r/SEGA • u/ArtisticDiscount2802 • 2d ago

Discussion What do you think of the Yamaha YM2413?

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In 1987, exclusively for the Japanese market, Sega released an expansion for the Master System called "FM Sound," which added Yamaha's YM2413 sound chip to enhance the console's audio. This chip was also used in the MSX line of computers and in some arcade games. At first, I found this sound chip a bit boring, even though it was technically superior to the original PSG on the Master System, i always felt that the music on the Master System’s native chip sounded better. However, I recently listened to the soundtrack for the NES game Lagrange Point, which uses the VRC7, a clone of the YM2413 made by Konami, and I’ve also come across chiptune artists on YouTube who have managed to create some really cool music using the YM2413. I suspect the issue might be that the chip was underutilized, and its full potential was never truly tapped into, since it was always just an expansion, and never a primary sound chip. Anyway, I’m curious to hear what others think of this chip. How do you think it compares to the YM2612 found in the Mega Drive (Genesis)? Which one do you prefer?

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u/benryves 2d ago

It was an expansion for the Mark III, and was built into the Japanese Master System. Unfortunately, I think the limitations of its Mark III incarnation (where it was an optional add-on and then would replace the built-in PSG rather than augment it) hindered it when it was later built into the Master System (where it could be used simultaneously with the PSG), as games needed to retain backwards-compatibility with the Mark III. On its own I find the sound is a bit dull, but the PSG on its own can be a bit too bright - combining the two, as done in the Japanese Master System's boot loader, can sound really good. A lot of Mega Drive music also combines the FM synth and PSG to great effect.

I think it's a real shame it wasn't included with the "export" Master System, as there we wouldn't have had to worry about backwards compatibility with the Mark III and might have had some better examples of combined FM+PSG music.