Genesis/Mega-Drive inspired portable FM synthesizer “Liven Mega Synthesis” now up for pre-order

Do you fancy yourself an electronic musician? Are you especially fond of the Yamaha 2612 sound processor that was most notably found in the Sega Genesis/Mega-Drive as well as several old school arcade systems, including the Sega System 32? If you answered yes to both, have I found the tool for you: The Liven Mega Synthesis, now available for pre-order from manufacturer Sonicware for $239 USD.

The Liven Mega Synthesis is designed completely around emulating the iconic sound of the YM 2612 chip, along with the accompanying 8-bit PCM and PSG sounds, in excellent quality with tons of options for composition and editing. While it can record and play music far beyond the limitations of Genesis hardware, it also includes a “Legacy Mode” that allows it to more strictly match the specific sound of a Genesis console on any given track. All this comes in a six track sequencer with ten special effects to apply to each, including reverb, distortion, low pass filter, high pass filter, and crusher.

It’s also got the backing of the one and only retro game composer legend Yuzo Koshiro, who has created 32 preset sounds and 8 special patterns for you to try applying to your own music. This is all included along with 320 preset game sounds and 64 PCM drum tracks.

Check in past the break for the pre-order link, as well as examples of the Mega Synthesis’s preset patterns.

Being a portable sequencer, this should be perfect for composing and playing on the go as well as suitable for studio recording or live concerts. That last point should be especially important for musicians when, normally, electronic musicians making use of authentic chiptune sound usually have to wire an original video game console to their equipment to play their music in real time. In some cases, equipment has been prepared that allows for less complicated setups not requiring an original jerry-rigged console. (In fact, the Analogue Pocket is actually equipped to do this for chiptune artists that use a Game Boy’s audio chip.) If you intend to make live music using the classic Genesis FM sound, then this should be a great device for the cause.

Check out the official page on the Sonicware website for more information and to pre-order. Let us know in the comments if you intend to pre-order or if you’ve made FM music with any other equipment.

It’s also worth mentioning that Sonicware has another FM synthesizer available as well, but this other one is designed with a more modern approach in mind compared to the Mega Synthesis.

 

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