"And Karma is out… I can’t wait to see what you’re all gonna do with it.
"KARMA is free, open-source firmware for the M-VAVE FM-1. It turns the FM-1 into a four-track groovebox: an acid bass or a Juno-style polysynth, physical modelling, two dozen synthesis models and a drum synth, with a 64-step sequencer, song mode, generators that write parts on one chord plan, and a pixel cast that reacts to every note.
Everything you hear in this video was played on the FM-1 and recorded straight into Ableton Live over one USB cable: six separate stems, the MIDI of every track, and the FM-1 following Ableton's clock and play button.
Install it from your browser in about a minute (Chrome or Edge, a USB data cable), try it first in the browser simulator, or edit your sounds and back up your projects with the web editor: https://eatyourgreensstudio-dotcom.gi...
KARMA is built on the work of the FM-1 open-source community: SLOOP by isod89, Felucca by Hügelton Instruments, and code from X0X, FM-106, Melodee, JIANT FM and Mutable Instruments' open-source modules. Full credits are on the website. Not affiliated with M-VAVE.
#mvave #fm1 #synth"
Additional notes from the developer:
"It turns the FM-1 into a four-track groovebox:
- Track 1: an acid bass or a Juno-style polysynth
- Track 2: physical modelling, built on Émilie Gillet's open-source Elements (Mutable Instruments): strike, pluck, bow or blow a resonator
"A generative 1970s Berlin School instrument. Two sequencers drift against each other over a slow drone, their filters breathing; a lead voice dreams above them. Let it play for hours, or play with it: the white keys give you the melody, always in the piece's key, over the sequences and the drone, while the lead plays its own phrases around yours.
NACHTFAHRT plays itself from the moment it is switched on, and it never ends: each piece builds, opens into a solo, drifts through a bridge and starts its long rise again. You are invited in. The white keys play the melody in the piece's scale, so every note fits, and the lead makes room for you. The black keys are effects while held: Rise and Close sweep every filter, Transpose lifts the sequences, Supernova, Twitter and more. SELECT turns the level of the layer you are looking at; PERFORM (SEL) mutes and solos the layers and pushes Filter, Wet and Energy.
WHAT IT PLAYS
Drone. Organ, strings, horn, saws, glass or a choir whose vowel moves, through a slow phaser, with the root an octave below; its chords walk slowly.
Sequence. The arpeggio at the heart of it: a Moog-style line repeated by the echo, its filter wandering, rising over the piece.
Sequence 2. A second line, usually a step shorter, so the two drift apart and meet again; now and then it moves an octave.
Lead. A gliding solo voice far in the reverb, phrasing in calls and answers; or your own melody on the keys.
Atmosphere. Wind, surf, space or tape hiss, where a piece wants it.
Eight pieces after the records of Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze and Ashra (Timewind, Wahnfried, Phaedra, Rubycon, Stratosfear, Sunrain, Mirage, Cyborg) and a ninth of its own (Sakura Rain), each remembering how you left it. Every layer has its sound pages and a Move page, where its filter wanders relative to the knob you set.
To go back to the official firmware, use the installer's "Back to the stock firmware", or M-VAVE's updater, M-UPGRADE, from m-vave.com/download. NACHTFAHRT is based on DUB-1 by sbegueria, itself based on AMB-1 by Charles Vestal; its granular cloud follows JIANT's; the platform is Felucca by Leo Kuroshita (Hügelton Instruments). GPL-3.0. Pictures made with ChatGPT. M-VAVE and FM-1 are trademarks of their owners. NACHTFAHRT is not affiliated with M-VAVE or Hügelton Instruments."
"Skiff 1.3 is out: free, open-source firmware that turns the M-VAVE FM-1 into a six-track groovebox. This video shows what's new in 1.3, set to one song made on it: the FM-1's second core (BETA: 12 voices at once instead of 8), MIDI LEARN and a MIDI channel per track, an INSERT effect on every track, LFO sync, and more from Felucca 1.2 to 1.6.1.
Everything you hear is Skiff 1.3's own code playing that song: the firmware's source, run on a computer so the sound and the screens line up to the frame. Every sound comes from its engines, and every knob turn, mute, MIDI message and effect shown is performed in the firmware. Nothing was added afterwards; only the overall level was set. Every FM-1 screen shown is Skiff's own display, not a mock-up; the MIDI controller is a drawing of the messages the firmware received. A computer has no FM-1 second core, so the run renders those tracks itself with the two-core voice budget; Skiff's tests show the sound is bit for bit the same either way. The CPU figure on screen (60–63 %) was measured on an FM-1 playing six such tracks.
"The K102E is a digital compound oscillator rooted in our original “Island Synthesis” philosophy.
