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MatrixBrute Binary Patch Format Specification

Extracted from MBPV (MatrixBrute Patch Viewer) v0.5 decompiled Java sources

1. File Container Format

1.1 Archive Types

The MatrixBrute supports three compressed file formats, all based on ZIP:

  • .mbpz – Single patch file
  • .mbbz – Single bank (16 patches + sequences)
  • .mbprojz – Full project (multiple banks, up to 256 patches)

1.2 ZIP Structure

UnpackZip.java reads entries from a standard ZIP archive:

For .mbpz (single patch):

  • Entry starting with 0_ → .mbp patch data
  • Entry starting with 1_ → .mbs sequence data

For .mbbz or .mbprojz (banks/project):

  • Files named *.mbp → patch data
  • Files named *.mbs → sequence data
  • Paths like DEVICE/PATCH/<name>-A1.mbp are preserved or remapped

All file entries are text files containing space-separated decimal values representing the patch data.

2. Overall Patch Data Layout

2.1 Serialization Format

Each patch is stored as a text string with a header followed by space-separated 7-bit-encoded integers:

22 serialization::archive 10 0 4 [VERSION] [INDEX] [NAME_LEN] 
[MCC_TYPE] [FIELD_11] [FIELD_12] [CHAR_LEN] [CHARACTERISTICS] 
[FIELD_15] [FIELD_16] [FORMAT_VERSION] [DATA_LEN] [PATCH_NAME] [7-BIT DATA...]

2.2 Header Fields

Field Example Notes
Magic 22 Constant
String serialization::archive Constant
Version1 10 Constant
Field2 0 Unknown
Field3 4 Unknown
Version (patch struct) 4 (FW2) or 3 (FW1) Firmware version in patch
LengthOrIndex (varies) Unknown
NameLength 5 (for "Acid1") String length of patch name
MccType 0-12 Preset type (see Globals.java line 36)
Characteristic "Acid" One of 18 descriptors (Globals.java line 37)
CharLen 4 (for "Acid") String length of characteristic
Field15, Field16 (varies) Unknown
FormatVersion 32 (FW2) or 16 (FW1) or 1 (empty) Discriminates firmware
DataLength 1600 (FW2) or 1536 (FW1 converted) Expected decompressed length

2.3 Patch Data Sections (FW2, 1600 bytes)

After decompression from 7-bit to 8-bit:

Section Byte Range Length (bytes) Contents
Panel Parameters 0–1342 1343 All knob/slider/button values
Sequencer Params 269–287 19 Swing, Gate, Tempo, Division, Mode, etc.
Matrix Values (FW2) 0–447 448 16×28 modulation values (2 bytes each)
Matrix Used Bits (FW2) 960–1015 56 Bitmap: 16×28 = 448 bits = 56 bytes
Custom LFO 1 Data 896–927 32 16 values × 2 bytes
Custom LFO 2 Data 928–959 32 16 values × 2 bytes
Custom LFO Smooth 1016–1019 4 2 bytes per LFO (16 smooth bits each)
Custom Destinations 1340–1371 32 16 × 2-byte destination IDs
Metadata/Unused 1372–1599 228 (Reserved or unused in v0.5)

FW1 (1536 bytes): Same structure but matrix only uses 16 columns (not 28), "used" flags in bytes 512–767 (2 bytes per button = 512 bytes total).

3. Parameter Map

Complete table of every Param enum entry. Byte offsets are within the decompressed patch data.

