AMB-1
AMB-1 turns the M-VAVE FM-1 into a generative ambient machine, inspired by Brian Eno's Music for Airports.
- Custom firmware
- Stable
- Medium brick risk
- Reversible
Source codeWebsite: charlesvestal.github.io
This project hasn't been claimed by its maintainer yet, so its details come from the community. Is it yours? Claim it
AMB-1 is now free software under the Mozilla Public License 2.0, built on fm1-base and felucca-bsp. The music is the same: the same pieces, played the same way.
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Report a problem: if your FM-1 crashes, the install page can now read what happened. Connect it by USB without switching it off, open the install page in Chrome or Edge, and press Read the crash report. Copy what appears and send it along.
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The screen reader says "controller" where the screen shows CC.
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The site's pages work with a screen reader and the keyboard.
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Try it in the browser: https://charlesvestal.github.io/fm1-amb/emu/
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Install (Chrome or Edge, FM-1 on USB): https://charlesvestal.github.io/fm1-amb/install/
Install from the command line: python3 base/tools/fm1_install.py amb-1.3.fwsc (see the manual). Your pieces' settings carry over. Installing is at your own risk; the web installer can put M-VAVE's own firmware back. AMB-1 1.2 and earlier stay under the GPL-3.0.
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?
- Yes. You can go back to the official software.
Did it work for you?
Did AMB-1 v1.3 work on your M-VAVE FM-1?
No reports yet for v1.3.
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 ("Building and testing"):
AMB-1 is an app on fm1-base (base/, a git submodule); clone with --recursive. The toolchain and prerequisites are in BUILDING.md:
sh tests/runtests.sh # the instrument, the app in a simulator, the web builds ./build.sh # app/build/amb.fwsc python3 base/tools/fm1install.py app/build/amb.fwsc # install it over USB
app/build/host/ambhost SCRIPT OUTDIR runs the whole app on a computer from a script (tests/scenarios/.amb), with audio and screenshots coming out. ./build.sh --web builds the same code for the browser (the emulator); web/app/build.sh builds the engine alone into a web app for phone and desktop.
Risk and recovery
- Brick risk
- Medium
- Reversible
- Yes
- Requires opening the device
- No
From the project's README ("AMB-1 for the M-VAVE FM-1"):
AMB-1 turns the M-VAVE FM-1 into a generative ambient machine, inspired by Brian Eno's Music for Airports. It plays itself from the moment it's switched on: breathing voices, soft bells on tape loops of unequal length, a gliding bass and quiet Euclidean percussion, all through a tape echo, a long tape loop and a plate reverb. You don't perform it, you tend it: pick a piece and a scale, take notes out, put them back, and let it grow.
- Try it in your browser (no FM-1 needed):
- Install it (Chrome or Edge, with the FM-1 plugged in):
- Read the manual: (source: docs/MANUAL.md)
- Download the firmware file: releases
Installing it is at your own risk, though it's hard to get stuck: the web installer can put M-VAVE's own firmware back, and an FM-1 that fails to start twice comes up in a safe mode the installer can reach.
In short
Keys The scale: each key adds its note or takes it out PLAY · REC · EDIT Grow / rest · freeze · the next chord HOME · ENV · ARP · LFO · SEQ · FX · GLO The pages: Garden, Pad, Bells, Bass, Pulse, Space, Setup; KNOB 1–4 set their values, a layer's level on KNOB 1 SELECT The previous or next page; with HOME held, the tempo ALGORITHM · PRESETS The mode · the piece (eight of them) OCT− / OCT+ The bells' octave SAVE Saves; held, puts the piece back to its recipe Hold any button for a second and a card says what it does.
AMB-1 also tells the FM-1 Screen Reader what its screen …
Releases
| Version | Name | Released |
|---|---|---|
| v1.3 | AMB-1 1.3Latest | 17 October 2026 |
| v1.2 | AMB-1 1.2 | 15 October 2026 |
| v1.1 | AMB-1 1.1 | 10 October 2026 |
| v0.9 | AMB-1 0.9 | 10 October 2026 |
Credits, license and support
- License
- MPL-2.0