2 independent digital cores are blended via Phase-Modulation, Cross-Fade, or Additive Mix to create dense, animated harmonics—all in a compact Eurorack module.
The K102E is a digital compound oscillator module developed based on the unique "Island Synthesis" philosophy.
Features
3 independent oscillators for rich sound generation
Stable oscillation and diverse wavetable synthesis achieved through DSP processing by microcomputer
Two main oscillators (A/B) function similar to typical complex oscillators
Selection from 3 synthesis methods (phase modulation, multiplication, crossfade)
Hard sync and detune functions
8 types of waveforms following 80's wavetable synthesizers
Reading position controlled by harmonic specification index
Third oscillator (C) functions as an auxiliary oscillator
Selection of any frequency from low to high
Can be used as an LFO or cross-modulator
External control interfaces include standard CV inputs with octave/volt control, CV control for harmonics (wavetable read position), and CV input for alpha parameter of waveform synthesis
"This series' first synthesizer simulation is of a rare Japanese-made bass synthesizer.
This synthesizer possesses features rarely seen in modern synthesizers, such as a unique traveler and simplified oscillator sources.
We has poured its passion for this hard-to-find synthesizer into this simulation software.
Features
・Monophonic synthesizer architecture
・Triangle, Square, Saw, Pulse and Phaser modes
・4’, 8’ and 16’ octave ranges
・Classic Traveler filter
・Twelve factory presets
・Full MIDI CC control
・Separate modern modification section
SynBe is a monophonic bass synthesizer inspired by a 1975 Japanese Synth Bass.
I had wanted one for a long time, but finding one is difficult. Rather than wait for the right unit to appear, I started with what was still available: surviving technical documentation, published circuit information, material from related instruments, and other technical references.
Some sections are well documented. Others are incomplete. Where the original circuit cannot be fully determined, SynBe uses the available evidence, related designs, conventional modelling techniques, and listening tests.
Features
Monophonic synthesizer architecture Triangle, Square, Saw, Pulse and Phaser modes 4’, 8’ and 16’ octave ranges Classic Traveler filter Twelve factory presets Full MIDI CC control Separate modern modification section 2x internal oversampling Versioned DSP kernel Special nice & great graphics by ME! Archaeology
Most of my previous reconstruction projects started with an instrument sitting in front of me.
SynBe did not.
The reconstruction began with surviving technical documentation and circuit information. I also studied material from contemporary and related instruments where the available information was incomplete.
The signal path was reconstructed section by section, from the oscillator and waveform circuitry through the Traveler filter and VCA.
"Polly is free firmware that turns the M-VAVE FM-1 into a pocket arranger, inspired by the Yamaha QY70. Play a chord, and a band of eight instruments follows it.
16 styles, each with an Intro, two grooves, fills and an Ending
Write your own chord progressions, and build songs from them, section by section
Record two melodies along the song, and fix any note in the piano roll
128 General MIDI sounds and a drum kit, with a mixer, reverb and chorus
Make your own grooves, save up to four songs, and back them up from the browser
Play from a MIDI keyboard, send MIDI to your computer, and mirror the screen
New in 0.4: melodies start as a choir, and the Ending stays in tune when you ask for it mid-song.
0:00 Play a chord, and the band follows
0:14 16 styles
0:28 Grooves and fills
0:43 Build a song
0:51 Record melodies
1:02 Edit notes
1:16 Sounds, mixer and effects
Built on Felucca by Hügelton Instruments. The piano roll follows the design of Melodee by Kerem Kilic. Sounds by Sonivox EAS. Polly isn't affiliated with Yamaha or M-VAVE."
"Trix is a software recreation of a Japanese rhythm machine from 1973, built through hands-on analysis of an original unit and its analog circuitry.
Trix uses no samples. Every sound is generated in real time by models based on the original electronic circuits, from the resonant drum voices to the metallic percussion and noise-based sounds.
Features
• 100% synthesized
• Built-in rhythm patterns and sequencer
• Step sequencer and pattern editor
• Individual controls
• Master Tone and Over Drive
• Internal / Host / MIDI clock
• macOS AUv2 / VST3
• Windows VST3
Available for macOS (AUv2 / VST3) and Windows (VST3).
• Plays tunes from the High Voltage SID Collection on a cycle-exact emulated C64, through a 6581 or 8580 SID
• Remix every voice live from the panel or a MIDI keyboard: transpose, mute and solo, swap waveforms, sync and ring mod, envelopes, the filter, an LFO per voice
• Ride the tempo (25–150 %) and a ±8 % vinyl fader
• Three outputs, alone or together: the FM-1's audio jack; USB audio with no driver (the mix, or each voice on its own channel for recording); or real SID hardware over ASID: SidStation, TherapSID, TeensyROM, USBSID-Pico The remix builds on the one I made for the TherapSID.