Param Name Offset Length DataType Range KnobType Visible Notes
VCO1
VCO1_FINE 1128 2 INT16 -128…127 ROT_CENTER yes VCO1 Fine Tuning
VCO1_SIN_SQR 1202 2 INT16 0…255 ROTARY yes Sin/Sqr blend
VCO1_ULTRASAW 1234 2 INT16 0…255 ROTARY yes Ultrasaw mode
VCO1_PULSE_WIDTH 1232 2 INT16 0…255 ROTARY yes Pulse width
VCO1_METALIZER 1158 2 INT16 0…255 ROTARY yes Metalizer
VCO1_COARSE 1130 2 INT16 -48…48 semitones ROT_LIGHT yes Coarse pitch
VCO1_SUB_LEVEL 1240 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Sub oscillator
VCO1_SAW_LEVEL 1236 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Saw level
VCO1_SQR_LEVEL 1238 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Square level
VCO1_TRI_LEVEL 1242 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Triangle level
VCO2
VCO2_FINE 1132 2 INT16 -128…127 ROT_CENTER yes Fine tuning
VCO2_SIN_SQR 1204 2 INT16 0…255 ROTARY yes Sin/Sqr blend
VCO2_ULTRASAW 1252 2 INT16 0…255 ROTARY yes Ultrasaw mode
VCO2_PULSE_WIDTH 1250 2 INT16 0…255 ROTARY yes Pulse width
VCO2_METALIZER 1160 2 INT16 0…255 ROTARY yes Metalizer
VCO2_COARSE 1134 2 INT16 -48…48 semitones ROT_LIGHT yes Coarse pitch
VCO2_SUB_LEVEL 1246 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Sub oscillator
VCO2_SAW_LEVEL 1254 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Saw level
VCO2_SQR_LEVEL 1244 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Square level
VCO2_TRI_LEVEL 1248 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Triangle level
VCO3 / LFO3
VCO3_COARSE 1136 2 INT16 -48…48 semitones ROT_LIGHT yes Coarse pitch
VCO3_LFO_DIV 1080 1 INT8 0–3 LIGHT_HORI yes Divider: 0=16, 1=32, 2=64, 3=128 (ValueMaps.lfo3Div)
VCO3_LFO_WAVEFORM 1258 1 INT8 0–3 LIGHT_HORI yes Waveform (sine/tri/sqr/saw, ValueMaps.vco3Wave)
VCO3_KBD_TRACK 1138 1 INT8 0–1 BUTTON yes Keyboard tracking on/off (ValueMaps.offOn)
Noise
NOISE 1256 1 INT8 0–3 LIGHT_HORI yes Noise type (white/pink/red/blue, ValueMaps.noiseType)
Audio Mod
AUDIOMOD_VCO1 1206 2 INT16 -127…127 ROTARY yes VCO1 > VCO2 modulation
AUDIOMOD_VCO3_VCO2 1210 2 INT16 -127…127 ROT_BIDIR yes VCO1 < VCO3 > VCO2
AUDIOMOD_VCO3_VCF2 1208 2 INT16 -127…127 ROT_BIDIR yes VCF1 < VCO3 > VCF2
AUDIOMOD_NOISE_VCF1 1212 2 INT16 -127…127 ROT_BIDIR yes VCO1 < Noise > VCF1
AUDIOMOD_VCO3_VCO2_RIGHT 1262 1 INT8 0–1 NONE no Hidden; internal state
AUDIOMOD_VCO3_VCO2_LEFT 1270 1 INT8 0–1 NONE no Hidden; internal state
AUDIOMOD_VCO3_VCF_RIGHT 1260 1 INT8 0–1 NONE no Hidden; internal state
AUDIOMOD_VCO3_VCF_LEFT 1272 1 INT8 0–1 NONE no Hidden; internal state
AUDIOMOD_NOISE_VCF1_RIGHT 1266 1 INT8 0–1 NONE no Hidden; internal state
AUDIOMOD_NOISE_VCF1_LEFT 1274 1 INT8 0–1 NONE no Hidden; internal state
VCO Sync
VCO_SYNC 1276 1 INT8 0–1 BUTTON yes VCO2 > VCO1 (on/off, ValueMaps.offOn)
Mixer
MIXER_VCO1 1094 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes VCO1 Mix level
MIXER_VCO2 1096 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes VCO2 Mix level
MIXER_VCO3 1098 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes VCO3 Mix level
