MA-3 YMU762 MegaMod - Mobile Phone MMF/MID Player
MA-3 YMU762 MegaMod - Mobile Phone MMF/MID Player
What is it?
The MA-3 YMU762 MegaMod is a retro Japanese and Korean flip phone music player built around the original YMU762 (MA-3) chip. It supports playing music in MMF (SMAF) and MID (MIDI) formats — the authentic ringtone and game music formats of early 2000s mobile phones.
This is the world's first self-made open source hardware capable of independently playing MMF format music. Relive the iconic sound of retro mobile phone ringtones without a computer — just power and a speaker.
About the YMU762 (MA-3) Chip
The YMU762, marketed as MA-3, is a synthesizer LSI designed by Yamaha for mobile phones to realize advanced game sounds. It features a stereophonic hybrid synthesizer system combining the best of both FM and Wave Table synthesis:
- 32 FM voices simultaneous — FM synthesis with compact parameter encoding (tens of bytes per voice), ideal for melody distribution over mobile networks
- 8 Wave Table voices simultaneous — built-in ROM voices plus arbitrary ADPCM/PCM voices downloadable via sequencer
- Built-in hardware sequencer — handles complex playback without loading the host CPU
- Built-in speaker amplifier — direct speaker drive, no external amp needed
- Vibrator & LED control circuit — synchronizes physical feedback with music playback
The MA-3 was used in countless Japanese and Korean feature phones of the early 2000s, powering the distinctive ringtones and game sounds that defined that era of mobile culture.
What Makes It Special?
- World's first open source hardware MMF player — plays retro mobile ringtones standalone
- Supports MA2/MA3 SMAF (.mmf) mobile phone ringtone format directly
- Supports MIDI files up to 127KB
- Configurable playback loop count
- Uses the original YMU762 chip — authentic hardware sound, not emulation
- MegaGRRL-compatible module format
- No computer required for playback
Key Specifications
- Chip: YMU762 (MA-3)
- FM voices: 32 simultaneous
- Wave Table voices: 8 simultaneous
- Supported formats: MMF/SMAF (MA2/MA3), MIDI (<127KB)
- Built-in: Speaker amplifier, hardware sequencer
- Module format: MegaGRRL compatible
- Operation: Standalone (no PC required)
Options
- With MegaGRRL Desktop — $299 (complete standalone player)
- Module only — $160 (-$139)