OPERATOR
An FM synth firmware for the M-VAVE FM-1, inspired by Ableton Live's Operator Web installer · Manual · Releases · Building
- Custom firmware
- Alpha
- High 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
OPERATOR 0.7 for the M-VAVE FM-1, an FM synth inspired by Ableton Live's Operator (not affiliated with or endorsed by Ableton).
Install from the browser at https://npi3pak.github.io/fm1-operator/ (Chrome or Edge, the FM-1 connected by USB), or with the command-line installer: python3 tools/fm1_install.py operator-0.7.fwsc.
operator-0.7.fwsc is the package (48 kHz); SHA256SUMS lists its SHA-256. The package holds three JieLi AC79 SDK files (Apache-2.0); LICENSE, LICENSING.md and LICENSES.zip carry every licence (GPL-3.0-only; Terminus and IBM Plex Sans fonts, OFL 1.1; JieLi SDK files, Apache-2.0). The complete source of this release is the tag v0.7.
Installing custom firmware is at your own risk. OPERATOR is provided as is, without any warranty.
Full Changelog: https://github.com/npi3pak/fm1-operator/compare/v0.6...v0.7
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?
- Could leave your device unusable.
- Can I undo it?
- Yes. You can go back to the official software.
Did it work for you?
Did OPERATOR v0.7 work on your M-VAVE FM-1?
No reports yet for v0.7.
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 ("Install"):
- Charge the FM-1 and plug it straight into the computer with a data cable. Close apps that use MIDI.
- Open the web installer in Chrome or Edge (Safari and Firefox have no Web MIDI with SysEx).
- Press Install. Leave the cable alone until it says Done.
From the command line, with a package from Releases:
pip install mido python-rtmidi python3 tools/fm1install.py operator-0.1.fwsc
Back to the official firmware: download FM-1 V15 from m-vave.com/download and write it with the web installer's "Back to the official firmware". OPERATOR uses the Felucca platform's update loader, so other Felucca-platform firmware (SLOOP, ORBIT, ChoralRoot, AMB-1) installs over it the usual way.
If something goes wrong: an interrupted write resumes when you press Install again. After two failed boots in a row the FM-1 opens USB RESCUE by itself (or hold OCT− at power-on), and the installer works there too. An FM-1 that does not start at all can be recovered with MvaveFM1Unbricker.
Risk and recovery
- Brick risk
- High
- Reversible
- Yes
- Requires opening the device
- No
From the project's README ("Install"):
- Charge the FM-1 and plug it straight into the computer with a data cable. Close apps that use MIDI.
- Open the web installer in Chrome or Edge (Safari and Firefox have no Web MIDI with SysEx).
- Press Install. Leave the cable alone until it says Done.
From the command line, with a package from Releases:
pip install mido python-rtmidi python3 tools/fm1install.py operator-0.1.fwsc
Back to the official firmware: download FM-1 V15 from m-vave.com/download and write it with the web installer's "Back to the official firmware". OPERATOR uses the Felucca platform's update loader, so other Felucca-platform firmware (SLOOP, ORBIT, ChoralRoot, AMB-1) installs over it the usual way.
If something goes wrong: an interrupted write resumes when you press Install again. After two failed boots in a row the FM-1 opens USB RESCUE by itself (or hold OCT− at power-on), and the installer works there too. An FM-1 that does not start at all can be recovered with MvaveFM1Unbricker.
Releases
| Version | Name | Released |
|---|---|---|
| v0.7 | OPERATOR 0.7Latest | 28 October 2026 |
| v0.6 | OPERATOR 0.6 | 28 October 2026 |
| v0.5 | OPERATOR 0.5 | 28 October 2026 |
| v0.4 | OPERATOR 0.4 | 28 October 2026 |
| v0.3 | OPERATOR 0.3 | 28 October 2026 |
| v0.2 | OPERATOR 0.2 | 28 October 2026 |
| v0.1 | OPERATOR 0.1 | 28 October 2026 |
Credits, license and support
- License
- GPL-3.0