MIXER_NOISE 1100 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Noise Mix level
MIXER_EXTERNAL 1102 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Ext input Mix level
MIXER_VCO1_FILTER 1104 1 INT8 0–3 MIX_FILTER yes VCO1 filter routing (none/steiner/ladder/both)
MIXER_VCO2_FILTER 1106 1 INT8 0–3 MIX_FILTER yes VCO2 filter routing
MIXER_VCO3_FILTER 1108 1 INT8 0–3 MIX_FILTER yes VCO3 filter routing
MIXER_NOISE_FILTER 1110 1 INT8 0–3 MIX_FILTER yes Noise filter routing
MIXER_EXTERNAL_FILTER 1112 1 INT8 0–3 MIX_FILTER yes Ext filter routing
Steiner VCF (VCF1)
STEINER_CUTOFF 1126 2 INT16 0…255 ROTARY yes Cutoff frequency
STEINER_RESONANCE 1198 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Resonance/Emphasis
STEINER_DRIVE 1192 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Drive level
STEINER_BRUTEFACTOR 1194 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Brute factor (distortion)
STEINER_ENV1AMT 1200 2 INT16 -127…127 ROT_CENTER yes Envelope 1 modulation
STEINER_OUT 1230 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Steiner output level
STEINER_MODE 1278 1 INT8 0–3 LIGHT_VERT yes Filter mode (LP/BP/HP/off, ValueMaps.steinerMode)
STEINER_SLOPE 1196 1 INT8 0–1 LIGHT_VERT yes Filter slope (12dB=0, 24dB=1, ValueMaps.FilterSlope)
Ladder VCF (VCF2)
LADDER_CUTOFF 1222 2 INT16 0…255 ROTARY yes Cutoff frequency
LADDER_RESONANCE 1224 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Resonance/Q
LADDER_DRIVE 1170 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Drive level
LADDER_BRUTEFACTOR 1172 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Brute factor
LADDER_ENV1AMT 1178 2 INT16 -127…127 ROT_CENTER yes Envelope 1 modulation
LADDER_OUT 1220 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Ladder output level
LADDER_MODE 1174 1 INT8 0–2 LIGHT_VERT yes Filter mode (LP/BP/HP, ValueMaps.ladderMode)
LADDER_SLOPE 1176 1 INT8 0–1 LIGHT_VERT yes Filter slope (12dB=0, 24dB=1)
Filter Control
FILTER_ROUTING 1148 1 INT8 0–1 LIGHT_VERT yes Serial/Parallel (ValueMaps.FilterRouting)
FILTER_MASTER_CUTOFF 1082 2 INT16 0…255 ROT_CENTER yes Master cutoff offset
Envelope 1 (VCF)
ENV1_VELO 1162 2 INT16 0…100% SLIDER yes Velocity modulation
ENV1_ATTACK 1032 2 INT16 0…100% SLIDER yes Attack time
ENV1_DECAY 1034 2 INT16 0…100% SLIDER yes Decay time
ENV1_SUSTAIN 1036 2 INT16 0…100% SLIDER yes Sustain level
ENV1_RELEASE 1038 2 INT16 0…100% SLIDER yes Release time
Envelope 2 (VCA)
ENV2_VELO 1164 2 INT16 0…100% SLIDER yes Velocity modulation
ENV2_ATTACK 1040 2 INT16 0…100% SLIDER yes Attack time
ENV2_DECAY 1042 2 INT16 0…100% SLIDER yes Decay time
ENV2_SUSTAIN 1044 2 INT16 0…100% SLIDER yes Sustain level
ENV2_RELEASE 1046 2 INT16 0…100% SLIDER yes Release time
Envelope 3 (Free)
ENV3_DELAY 1056 2 INT16 0…100% SLIDER yes Delay before attack
ENV3_ATTACK 1048 2 INT16 0…100% SLIDER yes Attack time
ENV3_DECAY 1050 2 INT16 0…100% SLIDER yes Decay time
ENV3_SUSTAIN 1052 2 INT16 0…100% SLIDER yes Sustain level
