Fors FMS is a software that turns your Nintendo Game Boy Advance or emulator into an FM groovebox.
Is your Nintendo Game Boy Advance gathering dust somewhere in your apartment because you haven’t played it in ages? And you have a flashcart that lets you load ROMs, then you should read on.
Fors, the developer of the Elektron Digitone I engine, has just released FMS, a custom ROM that turns your Nintendo Game Boy into an FM groovebox. Better, it also works with GBA emulators.
Fors FMS
FMS is a groovebox for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance handheld video game console. According to Fors, FMS focuses on quick and intuitive programming of sounds and music for live performance and studio recording.
The core features four real-time 2-OP FM Synthesizer tracks that use the Direct Sound registers of the GBA console. Plus, you have a dedicated noise track that adds Lo-Fi sounds.
Each FM voice features a pitch envelope, control over the fractional mod ratio, modulation of the feedback and A/R envelope, stereo panning, and portamento.
The Game Boy noise generator has an AHR envelope, a wide-to-narrow rate, stereo panning, and portamento.
Sequencing
Each track has its own dedicated creative sequencer. Every step of the sequencer can play a unique sound, with per-track length, rate, shuffle, and trigger-every-nth-step logic. Easy note quantization is also available.
Then, you can allocate steps to voices as a chord, and add a powerful note echo, which can be used for everything from simple echoes to arpeggios.
Fors FMS also allows you to mix and match patterns on the fly with randomized and queuing. Nice, you can even take a snapshot, mess up your pattern, and instantly cycle between states.
Also onboard is a neat transpose sequencer that lets you create longer progressions or unexpected melodies.
Syncing to other GBA devices is possible via the Link Port and a link cable.
Alternatively, you can use an analog clock with a DIY connector or receive MIDI via the Arduino Boy or Analog Pocket MIDI-in cable.
First Impression
This is a great project Fors has done here. I like it when existing hardware gets a new lease on life.
Fors FMS is available now for $10. It requires a Game Boy Advance with compatible hardware or an emulator.
More information here: Fors
Be the first to comment