The Sega Genesis, also known as the Megadrive over in Europe and Japan, was a very popular 16-bit console, designed to compete with Nintendo. It has two primary sound chips: the Yamaha YM2612 and the Texas Instruments SN76489. The YM2612 has 6 channels: 5 FM channels and 1 FM/DAC channel. Also has hardpanned stereo. The SN76489 has 4 channels: 3 square channels and 1 noise channel. It is worth noting that the '[[sms (format)[Sega Master System] also had the TI SN76489. It was used in the Genesis for backwards compatibility with the SMS, and it can be used in conjunction with the YM2612. '[#[Tools] * '[l[http://shiru.untergrund.net/software.shtml[Shiru's Stuff] home of '[[VGM Music Maker], a Windows-based tracker for composing .VGM files. * '[[DefleMask Tracker], a tracker that handles several chip formats, including Sega Genesis / Mega Drive. * '[[Furnace Tracker], another multi-chip tracker with more robust Genesis support, including FM macros. * '[l[https://gendev.spritesmind.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1062[Genny VST], a plugin for your DAW of choice that can log to .VGM similarly to '[[C700 VST] for SNES. Great option for those who don't want to touch a tracker. Notably, Genny has a special FL Studio version that can utilize slide notes and other FL-specific functions, just like FL's native plugins can. Here is a full lyceum guide on using Genny: '[[Genny VST] '[#[Accepted file format] Both this entry format and the '[[SMS (format)[SMS entry format] share the .VGM file format. '[#[Playback (for voting)] '[l[http://vgmrips.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=112[in_vgm] - a winamp plugin for playback '[l[https://github.com/vgmrips/vgmplay[vgmplay] For playback on actual hardware, there are '[l[http://mjsstuf.x10host.com/pages/vgmPlay/vgmPlay.htm[VGM_PLAY] from DeadFish Shitware as well as the XGM Player in '[l[https://github.com/Stephane-D/SGDK[SGDK]. '[#[See Also] '[l[https://vgmrips.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=113[VGM Players] - a list on vgmrips!