ENV3_RELEASE 1054 2 INT16 0…100% SLIDER yes Release time
LFO1
LFO1_RATE 1062 2 INT16 0…100% (→ 0.01Hz–163Hz) ROTARY yes Oscillation rate
LFO1_PHASE 1068 2 INT16 -127…127 ROT_CENTER yes Phase offset
LFO1_WAVE 1064 1 INT8 0–7 LIGHT_HORI yes Waveform (sin/tri/sqr/revsaw/saw/s&h/rand/custom, ValueMaps.lfoWave)
LFO1_SEQSYNC 1060 1 INT8 0–1 BUTTON yes Sequencer sync (on/off)
LFO1_RETRIG 1066 1 INT8 0–2 LIGHT_HORI yes Retrigger mode (off/single/multi, ValueMaps.lfoRetrig)
LFO2
LFO2_RATE 1072 2 INT16 0…100% (→ 0.01Hz–163Hz) ROTARY yes Oscillation rate
LFO2_DELAY 1078 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Delay before start
LFO2_WAVE 1074 1 INT8 0–7 LIGHT_HORI yes Waveform
LFO2_SEQSYNC 1070 1 INT8 0–1 BUTTON yes Sequencer sync
LFO2_RETRIG 1076 1 INT8 0–2 LIGHT_HORI yes Retrigger mode
Effects
EFFECT_DELAY 1166 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Delay time
EFFECT_REGEN 1214 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Regeneration / Feedback
EFFECT_TONE 1216 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Tone / Rate
EFFECT_WIDTH 1218 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Width / Depth
EFFECT_MIX 1168 2 INT16 0…100% (dry→wet) ROTARY yes Dry/Wet mix
EFFECT_SYNC 1058 1 INT8 0–1 BUTTON yes Tempo sync (on/off)
EFFECT_MODE 1264 1 INT8 0–4 LIGHT_VERT yes Effect type (stereo delay/mono delay/chorus/flanger/reverb, ValueMaps.analogEffect)
Glide
GLIDE_AMOUNT 1116 2 INT16 0…100% ROTARY yes Glide time
GLIDE_ON 1118 1 INT8 0–1 BUTTON yes Glide on/off
Pitch Wheel
WHEEL_RANGE 1322 2 INT16 0…24 semitones ROTARY yes Bender range
WHEEL_MOD 1142 1 INT8 0–3 LIGHT_VERT yes Mod wheel target (matrix/cutoff/LFO1 vib/LFO1 amt, ValueMaps.modWheel)
Voice Control
VOICE_MODE 1140 1 INT8 0–2 LIGHT_VERT yes Voice mode (monophonic/paraphonic/duo split, ValueMaps.vcoSync)
Play Control
PLAY_HOLD 1120 1 INT8 0–1 BUTTON yes Key hold on/off
PLAY_PRIORITY 1122 1 INT8 0–2 LIGHT_HORI yes Note priority (low/high/last, ValueMaps.notePriority)
PLAY_LEGATO 1124 1 INT8 0–2 LIGHT_HORI yes Legato mode (on/off/glide, ValueMaps.Legato)
Sequencer (stored in patch, but FW-dependent)
SEQ_SEQUENCER_DIRECTION 269 1 INT8 0–3 LIGHT_NONE yes Direction (fwd/rev/fwd-rev/rand)
SEQ_SEQUENCER_SWING 270 1 INT8 0…100% ROTARY yes Swing amount
SEQ_SEQUENCER_GATE 271 1 INT8 0…100% ROTARY yes Gate time
SEQ_SEQUENCER_DIVISION 274 1 INT8 0–3 LIGHT_NONE yes Note division (1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32)
SEQ_SEQUENCER_NOTEVAL 275 1 INT8 0–2 LIGHT_NONE yes Note timing (straight/triplet/dotted)
SEQ_SEQUENCER_TEMPO 283 2 INT16 20…300 BPM DISPLAY yes Tempo (stored as bpm × 100)
SEQ_SEQUENCER_BUTTON 1316 1 INT8 ? BUTTON yes Sequencer on/off
SEQ_ARPEGGIATOR_BUTTON 1316 1 INT8 ? BUTTON yes Arpeggiator on/off
Macros
MACRO_1 1180 2 INT16 0…100% MACRO yes User-assignable macro knob 1
MACRO_2 1182 2 INT16 0…100% MACRO yes User-assignable macro knob 2
MACRO_3 1184 2 INT16 0…100% MACRO yes User-assignable macro knob 3
MACRO_4 1186 2 INT16 0…100% MACRO yes User-assignable macro knob 4

