Knowledge · Questions & answersGood to know.

Firmware is your device's operating system: it turns keys, knobs and chips into a synth or a drum machine. If it's open source, the source code is public and you may change and share it.

Every device that meets three criteria:

1. Music hardware: synths, drum machines, grooveboxes, samplers, modules – anything that makes or controls sound.
2. Official from the maker: no reverse-engineering projects.
3. A real open-source license: GPL, MIT, BSD & co., with a public repo.

Whether the device was open from day one or released its code later.

Yes, on some – Mutable Instruments or Shmøergh, for example – schematics and layouts are open as well. We note that on the device page. The focus, however, is the firmware.

They've been around for years and they're great. This site is about something new: makers officially releasing their complete code. An SDK only opens a plugin interface, and a community hack happens without the maker.

For example the Mutable Instruments modules, monome norns and, more recently, devices like the M-VAVE FM-1 or the Erica Synths LXR-02. You'll find the full list in the directory.

You program by telling an AI in plain language what you want. It writes the code, you test it and give feedback. For musicians, that means turning ideas for your gear into reality without learning C first.

Not necessarily. AI gets you a long way. Curiosity, patience and a willingness to paste error messages back into the AI help a lot. Every device page shows how hard it is to get started.

1. Find your device: check the directory to see if your gear is listed.
2. Describe your idea: clone the repo, copy the starter prompt and get going with your AI.
3. Flash & jam: install the firmware, try it, keep tweaking until it sounds like you.

Any good coding assistant, such as Claude or ChatGPT. What matters more than the model is a clear brief: the device, the repo and the result you want to hear.

A ready-made opener for your AI that you can copy from device pages and idea recipes. It tells the AI about your device and your goal so it starts at the right place in the code.

You may change and share it. If you pass on a modified firmware, you must publish its source code too.

Almost anything goes, even in your own commercial projects. The license notice must stay. BSD adds small rules, such as not advertising with the maker's name.

A license for open hardware. It allows you to build and modify schematics and layouts – depending on the variant, with the obligation to publish your changes.

It depends on the license. Usually yes with MIT and BSD, and with the GPL too – but only with the source code published. Always check the license file in the repo. This is not legal advice.

Yes, that risk exists. Usually a device can be rescued via its bootloader, but not always. Flashing is always at your own risk.

The official firmware file, your patterns, presets and samples. Also note down the current firmware version.

A small program that starts before the firmware at power-on and accepts new firmware. If you know how to get your device into this update mode, you almost always have a way back.

Possibly. Some makers explicitly allow custom firmware, others don't. If in doubt, ask the maker first.

No. We only ever link to the maker's original repo, so you're guaranteed to get the real, current version.

Every entry shows when we last checked it. We add new releases and status changes on an ongoing basis.

Use the “Report a device” form. We check every tip before it goes live.