CRT-4
CRT-4 turns the M-VAVE FM-1 into a four-track groovebox that plays the sound chips of nine game consoles and home computers.
- Custom firmware
- Alpha
- Medium brick risk
- Reversible
This project hasn't been claimed by its maintainer yet, so its details come from the community. Is it yours? Claim it
- Fixed: safe mode can be reached over USB again after a crash. If the FM-1 crashed while it was making sound, safe mode came up with USB off, so neither the web installer nor M-UPGRADE could find it until it was switched off and on. (The same fix as SEQ-4 0.1.0's; tried on an FM-1: two crashes on purpose, safe mode, then an install from it.) Nothing else changes.
Install
- From the browser (Chrome or Edge, the FM-1 on USB): the web installer. Or try it in the browser first.
- From the command line:
python3 tools/fm1_install.py crt4-0.1.2.fwsc(Python 3 withpip3 install mido python-rtmidi). - Going back: the installer's "Back to the stock firmware", or M-VAVE's M-UPGRADE.
The firmware is crt4-0.1.2.fwsc below; its source is this tag. Installing other firmware is at your own risk; see the manual's Troubleshooting.
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 CRT-4 v0.1.2 work on your M-VAVE FM-1?
No reports yet for v0.1.2.
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 ("Installing, and going back"):
- From the browser: the web installer (Chrome or Edge, a USB data cable).
- From the command line: download crt4-X.Y.Z.fwsc from the latest release, then pip3 install mido python-rtmidi and python3 tools/fm1install.py crt4-X.Y.Z.fwsc.
- Going back: the installer's "Back to the stock firmware" puts M-VAVE's firmware back, as does M-VAVE's own updater, M-UPGRADE. Any other FM-1 firmware installs over CRT-4 as it would over the stock one.
- Your saved work, and other firmwares': CRT-4 keeps its settings where several other FM-1 firmwares keep theirs, and its nine songs in the FM-1's main store, where some firmwares keep their samples. A console's first save there replaces what another firmware had saved in that place.
Installing other firmware is at your own risk, though it's hard to get stuck: an FM-1 that fails to start twice comes up in a safe mode the installer can reach, and the manual's Troubleshooting covers the rest.
Risk and recovery
- Brick risk
- Medium
- Reversible
- Yes
- Requires opening the device
- No
From the project's README ("Installing, and going back"):
- From the browser: the web installer (Chrome or Edge, a USB data cable).
- From the command line: download crt4-X.Y.Z.fwsc from the latest release, then pip3 install mido python-rtmidi and python3 tools/fm1install.py crt4-X.Y.Z.fwsc.
- Going back: the installer's "Back to the stock firmware" puts M-VAVE's firmware back, as does M-VAVE's own updater, M-UPGRADE. Any other FM-1 firmware installs over CRT-4 as it would over the stock one.
- Your saved work, and other firmwares': CRT-4 keeps its settings where several other FM-1 firmwares keep theirs, and its nine songs in the FM-1's main store, where some firmwares keep their samples. A console's first save there replaces what another firmware had saved in that place.
Installing other firmware is at your own risk, though it's hard to get stuck: an FM-1 that fails to start twice comes up in a safe mode the installer can reach, and the manual's Troubleshooting covers the rest.
Releases
| Version | Name | Released |
|---|---|---|
| v0.1.2 | CRT-4 0.1.2Latest | 16 October 2026 |
| v0.1.1 | CRT-4 0.1.1 | 16 October 2026 |
| v0.1.0 | CRT-4 0.1.0 | 16 October 2026 |
Credits, license and support
- License
- GPL-3.0