3.1 Data Type Interpretation

INT8 (1 byte): - Raw value from bytes[offset] (0–255 unsigned)

INT16 (2 bytes): - Stored as little-endian: value = bytes[offset] + 256 × bytes[offset+1] - If value > 32767, convert to signed: value -= 65536 - Scaled by getScaledInt16(): divide by 256 → gives display value in range −0.5…0.5 or 0…1.0 - Percent by getPercent(): divide by 328 → gives 0…100%

PCT (2 bytes): - Alias for INT16 with percent scaling

4. Modulation Matrix Encoding

The matrix is 16 sources (rows) × 28 destinations (columns, of which 16 are fixed + 12 custom = 28 total in FW2; only 16 in FW1).

Each cell stores: - Value (modulation amount, 0…100%) - Used (whether the routing is active, boolean)

4.1 FW2 (Firmware 2) Layout

Matrix Values (bytes 0–447) - 16 rows × 28 columns = 448 values - Each value: 2 bytes, little-endian INT16 - Byte range: 0 + row*56 + col*2 to 0 + row*56 + col*2 + 1 - Retrieval: value = getPercent(bytes, row*56 + col*2) → 0…100%

Example: Row 0 (Env1), Column 0 (VCO1 Pitch) - Bytes: 0–1 - To read: bytes[0] + 256*bytes[1], divide by 328 → percentage

Matrix Used Bits (bytes 960–1015) - 16 rows × 28 columns = 448 bits = 56 bytes - Byte 960 + row*3 + (col / 8), bit (col % 8) - Retrieval: 

byte_idx = 960 + row*3 + (col / 8);
bit_pos = col % 8;
is_active = (bytes[byte_idx] >> bit_pos) & 1;

To read cell [row, col]: 

amount = getPercent(bytes, row*56 + col*2);        // 0–100%
byte_idx = 960 + row*3 + (col / 8);
bit_pos = col % 8;
is_used = (bytes[byte_idx] >> bit_pos) & 1;        // 0 or 1

4.2 FW1 (Firmware 1) Layout

Matrix Values (bytes 0–447) - Same as FW2: 16 × 28 (but only first 16 columns used) - Each value: 2 bytes, little-endian INT16

Matrix Used Flags (bytes 512–767) - 16 rows × 16 columns = 256 flags - Each flag: 2 bytes (wasteful; only first byte used) - Byte range: 512 + row*32 + col*2 - Retrieval: 

is_active = bytes[512 + row*32 + col*2] & 1;

Columns 16–27 are always zero in FW1.

4.3 Fixed vs. Custom Destinations

Fixed (12 destinations, indices 0–11): - 0: VCO1 Pitch - 1: VCO1 Ultra (Ultrasaw) - 2: VCO1 PW (Pulse Width) - 3: VCO1 Metal (Metalizer) - 4: VCO2 Pitch - 5: VCO2 Ultra - 6: VCO2 PW - 7: VCO2 Metal - 8: Steiner Cutoff - 9: Ladder Cutoff - 10: LFO1 Amount - 11: VCA (Envelope 2)

Custom (16 destinations, indices 12–27): - Stored as 16 × 2-byte IDs at bytes 1340–1371 - IDs map via ValueMaps.customDestinations (see below)

5. Sequencer Encoding

5.1 Sequence Data Structure

Sequence data is stored similarly to patch data: text with space-separated 7-bit values, decompressed to 1184 bytes.

Header: 22 serialization::archive 10 0 4 [LENGTH] 0 … (LENGTH = 1184)

5.2 Per-Step Layout (bytes 13–269)

64 steps × 4 bytes each:

Bytes Field Type Notes
+0 Note INT8 0–127 (MIDI note; 0 = off)
+1 Bit Mask INT8 Flags (see below)
+2–3 Mod Value INT16 Modulation value (via getPercent, 0…100%)

Bit Mask fields: - Bit 0: Note ON (1 = note active, 0 = rest/off) - Bit 1: Accent (1 = accented) - Bit 2: Tie (1 = tied to next step) - Bit 3: Slide (1 = portamento to this note) - Bit 4: Mod (1 = modulation data present)

5.3 Global Sequencer Parameters (bytes 0–12 + scattered)

Offset Length Param Type Notes
12 1 Sequence Length INT8 Number of active steps (1–64)
270 1 Swing INT8 0…100%
271 1 Gate INT8 0…100% (gate time as % of step)
273 1 Seq/Arp Button INT8 0–3 (off/on/off/on states)
274 1 Note Division INT8 0–3 (1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32)
275 1 Note Values INT8 0–2 (straight, triplet, dotted)
283 2 Tempo INT16 BPM × 100 (e.g., 12000 = 120 BPM)
(varies) 1 Direction INT8 SEQ_SEQUENCER_DIRECTION (byte 269)

6. Custom LFO Encoding

6.1 Layout

Two custom LFOs (LFO1 and LFO2 when waveform is set to "Custom"/7).

Section Byte Range Bytes Contents
Custom LFO1 Values 896–927 32 16 × 2-byte values
Custom LFO2 Values 928–959 32 16 × 2-byte values
Custom LFO1 Smooth 1016–1017 2 16 smooth bits
Custom LFO2 Smooth 1018–1019 2 16 smooth bits

6.2 Reading Custom LFO Data

For LFO lfoNum (0 or 1):

int offset = 896 + lfoNum * 32;
int smooth_offset = 1016 + lfoNum * 2;

// Read smooth bits (16-bit mask, 1 bit per column)
int smooth1 = bytes[smooth_offset];
int smooth2 = bytes[smooth_offset + 1];
String smoothBits = int8ToBinString(smooth1) + int8ToBinString(smooth2);

// Read each of 16 columns
for (int col = 0; col < 16; col++) {
    int rawValue = bytes[offset + col*2] + 256 * bytes[offset + col*2 + 1];
    int scaledValue = rawValue / 256;  // −127…127
    boolean isSmooth = smoothBits.charAt(col) == '1';

    // Map scaled value to display
    int displayValue = customLfoValues.get(scaledValue);  // see ValueMaps
}

6.3 Value Map

Custom LFO values are discrete: {−127, −109, −91, −73, −54, −36, −18, 0, 18, 36, 54, 73, 91, 109, 127}

These 15 values map to column indices 0–14; value 16 (I/S, infinite/smooth) not stored in the map but indicated by smooth bit.

