PreenFM3

rrodseth · September 1, 2024, 3:31am

Thank you. Also just what I needed.

echoplex · October 26, 2024, 7:00pm

Does anyone know if there’s additional sound banks for the Preenfm3?
I find the stock presets it comes with to be mediocre at best.

clearasky · October 26, 2024, 9:02pm

There is a pretty good bank on the ixox forum :
https://ixox.fr/forum/index.php?topic=69758.msg75041#msg75041
it’s a preenfm2 bank, as most available banks.
To get the best of it, you have to edit the patches to add some paraphonic fx (chorus, flanger, delay, granular, etc…).

minifridge · May 6, 2025, 9:25pm

Anyone have an NRPN list for the FM3? There’s a thread on ixox that has a copy attached, but I don’t have an active account and admin doesn’t seem to be approving new users.

ericd · May 7, 2025, 12:57pm

Give Xavier a moment, he will approve it. Also see: Your account is waiting for admin's approval ?

But anyway:
00.MIDI_CC.txt (2.5 KB)
00.preenfm3_nrpn_table_all_expanded.txt (10.2 KB)

minifridge · May 7, 2025, 1:42pm

Thanks, this is really helpful.

My account has been unapproved for several months, so I wasn’t sure if the forum was being ramped down. I’ll email Xavier.

davidtt · May 17, 2025, 6:20pm

Hi, first post.
I corrected those two files because the values didn’t always match the hardware. I checked each parameter. Unfortunately as a new user I can’t add an attachment.

minifridge · May 20, 2025, 12:13am

Thanks, David, I’ve read your updated post over there.

I’ve also noticed some hard-to-pin-down misbehaving using the macOS editor (via NRPN).

At some point I’d like to get a dev environment set up to contribute fixes, no time for now though. Issues aside, I appreciate the implementation is pretty thorough and there’s enough in here to keep me busy actually using the synth.

davidtt · June 8, 2025, 8:16pm

Hi, it took me a while to reply because I was working on a Renoise tool and an effect for Reaper (and not only Reaper if you use ysfx - Releases · JoepVanlier/ysfx · GitHub).
I actually had to make a repo on github (GitHub - David303ttl/Preenfm3-docs-tools: Repository of my JSFX & Renoise tools, documents for Preenfm3.) because, as has been pointed out - people without registration (which is the problem) on the preenfm forum can’t see the attachments.
Went through the code, pulled nrpn, did the initial documentation and tools - it’s better. Pfm3 can’t handle strong modulations from software - cuts notes, chokes.
The jsfx effect only has a slider for midi channel selection, the rest of the parameters are exposed for modulation. I checked in Reaper and Renoise (ysfx as a plugin works without problems).
Dave

minifridge · August 27, 2025, 8:35pm

Anyone know if there is an NRPN for controlling reverb send per layer (mix menu)?

There is a CC for this (CC_MIXER_SEND (#11 )), but I’ve used davidtt’s NRPN docs to set up a comprehensive editor with a faderfox controller, so naturally the PreenFM3 needs to be in NRPN mode…

clearasky · August 28, 2025, 5:43am

I don’t think so, according to the source code, there is some room for improvement in NRPN handling :

github.com/ixox/preenfm3

firmware/Src/midi/MidiDecoder.cpp

65cb96393


      
                      // Wait for midi (USART) to be all sent

                      while (usartBufferOut.getCount() > 0) {

                      }

                  }

              }

          

              // send Usb Anyway

              sendMidiUsbOut();

          }

          

          void MidiDecoder::decodeNrpn(int timbre) {

              if (this->currentNrpn[timbre].paramMSB < 2) {

                  float value = (this->currentNrpn[timbre].valueMSB << 7) + this->currentNrpn[timbre].valueLSB;

                  int index = (this->currentNrpn[timbre].paramMSB << 7) + this->currentNrpn[timbre].paramLSB;

                  int memoryIndex = getMemoryIndexFromMidi(index);

                  int row = memoryIndex >> 2;

                  int encoder = memoryIndex % 4;

          

                  struct ParameterDisplay* param = &(allParameterRows.row[row]->params[encoder]);

          

                  if (row < NUMBER_OF_ROWS_FOR_EDITOR) {

nilsec · April 21, 2026, 8:47am

Anyone still in love with their preenfm3s? I found the UI/UX to be a bit rough to get used to.

KetaFcal · April 21, 2026, 11:21am

I’m thinking about finally starting my build this year.

nilsec · April 21, 2026, 11:49am

hurry up, i hear the DAC are hard to find

KetaFcal · April 21, 2026, 12:02pm

Yeah, I know. I got a kit already, waiting to be soldered.

clearasky · April 22, 2026, 8:07pm

I love it, so much sounds in a small box.
The UI hardware is not so bad in my opinion but using pc editor is a must to get the best out of it !
And there is a browser editor now

nilsec · April 23, 2026, 5:32am

I’m writing an alternative firmware for the preenfm3 from the ground up.

It will be open source. I just finished working on an alternative firmware for the Mutable Instruments Ambika, and there’s a bunch of ideas I had that I though would be better suited for a platform with a more modern chipset. Stay tuned!

cube48 · April 23, 2026, 1:37pm

Man, you are on fire!

gresade · June 4, 2026, 10:45am

I improved the PreenFM3 firmware:

Latest Built of the Firmware is here:

added warp for waveshaping of Operators waveforms
phase offset for Operators, e.g. for waveshaping (freq 0.0 Hz) or phase start at note-on
better DX7 import (e.g. feedback is used)
added sound quality modes
improved sound randomizer
vastly improved LFO including delay, many more waveforms, n-shot modes

The changes should not break compatibility with old patches etc., but the web editor does not have new parameters etc. in there. I used the latest web editor preenfm3 code/branch as the starting point for the additions.

t8p · June 5, 2026, 8:09am

Great, thanks for yr efforts in keeping the PreenFM3 project alive.
I‘ll check out yr firmware version as soon as possible.
Could you give a fm sound design rookie, as I am, some hints regarding the use of warp and phase offset?
Would it be possible for you to collaborate with Toltekradiation who built the web editor? (preenfm2 and preenfm3)