VRC7 audio

The Konami VRC7, in addition to being a mapper chip, also produces 6 channels of 2-operator FM Synthesis Audio. It is a derivative of the Yamaha YM2413 OPLL, implementing a subset of its features and containing a custom fixed patch set.

VRC7 audio was only used in one game, Lagrange Point. The chip also appears in Tiny Toon Adventures 2, but this cart does not use the audio, and its board lacks required additional audio mixing circuitry.

Registers

Audio Reset ($E000)

7  bit  0
---------
RS.. ..MM
 +-------- Reset expansion sound

Setting this bit will silence the expansion audio and clear its registers (including tremolo LFO state, but not including vibrato LFO state).

Writes to $9010 and $9030 are disregarded while this bit is set.

Other bits in this register control mirroring and WRAM. See VRC7: Mirroring Control ($E000).

Audio Register Select ($9010)

7......0
VVVVVVVV
++++++++- The 8-bit internal register to select for use with $9030

This register is write-only.

After writing to this register, the program must not write to $9030 (or $9010 again) for at least 6 CPU clock cycles while the VRC7 internally sets up the address.

Audio Register Write ($9030)

7......0
VVVVVVVV
++++++++- The 8-bit value to write to the internal register selected with $9010

This register is write-only.

After writing to this register, the program must not write to $9010 (or $9030 again) for at least 42 CPU clock cycles while the VRC7 internally handles the write.

Addresses $9010 and $9030 differ in bit A5. This signal corresponds to A0 (pin 10) of a YM2413.

Register Write Delay

Lagrange Point uses the following delay routine after writes to $9010 and $9030 to ensure enough time passes between writes:

wait_9030:          ; JSR to this label immediately after writing to $9030
    STX $82         ; stores X temporarily (address is arbitrary)
    LDX #$08
@wait_loop:
    DEX
    BNE @wait_loop
    LDX $82         ; restores X
wait_9010:          ; JSR to this label immediately after writing to $9010
    RTS

Internal Audio Registers

The VRCVII appears to have 26 internal registers. Registers $00-$07 define a custom patch that can be played on any channel set to use instrument $0. Registers $10-$15, $20-25, and $30-35 control 6 channels for FM synthesis.

Other register values are ignored, except $0F which is a test register with a few special functions.

Custom Patch

Register	Bitfield	Description
$00	TVSK MMMM	Modulator tremolo (T), vibrato (V), sustain (S), key rate scaling (K), multiplier (M)
$01	TVSK MMMM	Carrier tremolo (T), vibrato (V), sustain (S), key rate scaling (K), multiplier (M)
$02	KKOO OOOO	Modulator key level scaling (K), output level (O)
$03	KK-Q WFFF	Carrier key level scaling (K), unused (-), carrier waveform (Q), modulator waveform (W), feedback (F)
$04	AAAA DDDD	Modulator attack (A), decay (D)
$05	AAAA DDDD	Carrier attack (A), decay (D)
$06	SSSS RRRR	Modulator sustain (S), release (R)
$07	SSSS RRRR	Carrier sustain (S), release (R)

The patch defines a 2-operator FM unit with a single modulator and carrier. The carrier produces the output tone, and the output of the modulator modulates its frequency. The patch has the following parameters:

• $00/$01 T Tremolo applies amplitude modulation at a predefined rate.
• $00/$01 V Vibrato applies pitch modulation at a predefined rate.
• $00/$01 S Sustain determines whether the operator uses the sustain section of the envelope or not.
• $00/$01 K Key rate scaling adjusts the ADSR envelope speed, faster for high frequencies, slower for low ones.
• $00/$01 MMMM Multiplier is a multiplier on the operator's frequency according to a lookup table (see below).
• $02/$03 KK Key level scaling attenuates the operator at higher frequencies $0 = none, $3 = most.
• $02 OOOOOO Modulator output level, this value reduces the modulator volume in 0.75db increments.
• $03 Q/W Operator waveform, 0 = sine, 1 = half-wave rectified sine (where sine values less than 0 are clipped to 0).
• $03 FFF Feedback applied to modulator according to a lookup table (see below).
• $04/$05 AAAA Attack is the speed of the attack fade in after key-on. $0 = halt, $1 = slowest, $F = fastest.
• $04/$05 DDDD Decay is the speed of the decay fade to sustain after attack. $0 = halt, $1 = slowest, $F = fastest.
• $06/$07 SSSS Sustain is the attenuation after decay, in 3db increments. $0 = highest volume, $F = lowest.
• $06/$07 RRRR Release is the speed of the release fade to silent after sustain. $0 = halt, $1 = slowest, $F = fastest.

If a note is released before the attack or decay finishes, release begins from the current volume level. If the sustain bit is not set in $00/$01 S, release begins immediately after decay.

If the sustain bit is set in the channel control register $2X S (see Channels section below), the release value in the patch is ignored and replaced with $5.

