Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Few years after it was introduced in Furnace, I finally decided to try the OPZ chip after the recent contest in the Furnace Discord server.
What is the OPZ?
This is the Yamaha YM2414. It appears to be derived from the YM2151. It's got the same 8 channels and noise generator on the last operator of the 8th channel, but it does have 8 selectable waveforms (which might be hit-or-miss depending on who you ask) for the modulators and carriers. It's also got two LFOs, which is useful for making snare drums (the one in this song is the best I could come up with), and fixed-frequency mode, which can let you do interesting stuff (not used in this song). You can even fine-tune each operator to create a stronger chorused effect. Perhaps the most notable use of this chip is in the Yamaha TX81Z synthesizer. Unfortunately, unlike the YM2151, many features of the OPZ are still undocumented, but it is a cool chip to try with what Furnace has for it so far.
Few years after it was introduced in Furnace, I finally decided to try the OPZ chip after the recent contest in the Furnace Discord server.
What is the OPZ?
This is the Yamaha YM2414. It appears to be derived from the YM2151. It's got the same 8 channels and noise generator on the last operator of the 8th channel, but it does have 8 selectable waveforms (which might be hit-or-miss depending on who you ask) for the modulators and carriers. It's also got two LFOs, which is useful for making snare drums (the one in this song is the best I could come up with), and fixed-frequency mode, which can let you do interesting stuff (not used in this song). You can even fine-tune each operator to create a stronger chorused effect. Perhaps the most notable use of this chip is in the Yamaha TX81Z synthesizer. Unfortunately, unlike the YM2151, many features of the OPZ are still undocumented, but it is a cool chip to try with what Furnace has for it so far.
