ACID or JUNO
303 voice from X0X · Juno voice from FM-106ACID is a TB-303 voice with accents and slides. JUNO is a Juno-106 style polysynth: DCO, an IR3109-style ladder filter and BBD chorus, up to six voices.
Four tracks, a drum synth and a small cast of characters for your FM-1.
KARMA is free custom firmware for the M-VAVE FM-1. An acid bass or a Juno, physical modelling, two dozen synthesis models, a drum synthesizer, a 64-step sequencer and generators that keep writing while you play. It runs on the FM-1 today, and in your browser.
STATUS
Version 3.0 runs on the FM-1. Tested on real hardware: both processor cores, USB audio with stems, MIDI in and out, and sync to a DAW. The installer is open.
START
Three steps, in this order
-
1
Try it in the browser
The simulator runs the actual KARMA firmware on a drawn FM-1. Play it with your keyboard, plug in a MIDI controller, record a video of the screen with sound, and save your patterns to open later.
Open the simulator → -
2
Install it on your FM-1
The web installer flashes KARMA over USB from Chrome or Edge, with no tools to download. Updating keeps your projects and settings, and the same page puts the official firmware back.
Open the installer → -
3
Edit and back up
The web editor connects to the FM-1 over USB to edit sounds, sequences, songs, drum kits and settings, and saves your projects to files on the computer.
Open the editor →
INSIDE
Four tracks, each with its own engine
Every track plays at once from the same 64-step sequencer. Each one keeps its colour across the screens, the LEDs and this page.
ELEMENTS
Built on Mutable Instruments' open-source Elements codePhysical modelling. Strike, pluck, bow or blow a modal resonator and shape its body. The Ominous Voice is in here too.
PLAITS
Built on Mutable Instruments' open-source Plaits code24 synthesis models: virtual analog, waveshaping, FM and 6-op FM, grain, wave terrain, string machine, chiptune, strings, modal, speech, particle and analog drums.
HEX drums
Drum voices from the open-source LXR-02 firmware by Erica SynthsIts drum, snare, cymbal and hi-hat voices, ported to the FM-1: FM, pitch drops, click transients, filters and distortion, synthesised as they play. Five kits ship with it, plus four user kits for your own.
SEQUENCER
64 steps per track
- Chords of up to 4 notes on a step
- Ratchets, accents, slides
- A chance condition per step
- PLAY modes: forward, reverse, pendulum, random, walk, chance, jump, stride
- A song arranger to chain sections
GENERATORS
Loops that write themselves
- GEN writes each synth track's part and keeps it evolving as it plays. Press a key on its page and the whole band moves to that key.
- ACID GEN writes acid lines with the TB-3PO generator.
- DRUM GEN reads a Grids-style drum map with X/Y and a density per lane, or makes Euclidean rhythms.
HARMONY
One key for the whole band
- Set a KEY, a MODE and a chord PROGRESSION, and every GEN track follows it.
- Each track plays its role: an acid bass on the roots, a voice-led line of chord tones, a lead motif that develops over four bars.
EFFECTS
CLOUD, reverb, delay, punch-in
- CLOUD, a granular effect built on the open-source code of Mutable Instruments' Clouds, as a send from each track and each drum sound
- Reverb and delay
- Punch-in performance effects held on the keys: loops, stutter, filters, freeze and more
USB
Audio interface and MIDI
- Class-compliant stereo USB audio at 44.1 or 48 kHz
- USB MIDI in and out: the sequencer plays out as MIDI, one channel a track
- Follows your DAW's clock and play button (SYNC = USB)
- STEMS: six channels into your DAW, tracks 1–3, drums and the FX return, each on its own
CONTROLLERS
Bring your own knobs
- Map a MIDI controller to the FM-1's eight rotaries. An Akai MPK mini's eight knobs line up one to one.
- In the simulator, Web MIDI works when you run it from your own computer.
HOW TO PLAY
The essentials on one screen
Tap a button to open its pages, hold it to turn the keys into its tools. The rest follows from that.
-
01 · GETTING AROUND
Tap for pages, hold for keys
- HOME: the song's tape reels. Hold it for the MENU.
- SELECT walks the pages, ALGORITHM picks the track, PRESETS its sounds.
- Hold a button and the keys become its layer: steps, effects, mixer, note repeat.
-
02 · TRACKS
Four tracks, four characters
- 1 ACID or JUNO, with the Buddha.
- 2 ELEMENTS, the gorilla. 3 PLAITS, the saucer.
- DRUM HEX kits, the drummer. The wizard runs the effects.
-
03 · GEN
Let the band write
- SEQ, then SELECT to GEN: turn it ON and a part is written at once.
- Press a key there: GEN starts and every GEN track moves to that key.
- DRIFT 0 locks it; higher, it varies but keeps its shape.
-
04 · HARMONY
One key, one progression
- KEY, MODE and PROG: from a drone to i – bVI – III – bVII.
- Bass on the roots, a line of chord tones, a lead motif that develops.
- Turn a knob and every GEN track is rewritten to match.
-
05 · DRUMS
GRID, KIT, DRUM GEN
- On the drum screen the white keys are the 16 steps; KNOB 1 picks the sound.
