The YM2203, a.k.a. OPN (FM Operator Type-N), is a six-channel (3 FM and 3 SSG)

sound chip A sound chip is an integrated circuit (chip) designed to produce audio signals through digital, analog or mixed-mode electronics. Sound chips are typically fabricated on metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS) mixed-signal chips that process ...

developed by

Yamaha Yamaha may refer to: * Yamaha Corporation, a Japanese company with a wide range of products and services, established in 1887. The company is the largest shareholder of Yamaha Motor Company (below). ** Yamaha Music Foundation, an organization estab ...

. It was the progenitor of Yamaha's OPN family of

FM synthesis Frequency modulation synthesis (or FM synthesis) is a form of sound synthesis whereby the frequency of a waveform is changed by modulating its frequency with a modulator. The frequency of an oscillator is altered "in accordance with the amplitude ...

chips used in many video game and computer systems throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. It was used in a variety of

NEC is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational information technology and electronics corporation, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo. The company was known as the Nippon Electric Company, Limited, before rebranding in 1983 as NEC. It prov ...

computers, along with various

arcade game An arcade game or coin-op game is a coin-operated entertainment machine typically installed in public businesses such as restaurants, bars and amusement arcades. Most arcade games are presented as primarily games of skill and include arcade v ...

machines. The YM2203 and the rest of the OPN synthesizer family generate sound via

frequency-modulated Frequency modulation (FM) is the encoding of information in a carrier wave by varying the instantaneous frequency of the wave. The technology is used in telecommunications, radio broadcasting, signal processing, and computing. In analog freque ...

digital sine waves. It included 12 operator "cells", each generating a 13-bit sine wave at a programmable frequency, the volume of which is controlled by a programmable

ADSR envelope ADSR may refer to: * ADSR envelope (attack decay sustain release), a common type of music envelope * Accelerator-driven sub-critical reactor, a nuclear reactor using a particle accelerator to generate a fission reaction in a sub-critical assembly ...

generator. The output of these cells could be either summed together by the mixer, or fed into the input of another cell, in 4-cell batches creating the final sound values or "channels". 4 operator cells per channel allowed a total of 8 different permutations of cell connections, known as "algorithms". The ADSR parameters, multiplier and detune settings for each operator, combined with the algorithm, make up what are known as instrument patches. The YM2203 has the following features: *Three concurrent FM synthesis channels (voices) *Four operators per channel *Two interval timers *Internal implementation of Yamaha's YM2149F SSG chip The SSG module implemented the YM2149F's three SSG channels, noise generator and dual

GPIO A general-purpose input/output (GPIO) is an uncommitted digital signal pin on an integrated circuit or electronic circuit (e.g. MCUs/ MPUs ) board which may be used as an input or output, or both, and is controllable by software. GPIOs have no ...

ports. The YM2203 is used with a YM3014 external DAC companion chip.

Usage

Arcade games

* Capcom Commando hardware ** ''

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'' ** ''

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'' ** ''

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'' ** ''

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'' * ''

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'' * '' Legendary Wings'' * ''

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'' * ''

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'' * ''

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'' * ''

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'' * '' Darius'' * ''

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Home hardware

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(FM77AV model) *

NEC PC-8801 The , commonly shortened to PC-88, are a brand of Zilog Z80-based 8-bit home computers released by Nippon Electric Company (NEC) in 1981 and primarily sold in Japan. The PC-8800 series sold extremely well and became one of the three major Japane ...

(PC8801mkII SR models and newer.) *

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(PC-9801-26 sound card)

References

YM2203 Datasheet (Translated)

YM2203 The YM2203, a.k.a. OPN (FM Operator Type-N), is a six-channel (3 FM and 3 SSG) sound chip developed by Yamaha. It was the progenitor of Yamaha's OPN family of FM synthesis chips used in many video game and computer systems throughout the 1980s an ...

Sound chips Video game music technology {{compu-hardware-stub

Usage

Arcade games

Home hardware

See also

References