

Writing a user preset

1. Build or modify a sound.
2. Press write.
3. Enter a descriptive name and press save.
4. The new entry becomes the selected user preset. If the name already exists, that entry is updated.

A user preset captures the sound-producing patch: operator values and loops, algorithm, feedback, LFO shapes/rates/depths/links, voice mode, arp/sequencer data, fat, glide, volume, preset tune, and reverb mix/size. Global preferences such as global tune, MPE enable, CC mappings, and no-reverb bypass are not sound-preset substitutions.

Importing

VMEGAfm recognizes its XML user-bank format and compatible MEGAfm preset-bank SYX dumps. After choosing a file, select:

• Add to my presets to preserve the current user bank and append imported entries.
• Replace my presets to remove the current bank and use only the imported entries.
• Cancel to leave the bank unchanged.

The first successfully imported preset is loaded immediately and highlighted in the user browser. Duplicate names are made unique. A SYX import receives generic User 1, User 2, and similar names when the file does not contain VMEGAfm preset names. Only compatible preset-bank SYX files can be imported.

Exporting and transferring

Export writes all user presets, not only the selected one. Use the XML file to move sounds between computers, between Windows and macOS, or to archive a release bank. Desktop user presets are shared automatically between standalone, VST3, and AU on the same user account, but they are not automatically synchronized to another computer or to an iPad.

8. How Four-Operator FM Works

An operator can be audible directly, in which case it is a carrier, or it can change the waveform of another operator, in which case it is a modulator. Raising a carrier's level generally raises volume. Raising a modulator's level generally adds brightness, edge, or noise. The algorithm decides which role each operator plays.

Algorithms

Feedback is attached to operator 1. In a deep chain it can create complex or noisy spectra quickly; in algorithms where operator 1 is audible or only one stage from a carrier it behaves more predictably. Click any algorithm drawing/LED or turn the Algorithm knob to select a routing.

Ratio convention

The Multiply control sets each operator's frequency ratio. The display offers 0.5 and integer values 1 through 15. VMEGAfm's curated patch convention often uses a displayed multiplier of 4 for the principal carrier, then builds relative harmonic relationships around it. Integer-related ratios tend to sound harmonic; less closely related ratios and high values produce bells, metal, and digital sidebands.

9. Operators and Envelopes

The full desktop panel shows six faders for each of the four operators. Its familiar ADSR layout makes it easy to shape the attack, body, sustain, and release of carriers and modulators.

Approximate custom ADSR timing

Times are approximate and are intended as programming landmarks. A full patch can sound longer or shorter because carriers and modulators interact.

Operator envelope loop

Each operator can repeat its custom attack, decay, sustain, and release cycle while a note is held. This is separate from LFO Loop.

1. Move any fader belonging to the operator you want to edit.
2. For roughly two seconds, the LFO waveform/retrig/loop LED cluster changes function and displays that operator's loop state.
3. The Loop LED flashes at 3 Hz when the focused operator's envelope loop is on, making the temporary operator display visually distinct from normal LFO status.
4. Press the panel loop button during that focus period to toggle the operator loop.

After the focus period expires, the LED cluster returns to the selected LFO. To edit another operator, move one of its faders first.

Additional linked parameters

Detune and Sustain Rate also appear on the Links page. Detune adds a small pitch offset to an individual operator. Sustain Rate offers an additional moving-envelope destination, while the main Sustain fader remains the clearest way to set the held level.

10. Voice and Performance Controls

Voicing modes

Click the mode button to cycle Poly12, Wide6, and Unison, or click the printed mode name/LED directly. Enabling MPE temporarily uses 12 independent lanes and disables the normal voice-mode choice; turning MPE off restores the previous non-MPE mode.

Fat, Glide, Volume, and Tune

Fat

Spreads the frequencies of the synthesis channels. Its audible effect depends strongly on voice mode: subtle width in poly modes and a large chord/detune structure in Unison.

Glide

Sets portamento time between pitches. At zero, pitches change immediately. Higher values take longer to reach the destination.

Vol

Patch output level and output-stage drive. Mid values can preserve more dynamics and a cleaner output-stage response; high values push the modeled output and automatic mastering harder.

Preset tune

Patch-specific tuning over ±600 cents. Stored with a preset.

Global tune

Instrument-wide tuning over ±600 cents. Persists as a global preference rather than changing every preset.

Vibrato

Vibrato is a dedicated pitch modulation path with Rate and Depth controls. It is separate from the three assignable LFOs, so adding vibrato does not consume an LFO link. Enable vib sync in Settings to quantize its rate to incoming transport/MIDI clock.

11. LFOs and the Links Matrix

VMEGAfm has three independent low-frequency oscillators. Each has its own Rate, Depth, waveform, Retrig state, Loop state, and parameter-link list.

