GeneTune: FM Chiptune DAW

Turn your iPhone into a 16-bit sound chip.

GeneTune is a complete chiptune studio built on the YM2612 FM synthesizer and the SN76489 PSG — the two chips behind classic 16-bit console soundtracks. Draw on a piano roll, design 4-operator FM voices, and export hardware-accurate VGM for real homebrew projects.

REAL CHIP ARCHITECTURE, NOT A PRESET PACK
• 6 FM channels: 4 operators, 8 algorithms, feedback
• Full operator control — DT, MUL, TL, RS, AR, D1R, D2R, SL, RR, AM, SSG-EG
• Per-channel AMS / FMS and L/R panning, plus a global LFO
• 3 square-wave PSG channels and 1 white/periodic noise channel with 4-bit attenuation
• DAC sample playback on FM channel 6, with correct hardware channel muting

A PIANO ROLL THAT MATCHES THE HARDWARE
• 10 fixed tracks mapped 1:1 to the chips — 6 FM, 3 PSG tone, 1 noise
• Tap to draw, drag to move, stretch to change note length
• Pinch to zoom, playhead follow, quantize, tempo, pattern loop, mute and solo
• Undo and redo (⌘Z / ⇧⌘Z with a hardware keyboard)
• Touch keyboard to audition any voice instantly

MIDI IN
• Play and record from any Core MIDI controller or app
• Step input for precise, tracker-style entry
• MIDI clock and transport sync
• MIDI Learn for play and stop

IMPORT AND EDIT REAL VGM FILES
• Open .vgm and .vgz and hear the original register log played back through a ymfm-based core
• Then edit it: FM key-on/off becomes real notes, PSG tone and noise become real notes
• FM voices, PSG settings, LFO and GD3 song titles are all recovered
• DAC writes and DAC Stream Control are rebuilt into PCM material and notes
• Mid-song voice changes and multiple DAC waveforms are preserved per note
• Tempo and bar grid are estimated automatically from note timing

EXPORTS YOU CAN ACTUALLY SHIP
• VGM 1.70 — NTSC chip clocks, full register streams, pattern looping, DAC register 2A stream
• 44.1 kHz 16-bit stereo WAV for streaming, video and demos
• .mdseq project files with autosave
• Live Z80 RAM (8 KiB) and music ROM (448 KiB) budget readouts, so your track fits on real hardware

BRING YOUR OWN SAMPLES
Import WAV, AIFF, CAF or M4A and GeneTune converts it to the 11.025 kHz 8-bit unsigned PCM the hardware expects. Drums, voices, one-shots — all on the DAC channel, inside the real memory budget.

BUILT FOR iPHONE AND iPAD
• Universal app — 3-pane layout on iPad, 5-tab layout on iPhone
• Works fully offline
• No ads. No subscriptions. No account required.

Whether you are scoring a homebrew game, writing retro-flavored tracks, or you just want to know what those chips really sounded like, GeneTune hands you the whole chip — not an imitation of it.

Requires iOS / iPadOS 17.0 or later.