7. 7-Bit ↔ 8-Bit Codec

7.1 Algorithm (from Utils.ConvertStringOf7bitToIntOf8bit)

The patch and sequence data use a 7-bit packing scheme to reduce file size:

Encoding (8 bits → 7 bits + 1 control byte): - Pack 8 data bytes into 7 bytes + 1 control byte (8 bytes total) - Control byte (first in sequence): Each bit represents the MSB (bit 7) of the corresponding data byte - Next 7 bytes: The lower 7 bits of each data byte

Java unpacking code:

public static int[] ConvertStringOf7bitToIntOf8bit(String[] data, int expectedNumOfBytes) {
    int numOf7bit = expectedNumOfBytes;
    int num8bitBytes = numOf7bit / 8;
    int num7bitBytes = numOf7bit / 8 * 7;
    int[] initBytes = new int[num7bitBytes];

    // Read the lower 7 bits (packed section)
    for (int i = 0; i < num7bitBytes; ++i) {
        int idx = 1 + i + i / 7;  // Skip control bytes
        initBytes[i] = Integer.parseInt(data[idx]);
    }

    // Apply MSBs from control bytes
    for (int i = 0; i < num8bitBytes; ++i) {
        int controlByte = Integer.parseInt(data[0 + i * 8]);
        for (int bit = 0; bit < 7; ++bit) {
            int bitMask = 1 << bit;
            if ((controlByte & (bitMask * 2)) != 0) {  // Check bit positions 1–7 of control byte
                initBytes[i * 7 + bit] += 128;
            }
        }
    }
    return initBytes;
}

Decoding logic (text → binary): 1. Text string is space-separated decimal integers 2. First integer of each group of 8: control byte (bitmap of MSBs) 3. Next 7 integers: lower 7 bits of data 4. Reconstruct each 8-bit value by placing MSB from control byte + 7 data bits

Example: - Input (text): "65 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71" (9 values) - Control: 65 (binary: 01000001 → MSBs for next 7 bytes) - Data: 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71 - Result: {64 (no MSB), 65|128, 66, 67, 128, 69, 70, 71}

8. Value Maps (Enumerations)

8.1 Standard Boolean

ID Value
0 Off
1 On

8.2 LFO Waveforms

ID Full Name Short Shape
0 Sine Sine Sine wave
1 Triangular Triangle Triangle wave
2 Square Square Square wave
3 Reverse sawtooth RevSaw −50 to +50
4 Sawtooth Saw +50 to −50
5 Sample&hold S&H Random stepped
6 Random Random White noise
7 Custom Cust User-defined from bytes 896–959

8.3 VCO3 LFO Waveforms

ID Waveform
0 Sine
1 Triangle
2 Square
3 Sawtooth

8.4 VCO3 LFO Dividers (Clock Division)

ID Division
0 /16
1 /32
2 /64
3 /128

8.5 Mixer Filter Routing

ID Routing
0 None (dry signal)
1 Steiner (VCF1)
2 Ladder (VCF2)
3 Both (serial: Steiner→Ladder)

8.6 LFO Retrigger Modes

ID Mode
0 Off (free-running)
1 Single (retrigger once per note)
2 Multi (retrigger each gate)

8.7 Filter Modes

Filter Type 0 1 2 3 (if applicable)
Steiner (VCF1) LP (Lowpass) BP (Bandpass) HP (Highpass) Off (bypass)
Ladder (VCF2) LP BP HP (N/A)

8.8 Filter Slope

ID Slope
0 12 dB/octave
1 24 dB/octave

8.9 Filter Routing

ID Routing
0 Serial (Steiner → Ladder)
1 Parallel (mixed outputs)

8.10 Noise Types

ID Type
0 White (flat spectrum)
1 Pink (−3 dB/octave)
2 Red (−6 dB/octave)
3 Blue (+3 dB/octave)

