Furnace is a tool which allows you to create music using sound chips (“chiptune”), most from the 8/16-bit era.
it has a large selection of features and sound chips. from the NES, SNES and Genesis to ES5506, VIC-20 or even Arcade, Furnace has most likely covered your target with many presets to choose from.
This is free and open source software.
Key Features
- Large selection of sound chips:
- Yamaha FM chips:
- YM2151 (OPM).
- YM2203 (OPN).
- YM2413 (OPLL).
- YM2414 (OPZ) used in Yamaha TX81Z.
- YM2608 (OPNA) used in PC-98.
- YM2610 (OPNB) used in Neo Geo.
- YM2610B (OPNB2).
- YM2612 (OPN2) used in Sega Genesis and FM Towns.
- YM3526 (OPL) used in C64 Sound Expander.
- YM3812 (OPL2).
- YMF262 (OPL3) with full 4-op support!
- Y8950 (OPL with ADPCM).
- ESS ESFM (like OPL3 but with more features).
- square wave chips:
- AY-3-8910/YM2149(F) used in several computers and game consoles.
- Commodore VIC used in the VIC-20.
- Microchip AY8930.
- TI SN76489 used in Sega Master System and BBC Micro.
- PC Speaker.
- Philips SAA1099 used in SAM Coupé.
- OKI MSM5232 used in some arcade boards.
- sample chips:
- SNES.
- Amiga.
- SegaPCM – all 16 channels.
- Capcom QSound.
- Yamaha YMZ280B (PCMD8).
- Ricoh RF5C68 used in Sega CD and FM Towns.
- OKI MSM6258 and MSM6295.
- Konami K007232.
- Konami K053260.
- Irem GA20.
- Ensoniq ES5506.
- Namco C140.
- Namco C219.
- wavetable chips:
- HuC6280 used in PC Engine.
- Konami Bubble System WSG.
- Konami SCC/SCC+.
- Namco arcade chips (WSG/C15/C30).
- WonderSwan.
- Seta/Allumer X1-010.
- Sharp SM8521 used in Tiger Game.com.
- NES (Ricoh 2A03/2A07), with additional expansion sound support:
- Konami VRC6.
- Konami VRC7.
- MMC5.
- Famicom Disk System.
- Sunsoft 5B.
- Namco 163.
- Family Noraebang (OPLL).
- SID (6581/8580) used in Commodore 64.
- Mikey used in Atari Lynx.
- ZX Spectrum beeper:
- SFX-like engine.
- QuadTone engine.
- Pokémon Mini.
- Commodore PET.
- TED used in Commodore Plus/4.
- Casio PV-1000.
- TIA used in Atari 2600.
- POKEY used in Atari 8-bit computers.
- Game Boy:
- including SOFTWARE ENVELOPES (zombie mode).
- Virtual Boy.
- modern/fantasy:
- Commander X16 VERA.
- tildearrow Sound Unit.
- PowerNoise.
- Generic PCM DAC.
- Yamaha FM chips:
- mix and match sound chips!
- over 200 ready to use presets from computers, game consoles and arcade boards…
- …or create your own – up to 32 of them or a total of 128 channels!
- DefleMask compatibility:
- loads .dmf modules from all versions (beta 1 to 1.1.9).
- saves .dmf modules – both modern and legacy:
- Furnace doubles as a module downgrader.
- loads/saves .dmp instruments and .dmw wavetables as well.
- clean-room design (guesswork and ABX tests only, no decompilation involved).
- some bug/quirk implementation for increased playback accuracy through compatibility flags.
- VGM export.
- ZSM export for Commander X16.
- modular layout that you may adapt to your needs.
- audio file export – entire song, per chip or per channel.
- quality emulation cores (Nuked, MAME, SameBoy, Mednafen PCE, NSFplay, puNES, reSID, Stella, SAASound, vgsound_emu and ymfm).
- wavetable synthesizer:
- available on wavetable chips.
- create complex sounds with ease – provide up to two wavetables, select an effect and let go!
- MIDI input support.
- additional features:
- FM macros!
- negative octaves.
- advanced arp macros.
- arbitrary pitch samples.
- sample loop points.
- SSG envelopes and ADPCM-B in Neo Geo.
- pitchable OPLL drums.
- full duty/cutoff range in C64.
- full 16-channel SegaPCM.
- ability to change tempo mid-song.
- decimal tempo/tick rate.
- multiple sub-songs in a module.
- per-channel oscilloscope with waveform centering.
- built-in sample editor.
- chip mixing settings.
- built-in visualizer in pattern view.
Website: github.com/tildearrow/furnace
Support:
Developer: tildearrow
License: GNU General Public License v2.0

Furnace is written in C++. Learn C++ with our recommended free books and free tutorials.
Related Software
| Music Trackers | |
|---|---|
| MilkyTracker | FT2 compatible music tracker |
| Furnace | Multi-system chiptune tracker |
| FamiStudio | NES music editor |
| Radium | Music editor sporting a sleek interface billed as a next generation tracker |
| Schism Tracker | Reimplementation of Impulse Tracker |
| OpenMPT | Audio module tracker (needs Wine to run) |
| BassoonTracker | Browser-based old-school Amiga music tracker |
| klystrack | Tracker for making C64/NES/Amiga-style chiptunes |
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