- SEQ steps GRID → KIT → DRUM GEN.
- DRUM GEN: a Grids-style map with X / Y, or Euclidean rhythms.
-
06 · FX AND PUNCH-IN
Hold FX, play the keys
- Hold FX: each key is an effect on the whole mix, while you hold it.
- Tap FX for the pages: delay, reverb, slicer, inserts, CLOUD grains.
-
07 · RECORD AND UNDO
Nothing is lost
- REC records into the selected track; hold it to clear the track.
- EDIT + OCT− undoes, also after GEN. Hold SAVE to save the project.
-
08 · USB
An audio interface, with stems
- Class-compliant USB audio and USB MIDI, no drivers.
- MENU › AUDIO › USB AUDIO = STEMS: six channels into your DAW, each track on its own.
- GLO › SYSTEM › OUT = SEQ: the pattern goes out as MIDI to record in the DAW.
OPEN THE FULL CHEAT SHEETEvery page and knob · printable
The same sheet opens from inside the simulator.
CHARACTERS
Every screen has somebody on it
The pixel art is drawn for KARMA, in the spirit of the OP-1's playful screens. The characters react to the notes you play. These are real screens, rendered from the firmware.
FAQ
Before you install
Can I go back to the official firmware?
Yes. The installer page has a Return to the official firmware section: download M-VAVE's official FM-1 V15, select its file, and it goes back the same way KARMA went on. Save a backup with the editor first: the official firmware cannot open KARMA's projects.
What do I need to install it?
Chrome or Edge on a computer (the installer talks to the FM-1 over Web MIDI, which Safari and Firefox do not offer for this), and a USB cable that carries data. Many cables that come with chargers only carry power, and the FM-1 will not show up with one of those.
I run FM1 Open or another custom firmware. What should I do?
Return to the official V15 firmware first, then install KARMA from there. Going from one custom firmware straight to another is not tested.
Has it been tested on a real FM-1?
Yes. Version 3.0 has been played, recorded and synced on a real FM-1. It is still young: if something misbehaves, report it on GitHub.
Does it cost anything?
No. KARMA is free and will stay free. It is licensed GPL-3.0-only, the source is public, and it is never for sale.
Can I use it as an audio interface?
Yes. Over USB the FM-1 shows up as a class-compliant stereo audio interface at 44.1 or 48 kHz, and as a MIDI device, both named FM-1 KARMA. Set MENU › AUDIO › USB AUDIO to STEMS and it becomes a six-channel interface: each track on its own channel, plus the effects in stereo. Set GLO › SYSTEM › OUT to SEQ and the sequencer plays out as MIDI, and SYNC to USB to start and stop it from the DAW.
SUPPORT
KARMA is free and stays free. If it makes music with you, buy Ariel a coffee.
KARMA is made by one person, Ariel Muchnik, in his own time. A coffee on Ko-fi goes into that time: testing on real hardware, new features and fixes. The firmware, the simulator and the editor stay free and open for everyone either way.
Ko-fi handles the payment. Nothing in KARMA asks you for money.
CREDITS
Built on other people's open work
KARMA is made by Ariel Muchnik. It stands on the code below; each part keeps its own licence.
| PROJECT | WHAT KARMA USES | LICENCE |
|---|---|---|
| Felucca | The firmware KARMA is based on, by Leo Kuroshita, Hügelton Instruments | GPL-3.0 |
| SLOOP | The Felucca fork KARMA grew from, by isod89 | GPL-3.0 |
| X0X | Charles Vestal's TB-303 voice (after Open303, MIT) and his port of TB-3PO from the Phazerville Hemisphere suite | GPL-3.0 |
| FM-106 | PatttF's Juno-106 voice, after ultramaster KR-106 | GPL-3.0 |
| Plaits, Elements, Clouds | Open-source code by Émilie Gillet for Mutable Instruments: the PLAITS models, the ELEMENTS exciters and Ominous Voice, the CLOUD granular effect | MIT |
| Grids | Émilie Gillet's drum maps, read by DRUM GEN | GPL-3.0 |
| LXR-02 firmware | Erica Synths' open-source drum machine firmware: its drum, snare, cymbal and hi-hat voices and click transients, ported to the drum track | GPL-3.0 |
| JIANT FM | The idea of one chord plan for every generated part (and its pitch helpers), and the approach to USB stems, from Juan Jiant's FM-1 firmware | GPL-3.0 |
| DotGothic16 | The pixel font on this page's labels, by the DotGothic16 Project Authors | OFL-1.1 |
FREE FOREVER. NEVER FOR SALE.
KARMA is free software under the GNU General Public License, version 3 only. You may use, study, change and share it. If you pass on KARMA or firmware made from it, pass on its complete source under the same licence.
KARMA is not affiliated with or endorsed by M-VAVE, Mutable Instruments, Erica Synths, Korg, Teenage Engineering, Hügelton Instruments or Juan Jiant. M-VAVE and FM-1 are trademarks of their owners. Mutable Instruments is a registered trademark; KARMA uses the open-source code of its modules and is not a Mutable Instruments product.