GATOR

A macro-oscillator firmware for the M-VAVE FM-1, inspired by Mutable Instruments Plaits
Web installer · Manual · Releases · Building

GATOR (as in alligator) turns the M-VAVE FM-1 into a monophonic macro-oscillator synth, inspired by Mutable Instruments Plaits. Its sound engine is the open-source DSP code of Emilie Gillet's Plaits (MIT), unchanged, with the module's CV inputs replaced by a modulation matrix and its knobs by the FM-1's encoders. GATOR is an independent project, not affiliated with or endorsed by Mutable Instruments.

• 24 synthesis models in 3 banks: virtual analog, waveshaping, FM (2-op and DX7-style 6-op), formant, harmonic, wavetable, chords, speech, granular, noise, physical models and drums
• a low-pass gate with DECAY and COLOUR, OUT / AUX mix and stereo spread
• an ADSR envelope (1 ms … 10 s), two LFOs with six shapes, an 8-slot modulation matrix (LFO, envelope, velocity, note, mod wheel, aftertouch, random, gate)
• GATE (the note sounds while held), TRIG (plucked, as the module) and DRONE play modes, HOLD, glide, legato
• 16 presets in flash, USB-MIDI and TRS MIDI in
• 48 kHz audio

[!WARNING] Installing custom firmware is at your own risk. GATOR is unofficial firmware, provided as is, without any warranty (GPL-3.0 sections 15 and 16). It is not made, endorsed or supported by M-VAVE. A failed or interrupted install can leave the FM-1 unable to start until it is recovered with a USB tool. You can return to the official firmware at any time.

Install

1. Charge the FM-1 and plug it straight into the computer with a data cable. Close apps that use MIDI.
2. Open the web installer in Chrome or Edge (Safari and Firefox have no Web MIDI with SysEx).
3. Press Install. Leave the cable alone until it says Done.

From the command line, with a package from Releases:

pip install mido python-rtmidi
python3 tools/fm1_install.py gator-0.1.fwsc

Back to the official firmware: download FM-1 V15 from m-vave.com/download and write it with the web installer's "Back to the official firmware". GATOR uses the Felucca platform's update loader, so other Felucca-platform firmware (SLOOP, ORBIT, ChoralRoot, AMB-1) installs over it the usual way.

If something goes wrong: an interrupted write resumes when you press Install again. After two failed boots in a row the FM-1 opens USB RESCUE by itself (or hold OCT− at power-on), and the installer works there too. An FM-1 that does not start at all can be recovered with MvaveFM1Unbricker.

Use

See the manual: the pages, the buttons, the modulation matrix, the 24 models, MIDI and the factory presets.

Build

See BUILDING.md: the toolchain, ./build.sh, the host simulator and tests, and how a release is made. docs/DEVELOPING.md describes the platform and its app API, for writing your own FM-1 firmware on it.

Credits

GATOR is made by npi3pak. It stands on the work of:

• Emilie Gillet: Plaits and stmlib, the synthesis DSP (MIT). Not affiliated with or endorsed by Mutable Instruments.
• Leo Kuroshita, Hügelton Instruments: Felucca, the FM-1 platform: HAL, update loader, USB-MIDI, OTA, storage and installers (GPL-3.0).
• dspaudio: ORBIT, the platform GATOR was cut down from.
• isod89: SLOOP, the web install protocol and the stock supply levels.
• Quixotic7: ChoralRoot, the audio interrupt fix and the release layout; MvaveFM1Unbricker.
• Charles Vestal: AMB-1, which showed the FPU in use on the FM-1.
• Dimitar Toshkov Zhekov: the Terminus font (SIL OFL 1.1).
• JieLi Technology: three AC79 SDK files in every package (Apache-2.0).

License

GATOR is free software under the GNU General Public License v3.0 only, provided without any warranty. The parts it is built from keep their licences and copyright notices:

Every release and the web installer carry these licence texts next to the packages, and each release's complete source is its tag in this repository. LICENSING.md has the details.

"M-VAVE" and "FM-1" are trademarks of their respective owners. GATOR is not affiliated with, endorsed by or supported by them.