Maybe we should tell more people about Felucca :)

[gospodindilly-ops]

Hi Leo,

I’ve been spending quite a bit of time looking at the FM-1 community lately, and I had a slightly different thought that isn’t really about another synth engine or firmware feature.

I’ve seen various FM-1 projects, loops, videos and experiments appearing around the internet — especially on Instagram and similar places. But honestly, I find it a little sad that relatively few people seem to know where a lot of this started.

Felucca is a pretty remarkable discovery.

A tiny, inexpensive FM-1 that most people probably think of as just a cheap little synth/controller turned into an open firmware platform with multiple synthesis engines, sequencing, effects, samples, a web editor, etc.

And you did the hard part: figuring out the hardware and building the actual foundation for all of this.

It feels a bit like people are discovering the branches without knowing about the tree.

I was wondering if you’d be interested in doing something small to make Felucca more visible outside GitHub.

I’d be happy to help with that — for example:

• a short “What is Felucca?” page/story;
• a simple timeline of the FM-1 → Felucca → community projects;
• short demo videos or sound examples;
• posts explaining some of the unusual things you’ve achieved on this hardware;
• collecting projects/forks that grew from the work;
• or simply helping spread the word on places like Instagram, Reddit, synth forums, etc.

I don’t mean this as marketing in a commercial sense. More like giving credit and documenting an interesting piece of open-source synth history while it is happening.

I think there is a genuinely good story here:

An extremely cheap mass-market device became an unexpectedly capable open hardware/software synth platform because someone decided to look underneath the hood.

I’d be happy to contribute time to this if you think it would be useful.

And congratulations, by the way. I think Felucca deserves considerably more attention than it currently gets.

[planist79]

Something like that:?

[gospodindilly-ops]

Bro, you’re really onto something! I’m following all of them too — I thought I was the only crazy one! 😂

Basically, it’s a whole genetic tree of firmware.

[gospodindilly-ops]

can i give your pic for release socweb?

[planist79]

of course. it's made with Gemini. it should be updated according to the available and updated firmware overview Google docs.

[kurogedelic]

Hi gospodindilly-ops,

Thanks for the kind words and the offer to help!

If you think Felucca is worth sharing, please go ahead! I'd love to see the community spread the word in its own way.

There's one thing I'd really like to emphasize about Felucca.

Felucca was built entirely from scratch using the SoC manufacturer's SDK. Not a single line of the FM-1's stock firmware is used.

This wasn't just a technical decision. It was a philosophical one.

I didn't want to modify what the manufacturer had already made. I wanted to explore what the hardware itself could actually do, without being tied to the original firmware's architecture, features, or limitations.

This means we're free to rethink everything, from synthesis engines and sequencing to the UI and hardware controls. The only real boundaries should be the hardware's capabilities, not the manufacturer's original vision.

There's also a legal reason. In Japan, redistributing modified proprietary firmware can raise copyright issues. Building an independent, open-source implementation gives us a much better foundation for sharing and developing it openly.

I don't believe custom firmware should be something underground.

If you buy a desk from IKEA and want to paint it green, why shouldn't you? I think hardware should work the same way. Once you own it, you should be free to explore its possibilities.

And Felucca isn't just for the FM-1. We're preparing the architecture for other devices, including the SMK-37. The FM-1 is simply where it started.

As for forks and derivatives, that's the nature of open source, and I welcome it!

Documenting the family tree would be genuinely helpful, though it's worth distinguishing stock-based projects, independent firmware, and actual Felucca forks.

I'm mostly active on X and haven't been able to follow what's happening elsewhere, let alone promote Felucca much myself.

So I'd really appreciate the community documenting projects, sharing videos, and spreading the word however they like.

I'd rather see the community grow freely than try to direct it myself.

Thanks again!

[gospodindilly-ops]

Absolutely, I think you’re right! Your philosophy really resonates with me.

I’ve been following the project since the early beta versions, and I’ve watched more and more people get involved over time. It feels like we’re entering a new era of using hardware — not just in the way the manufacturer decided we should use it, but by exploring what the hardware is actually capable of.

I’ve also seen custom firmware projects for the Elektron Cycles and SP-404MKII, where there’s an even bigger amount of untapped hardware potential. So who knows what might come next? That’s the exciting part.

And what you said about the SMK-37 is probably the best news for me. I own one, and I’m already tempted to start digging into its firmware in Ghidra to figure out the symbol mappings. 😄

As for spreading the word, I think word of mouth is probably the best kind of promotion. When people genuinely get excited about something and share it with others, it feels much more natural.

And yes, I completely forgot to introduce myself — I’m Kirill! Nice to meet you! 🙂

[stanleygurvich]

As somone covering FM1 on my channel since the FW stuff began felucca feels most robust and I stick
To it tough i got two more units for testing for a total
Of four. And the word will spread like wildfire

[rusbayzvuk-maker]

Thank you very much for your great work, Mr. Leo Kuroshita! Thousands of musicians are sincerely grateful to you for such a gift! I wish you, your family, and your loved ones health, friendship, and all the best that one person can wish another!

[gospodindilly-ops]

https://baudgirl.com/work/SMK-37+VA/manual baud do it with smk 37