# ym2149 – Cycle-Accurate YM2149 PSG Emulator
[](https://crates.io/crates/ym2149)
[](https://docs.rs/ym2149)
[](../../LICENSE)
Hardware-accurate emulation of the Yamaha YM2149 Programmable Sound Generator (PSG) chip, as used in the Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, and ZX Spectrum 128. The core runs an internal `clk/8` loop (~250 kHz @ 2 MHz) with hardware envelope/volume tables, DC adjust, and buzzer/digidrum correctness.
## Overview
This crate provides **pure chip emulation only** with cycle-accurate behavior. For file playback and audio output, see the companion crates:
- **ym2149** (this crate): Pure chip emulation
- **[ym2149-replayer-cli](../ym2149-replayer-cli)**: Command-line player with real-time audio
- **[ym2149-ym-replayer](../ym2149-ym-replayer)**: YM file parsing and music playback
- **[ym2149-sndh-replayer](../ym2149-sndh-replayer)**: SNDH (Atari ST) playback with 68000 emulation
- **[ym2149-arkos-replayer](../ym2149-arkos-replayer)**: Arkos Tracker playback
- **[ym2149-ay-replayer](../ym2149-ay-replayer)**: AY file playback with Z80 emulation
- **[ym2149-softsynth](../ym2149-softsynth)**: Experimental synthesizer backend
- **[bevy_ym2149](../bevy_ym2149)**: Bevy game engine integration
## Feature Highlights
| **Emulation** | Integer/lookup pipeline with clk/8 substep, hardware envelope/volume tables |
| **Effects** | SID voice, Sync Buzzer, Mad Max digi-drums, DC filter |
| **Control** | Per-channel mute, color filter, register dump/load |
| **Backend Trait** | `Ym2149Backend` for interchangeable implementations |
| **Utilities** | Register math helpers for frequency/period conversion |
## Install
```toml
[dependencies]
ym2149 = "0.7"
```
For YM file playback with real-time audio, add the CLI:
```toml
ym2149-replayer-cli = "0.7"
```
## Quick Start
### Core Emulation Only
```rust
use ym2149::{Ym2149, Ym2149Backend};
let mut chip = Ym2149::new();
chip.write_register(0x00, 0xF0); // Channel A period low
chip.write_register(0x01, 0x01); // Channel A period high
chip.write_register(0x08, 0x0F); // Channel A volume
chip.write_register(0x07, 0x3E); // Mixer: enable tone A
chip.clock();
let sample = chip.get_sample();
```
### YM File Playback
For playing YM music files, use the `ym2149-ym-replayer` crate:
```rust
use ym2149_ym_replayer::{load_song, PlaybackController};
let data = std::fs::read("song.ym")?;
let (mut player, summary) = load_song(&data)?;
player.play()?;
let samples = player.generate_samples(summary.samples_per_frame as usize);
```
### Real-Time Audio Playback
For real-time audio output, use the CLI:
```bash
cargo run -p ym2149-replayer-cli -- path/to/song.ym
```
### Backend Trait
The `Ym2149Backend` trait allows alternative implementations:
```rust
use ym2149::Ym2149Backend;
fn play_note<B: Ym2149Backend>(chip: &mut B) {
chip.write_register(0x00, 0xF0);
chip.write_register(0x08, 0x0F);
chip.clock();
}
```
## Modules
| `ym2149` | Core chip implementation |
| `backend` | `Ym2149Backend` trait for alternative implementations |
| `channel_state` | `ChannelStates` for extracting visualization data from registers |
| `util` | Register math helpers (period/frequency conversion) |
## Migration from < 0.7
Version 0.7 reorganized the crate structure for better separation of concerns:
- **Streaming audio** moved to `ym2149-replayer-cli`
- **Visualization** moved to `ym2149-replayer-cli`
- YM file parsing in `ym2149-ym-replayer` (since 0.6)
The `ym2149` crate now focuses exclusively on pure chip emulation.
```rust
// Old (< 0.7)
use ym2149::streaming::AudioDevice;
use ym2149::visualization::create_volume_bar;
// New (>= 0.7)
// Use ym2149-replayer-cli for audio output and visualization
```
## Architecture
The YM2149 emulator implements:
- **3 tone generators**: 12-bit period counters
- **1 noise generator**: 17-bit LFSR
- **1 envelope generator**: Hardware-accurate shapes (10 patterns)
- **Mixer**: Configurable tone/noise routing
- **Volume control**: 32-step logarithmic + envelope
- **Effects support**: DigiDrum, SID voice, Sync Buzzer
See [ARCHITECTURE.md](ARCHITECTURE.md) for implementation details.
## Performance
- Sample generation: ~0.5–1 ms per 50 Hz frame (44.1 kHz output)
- Memory: ~1 KB per chip instance
- Zero allocations in sample generation hot path
## Documentation
- API reference: [docs.rs/ym2149](https://docs.rs/ym2149)
- Emulator internals: [`ARCHITECTURE.md`](ARCHITECTURE.md)
## Related Crates
- **[ym2149-replayer-cli](../ym2149-replayer-cli)**: Command-line player with streaming audio
- **[ym2149-ym-replayer](../ym2149-ym-replayer)**: YM file parsing and playback
- **[ym2149-sndh-replayer](../ym2149-sndh-replayer)**: SNDH (Atari ST) playback with 68000 emulation
- **[ym2149-arkos-replayer](../ym2149-arkos-replayer)**: Arkos Tracker playback
- **[ym2149-ay-replayer](../ym2149-ay-replayer)**: AY file playback with Z80 emulation
- **[ym2149-softsynth](../ym2149-softsynth)**: Experimental synthesizer backend
- **[bevy_ym2149](../bevy_ym2149)**: Bevy game engine plugin
## Contributing
Run `cargo fmt`, `cargo clippy`, and `cargo test -p ym2149` before submitting changes.
## License
MIT License – see [LICENSE](../../LICENSE).