EA-1
Pattern Library

Requirements

• Browser: Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. Firefox and Safari do not support Web MIDI.
• MIDI interface: A USB-MIDI interface with SysEx support, connected to the EA-1's MIDI IN and OUT.
• EA-1 settings: Global channel and SysEx should be enabled. Check the EA-1 global settings (hold GLOBAL while powering on).
• HTTPS: Must be served from a secure https:// URL — local file:// will not work.

MIDI Connection

1. Connect your EA-1 via USB-MIDI interface (MIDI IN + MIDI OUT).
2. Open the editor in Chrome or Edge and grant MIDI access.
3. Click ⏻ Connect MIDI in the top bar. Available ports will appear in the dropdowns.
4. Select the correct input and output ports for your interface.
5. Click 🔍 Detect ID to auto-detect the EA-1's device ID. The ID badge in the header will update.

Interface Overview

The editor has three main zones:

• Left sidebar — bank selector (A–D), dump/send controls, import/export buttons.
• Center panel — switches between Library, Send Queue, Song Mode, and Setup views.
• Right panel — pattern detail editor with Global, Part 1, and Part 2 tabs.

View	Description
Library	Grid of all 256 pattern slots across 4 banks. Click a slot to select it and view its details on the right.
Send Queue	Drag patterns here to batch-send to specific slots on the EA-1.
Song Mode	Build and write a song — a sequence of pattern steps — to the EA-1.
Setup	MIDI port configuration, device ID, and MIDI monitor.

Library View

The library shows all 256 pattern slots organized into 4 banks (A, B, C, D — 64 patterns each). Click the bank pills in the left sidebar to switch banks. Click any pattern slot to select it.

Dumping patterns from the EA-1

Before you can edit, you need to dump the patterns from your hardware into the editor:

Button	What it does
⬇ Dump x256	Sequential dump — sends 256 Program Changes one by one, then requests each pattern. Recommended for TR-8 passthrough setups. Slower but reliable.
⬇ Cur	Dumps only the currently active pattern on the EA-1. Fast and useful for checking individual patterns.
⬇ All directo	Requests all 256 patterns in a single bulk SysEx dump. Faster but can fail over passthrough setups.
⬇ Songs	Dumps all song data from the EA-1.

Exporting and importing

• 💾 .syx — exports all pattern data as a SysEx file for backup.
• 📂 Import — loads a .syx file into the library slots.
• 📋 Export JSON — saves the full library as JSON (includes pattern names if you've added them).
• 📋 Import JSON — loads a previously saved JSON library.

Sending patterns to the EA-1

• ⬆ Send All — writes all 256 patterns from the library to the EA-1. This overwrites everything on the hardware.
• To send individual patterns, use the Send Queue (see below).

Send Queue

The Send Queue lets you send selected patterns to specific slots on the EA-1 without overwriting everything.

1. In the Library view, select a pattern and click ▶ Añadir a Send Queue in the detail panel.
2. Switch to the Send Queue view.
3. For each pattern in the queue, set the destination slot on the EA-1 using the source → destination selector.
4. Click ⬆ Enviar todo al EA-1 to write only those patterns.
5. Use ✕ Limpiar cola to clear the queue.

Song Mode

Song Mode lets you build a sequence of pattern steps and write it to the EA-1's song memory.

• Click + Step to add a pattern step to the song. Each step references a pattern slot.
• Click ✕ Clear to erase the current song.
• Click ♪ Añadir a Song Mode from the detail panel to quickly add the selected pattern as the next step.
• Click ⬆ Write Song to send the song to the EA-1.

Setup View

The Setup view contains MIDI configuration and the MIDI monitor.

MIDI Ports

Select your input and output ports here. Click Detect to auto-detect the EA-1's device ID from the selected ports.

MIDI Monitor

Shows all incoming and outgoing MIDI messages in real time — useful for debugging SysEx issues.

