YMF262

The Yamaha YMF262, commonly marketed as the OPL3, is a frequency modulation (FM) synthesis integrated circuit developed by Yamaha. It served as a successor to the YM3812 (OPL2) and was used in a variety of PC sound cards and multimedia devices during the mid to late 1990s. The chip provides 18 simultaneous FM voices by organizing audio channels into two banks of nine, enabling richer polyphony and more complex timbres than earlier OPL2-based hardware. It outputs stereo audio and is controlled through a set of programmable registers that configure operators, synthesis algorithms, envelope shapes, and low-frequency oscillator (LFO) parameters.

Technically, the YMF262 implements operator-based FM synthesis with multiple programmable algorithms to shape timbres, along with envelope generation and modulation features. It includes LFO functionality for vibrato and tremolo effects and offers flexible routing and mixing options to produce a wide range of instrument-like sounds. The device is designed to operate within a PC’s audio subsystem and is driven by software drivers that expose its registers to sound and game applications.

Impact and use: The YMF262/OPL3 was widely adopted on PC sound cards in the 1990s, contributing distinctive FM-synth timbres to games, chiptune-style music, and multimedia software. Its increased channel count and configurable synthesis offered a substantial upgrade over the older OPL2-based solutions, helping define the era’s computer audio aesthetics. While largely superseded by higher-fidelity digital audio in later years, the YMF262 remains a landmark in the history of PC audio hardware and FM synthesis. See also: OPL3, YM3812.