Yamaha, long noted as "The Standard" for music
synthesis in PC applications has developed a series of
single-chip audio solutions. These devices combine Yamaha's
patented FM Synthesis technologies with Windows Sound System
(WSS) and full games compatibility in a single device. Their
features include:
The OPL3SA was designed as a Plug-and-Play device for PC95
requirements. It is currently found on motherboard solutions by
various manufacturers as well as on add-in cards.
The OPL3SA2 was designed as a Plug-and-Play device for PC95a
requirements and beyond. In addition to the features of the
original OPL3SA, The OPL3SA2 adds address decoding for the full
16-bit address space. Any logical device of this part may be
located within the full 64K of I/O address space. More flexible
DMA and IRQ capabilities are also built into this device. Nine
pins are of flexible use, allowing for both motherboard solutions
and add-in cards. It is the first Yamaha single-chip device
suitable for PC-97 requirements.
The OPL3SA3 is a drop-in replacement for the OPL3SA2, with all
of the features of the 'SA2. This device has enhanced
power-management capabilities, making it suitable for portable
PCs. It also includes Yamaha's exclusive "YMersion" 3D
Stereo Enhancement Technology.
Each of the major x86 Operating Systems requires a different
driver. We have developed drivers for each of these Operating
Systems. Each driver supports all three devices, so there's no
need to keep track of which Yamaha device is installed in a
system. Drivers supporting all three Microsoft products, Windows
3.x, Windows 95, and Windows NT, as well as IBM's OS/2 are
available. These drivers are made available at no cost, and are
available in the download
area.
As one of the originators of General MIDI (Musical Instrument
Digital Interface), Yamaha has years of experience. The Yamaha
OPL4ML and Software Wave table products all follow General MIDI
guidelines in meeting or surpassing all requirements. One hundred
twenty-eight instruments, a minimum of 24 voices, and other
requirements are all easily met by these products.
The Windows 3.x and Windows 95 drivers can also support MIDI
by Software Wave table Synthesis. Wave table Synthesis uses
digital samples of actual musical instruments to create the
waveforms produced by those instruments. Software Wave table
Synthesis uses the power of the CPU to fetch and manipulate this
data. While this does require the use of some processing power,
it means that no additional hardware is required to obtain
higher-quality sound than would normally be expected from a PC.
For the highest-quality music generation, Wave table Synthesis
is available at a reasonable price. Yamaha's OPL4ML (YMF704) is a
hardware Wave table synthesizer that integrates OPL4, General
MIDI processor, and Wave table ROM into one device. It complies
with General MIDI (GM) system level 1, and has an MPU-401
compatible interface. A 3-wire input interface for OPL3SA-series parts makes a
games-compatible Wave table problem a 2-chip solution!
Yamaha is always working on something new and wonderful. Yamaha, in conjunction with other industry leaders in the field of PC audio, have established a standard for PC audio in the near future. This standard allows for higher-quality audio to be available on the home PC. Stay tuned for beneficiaries of PCI's greater bandwidths and clock speeds, including our AC97 devices.
The AC97 Specifications can be downloaded from the Intel Web page. For more information on other YST products, see Yamaha System Technology's Web page, or contact us directly at (408) 467 2300. For information on other Yamaha technologies, see Yamaha Strategic Business Alliance, or contact Yamaha Corporation of America directly at (714) 522 9011.
Download Drivers
Yamaha sells audio integrated
circuits to companies that manufacture Personal Computers or PC
peripherals. We do not sell these products directly to consumers,
and are therefore not staffed to be able to provide support to
end users of our customers' products. We therefore urge you to
contact the manufacturer of your audio card or computer system to
obtain the latest driver version for your current Operating
System or to receive appropriate Technical Support.
Note that the drivers below
MAY NOT BE APPROVED by the manufacturer of your card, and that
they MAY NOT WORK with your specific card or system
configuration.
Win95/Real Dos ... Win 3.x and DOS 6.0 ... Win 95 ...Win NT ... OS/2
IMPORTANT!!
Due to differences in peripheral circuits, these drivers may not
work in all systems. Contact your board supplier if you encounter
difficulties.