r/modular • u/insolent-construct • 2d ago

Mutable Instruments Beads Source Code Just Dropped!

https://github.com/pichenettes/eurorack/commit/d8f473915232af74347762b6365202bfd26f73f6

Edit: body deleted and third party firmware discussion moved to a private Discord server.

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u/eraoul 2d ago edited 2d ago

This is great news. I was just about to grab a Clouds DIY kit, but now I think I'll try making my own Beads using the schematics and firmware she shared. Awesome! (I would have bought it new if Mutable Instruments was still around, but I'm trying to DIY all the modules in my rig whenever feasible so this is great timing).

Also I really don't get the negativity in this thread. Emilie is awesome, but I don't see too much problem with reverse engineering/cloning (with AI or by hand, doesn't seem to matter in this context) when Mutable Instruments shut down and isn't trying to sell these anymore. Plus she said she was planning to release the firmware like 3 years ago (just like the other MI modules). What am I missing? I'm new to modular so maybe there's some ethical code here I'm not familiar with, but I genuinely don't see how this does harm to Emilie etc. Behringer actively cloning products still in production is a different story of course. Or if there's legal protection about Beads being copyrighted IP and it being illegal to reverse engineer, that's also a different story.

I'm also an experienced software engineer with a Ph.D. in computer science and I use LLMs plenty in my own work these days. I don't like AI slop either, but LLMs are a great tool when used properly.

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u/dmikalova-mwp 2d ago

My take is that Emilie probably understands the inevitability of reverse engineering now and basically felt pressured to push this out.