Selecting and shaping an LFO

1. Press the LFO 1, LFO 2, or LFO 3 link/select button below its rate/depth pair. Its LED identifies the selected LFO.
2. Choose Square, Triangle, Saw, or Noise. The shape buttons edit the selected LFO.
3. Set Rate and Depth. Depth is the maximum symmetric movement applied around each linked parameter's base value.
4. Enable Retrig if the LFO should restart when a new note begins.
5. Enable Loop for continuous cycling. With Loop off, the LFO runs once and stops at the end of its cycle.

The selected waveform LED stays on and becomes brighter with the instantaneous LFO value. This is a visualizer only; it does not alter timing.

Fast link workflow

1. Move the knob or fader you want to modulate. It becomes the current target.
2. Press LFO 1, 2, or 3 to toggle that connection.
3. The corresponding link LED lights when connected.
4. Move the LFO depth to set the amount. The moving ghost control shows the effective modulated value while the normal control remains at its base value.

Full Links page

Press links in the header to open the complete routing matrix. Rows are grouped by Operator 1-4, LFO controls, and Voice/performance controls. Each row has cells numbered 1, 2, and 3. Click a cell to connect or disconnect that parameter from the corresponding LFO. Warm white cells are active; gray cells are off.

An LFO cannot modulate its own Rate or Depth, so those self-link cells are disabled. Other parameters can be linked to more than one LFO; their signed modulation values are added and then clipped to the legal parameter range.

The matrix includes Detune and Sustain Rate even though they are not faders on the full panel. It also includes Algorithm, Feedback, Fat, Arp Rate/Range, Vibrato Rate/Depth, and Reverb Mix/Size.

12. Arpeggiator and Step Sequencer

The arpeggiator uses the held-note stack, Rate, Range, and Mode. Set Rate above zero for the arp to capture and generate notes. Range covers one to four octaves.

Modes

Recording a sequence

1. Press rec. Existing sequence data is cleared and the arp enters sequence record.
2. Play notes in order. The first note defines the reference; later notes are stored as semitone offsets, so the sequence transposes with the key you play.
3. Use the panel preset-up button while recording to insert a rest.
4. Use preset-down while recording to remove the last step.
5. Record up to 16 steps, then press rec again to finish.
6. Use Seq for clocked repetition or Seq Hold for manually advanced playback.

Sequence recording is unavailable while MPE mode is enabled. Arp Sync uses host/MIDI clock when transport clock is present; with sync off, Rate follows VMEGAfm's own timing.

13. Reverb and Output Level

Reverb flap

Click the REVERB flap to reveal Mix and Size. Click again to close it.

Mix

Dry/wet balance from 0% to 100%.

Size

Plate decay/space size from approximately 0.2 to 10.0 seconds.

No reverb

Global Settings switch that ramps the wet path down cleanly, closes the flap, and bypasses reverb processing without erasing Mix or Size.

Mix and Size are stored with a sound preset. No Reverb is a global performance preference, so it can disable the effect across presets while preserving their intended settings.

Volume and output character

The Volume control affects both output level and character. Lower values can sound cleaner and more open; higher settings produce a more driven tone. Automatic level control helps keep the result strong without unwanted digital clipping.

Startup protection begins silently, keeps reverb quiet, and fades the instrument in. Reverb bypass and the 440 Hz reference tone are also ramped to avoid clicks.

14. Standalone Onscreen Keyboard

The desktop standalone includes the same performance keyboard as the full-screen iPad app. The Keyboard setting cycles through 3 oct, 2 oct, and off. Three octaves is the default. Turning it off shortens the application window upward; the synthesizer panel itself remains at the correct fixed scale.

Up/down arrows

Move the visible keyboard by one octave. The chosen position is remembered between sessions.

Hold

Applies sustain behavior. Turn it off to release held notes.

Key vertical position

With Slide > LFO3 enabled, the top of a key sends a high value and the bottom sends a low value as polyphonic aftertouch for that note.

Range

The scrollable keyboard spans MIDI notes 12 through 96 (C0 through C7 using the displayed octave convention).

Slide is polyphonic for operator parameters linked to LFO3: moving vertically on one held key affects that voice rather than all held voices. Global targets linked to LFO3 remain global by definition.

15. Settings Reference

Press settings to open the absolute overlay. Press done to return. Leaving Settings automatically stops both tuning-test sources.

Control

Tuning and utilities

LFO sync

If no clock is present, the free-running timing path remains relevant. Start/stop and tempo information are supplied by the DAW in plug-in mode and by incoming MIDI clock in a configured standalone MIDI path.

LFO map

16. MIDI, MPE, and Controller Learning

Normal MIDI

VMEGAfm accepts note on/off, sustain pedal, pitch bend, channel pressure, polyphonic aftertouch, CC1, transport clock/start/stop, and the controller data used by learned mappings. In a DAW, route a MIDI track to the instrument and record-enable or monitor that track. In standalone, enable the desired MIDI input in Audio/MIDI Settings.

MPE

Enable MPE in Settings and configure the controller or DAW for a lower zone with channel 1 as master and channels 2-13 as members. Per-note pitch bend uses ±48 semitones. Pressure can drive any selected LFO bus and therefore any parameters linked to that bus. CC74 is accepted for controller compatibility, although there is no separate CC74/timbre destination on the panel.

