winampFM Synth
A Winamp 2.x-style firmware for the M-VAVE FM-1. Your sounds become a playlist, four tracks record as loops, effects sit on sliders and a visualizer is made only of lines. Launch version v0.1, based on SLOOP 2.6.
- Site, installer and 3D simulator (the real firmware in your browser, with sound): https://hericdk.github.io/winampFM/
- Install on your FM-1: open the site in Chrome or Edge, connect the FM-1 by USB and press install. The package is also in
release/winampfm-0.1.fwsc. - License: GPL-3.0-only, like SLOOP, Felucca and FM1 Quest.
What is unique to winampFM
These were made for winampFM, on top of everything SLOOP already does:
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Winamp main window | The home screen is a Winamp 2.x window: time counter, spectrum, BPM, the current sound in a scrolling marquee, and the four tracks as buttons. |
| The sound list as a playlist | Every sound is a song in a Winamp playlist. Scroll it and the sound loads on the track you are on. |
| Reel-to-reel recording | Arm REC and play: a tape deck shows the real take (input meter, counter, notes, passes). The bolt turns into a red LED. REC again closes the loop and takes the tempo from what you played. |
| Effects on sliders | SEND · SPACE · MASTER · PARTY · TRACK groups as Winamp equalizer sliders, moved by the four knobs. The line above them reacts to the sound. |
| PARTY | Decides who is on stage: SOLO, DUEL, TRIAD or everyone. AUTOTURN changes the stage in time with the song; KEEP holds a lead while the others take turns; YOYO walks across the tracks and back. |
| TAPES | Every sound is a cassette in a PS1-style carousel. Stop on a tape to hear it, then copy the sound and its phrase into your track. Autoplay can be switched off in the menu. |
| Visualizer | Pixel art made of lines, driven by the sound: SCOPE, BARS, MILK, RAYS, TUNNEL. SELECT changes it. |
| Punch-in carousel | Hold FX and the black keys show the 27 performance effects as a moving carousel over a keyboard, with REV/ECHO THROW on the octave keys. |
| Brazilian sounds | CAVAQUINHO, BERIMBAU, AGOGO BELL, SANFONA and BRASIL drum kits, next to all 153 SLOOP 2.6 sounds (157 in total). |
| Easier navigation | SELECT cycles the page tabs with wrap-around; FILT/MIX in one FX tab; screen brightness, LED colours and boot mute in the menu. |
| 3D simulator | The real firmware compiled to WebAssembly, in a 3D model of the FM-1, with a tutorial bar that plays demos by itself. |
| Screen recorder widget | A small Win98-style window on the site records the simulator screen and sound, to save, share or lay over your own videos. |
Merged from SLOOP 2.4, 2.5 and 2.6 (features the community asked for): FM6 engine, PHYS and NOISE engines with 77 new sounds, INSERT per track, LFO 2, ENV SYNC, filter TYPE, step LEN/VEL, drum mute, TEXTURE, MIDI (channels, Program Change, LEARN, clock), the 27 performance effects and REV/ECHO THROW.
Use it in your own work
You are welcome to use these features, screens and ideas in your own firmware or project, as long as you give proper credit: a line in your README or in your presentation video, for example:
Features from winampFM Synth by Hericdk (github.com/hericdk/winampFM)
The code is GPL-3.0-only, so any firmware you distribute that is based on it must also ship its source under the same licence. The credit above is the author's request, on top of the licence.
What is in this repository
| Folder | Content |
|---|---|
index.html, assets/, media/, sim/ | The site: installer, 3D simulator (sim/) and the feature clips. |
release/ | The firmware package winampfm-0.1.fwsc. |
firmware/ | The complete source of that firmware (C, JieLi AC79), as the GPL requires. sh firmware/build.sh builds the package (see firmware/BUILDING.md). |
Rescue: hold OCT− alone while switching the FM-1 on to enter the USB rescue mode and reinstall any firmware. Installing custom firmware is at your own risk.
Credits
- winampFM Synth: Hericdk (Instagram · Reddit)
- FM1 Quest by Hericdk, where the winampFM screens started
- SLOOP by isod89, the firmware winampFM is built on
- Felucca by Leo Kuroshita (@kurogedelic), Hügelton Instruments, the base of SLOOP
- Font: Pixelify Sans (SIL OFL). Sampled sounds: CC0 recordings (asset terms in
firmware/LICENSING.md).
Not affiliated with Winamp or M-VAVE. Winamp, M-VAVE and FM-1 are trademarks of their respective owners.