386DX
386DX turns the M-VAVE FM-1 into a karaoke robot with a band.
- Custom firmware
- Stable
- Medium brick risk
Source codeWebsite: 386dx.linecross.ing
This project hasn't been claimed by its maintainer yet, so its details come from the community. Is it yours? Claim it
386DX 1.0.2 · build 0020fa2
The easy way to install it is the web page, https://386dx.linecross.ing (Chrome or Edge, FM-1 plugged in): it installs this package, keeps the FM-1 up to date and lists what changed in every version. The package here is the same file, for anyone who wants it by hand (python3 tools/fm1_install.py 386dx-1.0.2.fwsc, see BUILDING.md).
- A long lyric line breaks in two at a word edge, with the robot a little higher, so the whole line shows.
- A rest of two bars or more shows a bar filling where the words go, like a karaoke video; for its last two half notes the next line's words come back.
Installing is at your own risk. SHA256SUMS has the checksums; SOURCE.txt the pinned tools.
Before you start
- How hard is it?
- EasyCopy a file or use a web page. No extra software.
- What you need
- A USB or MIDI cable
- Comfort with the command line
- A computer
- Can it break my device?
- Small chance of trouble, with a way to recover.
- Can I undo it?
- The project doesn't say. Assume you can't.
Did it work for you?
Did 386DX v1.0.2 work on your M-VAVE FM-1?
No reports yet for v1.0.2.
One-tap reports from owners. Bricked reports are checked before they count.
Compatibility
Devices: M-VAVE FM-1.
No compatibility information yet.
Getting started
From the project's README ("386DX for the M-VAVE FM-1"):
This project is inspired by and an homage to Alexei Shulgin, an artist in Russia who performed briefly as 386 DX, which he billed as “the world’s first cyberpunk band.” At shows, Alexei was introduced by a computerized voice announcing that the human onstage was merely a decoration. He’d then “perform” onstage, air-strumming a computer keyboard like an electric guitar as text-to-speech singing voices played along to MIDI covers of pop songs.
In so many ways, Alexei was—and still is—ahead of his time, and he’s been an inspiration to many who’ve discovered his music in the decades since 386 DX performed.
386DX turns the M-VAVE FM-1 into a karaoke robot with a band. It sings songs you bring in from karaoke and MIDI files, and lines you type on the FM-1 itself, to notes you play on its keys. Its face is the voice: the mouth opens with the sound, the eyes ride the pitch, the head shakes with the vibrato. Keys, Bass and Drums play along, with a step sequencer, patterns you can shift, pitch and weave together, and sixteen effects that punch in under your fingers.
- The web page: (Chrome or Edge, with the FM-1 plugged in). It installs 386DX on your FM-1 and keeps it up to date, puts songs in the FM-1's eight slots (thirteen public-domain standards come with it, or import a .kar or .mid file), lists what changed in each version, and runs the whole firmware in the browser, no FM-1 needed.
- Read the manual: docs/MANUAL.md, with a five-minute start and every page …
Risk and recovery
- Brick risk
- Medium
- Requires opening the device
- No
Releases
| Version | Name | Released |
|---|---|---|
| v1.0.2 | 386DX 1.0.2 (0020fa2)Latest | 19 October 2026 |
| v1.0.1 | 386DX 1.0.1 (9569cf1) | 18 October 2026 |
| v1.0-RC | 386DX 1.0 Public Release Candidate (21eefb6)Pre-release | 18 October 2026 |
Credits, license and support
- License
- GPL-3.0