ChipsSound & audioFM synthesis › Yamaha YM2151 (OPM)

Yamaha YM2151 (OPM)

1985

Yamaha's OPM eight-channel FM synthesis chip, a staple of 1980s arcade soundtracks and some home computers.

Machines

Emulators

EmulatorTypeLicenseSite
Common Source Code ProjectdownloadableBSD-3-ClauseWebsite ↗
WinX68k (Keropi)downloadableFreewareWebsite ↗
XM6 Pro-68kdownloadableFreewareWebsite ↗
XM6 TypeGdownloadableFreewareWebsite ↗
px68kbothGPL-2.0Website ↗

Reference & documentation

External technical references for programming Yamaha YM2151 (OPM) and for writing emulators.

ResourceTypeNotes
Yamaha YM2151 (OPM) Datasheet - Bitsavers ↗DatasheetOfficial Yamaha datasheet: registers, timing, electrical specs
YM2151 Datasheet PDF (grauw mirror) ↗DatasheetMirror of Yamaha datasheet with interfacing details
YM2151 Datasheet - Pinout & Signals ↗Pinout24-pin DIP pinout, CS/RD/WR/A0 bus signals
YM2151 OPM Application Manual (FM Synthesis) ↗ProgrammingYamaha FM synthesis programming guide with examples
Yamaha YM2151 Technical Reference - Internet Archive ↗ReferenceFull technical reference manual, searchable formats
Collecting info on Yamaha FM soundchips (bryc) ↗ReferenceChip comparison plus undocumented OPM register quirks
Yamaha YM2151 - vgmrips wiki ↗ReferenceSpecs, systems, and links to emulation sources
ymfm - Yamaha FM sound cores (OPM) ↗SourceBSD-licensed MAME OPM core, readable C++14
Nuked-OPM - Cycle-accurate YM2151 emulator ↗SourceMost accurate YM2151/YM2164 emulation, transistor-level derived