Yamaha actually created the first prototype FM synthesiser in 1974 before commercially releasing the GS-1 in 1980. FM synths can make distinctly bright, bell like tones, that analogue synths at the time couldn’t replicate. The synth generates a waveform that contracts for higher pitches, and expands for lower pitches, much like the frequency of a real sound wave.įM synthesis can also be made entirely with digital components, and have tonal characteristics much brighter than traditionally warm analogue synths. The FM in FM synthesis stands for Frequency Modulation. All within the space of less than a decade.Įxamining the path from the DX7 to the Mega Drive is a great dive into the history of FM synthesis and what sets it apart from the synthesizers that came before: FM synthesis and how it found its way into the Sega Genesis You might be wondering how the technology behind a full sized keyboard was shrunk down to fit inside a video game console. Yamaha were the first to develop a commercially available FM synth, the DX7, which became one of the defining sounds of the 1980s. The technology behind the YM2612 stretches back even further. A further stripped down version based on these home computer chips was made to be mass produced alongside the Mega Drive. Yamaha had already been developing synth chips for home computers and arcade cabinets. ![]() ![]() Computers and consoles didn’t have the storage space for sound files in the 80’s, instead they had sound cards with built in synthesisers that played music data ‘live’. ![]() But did you know Yamaha played the backing music for Sonic the Hedgehog, Michael Jackson, and Ecco the Dolphin? One of the lesser known facts of Yamaha’s history is it made the sound card that powered the Sega Mega Drive.Įvery Sega Mega Drive had a YM2612 chip inside, a tiny FM synthesiser developed by Yamaha. Yamaha instruments are used by many famous artists.
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