M5Stack Tab5 · Performance Synthesizer

Touch it. Shape it. Play it.

Tab5 Synth combines oscillators, microphone sampling, external I2S input, an ADSR envelope, four effects, per-parameter LFOs, presets, an XY pad, and a touch keyboard in one 7-voice instrument.

Make your first sound Open simulator on a separate page

7 voicesUp to seven simultaneous notes

6 sourcesSINE / SAW / SQUARE / TRIANGLE / MIC / I2S

17 targetsAn independent LFO for every AMP and FX parameter

Quick start

The core workflow is simple: select a target, change it with the bottom fader, then play with the keyboard or XY pad.

Choose a source

Tap SINE or SAW. Saw is bright and harmonically rich, making it a strong starting point for leads and pads.

Set the level

Open AMP, select VOL, and raise the horizontal value fader.

Shape the note

Adjust ATK / DEC / SUS / REL. The envelope display follows your settings.

Play

Touch the keyboard. On the XY pad, X controls pitch and Y provides performance position.

Three UI skins

The interface has three visual skins. Changing skin affects appearance only; sound parameters, effects, LFO settings, and currently held state remain unchanged.

RETRO WOOD

Retro Wood

The default skin, with walnut, brass, and warm cream-colored keys.

METAL

Metal

A studio-hardware look using brushed metal, silver edging, and dark control surfaces.

NEON

Neon

A neon digital look using cyan, magenta, lime accents, and a glowing grid.

Tap the upper left

Tap TAB5 / PERFORMANCE SYNTHESIZER at the upper left, or tap the 01 SOURCE title area.

Cycle the skins

Each tap advances WOOD → METAL → NEON → WOOD.

Check the status

The top status line shows WOOD THEME, METAL THEME, or NEON THEME.

Startup skin: the current implementation starts in Retro Wood. Skin choice is not stored in M1–M5.

01 · Sources

The top row chooses what produces the raw sound. The “sing” source mentioned informally is labeled SINE in the UI. Four oscillator waves are joined by microphone sampling and digital I2S input.

SINE

Pure and rounded. Good for sub bass, flute-like tones, and soft leads.

SAW

Bright and rich in harmonics. Good for strings, brass, bass, and bold leads.

SQUARE

Hollow and electronic. Useful for 8-bit tones, basses, and reed-like sounds.

TRIANGLE

Gentle, with slightly more harmonics than sine. Useful for bells and soft bass.

MIC

Records while held and commits on release. Holds under one second are discarded; maximum length is five seconds.

I2S

Receives an external digital audio source. The current input rate is 16 kHz.

MIC workflow: hold MIC for at least one second while making a sound, then release. MIC READY / SAMPLED / READY means the sample can be played. The web simulator demonstrates the UI; actual recording and audio output require Tab5 hardware.

AMP · Level and envelope

AMP controls overall level and how the volume changes from key-down to key-up. Select a knob, then use the shared 0–100 fader at the bottom of the editor.

Tab5 Synth AMP screen — 1AMP / FX / LFO / BANK pages2VOL and ADSR knobs3Envelope display4Shared value fader

Level

VOL: Final output level. Lower it when distortion or polyphonic playing causes the output to build up.

ADSR

ATK: Attack: time from key-down to peak level. Low is sharp; high fades in.
DEC: Decay: time from the peak down to the sustain level.
SUS: Sustain: level held while the key remains down. It is a level, not a time.
REL: Release: time from key-up until silence.

Apress → peakDpeak → holdSwhile heldRrelease → quiet

Examples: for a percussive PLK sound, use a fast ATK, short DEC, and low SUS. For a PAD, increase ATK and REL for a slow entrance and long tail.

FX · Effects

An effect name button both selects the effect and toggles it on or off. Parameters remain editable while bypassed. The three central knobs always belong to the selected effect.

Tab5 Synth FX screen — 1Red lamp means enabled2Selected effect3Three effect parameters4Signal flows left to right

DRY SOURCE›DELAY›CHORUS›DRIVE›CRUSH›OUTPUT

DELAY · Echo

TIME: Gap between the dry note and its echo.
FBK: Feedback amount. Higher values create more repeats.
MIX: Amount of delayed sound mixed with dry sound.

CHORUS · Width

RATE: Speed of the chorus movement.
DEP: Depth of pitch/time modulation.
MIX: Amount of chorus mixed in.

DRIVE · Distortion

DRV: Drive strength and gain.
TON: Brightness balance after distortion.
MIX: Distorted-signal blend; lower values retain more dry attack.

CRUSH · Lo-fi

BITS: Quantization roughness; higher settings create stronger bit-crushing.
RATE: Sample-update reduction for digital aliasing and high-frequency breakup.
MIX: Amount of crushed signal mixed in.

LFO · Automatic modulation

An LFO moves a selected control automatically with a slow waveform. All 17 AMP and FX targets keep their own Rate, Depth, Wave, and on/off state.

Tab5 Synth LFO screen — 1TARGET follows your last parameter2Per-target LFO on/off3RAT and DEP4Four waveforms

Select a target

On AMP or FX, select the parameter you want to move—for example VOL or DELAY TIME.

Open LFO

Switch to LFO and confirm that the TARGET label names the intended control.

Shape the motion

RAT sets speed and DEP sets range. Choose SINE, TRIANGLE, SQUARE, or RND.

Enable it

Tap LFO ON. Choosing another target recalls that target’s independent settings.

Wave	Motion	Typical use
SINE	Rounded, smooth cycle	Vibrato and gentle volume movement
TRIANGLE	Linear rise and fall	Steady mechanical sweeps
SQUARE	Instant switch between two values	Tremolo and rhythmic gating
RND	Random changes	Unstable motion and experimental texture

Color language: amber controls edit the normal BASE value; cyan controls edit LFO settings. On the LFO page, the shared fader changes the selected LFO field, not the target’s base value.

BANK · Presets and memories

Eleven presets provide starting sounds. GTR–SYN load a dedicated harmonic profile and ADSR shape instead of relying on a basic oscillator alone. M1–M5 retain that profile with the complete editing state.

Tab5 Synth BANK screen — 1GTR–SYN fixed presets2RND random patch3M1–M5 work memories4Current slot saves before switching

Buttons	Meaning	Character
GTR / PNO	Guitar / Piano	A decaying string spectrum / a piano profile with a stronger third partial
ORG / REC	Organ / Recorder	Sustained 1:2:3:6 emphasis / fundamental-led tone with weak even harmonics
PAD / PLK / BEL	Pad / Pluck / Bell	Soft sustain / bright short pluck / struck tone with sparse high partials
BRS / BAS / SYN	Brass / Bass / Synth	Strong low harmonics / fundamental-heavy bass / band-limited saw series
RND	Random	An experimental combination of timbre, values, and effects
M1–M5	Memory slots	The slot you leave is saved before the destination is loaded

Tip: pressing SINE, SAW, SQUARE, or TRIANGLE after loading a preset clears its instrument profile and returns to the normal basic waveform.

Performance · XY pad and keyboard

Both the XY pad and the two-octave touch keyboard can trigger notes. Sliding gestures are supported.

PERFORMANCE XY

The X axis covers MIDI 48–96. SEMITONE quantizes to chromatic notes; CONTINUOUS allows smooth pitch. The Y axis is forwarded as performance position for expressive use.

TOUCH KEYBOARD

Play white and black keys directly. Sliding releases the previous note and triggers the next. Up to eight voices allow chords.

White keys
Natural notes C D E F G A B

Black keys
Sharp / flat semitones

Range
About two octaves from C3