FiMba-1

The FM-1 as a physically modeled kalimba — literally “a kalimba with an FM-1 hidden inside.” The 16 white keys are tines laid out exactly like on a 17-tone kalimba: lowest note in the center, alternating outward. Each tine is a modal model of a metal, bamboo, or glass bar over whichever body you choose, with a resonance hole you can cover for the “wah” and mbira-style bottle-cap buzzers. Behind it all: granular cloud, ping-pong delay, plate reverb, tape, and lo-fi color.

Workflow

Meditative playing, thumb-rolled chords on the black keys, mbira pattern sequences syncable to MIDI clock. Try it in the browser first — even the release runs as a single FiMba-1.html file. The README is honest about it: built in conversation with Claude Code.

Engines & what it emulates

Physical modeling of bars and tines in 6 materials (steel, brass, bronze, aluminum, bamboo, glass), None/Board/Box/gourd bodies, per-tine “Worn” quirks and pluck glide; a Dattorro plate reverb (JAES 1997, “Effect Design, Part 1”); 12 scales, including an approximate Shona Nyamaropa tuning and just intonation.

What sets it apart

• Three layouts (Tine/Mirror/chromatic keyboard) and black-key modes: Chords (triads per scale degree + I/IV/V/vi sevenths rolled as if sliding your thumb across), Sharps, and Perform (mute, cover the hole, freeze grains, octave, change material).
• Mbira patterns: Thumbs, Cascade, 3-over-2, Interlock, and 3 pulses per beat, syncable to MIDI clock.
• Click-free parameter changes (~10,000× smaller than in early builds); safe-mode and an fm1_rescue.py script; a WASM version.

Status & caveats

Beta on real hardware, active (0.5.0→0.6.0 in a single day). The platform is Felucca via X0X→FoMni — the package differs from FoMni’s only in the app — and its author cites Baud Girl’s FM-1+VA as a reference for what the hardware can take.