KARMA Turns M-VAVE FM-1Into A Groovebox

KARMA turns the M-VAVE FM-1 into a four-track groovebox you play live. It is free, open source (GPL-3.0) and installs from a web browser in about a minute. The same installer page puts M-VAVE's official firmware back. Here's the details direct from its designer...

THE FOUR TRACKS
- 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 modal resonator
- Track 3: the two dozen synthesis models of Émilie Gillet's open-source Plaits (Mutable Instruments)
- Drums: the drum voices of Erica Synths' open-source LXR-02 firmware, ported, with their own kits

SEQUENCER AND SONG
- 64 steps a track, chords of up to 4 notes, ratchets, accents, slides, chance, fills, parameter locks
- Song mode: sections A–D in any order, each for so many bars; live section chains; song recording
- Generators that write every synth part on one key and chord progression, evolving as they play

USB AND DAW
- Shows up as "FM-1 KARMA": a class-compliant audio interface and MIDI device, no driver
- STEMS mode: six channels into the DAW (each track on its own, plus the effects)
- MIDI out of the sequencer (one channel a track) and MIDI in
- Follows the DAW's clock, play button and song position (tested with Ableton Live)

ALSO
- Runs on both of the FM-1's processor cores, so dense patterns and heavy engines stay clean
- Effects: a granular send (built on Mutable Instruments' Clouds), reverb, delay, punch-in effects
- A pixel-art character for each track that reacts to the notes; a reel-to-reel tape visualiser
- A browser simulator running the real firmware, and a web editor for sounds, songs and backups

Pricing and Availability:
Free.

More information:

• KARMA

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