This article explains some methods useful for viewing or dumping FM synthsis parameters (i.e. register values) of SegaGenesis sound chips.
GENNY is a VST/FL Studio plugin that emulates the YM2612 and SN76489 chips found inside the Sega Genesis/Megadrive. You can make entire songs in one instance. This is a VST that uses code which emulates the sound chip found inside of the Sega Genesis/Megadrive systems. It’s the closest you can get to the real thing currently without actually circuit bending a Genesis. If you don’t know/care what a Genesis is, this VST. The YM2612, aka OPN2, is a six-channel sound chip developed by Yamaha.It belongs to Yamaha's OPN family of FM synthesis chips used in several game and computer systems. It was most notably used in the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis game console. FREE VST PLUGINS VST Instruments. VST Instruments. GENNY size 2 MB / 2 MB GENNY emulates the Sega Genesis’/Megadrive’s YM2612 and SN76489 chips. It allows you to create Sega Genesis style FM music in your favorite DAW. Lo-fi SYNTHS VST.
This article covers the methods for YM2612 (aka. OPN2, the FM synth chip of Genesis), but some of informations can apply to SN76489 (the DCSG chip) too.
- Dump VGM file by Kega Fusion
- Extract instrument presets from VGM file by vgm2pre
- Play VGM file and mute channels by foo_input_vgm
- Convert VGM file into Genesis ROM by VGMPlayer
- View register values in real-time with Exodus
Dump VGM file by Kega Fusion
Kega Fusion, a good Genesis emulator, is able to log sound during the game play as VGM file).
If you want to read a detailed ripping guide, see Project2612 ripping tutorial.
Extract instrument presets from VGM file by vgm2pre
vgm2pre is a small tool for extracting instrument presets from VGM file.
There are various formats for an instrument preset. Output file format can be chosen from Preferences window (Tools › Preferences).
TFI is prefered for FMDrive from Aly James Lab. Please choose the one that suits your goal.
By pressing Dump button, the output file will be saved. You can load the file by a proper tool or VST plugin, or view it by hex viewer, since the TFI file format is quite simple.
Play VGM file and mute channels
I prefer to use foobar2000 with foo_input_vgm. You are able to mute certain channels from Preferences panel.
If you want to try other ones, see VGM Players - vgmrips.
Convert VGM file into Genesis ROM by VGM Player
VGMPlayer allows you to convert the VGM log into a music player ROM.
Main window will appears by pressing the ROM Builder button.
Add VGM files by the Add Tracks button first, then press Build Rom button, and a file named vgmPlay.bin will be saved. That is the converted ROM image.
View register values in real-time with Exodus
Sometimes you might want to view register values in real-time. Exodus, an awesome emulator features a lot of debugger functions, is able to display the sound register values in real-time.
Open a ROM and the YM2612 debugger (from the menu, Debug › Mega Drive › YM2612), then you will see register values there.
Credits
99% of this article is the translation from the following gocha's article. I appreciate it very much.
Sega Genesis Midi Soundfont
Best Sega Genesis VST Plugin Ever! Inphonik RYM2612
Sega Genesis Vst
A video about the best Sega Genesis VST plugin ever! Inphonik's 'RYM2612' is the first true to live VST plugin for all DAW's both Windows and MacOSX. There's a rack version for you Propellerhead Reason fans. Many companies have tried to create a proper YM2612 emulation plugin and failed! Matter of fact, many video game emulators struggle with recreating this sound. One of the biggest reasons why people love the Sega Genesis is the texture of FM synthesis. The RYM2612 Stays true to the 4 operator synth and its 8 unique algorithms. I created 2 beats (so far) using it and I'm very impressed. The Icing on the cake is the RYMcast player that allows you to play, rip wav files, and rip individual wav files of VGM formatted Genesis OST's! The only 2 cons I have for this plugin is the minor CPU spikes (which lead to crashes in version 1.0 which was addressed) and the lack of effects (like reverb, delay, and arpeggios. What you do think about this plugin? Please leave a comment below!