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discoDSP OPL 3.0 is out now: the FM Synthesizer plugin (desktop/iOS) gets a major update 3.0 with the YMF262 chip emulation, and more.
In 2020, discoDSP released the OPL plugin, a Synthesizer based on an emulation of the Yamaha YM3812 FM chip, which was found in various retro gaming consoles. It was initially developed by Bruce Sutherland as an open-source project and was not updated for a long time until discoDSP took over the project.
Updates are now available, but not for a fee. With OPL 3.0, discoDSP presents a completely overhauled version for both desktop and iOS as a free update for existing users.
The new OPL 3.0 has been rewritten from the group, according to discoDSP. It brings a better synth engine, improved interface, and more.
Once you updated the plugin and open the plugin for the first, you will discover a new interface that is redrawn resolution-independent vector graphics in place of the fixed-size bitmaps and freely resizable with a zoom menu.
The interface also now shows the voice activity. Talking of the voice, the synth core is now built on the YMF262 (OPL3), replacing the previous OPL2 emulation. Each operator now features all eight OPL3 waveforms, where before there were only four.
The synthesis core, register layer, parameter handling, and interface have all been rewritten for this version. Like the previous, it consists of modulator and carrier relations with dedicated envelopes.
FM (open-osurce code – ymfm from Aaron Giles) and an additive modes available in the carrier.
Update 3.0 also introduces chip oversampling up to 16x, cutting the aliasing FM produces at high modulation settings. Pitch, envelope timing, and key scaling stay constant across every oversampling setting.
Playback and pounce now have separate settings, and offline renders use a linear-phase filter and report their latency, so a bounce matches what you monitored.
There is also a new panning feature that is a kev-tracking stereo spread that places notes across the field by pitch.
Also the iOS version benefits from major changes. Don’t worry, the engine has the same features as the desktop plugin.
The iPad standalone app now has a MIDI keyboard, so OPL no longer needs an external controller to play. It sits below the panel with pitch and modulation wheels and octave buttons at each end.
Further, the modulation wheel drives a vibrato LFO with continuous depth, going well beyond the chip’s own fixed two-position vibrato.
On iOS, you can now also work with oversampling, with playback and bounce quality each set from 1x to 16x and remembered between sessions. Loading and exporting SBI instruments through the Files app and iCloud Drive has been fixed, and the AUv3 no longer opens at the wrong size in hosts.
Existing projects and presets load unchanged, with automation assignments preserved. Lastly, discoDSP added a new init bass factory programm.
At first glance, this is a nice free update for users of the commercial OPL version. It’s also good that the iOS version was simultaneously updated to the same level.
This update 3.0 is free for all previous discoDSP OPL customers, only requiring re-authorization.
For new users, it’s $49, and it runs as a standalone and VST, VST3, and AU plugin for macOS (native Apple + Intel), Linux, and Windows. The iOS version with AUv3 is out now for $9,99.
More information here: discoDSP / App Store
Available from my partner
AudioDeluxe 
discoDSP OPL Synthesizer plugin emulates the digital synthesis of the YM3812 chip built into vintage gaming consoles and sound cards.
The OPL Synthesizer brings you back to the sounds from the 80s. Nope, no typical analog, but these digital “dirty” ones that you heard on vintage computers or retro video consoles. To achieve these sounds, the plugin emulates the iconic Yamaha YM3812 sound chip that is also built into old soundcards (AdLib, SoundBlaster…).
The instrument is an authentic emulation and provides all features of the OPL2 and some of the OPL3. The plugin was originally coded by Bruce Sutherland, but discoDSP created a macOS version out of it. Update: discoDSP just released an iOS version of OPL Synthesizer with AUv3 support.
At a technical level: the emulator has channels comprised of 2 oscillators each. Each pair of oscillators is usually combined via phase modulation (basically frequency modulation).
Each oscillator can produce one of eight waveforms (sine, half-sine, absolute sine, quarter sine, alternating sine, camel sine, square, logarithmic sawtooth), and has an ADSR envelope controlling its amplitude.
The unusual waveforms give it a characteristic sound. This plugin is therefore not for musicians who search for new analog-style timbres but especially for fans of vintage digital music that go in the direction of retro gaming.
discoDSP OPL costs $29 USD and is available now for PC, Mac & Linux in VST/VST3 and AU plugin formats. OPL is also available as an iOS AUv3 app for $3.99 USD
More information here: discoDSP
AppStore
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