The modulator's sustain bit ($00 S) also disables the release section of its envelope. If its sustain bit is set, the Attack, Decay, and Sustain portions of the envelope are used, but when the note is released the modulator will continue to sustain while the carrier releases. The carrier does not behave this way: its envelope always enters release when the note is released.

$00/$01 MMMM	$0	$1	$2	$3	$4	$5	$6	$7	$8	$9	$A	$B	$C	$D	$E	$F
Multiplier	1/2	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	10	12	12	15	15

$03 FFF	$0	$1	$2	$3	$4	$5	$6	$7
Modulation Index	0	π/16	π/8	π/4	π/2	π	2π	4π

Channels

Register	Bitfield	Description
$10-$15	LLLL LLLL	Channel low 8 bits of frequency
$20-$25	--ST OOOH	Channel sustain (S), trigger (T), octave (O), high bit of frequency (H)
$30-$35	IIII VVVV	Channel instrument (I), volume (V)

Each channel X is controlled by three registers at $1X, $2X, and $3X.

The 8 bits of $1X with a 9th bit from bit 0 of $2X create a 9-bit frequency value (freq). This is combined with a 3-bit octave value from $2X (octave) to define the output frequency (F):

     49716 Hz * freq
F = -----------------
     2^(19 - octave)

The VRC7 is clocked by an external ceramic oscillator running at 3.58 MHz (roughly twice the NTSC NES CPU clock rate, but not synchronized with it), and it takes 72 internal clock cycles to update all of its channels, which means each channel is updated with a frequency of 49716 Hz (or roughly 36 NES CPU clocks). During these 72 cycles, the channels are output in series rather than mixed (like Namco's 163), but because the frequency is so high it is not audibly different from mixed output.

Writing to register $2X can begin a key-on or key-off event, depending on the value in the trigger bit (T). If the trigger bit changes from 0 to 1 (key-on), a new note begins. If it changes from 1 to 0 (key-off), it will begin the release portion of its envelope which will eventually silence the channel (unless release is $0). If the trigger bit does not change, no new key-on or key-off will be generated.

Using the sustain bit (S) in $2X overrides the normal release value for the patch with a value of $5.

Register $3X selects the instrument patch to use, and chooses a volume. Note that volume value is inverted: $F is the lowest volume and $0 is the highest. There is no silent volume value; its output scale is logarithmic in 3db increments.

Test Register $0F

At $0F is an additional test register that responds to the low 4 bits.

• Bit 0: The envelope generators are replaced with constant 0 output (full volume) for both modulator and carrier. The envelopes are still running while their output is overridden.
• Bit 1: Hold LFO phase at zero. This halts, disables, and resets both the tremolo and vibrato LFO.
• Bit 2: Holds and resets waveform phase to zero. The envelopes are not halted, though the output will be silent.
• Bit 3: Update tremolo and vibrato LFOs every sample instead of once every several samples. (Tremolo is 64x faster, and vibrato is 1024x faster.)

Internal patch set

There are 16 different instrument patches available on the VRC7. With the exception of instrument $0, which can be controlled by registers $00-$07 (see above), these are hardwired into the chip and cannot be altered.

Exact values for the fixed patch were dumped using the VRC7 rewired into a debug mode:

   | 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 | Name
---+-------------------------+----------------
 0 | -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- | (Custom Patch)
 1 | 03 21 05 06 E8 81 42 27 | Buzzy Bell
 2 | 13 41 14 0D D8 F6 23 12 | Guitar
 3 | 11 11 08 08 FA B2 20 12 | Wurly
 4 | 31 61 0C 07 A8 64 61 27 | Flute
 5 | 32 21 1E 06 E1 76 01 28 | Clarinet
 6 | 02 01 06 00 A3 E2 F4 F4 | Synth
 7 | 21 61 1D 07 82 81 11 07 | Trumpet
 8 | 23 21 22 17 A2 72 01 17 | Organ
 9 | 35 11 25 00 40 73 72 01 | Bells
 A | B5 01 0F 0F A8 A5 51 02 | Vibes
 B | 17 C1 24 07 F8 F8 22 12 | Vibraphone
 C | 71 23 11 06 65 74 18 16 | Tutti
 D | 01 02 D3 05 C9 95 03 02 | Fretless
 E | 61 63 0C 00 94 C0 33 F6 | Synth Bass
 F | 21 72 0D 00 C1 D5 56 06 | Sweep

The VRC7 instrument ROM dump also shows 3 drum patches. It is believed that these additional patches are an artifact from the YM2413 and are not playable on the VRC7. Curiously, byte $07 of the snare drum ($68) differs from YM2413 ($48):

   | 01 01 18 0F DF F8 6A 6D | Bass Drum
   | 01 01 00 00 C8 D8 A7 68 | Snare Drum / Hi-Hat
   | 05 01 00 00 F8 AA 59 55 | Tom / Top Cymbal

Debug Mode

Pin 15 of the VRC7 is an active-low input that enables a debug mode. In debug mode, it is possible to dump instrument patches from internal ROM, read and write the DAC value, and access serial data similar to the Yamaha YM2413 and other related synthesizers. The VRC7 uses the normal CPU data bus for reading and writing data in this mode, but uses a modified pinout to select the data. The modified pinout is not compatible with the normal Famicom connections in a cartridge. Since the /Debug pin will be tied high in a cartridge, this mode is not normally be accessible without physical modification.

