FM-1 and browser
Lead the band.
Pick a song, call a solo, then turn Then → Now. Start with your volume down and bring it up once the band is playing.
1. Call your first tune
- On FM-1, press EDIT to open Songs and turn PRESETS to find a tune.
- Press PLAY to load it. If the band is stopped, press PLAY again to start.
- Bring up MASTER. Press ARP to give Leon a turn.
- Press SEQ to play notes. Turn SELECT to choose your live instrument.
If the band is already playing, you can browse while it carries on. Confirm with PLAY and the new tune and its tempo arrive at the bar line. The display shows QUEUED and then APPLIED.
Try REC for New Tune. It composes an original Western swing arrangement. While the band is playing, the change joins at a bar line.
2. Find it on the panel
| FM-1 label | What it does |
|---|---|
| PLAY | Start or stop on the playing pages. Confirm a song in Songs or recall a slot in Keeps. |
| REC | Compose a New Tune. |
| HOME / SELECT | HOME opens Conduct. Turn SELECT to choose the live instrument for Play Keys. |
| EDIT / PRESETS | Open and browse Songs. PRESETS also pages through Bob calls or Keeps when those modes are open. |
| SEL | Open Band. Use the labeled white keys to mute or bring back each automatic player. |
| SEQ | Open Play Keys. The keyboard plays the selected live instrument. |
| ARP / FX | Call Leon or ask for a fill. |
| GLO | Open Bob’s call pads. Press again to jump to the next populated family. |
| ENV / LFO | Open Sound or Style. Follow the knob labels on screen. |
| OCT− / OCT+ | Move the live keyboard down or up an octave. A brief press of both resets the octave. |
| SAVE | Open temporary Keeps. Press again to store the setup in the selected slot. |
Band switches affect the automatic players. Your live keyboard can still play. Temporary pages return to Conduct after eight idle seconds. Conduct, Play Keys and Bob’s pads stay selected until you change pages.
3. Your turn to call it
Press HOME for Fill, Break, Leon, Theme, Ending, All In, Auto Bob and Source Solos. Try Break, let the band find the space, then call Theme. Allow a cue to reach its musical boundary before calling again.
To play calls directly, press GLO, use PRESETS to find the family you want, and play the labeled keys. The last three keys give you Leon, Holler and Random. SEQ opens the playing keys.
4. Take it from Then to Now
- Then → Now. turn ALGORITHM from any page. The guitar, bass and drums shift toward the electronic band.
- Funk. press LFO, then turn knob 1. Start with a little, then try it with Now turned up.
- Fiddle colour. press ENV, then turn knob 3 to blend the bowed sound toward a synth fiddle.
- Tempo and swing. start on Home and use the on-screen knob labels. On Songs, the second knob edits key.
5. Try the browser band
Choose a Classic in Bob’s Record Book, then press Play the Band to enable browser sound. The New Tune, Play Bob, Then → Now and Funk controls are also available in the player.
Enable Concert · Keep Playing to hear the set in order. The current tune reaches its ending, Bob fills the gap and the next tune starts at its own tempo. Switch off Keep Playing to finish on the current tune or use the transport to stop immediately.
The browser and FM-1 use different audio packages. Available call clips and instrumental extracts depend on the edition.
6. Keep a setup or read the score
Press SAVE, choose one of eight Keeps with SELECT or PRESETS, then press SAVE again. To recall it, choose its slot and press PLAY. Keeps live in memory and clear when you reload or power off.
Classics can offer melody-head MIDI and MusicXML in the browser. Open Song downloads. The downloads contain the written head. New Tune is a composer. BB-BOB has no audio recorder or full-band export.
7. If the band goes quiet
- Check the volume, audio output and muted band chairs. In a browser, press the Play button once to unlock audio.
- If the screen is on Songs, PLAY confirms the selection first. HOME returns to the playing controls.
- If your keys play calls, press SEQ to play notes.
- For installation or recovery, use the instructions paired with the exact firmware package.