Hardware YM2612 box

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Biopharmer
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Hardware YM2612 box

Post by Biopharmer »

I was just daydreaming and I made up this fake article (*sigh* I wish it were real...):

The Yamaha Katana (and 3 octave K-Katana keyboard version)
Classic SEGA FM/PCM Synthesizer

Building on Yamaha's 30+ year legacy of FM synthesis comes a new weapon on the scene. Built from the ground up to be affordable, comes the Yamaha Katana. Built around the YM2612 chipset, found in the classic Sega Genesis. Now the YM2612 chip has been remade, with more power than the first. This box sounds and looks beautiful.
You get 16 channels of beautiful, clear as crystal 4 operator FM.
16 channels of gritty PCM samples.
As well as a remade PSG, which has 4 channels, each can be set to saw, square (like the classic PSG), sine, supersaw, or noise (for drums).
You might be wondering how the heck you can control all those channels with a 16 channel MIDI controller. You can map any of those channels (as many as you want) to your desired MIDI channels. You could even map all of them to a single channel, making a mega synth.

No more do you have to use tricks to emulate delays, because now a Delay has been built in, with two modes, Tracker Mode (emulating the classic delay tricks) and Normal Mode. Also included is a global Reverb you can send any tracks through.

SEGA has graciously let us include all the preset sounds from their entire library of official Sega Genesis games. Also included are hundreds of tracks from those games, running in their native VGM format (this keeps them small but flexible).
You can use the included software to make your own VGM/VGM2 tracks, either in the classic Tracker style, like the original game creators, or in an easier Piano Roll style mode. Once hooked up to your computer via USB, you have a complete FM studio to make amazing tracks, or open up one of Sega's classic tracks and make your own remix.

The Katana can run these tracks without a computer allowing you to use it as a hardware VGM player. Perfect for arranging tracks for a live performance.

It also has General Midi mode, letting it act like the original OPL3 chip from old computers, play your midi files through it for the classic sound.


It's not real so don't bother me about that. I want one as bad as you.
Last night there was a solitare tournament....I lost my shirt...I'll invite you sometime. Hey, wait...do you even know what solitare is?
http://www.Kablamtown.com
SmartOne
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Post by SmartOne »

Yeah, I want to get my hands dirty with some relatively easy FM programmer...
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Biopharmer
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Post by Biopharmer »

Last night there was a solitare tournament....I lost my shirt...I'll invite you sometime. Hey, wait...do you even know what solitare is?
http://www.Kablamtown.com
SmartOne
Posts: 196
Joined: Fri Jul 20, 2007 2:33 pm
Location: Your mom. HA!

Post by SmartOne »

I was thinking "software" and "free..." ;)
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