Pins 2 and 47 select a high-level mode, while pins 4, 16, and 28 change meaning depending on which mode is selected.

VRC7 Debug Mode Inputs

Mode	Pin 15	Pin 47	Pin 2	Pin 28	Pin 4	Pin 16
VRC7	/DEBUG	CPU M2	PPU A13	CPU A13	CPU R/W	CPU A5
Normal usage	1	x	x	x	x	x
YM2413	/DEBUG	MODE0	MODE1	/CS	/WR	A0	Data bus
No operation	0	1	0	1	x	x
Write Address	0	1	0	0	0	0
Write Data	0	1	0	0	0	1
Read Serial	0	1	0	0	1	0	---- --DF
No operation	0	1	0	0	1	1
DAC Test	/DEBUG	MODE0	MODE1	/CS	/WR	A0	Data bus
No operation	0	0	0	1	x	x
Override DAC	0	0	0	0	0	x	Lower 8 bits
No operation	0	0	0	0	1	x
DAC Query	/DEBUG	MODE0	MODE1	/CS	/WR	A0	Data bus
Read DAC	0	1	1	x	x	x	Upper 8 bits
Instrument Query	/DEBUG	MODE0	MODE1	/A2	/A1	/A0	Data bus
Read InstROM 0	0	0	1	1	1	1	SSSS RRRR
Read InstROM 1	0	0	1	1	1	0	AAAA DDDD
Read InstROM 2	0	0	1	1	0	1	MMMM --KK
Read InstROM 3	0	0	1	1	0	0	-FFF TVSK
Read InstROM 4	0	0	1	0	1	1	OOOO OOQW
Read 0	0	0	1	0	1	0	(legend)
Read 0	0	0	1	0	0	1
Read 0	0	0	1	0	0	0

When /DEBUG (pin 15) is low, CPU A12 (pin 27) acts as an active-low Reset signal (instead of the active-high signal in register $E000) for the YM2413, meaning that it must be high at all times for the audio circuit to be driven.

In "Read Serial" mode, data is returned on the CPU data bus as follows:

• CPU D0: lower 9 bits of phase and envelope amplitude, as seen in the normal self-test mode of the YM2413
• CPU D1: DAC value
• CPU D2-D7: logic 0

In "Override DAC" mode, the lower 8 bits of the DAC are instead driven with the contents of the external data bus. The DAC goes back to normal as soon as this mode is exited.

In "Read InstROM" mode, the current operator's parameters are returned, using the same legend as used above in §Custom Patch. Any bit marked with "-" reads as 0.

Rhythm Register $0E

In normal operation, the "rhythm mode" bit in register $0E is treated as though it were always enabled, resulting only six audible FM channels. The VRC7 has no rhythm DAC, so the 5 rhythm channels are always inaudible.

In debug mode, the rhythm mode bit can be disabled, permitting 9 channels of OPLL audio. (It can also be enabled, but without the rhythm DAC, there is almost no utility in doing so)

Differences from OPLL

The synthesis core is related to the Yamaha YM2413 OPLL, which is itself a cost-reduced version of the YM3182 OPL2 chip made popular by AdLib and SoundBlaster sound cards.

• Register layout is the same.
• VRC7 has 6 channels, OPLL has 9.
• VRC7 has no rhythm channels, OPLL does (the last 3 channels are either FM or Rhythm on OPLL).
• VRC7 built-in instruments are not the same as OPLL instruments.
• VRC7 has no readily-accessible status register, under normal circumstances it is write-only; OPLL has an undocumented, 2-bit 'internal state' register.
• VRC7 has one DAC and output pin for audio, multiplexed for all 6 channels; OPLL has two DACs and output pins, one for FM and one for Rhythm.

A recording comparing the fixed patches of VRC7(left) and YM2413(right) is available here: File:VRC7 and YM2413 on FAMICOM LP intro.ogg

References

• VRC7 chip info by Kevin Horton: http://kevtris.org/nes/vrcvii.txt
• YM2413 datasheets: http://www.datasheetarchive.com/YM2413-datasheet.html
• VRC7 audio test program: http://zzo38computer.org/nes_program/vrc7test.zip
• VRC7 patch set revisions 2012, 2017, 2018: http://forums.nesdev.org/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=9141
• Discussion of modulator sustain: http://famitracker.com/forum/posts.php?id=6804

External links

• Programmer's guide to the YM2413 from SMSPower
• How logsin and exp tables work in OPL2
• Yamaha FM internal bit depths
• VRC7 discussion on NESdev BBS
• siliconpr0n VRC7 decapsulation photographs