freq monster 801 - FM synth frontend

[chrisNova777]

FM synthesizer frontend for OPL3 compatible sound cards

http://fm801.kewl.org/app/about/

Freq Monster 801
This application is a 6 note polyphonic, 6 operator frontend for OPL3 compatible sound cards.

Keyboard/midi modes include 6 operator (4+2) layered, bi-timbral midi (4/2) and keyboard split (ranges configurable). The OPL3 drum kit may also be activated on channel 10 if desired. When the drum kit is active polyphony is halved for the 2op channel.

Sound devices currently supported include the ForteMedia FM801, ESS ES1938S Solo-1, Sound Blaster PRO2, 16 and AWE64, Avance Logic ALS4000, OPTi 930 and the Yamaha YMF724.

Any card with a genuine or clone of the Yamaha OPL3 device ought to work albeit without a mixer.

Since drivers for Windows Vista and later do not exist for these old sound cards then support for hardware devices is only available up to Windows XP.

In NT based systems such as Windows XP this application depends on the 32bit I/O driver GiveIO.SYS which can be downloaded here else installed via Speedfan.

For Windows 7 and Linux (with WINE) or those without any OPL3 compatible sound card there is an alternative plugin option available utilising a YMF262 (OPL3) software emulator.

Due to the license of the YMF262 software emulator it is loaded at run-time as a plugin and not distributed with the application. You must download ymf262.dll separately and then place it in your Freq Monster 801 installation directory to utilise this mode of operation.

Usage of the YMF262 plugin DLL gives much higher latency than a hardware device and is no substitute for the real thing but it is definitely better than nothing.

Have fun.

http://fm801.kewl.org/app/compatibility/
http://fm801.kewl.org/images/hardware/synth/