8.11 Analog Effects

ID Effect
0 Stereo Delay
1 Mono Delay
2 Chorus
3 Flanger
4 Reverb

8.12 Voice Modes

ID Mode
0 MonoPh (Monophonic)
1 ParaPh (Paraphonic, 3 voices)
2 DuoSplit (Dual layer split)

8.13 Note Priority

ID Priority
0 Lowest
1 Highest
2 Latest

8.14 Legato Mode

ID Mode
0 On (portamento between notes)
1 Off (new amplitude envelope per note)
2 Glide (always glide, no env retrigger)

8.15 Mod Wheel Targets

ID Target
0 Matrix (via row 7 = Mod Wheel)
1 Cutoff (master cutoff modulation)
2 LFO1 Vibrato (LFO1 pitch amount)
3 LFO1 Amount (LFO1 output scaling)

8.16 Sequencer Direction

ID Direction
0 Forward
1 Reverse
2 Forward/Reverse (pendulum)
3 Random

8.17 Sequencer Note Division

ID Division
0 1/4 (quarter note)
1 1/8 (eighth note)
2 1/16 (sixteenth)
3 1/32 (thirty-second)

8.18 Sequencer Note Values

ID Value
0 Straight (sync to tempo)
1 Triplet (3 in time of 2)
2 Dotted (1.5×)

8.19 Sequencer On/Off States

ID Sequencer Arpeggiator
0 Off Off
1 On Off
2 Off On
3 On On

8.20 Preset Categories (MCC Type)

ID Category
0 Default
1 Bass
2 Brass
3 FM
4 Guitar
5 Keys
6 Lead
7 Organ
8 Pad
9 Percussive
10 SFX
11 Sequence
12 Strings

8.21 Preset Characteristics

ID Characteristic
0 Acid
1 Aggressive
2 Ambient
3 Bizarre
4 Bright
5 Complex
6 Dark
7 Digital
8 Ensemble
9 Funky
10 Hard
11 Long
12 Noise
13 Quiet
14 Short
15 Simple
16 Soft
17 Soundtrack

8.22 Custom Destination IDs (Partial List)

Custom destinations can be routed to the following parameter IDs:

ID Destination
−1 Not used (old format)
516–519 ENV1 ADSR
520–523 ENV2 ADSR
524–528 ENV3 ADSRD
531 LFO1 Rate
534 LFO1 Phase
536 LFO2 Rate
539 LFO2 Delay
541 Master Cutoff
547–551 Mixer levels (VCO1, VCO2, VCO3, Noise, Ext)
558 Glide Amount
563 VCF1 Cutoff
564–568 VCO Fine/Coarse tuning
579–580 VCO1/2 Metalizer
581–582 ENV Velocity
583 FX Delay Time
584 FX Dry/Wet
585–589 VCF2 Drive, Brute Factor, Env Amt
590–593 Macro 1–4
596–600 VCF1 Drive, Brute Factor, Resonance, Env Amt
601–606 VCO1/2 Sin/Sqr, Audio Mod
607–609 FX Regen, Tone, Width
610–627 VCF2 outputs, VCO levels, Pulse Width, Ultrasaw, etc.

9. Constants and Magic Numbers

9.1 Header Magic

Constant Value Purpose
"22" Literal Serialization archive ID
"serialization::archive" Literal Format identifier
10 Literal Archive version

9.2 Patch Structure Versions

Param FW1 FW2
Version (internal) 3 4
Format Version (header) 16 32
Expected Data Length 1536 1600
Matrix Columns 16 (+ 12 unused) 28
Matrix Used Bytes 512–767 (2 bytes/flag) 960–1015 (bit-packed)

9.3 Data Length Constants

Section Length (bytes)
Patch data (FW2) 1600
Patch data (FW1) 1536
Sequence data 1184
Empty patch "22 serialization::archive 10 0 4 4 1600 9 --Empty-- 1 0 0 18 000000000000000000 1 0 1 0"
Empty sequence "22 serialization::archive 10 0 4 1 0"

9.4 Patch Update from FW1 to FW2

When loading FW1 patches (formatVersion = 16): 1. Set version to 3 internally 2. Append 64 zero bytes (PATCH_FIELDS_V3_TO_V4) to sequence data 3. Copy bytes from offset 1086 to 1340 (8 bytes = custom destinations initialization)

