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YM3526

The YM3526 is a Yamaha FM synthesis integrated circuit produced in the late 1980s. It is a four-operator FM synthesizer designed to generate musical tones and sound effects by modulating the frequencies of carrier operators with modulator operators. As part of Yamaha’s family of FM chips, the YM3526 shares the general approach of using sine-wave operators and operator-specific envelope control to produce a wide range of timbres.

The chip provides an interface for programmatic control via a parallel data and address bus, allowing software

In terms of usage, the YM3526 appeared on certain arcade systems and some computer sound hardware of

See also: Yamaha YM3812 (OPL2), Yamaha YM2612 (OPL3), FM synthesis.

to
configure
the
number
of
active
channels,
operator
connections,
and
envelope
parameters.
Each
channel
consists
of
four
operators,
enabling
a
variety
of
FM
algorithms
and
feedback
configurations
to
shape
the
resulting
sound.
The
YM3526
includes
envelope
generators
with
attack,
decay,
sustain,
and
release
parameters
for
each
operator,
and
it
supports
stereo
output
through
independent
left
and
right
channels.
The
register
map
and
exact
timing
differ
from
other
Yamaha
FM
chips,
which
meant
software
required
chip-specific
handling.
its
era,
serving
as
an
alternative
or
companion
to
other
Yamaha
FM
devices.
It
did
not
achieve
the
same
level
of
widespread
adoption
in
consumer
PC
sound
cards
as
the
YM3812
(OPL2)
or
the
YM2612
(OPL3),
but
it
contributed
to
the
broader
ecosystem
of
FM
synthesis
options
available
to
game
developers
and
hardware
designers
of
the
time.