Image: Theo Dainis / Tessera · Tessera firmware’s four-track home screen
Tessera adds generative music and spoken controls to an FM-1
Theo Dainis used Claude Code to write experimental M-VAVE FM-1 firmware. The 3.4 release adds screen-reader support alongside its generative sequencer.
Credits
- Build author Theo Dainis Source ↗
Earliest dated source: Details reviewed:
The full story
Theo Dainis designed Tessera for the M-VAVE FM-1 and says its code was written with Claude Code, with decisions and release testing kept in his hands. It turns the small instrument into a four-track generative sequencer, with thirteen generators, linked harmony and seeded randomness that can replay a piece.
The 3.4 release, published on 7 November, adds spoken screen information through Charles Vestal's FM-1 Screen Reader. Connected by USB in Chrome or Edge, it can announce pages, knob values, menu choices and play/stop status through its own voice or supported screen readers. This replaces the old help-card feature.
Tessera remains experimental. The maker asks users to take a complete backup before flashing, supplies a single-core build for devices that crash with the standard dual-core version, and documents a route back to the appropriate official firmware. Version 3.4 also changes USB-audio device names, so DAW selections may need choosing again.
Before and after
- Starting problem
- The FM-1 interface required visual access to pages, knob values and menus.
- Reported result
- Tessera 3.4 reports spoken interface information through the linked FM-1 Screen Reader.
Device and compatibility
- M-VAVE FM-1 · Tessera 3.4
Experimental; dual-core and single-core builds. USB-audio device names changed in 3.4.
Source ↗
What you need
Can it be undone?
Official-firmware restore documented: The installer offers a return to V15 or V16 as appropriate for the device; save a complete backup first. Source ↗
What Claude did
- Firmware implementation; the maker designed the instrument, made decisions and tested releases on his own FM-1.Claude Code Source ↗
How it was done
Tools
Themes
Loading themes…
Sources
From the maker's own write-up or code. We summarise what they report; we haven't tested it ourselves.
- Tessera: source, maker credits and experimental statusProject author: Theo Dainis (Rastapopolix)Source checked
The maker's README explicitly credits Claude Code and describes experimental status and installation limits.
- Tessera 3.4 release notes
The 7 November release adds spoken controls and lists compatibility changes.
- The Firmware Hub: music firmware directorySource checked