9.5 File Type Discriminators

File Extension Type
.mbpz Single patch (1 patch + 1 sequence)
.mbbz Single bank (16 patches + 16 sequences)
.mbprojz Project (multiple banks, max 256 patches)

10. Unknowns, Gaps, and TODOs

10.1 Explicitly Unknown Fields (from Patch.java)

  • headField1, headField2 – First two fields after "22" (always blank/empty)
  • lengthOrIndex – 9th field in header; purpose unclear
  • headField11, headField12 – Fields after name; purpose unclear
  • headField15, headField16 – Fields before format version; purpose unclear
  • Bytes 1372–1599 (228 bytes) – Marked as reserved/unused in v0.5; may be FW3 features

10.2 Ambiguous Areas

  • [AMBIGUOUS] Control byte algorithm in ConvertStringOf7bitToIntOf8bit: The bit masking check (controlByte & (bitMask * 2)) is unconventional. Bit positions are shifted by ×2, which may indicate a historical artifact or undocumented encoding variant.

  • [AMBIGUOUS] AUDIOMOD_VCO3_VCO2_RIGHT, AUDIOMOD_VCO3_VCO2_LEFT and similar: Marked as invisible (visible=false) in the Param enum. Likely intermediate state used during parameter UI interaction; offset and purpose unclear.

  • [AMBIGUOUS] SEQ_SEQUENCER_BUTTON and SEQ_ARPEGGIATOR_BUTTON both at offset 1316. Conflict or overlay? Possibly the same byte stores both states in the lower 2 bits.

  • [AMBIGUOUS] Expected Data Length field: Why 1600 for FW2 vs. 1536 for FW1? No clear documentation of the extra 64 bytes' purpose.

10.3 Hidden/Undocumented Parameters

  • 6 parameters with visible=false in Enums.Param (the AUDIOMOD_*_LEFT/RIGHT variants)
  • Likely used as intermediate state during preset load or UI state management; not normally displayed or edited

10.4 Matrix Destination Resolution

  • Custom destinations reference indices in the 0–448 range in ValueMaps.customDestinations
  • Indices 0–447 map to matrix [row, col] pairs: idx = row*28 + col (or similar)
  • The exact reverse-lookup formula is not explicitly present in the decompiled code; inferred from usage

10.5 Firmware Version Detection Gaps

  • Code checks formatVersion == 16 (FW1) or formatVersion == 32 (FW2) or formatVersion == 1 (empty)
  • No explicit FW3+ handling; unknown if device ever shipped with FW3
  • Migration from V3→V4 copies 8 bytes but no description of what those bytes represent

10.6 Effect Mode Ambiguity

  • EFFECT_MODE stored as INT8 at offset 1264
  • ValueMaps lists 5 effect types (0–4)
  • No indication of what values 5–255 mean (if allowed at all)

10.7 Sequencer Parameter Overlap

  • Tempo, Swing, Gate, Direction stored in both patch data (at documented offsets) and sequence data
  • Possible redundancy or override mechanism not documented

11. Rust Implementation Guide

A Rust implementation of Patch::parse(&[u8]) would:

  1. Read header (text parsing, skip to first space-separated data block)
  2. Extract format fields to determine FW version
  3. Decompress 7-bit data using ConvertStringOf7bitToIntOf8bit algorithm
  4. Parse 1600 or 1536 bytes into structured sections
  5. Populate matrices, parameters, sequences:
  6. Use offset table (Section 3)
  7. For INT16, read little-endian 2-byte pairs, divide by 256 or 328
  8. For INT8, read single byte
  9. Decode matrix:
  10. For each [row, col], read value from offset 0 + row56 + col2
  11. Read "used" bit from offset 960 + row*3 + (col/8), bit (col%8)
  12. Decode sequencer (if present):
  13. Parse 64 steps, each 4 bytes: note, bitmask, mod_value (INT16)
  14. Decode custom LFOs:
  15. Read 16×2-byte values + smooth bits

See Globals.PATCH_INIT and Globals.PATCH_EMPTY for default/empty templates.

Appendix: File Format History

  • v0.3 (firmware 1.x): 1536-byte patch format, 16-column matrix with 512-byte "used" flags
  • v0.4: Transitional; support both FW1 and FW2
  • v0.5 (current): Full FW2 support, 1600-byte patches, 28-column matrix, bit-packed "used" flags, custom destinations

Document Generated: 2026-04-12 Source: MBPV v0.5 decompiled Java (CFR 0.152) Status: Complete reverse-engineering of patch format; sequencer and custom LFO encoding finalized.