• ⏸ Pausar — freezes the monitor display without stopping MIDI reception.
• 🗑 Limpiar — clears the monitor log.
• 📋 Copiar — copies the monitor contents to clipboard.

Detail Panel — Global Tab

When a pattern is selected in the library, the right-hand detail panel shows its parameters. The Global tab shows pattern-level settings:

Parameter	Description
Tempo	Pattern BPM (40–240)
Scale / Beat	Rhythmic subdivision (1/8, 1/16, 1/32, etc.)
Pattern Length	Number of steps (1–64)
Swing	Swing/shuffle amount
Delay Time	Delay effect time
Delay Depth	Delay wet level
Chorus Depth	Chorus wet level
Chorus Time	Chorus rate/time

Detail Panel — Part 1 & Part 2

The EA-1 has two synthesis parts. Each part tab shows the full synth parameters stored in the pattern:

Parameter	Description
OSC1 / OSC2 Wave	Waveform selection for each oscillator
OSC Mode	Ring modulation, Sync, or Decimator
Pitch Offset	Relative pitch adjustment for OSC2
Balance	Mix between OSC1 and OSC2
Cutoff	Filter cutoff frequency
Resonance	Filter resonance (Q)
EG Int	Envelope modulation amount on the filter
EG Decay	Envelope decay time
Distortion	On/off + distortion level
Level	Part output volume
Portamento	Glide time between notes
Motion Seq	Motion sequence type (smooth / step)

Live NRPN Control

All Part 1 and Part 2 parameters in the detail panel send NRPN messages to the EA-1 in real time as you move the knobs and sliders. You don't need to press send — changes go to the hardware immediately.

This means you can use the editor as a real-time synth controller while the EA-1 is playing a pattern — tweak filter, resonance, oscillator mode and hear the result instantly.

Preview mode

The detail panel has a preview play button and two preview modes:

• BROW — plays a preview using the browser's audio engine (no MIDI required). Deliberately emulates a PC speaker sound — a nod to the era when the MT-32 and EA-1 were at their peak. Don't expect hi-fi; expect vintage vibes.
• EA·1 — triggers a note on the EA-1 via MIDI to preview the current sound on the hardware.

Dump Methods — Explained

The EA-1 has multiple SysEx dump types. Here's when to use each:

Method	When to use
Dump x256 (sequential)	Most reliable. Sends Program Changes to step through each pattern, then dumps it. Works over TR-8 passthrough. Takes ~1–2 minutes.
Cur (current pattern)	Fast. Dumps whichever pattern is currently active on the EA-1. Best for checking or capturing one pattern quickly.
All directo	Sends a single bulk request. Fast but can fail on passthrough setups — use only with direct connection.
Songs	Dumps song data only. Use after retrieving patterns first.

Troubleshooting

Detect ID returns nothing

• Check that MIDI OUT from your interface goes to MIDI IN on the EA-1, and vice versa.
• Try manually setting the Device ID to 00 in the Setup view.
• Some EA-1 units need to have "SysEx" enabled — check the EA-1 global settings.

Dump x256 stops partway through

• Close any other MIDI software (DAW, etc.) that might be competing for the port.
• Try a shorter USB cable or a different USB port.
• Some cheap MIDI interfaces drop SysEx bytes. A quality interface (Roland, MOTU, RME) solves this.

Patterns dump as empty

• The EA-1 only dumps patterns that have data stored. Empty factory slots return empty SysEx — that's normal.
• If all patterns return empty, verify the connection: try ⬇ Cur while a pattern is playing on the EA-1.

NRPN has no effect on the EA-1

• Make sure the MIDI channel in the editor matches the EA-1's global MIDI channel.
• Confirm the MIDI output port is correct in Setup.
• Try 🔍 Detect ID again to re-sync the device channel.

Send All completed but the EA-1 sounds the same

• Power-cycle the EA-1 after a full Send All — some units need a restart to refresh pattern memory.
• Check the MIDI monitor for any error messages during the transfer.