Per-note expression is most reliable when the controller and host preserve the individual MPE member channels. If expression behaves as one global control, check the host's MPE routing and channel range.

CC Learn

1. Press cc learn. Mapping labels appear over every learnable knob and fader. -- means unassigned; a number means assigned CC.
2. Touch or click the desired control. A pulsing blue halo identifies the current learn target.
3. Move a hardware control that transmits a standard MIDI CC number from 1 through 127 and a nonzero value.
4. The CC number appears in the center of the target. If that CC was mapped elsewhere, it is moved to the new target so one CC does not drive two unrelated controls accidentally.
5. Select another target and repeat, or press cc learn again to finish.

CC value 1 maps to the parameter minimum and value 127 maps to maximum; value 0 is ignored by the learn/mapping path. The reverb flap opens automatically when Learn begins so Mix and Size can be targeted, then returns to its previous closed state when Learn ends.

Mappings persist globally. CC Learn captures ordinary CC messages. An existing NRPN assignment is shown as n followed by its number; for new high-resolution control assignments, DAW automation is usually the clearest workflow.

17. DAW Automation Parameters

VMEGAfm exposes 41 parameters in a deliberate synthesis order. Host automation is independent from the visual Links modulation matrix: automation changes the base value; an LFO moves around that base and clips at the legal limits.

Parameter names begin with a capital letter in the host and remain grouped in the order above. If a DAW shows an unexpected order, remove duplicate VMEGAfm plug-ins and run a complete plug-in rescan.

18. What Is Saved Where

On the same desktop computer, standalone, VST3, and AU read the same user-preset bank. If another format is already open when a preset is written, close/reopen its browser or instance so it can refresh the shared file. Moving to another computer requires Export and Import.

19. Troubleshooting

VMEGAfm does not appear in the DAW

• Confirm the correct format is installed in the standard system folder listed above.
• Confirm the DAW is 64-bit and supports VST3 or Audio Unit instruments.
• Run a full plug-in rescan. On macOS, restart the DAW after installing an AU.
• Remove duplicate old VMEGAfm bundles from user-level and system-level plug-in folders.
• On an Intel Mac, reinstall VMEGAfm from the official Universal 2 macOS package.

The interface is blank

• Verify macOS 12 or later and reinstall the official Universal 2 package.
• Clear the host plug-in cache and rescan after reinstalling VMEGAfm.
• Try the other supported format (AU versus VST3) to distinguish a host cache problem from a system problem.

No sound or missing notes

• Load 01 Clean(ish) Sine and set Volume high enough for a simple test.
• In standalone, verify the audio output and MIDI input in Audio/MIDI Settings.
• In a DAW, monitor/record-enable the instrument track and verify MIDI reaches the plug-in.
• If MPE is on, configure lower-zone channels 2-13 or turn MPE off for ordinary MIDI troubleshooting.
• Turn Hold off and send All Notes Off if notes are stuck.

Crackles or high CPU

• Increase the audio buffer in standalone or in the DAW.
• Test at 44.1 or 48 kHz before using a high sample rate.
• Reduce session load, long reverb, dense 12-note patches, and fast modulation of many operator levels.
• Freeze or render other tracks to confirm whether the issue is total session load.

Preset names appear but loading does nothing

• Confirm the DAW is not loading an older duplicate plug-in.
• Force a full rescan and reopen the project.
• Test the same factory preset in standalone. If standalone changes correctly, the host likely cached an older plug-in or restored automation immediately after the preset load.
• Temporarily disable automation lanes that overwrite the patch parameters.

CC Learn does not capture a control

• Send a standard CC number 1-127 with a value above zero.
• Do not send an RPN/NRPN selection sequence to the current CC Learn target.
• Confirm the DAW passes controller MIDI to the instrument rather than consuming it for a host-level remote script.
• Touch the target after entering Learn so the blue halo identifies the intended control.

The 440 Hz tone continues

Press the 440 Hz button again or leave Settings. Both the test tone and Play A4 are forcibly stopped when Settings closes.

20. Glossary

Algorithm

The routing of the four operators: which operators modulate others and which are heard as carriers.

Carrier

An operator whose output reaches the audio output directly.

Modulator

An operator used to frequency-modulate another operator, changing its spectrum.

Total level

Operator output amount. VMEGAfm presents it in the intuitive direction: higher means stronger.

Ratio / Multiply

The operator frequency relative to the played note.

Feedback

Operator 1 feeding part of its output back into itself, producing additional harmonics or noise.

LFO

Low-frequency oscillator used to move one or more parameters.

Link

A connection from an LFO/modulation bus to a parameter.

Retrig

Restarting an LFO when a note begins.

Operator loop

Repeating an operator's ADSR envelope while a note remains held.

LFO loop

Repeating an LFO cycle; with it off, the LFO is one-shot.

MPE

MIDI Polyphonic Expression, using per-note member channels for pitch and expression.

Slide

Vertical position on the standalone onscreen key, converted to per-note aftertouch for LFO3.