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MUTABLE DREAMS 1.4 — RELEASE NOTES
Independent open-source firmware for the M-VAVE FM-1
NEW SOUND WORLDS
• 48 new factory Biomes: 156 musical Biomes plus Blank in total.
• 16 new tone presets: 352 in total.
• Curated PRESET-dial and browser order puts contrasting sound families near one another. Existing factory IDs are unchanged; saved Biome references remain meaningful.
• New starting points span drones, airy textures, resonant percussion, bass movement, broken rhythms, Lo-Fi kits and quiet meditation. The synthesis engines and sample kits are the established, qualified set; this update expands their musical combinations.
PLAYABILITY
• Muted voices are visibly dimmed across the Home row and meter and marked MUTED. A separate Solo function is not included.
• Five added scales: Ukrainian Dorian (Dorian #4), Harmonic Minor, Double Harmonic Minor, Harmonic Major and Double Harmonic Major. Thirteen scales in total are available in firmware and browser.
• Per-track MIDI input routing: Off or channels 1–16. Several tracks may share a channel. Kit input can be routed to channel 10; the channel-16 macro shortcut can be disabled when channel 16 is used for notes. Existing MIDI settings migrate to the new format. USB MIDI was device-tested. TRS MIDI has not yet been tested with an external sender.
LOOK AND EDITOR
• Distinct page-family backgrounds with restrained, value-responsive organic forms, smoother trails and more legible gradients. Stronger glass-card edges and less ambiguous control colours.
• Larger, clearer condensed labels and improved contrast on the FM-1. Long scale names were checked for fit. Held-key help remains available on each page.
• Browser atlas contains the 1.4 Biomes and sound presets. The playable browser instrument, patch import/export, browser User Banks and live USB device editor remain available. Browser 1.4 saves use their own storage key; export older browser patches before moving them between versions.
PERFORMANCE AND INSTALLATION
• Rings' audio buffers are no longer cleared redundantly. The previously published Biome audio hashes matched in the host comparison; the device stress checks found no new audio errors.
• The exact tested package is identified by its SHA-256 in the download manifest. After an initial safe refusal, the stock-return guard was extended to the verified official V16 boot head. The exact 1.4 build passed 1.4 → Stock V15 → 1.4 on the development FM-1, followed by byte-identical .mddb bank restoration and live-patch comparison.
• Measured device image: 551,376 / 581,564 bytes. Static RAM: 74,568 / 98,304 bytes. DSP pool: 334,896 / 344,064 bytes; after an 8,192-byte safety reserve, 976 bytes remain discretionary. New large DSP engines or buffers are therefore not implied by this release.
• A six-Choir ECO plus granular case reached 72.29% of the audio callback budget; a Lo-Fi-kit-plus-three-synth case with granular reached 54.1%. These were short post-roundtrip tests with zero XRuns, overloads, nonfinite samples, dropped commands or host USB overflows. Earlier 48-Biome USB-audio checks were also clean. These measurements do not replace personal listening or long-term testing.
KEEP YOUR WORK
Save your current Biome and export a separate live JSON if you have unsaved edits. Back up all saved User Banks and preferences as .mddb before changing firmware. Returning to Stock V15 erases saved Mutable Dreams data; reinstall 1.4 and restore the .mddb with physical SEL confirmation on the FM-1. Granular audio and calibration are not included in the .mddb backup. Keep power and USB connected until the installer confirms the final device identity.
LIMITS AND OPEN REQUESTS
Bluetooth MIDI is intentionally excluded. MIDI CC Learn, a separate Solo mode and a one-step Save As / Init workflow remain design requests. Physical TRS-MIDI input still needs an external-cable test. An independent report of a black screen after an interrupted Firmware Hub update remains under investigation. The release does not claim recovery of devices that no longer enumerate over USB; use the Firmware Hub's documented rescue resources and seek device-specific help.
Mutable Dreams is a free, independent community project, unaffiliated with and not endorsed by Mutable Instruments or M-VAVE. Selected Plaits, Rings and Elements Strike algorithms retain their original attribution and notices. Our granular bus, Round Bass, Biomes and FM-1 interface are separate project work.