alt Hacker NewsDisclaimer: I have worked in the music technology business for decades, building toys like this - my opinion is formulated in the fire pits of NAMM and Frankfurt Musik Messe and Superbooth.
The M-VAVE is the hottest music technology device on the market today, with few exceptions.
It is CHEAP! $60!
It is VERSATILE: new firmwares are released almost every week now.
It is HACKABLE: yes kids, music technology should always be hackable. Custom firmwares are one thing: a device which allows musicians to extend their horizons is another thing, entirely. Big Music Tech: PAY ATTENTION.
(Korg: you get a pass. Eurorack hackers: you get passes. Everyone else: FAIL!)
I am sitting in a room full of synths right now, and the only thing I really want to jam with is the N-VAVE FM1, which is now not just an FM synth but a jack of all trades.
But, did you know that this is just the tip of the iceberg for hacking music toys? Almost everything, from the Yamaha DX7 to the Synthstrom Deluge is getting hacked - in great, positive, delightful ways!
There is no better time to get into music technology if you're looking to find something fun and intriguing to hack on. It is so rewarding to crack open the box on a (formerly) locked down DSP cash-cow from some German entity or two, and find out ways to do even more, crazier things with it.
Your cocktail noise/bloop machine has a Motorola 56K DSP in it? There's an emulator for that: https://theusualsuspects.io
It is so, so fun to watch the M-VAVE revolution kicking off. The music technology business has had this level of whimsy in its sights for decades, a few have crashed and burned along the way but now its really happening: the kids are bending things in truly great ways.
Whats next, hackers? Teenage Engineering's OP1 gets a badly needed retrofit, perhaps .. Access Virus C synths get a new SYSEX update with badass features .. Yamaha's A-samplers get faster disk I/O, somehow .. Korgs machines get JUCE'd??!?!!?
And, it just has to be said .. For everything else, there's monome. And Zynthian. Leading the pack for innovative music technology that has some serious weight in the future-proofing department.
Music Tech Doesn't Want Your Locked-In Firmware, Manufacturers! Give us the SDK's already, why don't, ya .. standardly!!!
:)
Replies
> It is HACKABLE
> Everyone else: FAIL!
I was under the impression that the M-VAVE firmwares are closed-source but have been reverse-engineered, as has happened with many other popular music machines. But I know some manufacturers distribute encrypted firmware files, mainly to thwart counterfeiters. But a side effect is it makes it harder to decompile/hack/improve.
> Give us the SDK's already, why don't, ya .. standardly!!!
I think the trend is there, the other day I was surprised that Polyend Endless, the ~$300 prompt-your-pedal thing actually has a minimal SDK on Github too.
> Korg: you get a pass.
I always liked how Korg did stuff. Yamaha were always "we do not distribute spare parts or service manuals, do not even ask, they are only for authorised service centres, we'll take you to court if you try to acquire them, we will take anyone distributing them online to court". Roland were more like "You can order spare parts if you set up an account, some guy in Germany might know, we don't give out service manuals to anyone except authorised service centres, you might find some somewhere, I don't know"
And then Korg basically said (when approached, years ago) "we only supply spares and service manuals to authorised service centres, do not even attempt to look for service information online, and especially do not go looking in ftp.korg.com/pub/service/dealeronly/"...
Hey! Just wanted to say that if you aren’t blogging about this stuff you should be. Your writing style is fun and you’re clearly knowledgeable. Would totally read it.
Asking as a novice, how come this is such a big deal compared to just vibe coding something for an stm32 and hooking up a midi keyboard? Is it the professional enclosure + screen + hackability combo or something extra?