PER|FORMER

eurorack sequencer

forked and maintained by Vinx Scorza

Firmware Download

Current firmware

Vinx FW v0.4.5

Download the latest UPDATE.DAT from GitHub Releases, copy it to the root of the SD card, then update from the PER|FORMER bootloader.

GitHub Releases Firmware update manual Manual PDF

File
UPDATE.DAT
Size
740,692 bytes
MD5
965933b5dee316ae5680891007046bf4
SHA-256
aed77ef663923de8f57dd36c5c85b2b341b48a8f07986b058f85702c64e65985

The bootloader verifies UPDATE.DAT before writing it. If you are moving from another firmware line or fork, back up projects and settings before flashing.

PER|FORMER is a eurorack sequencer module designed for both live performance and work in the studio.
This firmware is a personal fork of the Mebitek fork of the original Westlicht PER|FORMER firmware, and is shaped by real performance use, custom behavior, and focused interaction and UI changes.

github.com/VinxScorza/performer

If you believe free software has value, accept that the work of the people who develop it has value too. Free as in freedom does not mean free labor. If this project is useful to you, consider supporting the people behind it. DONATE.
If you notice any bug or weird behavior, please report it. This fork moves fast, and I really need the feedback.
Documentation note: the User Manual and LP Cheatsheet are aligned with the current firmware behavior, including the appendix, Launchpad material, and simulator notes.

Major Features

This fork remains intentionally personal, exploratory, and performance-driven.
What I'm aiming for is a solid machine for live performance, but also a crazy one for experimenting.
The goal is not simply to add more options, but to push PER|FORMER toward stronger creative generators, safer destructive workflows, better live interaction, and a more complete simulator and documentation ecosystem.

Historical baseline: Mebitek and original Westlicht lineage.

Generators & Performance Workflow

  • Random, Euclidean, Acid, and Chaos now form a broader generator ecosystem built around preview/apply safety, A/B comparison, and live-performance use.
  • Acid includes Layer, Phrase, and Eucl Phrase; Chaos expands into Vandalize, Wreck, and non-Note Entropy.
  • Launchpad Generators Mode, Init actions, Undo/Redo, and safer cancel/apply behavior make the generator workflow playable from both the module and external controllers.

Step Editing, Timing & Sequencing

  • External 16-step Editing Mode adds direct note/gate editing for Note tracks with 16-knob + 16-pad controllers.
  • Core sequencing gained bank-aware range editing, chain-aware note ties, improved step selection, Curve gate timing layers, and per-track Gate/Trigger output behavior.
  • Clock/reset behavior, scale handling, Voltage Mode paths, and Arp/Stochastic scale-safe transpose were tightened for more predictable performance use.

Memory, Runtime & Build Robustness

  • Reduced STM32 memory pressure and improved runtime efficiency, with additional hardening around the heaviest generator paths.
  • Build and simulator paths were cleaned up and aligned with current firmware behavior.

Core Engine & Safety

  • Generator and modal UI paths were hardened against wrong-target apply/cancel behavior, stale state, and controller retargeting edge cases.
  • Routing/CV control now treats continuous, discrete, and trigger-like targets more safely and filters writes by compatible track mode.
  • Load, Save, Save As, project browsing, and slower SD-card boot paths were hardened to reduce race and reboot-prone behavior.

Docs, Site & Ecosystem

  • The site now separates roles clearly: Home for overview, Features for the curated feature map, User Manual for practical use, Build Guide for hardware/build/simulator setup, and Cheatsheet for Launchpad reference.
  • The online manual includes search/navigation and a printable manual PDF.

And much more across the wider firmware line.
For the broader curated overview, see FEATURES. For the exact technical chronology, including inherited upstream history, see the repository CHANGELOG.

Known Limits / Validation Scope

Current real-hardware validation snapshot. Full scope and detailed notes are maintained in the User Manual validation section.

  • Validated 16-step Editing Mode maintainer-side hardware validation is on Launch Control XL (Factory Preset #1).
  • Pending hardware test BeatStep Pro template/mapping is code-supported but still needs dedicated maintainer-side on-device validation.
  • Partially validated Voltage Mode is fixed across Note/Arp/Stochastic; uncommon notesPerOctave > 12 cases on Arp/Stochastic still benefit from broader field tests.
  • Partially validated Desktop Simulator USB MIDI is currently validated on macOS / OS X with Launchpad Mini MK3, not yet across all devices/OS combinations.
  • Known architecture limit One external USB controller workflow at a time; USB hubs (including powered hubs) are not supported by the current firmware USB host stack.
  • Stability hardening Save/Save As/Load race conditions were strongly mitigated, but full architectural closure is still in progress.

License

For licensing information please refer to the License page.

Donations

If you would like to support this fork financially, please refer to the Donate page.
If you would like to support the development lineage behind this fork, you can also donate to Mebitek or to Simon Kallweit / Westlicht.

I would love to have a second PER|FORMER unit for testing new fixes and new features, but I cannot really afford a second one just for development. If you have one sitting unused and gathering dust, I would gladly give it a good home in my studio/lab.