Furnace
Furnace is a free, open-source tracker for making chiptune music with emulated sound chips.
What Furnace is
Furnace is a free, open-source tracker for making chiptune music with emulated sound chips. It supports systems and hardware such as Yamaha FM chips, NES, Game Boy, SID, SNES, and arcade hardware. Users can combine chips, choose among more than 200 presets, or configure setups with up to 32 chips or 128 channels. The modular interface allows window arrangement and color customization. Furnace loads and saves DefleMask .dmf modules and supports .dmp instruments and .dmw wavetables, though saving as .dmf may leave some features unavailable. Export formats include WAV, VGM, text, Zsound Music, Atari 2600 ROM, SAP type R, and Furnace Command Stream files. It also lists MIDI input, a sample editor, wavetable synthesizer, and per-channel oscilloscopes. Furnace runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Minimum requirements are 256 MB memory and 25 MB program storage, with higher requirements for some emulation cores. The project notes that issues may remain and that technical computing background can help.
Good
- Supports Yamaha FM, NES, Game Boy, SID, and SNES.
- Offers more than 200 presets.
- Exports WAV, VGM, and several other formats.
- Runs on Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Watch out
- Some features may be unavailable in .dmf saves.
- Some emulation cores need higher system resources.
- The maker notes that issues may remain.
Who it suits
Furnace suits chiptune composers who want to work with emulated chips and configure multi-chip setups. Its maker says some technical computing background can help users get the best experience.
Verdict
Furnace offers broad chip support, configurable setups, and varied export formats for chiptune work. Users should account for possible remaining issues and some technical learning demands.
Plans and prices
From Furnace's own pricing page, checked 4 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| Furnace | Free | Open-source chiptune tracker under GPLv2 or later/GPLv3 |
The facts
Each one read from Furnace's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Custom setups
- Users can mix sound chips, choose from over 200 presets, or create setups with up to 32 chips or 128 channels.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Exports
- Export formats include WAV audio, VGM, text, Zsound Music, Atari 2600 ROM, SAP type R, and Furnace Command Stream files.checked 4 Oct 2026
- File compatibility
- Furnace loads and saves DefleMask .dmf modules and supports .dmp instruments and .dmw wavetables; some features may be unavailable when saving as .dmf.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Interface
- Its modular interface lets users arrange windows freely and customize the color scheme.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Limitations
- The maker says Furnace may still have issues and recommends some technical computing background for the best experience.checked 4 Oct 2026
- MIDI and editing
- The feature list includes MIDI input, a built-in sample editor, a wavetable synthesizer, and per-channel oscilloscopes.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Product
- Furnace is a free, open-source chiptune music tracker for creating music with emulated sound chips.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Security and compliance
- The maker’s pages reviewed describe the software as open-source under GPLv2-or-later/GPLv3 and do not state security certifications or compliance claims.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Sound chips
- It supports a broad range of chips and systems, including Yamaha FM chips, NES, Game Boy, SID, SNES, and arcade hardware.checked 4 Oct 2026
- Support
- The maker identifies GitHub Discussions and Discord as Furnace’s official discussion channels and links to documentation and a quick start guide.checked 4 Oct 2026
- System requirements
- The maker lists 256 MB memory and 25 MB program storage as minimums, with higher requirements for some emulation cores.checked 4 Oct 2026
The company
- Maker
- The project credits tildearrow and says it was built by several experts contributing their free time.checked 4 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Platforms
- Downloads are listed for Windows, macOS, and Linux, including x86_64 Linux and ARM builds.checked 4 Oct 2026
