MASIF

A 4-track sample tracker and rack sampler for the M-VAVE FM-1. Free firmware, GPL-3.0-only.

• Web page (sampler, sync, guide): https://thecemeterygates.github.io/masif-fm1/
• Download: Releases: the firmware package and the installer
• How to install and use it: the GUIDE tab on the web page

Install at your own risk. Installing replaces the FM-1's firmware. Do not unplug the FM-1, switch it off or let the computer sleep while it installs: an install cut off at the wrong moment can leave the FM-1 unable to start, and then only a hardware flasher can bring it back. MASIF comes with no warranty (GPL-3.0, sections 15 and 16). MASIF is independent: it is not made, endorsed or supported by M-VAVE. "M-VAVE" and "FM-1" are trademarks of their owners.

What it does

• 4 tracks, 16 songs, 128 instruments with tables, grooves, modulation (envelopes, LFOs, a side chain), a filter, drive and EQ per instrument, sends to chorus, delay and reverb, a mixer and a project page.
• 24 samples, about 730 KB of sample memory: about 19 s at 26 kHz 12 bit, up to about 108 s at 13 kHz 4-bit ADPCM.
• A sampler page on the FM-1: records the computer's sound over USB, or MASIF's own mix.
• USB audio both ways (tested on macOS).
• The web page (Chrome or Edge, Web MIDI): drop in sound files or record from a mic, the line in or USB; trim, loop, fade and process them; tick the ones you want and SYNC POOL puts them on the FM-1. BACKUP and RESTORE everything MASIF keeps on the FM-1.

Install

From the web page (Chrome or Edge): https://thecemeterygates.github.io/masif-fm1/. Plug in the FM-1, close other MIDI apps, click INSTALL and leave everything alone until it says INSTALLED (under a minute). Then add samples and SYNC POOL. UPGRADE brings a connected FM-1 up to the page's version; BACKUP first and SYNC POOL afterwards: an install rewrites the part of the flash where most of the sample time lives.

Back to M-VAVE's official firmware: BACKUP, then INSTALL, FROM FILE… and choose M-VAVE's unmodified FM-1.fwsc (V15). Install MASIF again and RESTORE whenever you want it back.

Or with the command-line installer (MASIF packages only): download the latest release, unzip it, and in a terminal in that folder:

python3 -m venv .venv
. .venv/bin/activate          # Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
pip install mido python-rtmidi
python3 tools/fm1_install.py packages/masif-0.1.fwsc

Building

See BUILDING.md.

Credits

MASIF is built on the work of others, under the same licence:

• zp12 by zvenson: the firmware MASIF is built on (its voices, sample store, USB link). https://github.com/zvenson/zp12
• SLOOP by isod89: the FM-1 firmware zp12 builds on. https://github.com/isod89/sloop-fm1
• Felucca by Leo Kuroshita (Hügelton Instruments): the FM-1 platform under SLOOP, and the installer tools/fm1_install.py.
• Ketch by Adrien Risser-Zhuang: USB audio both ways (firmware/src/usb.c, uo.h, uac_fir.h). https://github.com/risseraka/fm1-tracker-ketch
• NoteSorcery: the computer's audio into the FM-1, by way of Ketch.
• The JieLi AC79 SDK's boot files (Apache-2.0) go into the package at build time; they are not in this tree.
• The web page's fonts: Orbitron, Audiowide and VT323 (SIL Open Font License, their licences beside them).

Licence

GPL-3.0-only: see LICENSE and LICENSING.md.