Desktop Manual

1. Thank You

Thank you for purchasing VMEGAfm. A great deal of care, love, and close listening went into creating this instrument, and we hope that passion comes through every time you play it.

VMEGAfm is a 12-voice, four-operator FM synthesizer inspired by the Twisted Electrons MEGAfm. It combines eight algorithms, three assignable LFOs, an arp/sequencer, looping envelopes, plate reverb, and output modeling based on the original hardware.

Each operator is a sine wave. Carriers provide the audible body; modulators add harmonics. If FM is new to you, begin with Quick Start, then use the operator and LFO chapters only when you need them.

VMEGAfm is also available for iOS as a full-screen instrument and AUv3 plug-in, with a dedicated interface designed for touch. Its operation is covered in the separate iOS manual.

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 and Registration

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.

Registering VMEGAfm

The desktop standalone application and plug-ins require a valid personal licence before the instrument controls become available. On first launch, VMEGAfm displays a welcome page with fields for your registered name and licence key.

1. Enter the registered name exactly as supplied with your licence.
2. Paste the complete licence key into the licence-key field.
3. Press register.
4. When registration successful appears, press enjoy to open the instrument.

Registration is stored locally for the current computer account. Registering the standalone application, VST3, or Audio Unit also registers the other installed desktop formats for that account, so the same information does not need to be entered in every DAW. The standalone window title shows the registered name after validation.

Normal application and plug-in updates preserve the saved registration. After moving to a new computer, reinstalling the operating system, or using a different computer account, enter the same personal registered name and licence key again.

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 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 an original MEGAfm .syx bank. 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.

Manual icon

Standalone only. Opens the VMEGAfm desktop manual in the default browser.

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, mod wheel, aftertouch, pressure, or slide overrides an LFO, the printed LFO label changes to the active source. Loading a preset does not leave source status codes on screen.

7. Presets and User Banks

Factory presets

The factory bank cannot be overwritten. A fresh standalone install opens on Time To Rain; later launches restore the previous state where applicable. A short press of the panel reset button loads factory preset 01 Clean(ish) Sine; holding it progressively varies the current sound instead. In a plug-in, a saved DAW project takes priority when the project is reopened.

VMEGAfm includes 100 core factory presets spanning electronic keys, basses, brass, leads, mallets, ambient pads, evolving motion, rhythmic sequences, percussion, and experimental sound effects. Ten additional MPE presets appear while MPE is enabled.

Factory presets are grouped by category in the browser. The MPE category contains 10 additional expressive presets and appears near the top only while MPE mode is enabled, after 01 Clean(ish) Sine. Turning MPE off hides that category from the browser without removing its sounds.

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.

The save dialog also lets you tag the preset with one category. The user browser groups saved sounds by category and hides empty categories. The MPE tag is available only while MPE mode is enabled, matching the factory MPE category behavior.

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

Import accepts VMEGAfm XML user banks and original MEGAfm 50-preset .syx banks in the standalone application, VST3, and Audio Unit. SYX conversion translates the hardware envelope to VMEGAfm's direct ADSR controls and preserves the closest musical result. Recognized Limbic banks retain their MAGNITUDE or PARSEC bank names and categories.

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. Imported SYX sounds become editable user presets, so audition and save any refinements you make.

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 device.

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.

The original chip's multi-rate envelope is presented as a more direct ADSR workflow. The timing keeps its FM character, but programming is intentionally easier than on the hardware.

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.

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.

The printed labels above the LFO controls are contextual. They show LFO1, LFO2, and LFO3 when the internal oscillators are active. They change to velocity, mod wheel, aftertouch, slide, or pressure when a bus is being driven by that external expression source.

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.

Each operator contributes the same six destinations shown on the panel: Total Level, Multiply, Attack, Decay, Sustain, and Release. The matrix 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 an expressive performance keyboard. 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.

Computer keys

In the standalone app, use A, W, S, E, D, F, T, G, Y, H, U, J, K, O, L, P, and ; as a chromatic two-octave keyboard. These keys always play notes, whether the onscreen keyboard is set to 3 oct, 2 oct, or Off.

Z / X

Move the computer-keyboard range down or up by one octave. Its range follows the onscreen keyboard position and is remembered between sessions.

Hold

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

Key vertical position

With Slide > LFO2 enabled, the top of a key sends a high per-note Slide value and the bottom sends a low value.

Range

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

Computer-keyboard performance is exclusive to the standalone app, leaving normal DAW shortcuts untouched in VST3 and Audio Unit hosts. Notes are released when the app loses focus, and the shortcuts pause automatically while a preset or registration text field is active.

Slide is polyphonic for operator parameters linked to LFO2: moving vertically on one held key affects that voice rather than all held voices. Global targets linked to LFO2 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

When an LFO bus is overridden, its Rate knob is greyed out because the external source now supplies the movement. Click the greyed Rate knob to see which source is overriding it. Depth remains active because it sets how far that source moves linked targets. Sync switches for overridden LFOs are hidden because there is no internal LFO clock to sync.

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 use a standard lower zone with channel 1 as master and channels 2-16 as members. VMEGAfm maps the first 12 active touches onto its 12 synthesis voices automatically, so a controller does not need a reduced channel range. Per-note pitch bend uses ±48 semitones.

Ten curated MPE factory presets are available when MPE is enabled. Their category appears directly after 01 Clean(ish) Sine in the factory browser and is hidden again when MPE is turned off. The presets remain installed; the conditional category simply keeps non-MPE browsing uncluttered. The MPE category is programmed to demonstrate per-note bend, Pressure, Slide, and combinations of those gestures.

When MPE is on, two short expression buttons appear beside the MPE switch. Pressure routes member-channel pressure through LFO3. Slide routes MPE CC74 through LFO2. Turn either button off to return that bus to its normal LFO behavior and label. Velocity > LFO1 remains available while MPE is on, so velocity, slide, and pressure can be used together.

Operator destinations respond per voice. Global destinations such as Algorithm, Feedback, Vibrato, Reverb, and Arp controls use the highest active expression value across the held voices, with smoothing so the visible ghost and audible result do not jump harshly when focus changes.

MPE temporarily disables normal Poly12/Wide6/Unison selection and Fat because each played note already owns an independent expression lane. Click a greyed Fat or voicing control to see a short explanation. 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. Press Delete or Backspace while a target is selected to remove that target's current CC or NRPN assignment. The target remains selected and ready to learn a new control.
6. 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, including controls that are visually greyed because MPE or another override is active. 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.

18. What Is Saved Where

Sound presets store the patch. Global preferences and controller mappings are shared by the desktop app and plug-ins on the same computer. A DAW project additionally restores each individual plug-in instance.

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 10.14 or later on an Intel Mac, or macOS 11 or later on an Apple silicon Mac, then 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.

Registration is not accepted

• Enter the registered name exactly as it appears in the licence information supplied to you.
• Copy the complete licence key without changing or omitting any characters.
• Confirm that the registered name and key came from the same licence.
• If the licence was accepted previously but is requested again, check whether VMEGAfm is running under a different computer account or the operating system was reinstalled.
• Contact Twisted Electrons support if the original personal licence still cannot be validated.

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, use a lower zone with channel 1 as master; VMEGAfm accepts member channels 2-16 and maps up to 12 simultaneous touches.
• 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

Per-note vertical expression from the standalone onscreen keyboard or MPE CC74, routed through LFO2.