The world of alternate firmware for synths is moving incredibly fast, and the M-Vave FM-1 is ground zero.

There are already dozens of alternate firmware options available for the FM-1, and new ones being introduced almost daily.

Now developer Joakim Eriksson has created a site that lets you test drive these firmware options, directly in your web browser.

The web application emulates its chip, a JieLi AC791N with two cores of JieLi’s own 32-bit pi32v2 CPU, together with the screen, keys, knobs and audio, and runs the FM-1’s firmwares on it unchanged, in WebAssembly in your browser. Because it emulates the hardware, it runs the same packages you would install on a real FM-1.

An interesting new ecosystem of open solutions is emerging around the FM-1 – where you will soon be able to preview synths online, download them to cheap hardware or run them as plugins in your DAW.

Will this lead to a ‘free synth nirvana’  – or an endless stream of low-quality synths? Share your thoughts in the comments!