"Nikolator is a physical modeling synthesizer based on a musical Tesla coil.
Instead of using conventional oscillators or samples, it generates sound by modeling the resonant circuit, discharge and resulting sound in the air.
We have made the Tesla coil itself into a playable software instrument.
Features
・Physical modeling of a musical Tesla coil
・Monophonic and polyphonic modes
・Voltage, current and discharge controls
・Adjustable arc length, branching and channel behavior
・Drive envelope
・4 × 6 modulation matrix
・Paraphonic valve low pass filter
・Twenty-two factory presets and user presets
・MIDI velocity, pitch bend, modulation wheel and sustain pedal with assignable modulation routing
"Hear the M-VAVE FM-1 running custom Oberheim SEM and Dreadbox Hades-inspired sound engines via my private Felucca-Bonszai firmware. Pure synth demo — no talking, just direct tweaking and raw sounds controlled via OXI E16.
FEATURED SOUND ENGINES • SEM — Oberheim SEM-inspired virtual analog engine with two oscillators, continuous LP–Notch–HP filter morphing, bandpass mode, Vintage control, and 8 presets. • Hades — Dreadbox Hades-inspired bass engine with 2 sub-octaves, 3-pole filter, Drive/BODY saturation, and 8 presets. Both engines feature full MIDI Learn and parameter automation (custom digital models inspired by the original hardware).
"What if a pocket synth behaved less like a tool and more like an organism? JIANT FM is a free, open-source alternative firmware for the M-VAVE FM-1, made for playing live and building whole songs without a computer. The screen works like a thermal camera: every engine is a living being drawn in lines that swells, glows and changes shape with what you play. HOME is an ecosystem of four creatures, one per track. What's inside: 🧬 8 synthesis engines, no samples: ANALOG, FM6 (Dexed, imports .syx), PHASE, LOFI with bytebeat, VOICE, WHEEL, NOISE and DRUM-X 🥁 DRUM-X: Microtonic-style synthesized drums with A/B morph, FOLD and FM 🎲 Dice everywhere: SELECT rolls a new sound, and macros land only on what's playing 🎛 A filter on every engine: LP, HP, BP and a COMB tuned to the note ✨ Five reverbs: ROOM, SPRING, SHIMMER, RESO tuned to your scale, and a granular CLOUD that freezes ⚡ Punch-in FX you play on the keys and record as automation 🎼 8 songs with sections, scenes and live chaining, recorded while you play 🔊 An always-on master leveler, so every patch sits at a consistent volume ▶ Try it in your browser (same code, with sound): https://juanjiant-bit.github.io/JIANT/ 💾 Web installer: https://juanjiant-bit.github.io/JIANT... 📖 Source and manual: https://github.com/juanjiant-bit/JIANT A fork of Felucca by Hügelton Instruments, with its song system from SLOOP. GPL-3.0. ⚠️ In development (v0.5): back up your flash before installing. #synth #firmware #MVAVE #FM1 #opensource #synthesizer #bytebeat #granular"
Funicular transforms Playdate into a portable real-time audio effects processor.
Connect an external audio source using a standard CTIA headset splitter, then build a chain of three DSP effects to create everything from tape wobble and vinyl coloration to delay, fuzz, filters and bit crushing.
The DSP engine is written entirely in C and processes live audio with low latency. Effects can be freely reordered, presets can be saved and recalled, and the crank provides an intuitive way to adjust parameters.
"Kepra is a rhythm instrument developed through detailed analysis of an original Japanese vintage programmable rhythm machine.
Rather than relying on sampled sounds, Kepra recreates each instrument by studying the original analog circuits, measuring waveforms, analyzing spectral content, and reproducing their behavior in software.
Developing Kepra felt less like sampling a drum machine and more like studying an archaeological artifact.
Every instrument was investigated through circuit analysis, waveform measurements, timing analysis, and spectral comparison to better understand how the original hardware produced its sound.
Rather than reproducing recordings, Kepra attempts to reconstruct the behavior behind them.
The Missing Instrument
One voice in Kepra did not exist on the original hardware.
The Shaker was designed as an 'imaginary expansion'—a voice inspired by the architecture and character of the original instrument.
Instead of adding a modern sample-based shaker, it was developed by asking a simple question:
'If the original designers had decided to include a shaker, how might they have built it using the same technology?'
The result is not a historical reproduction, but a speculative reconstruction that aims to remain faithful to the design philosophy of the original machine.
Not an Emulator
Kepra is not intended to be a museum piece.
It is a modern rhythm instrument built from careful hardware analysis, extending the ideas of a classic Japanese drum machine into new creative territory."
