Extract text from Atari ST audio files (YM)
To convert YM audio files to another format, you need ST-Sound or other Audio software.
To convert other file formats to the "Chiptune Audio Log" file type, you need software like ST-Sound or a similar tool.
YM files are a legacy audio format widely used to store chiptune music from the Atari ST and Amstrad CPC era. Unlike standard audio files that record sound waves, these files contain raw register logs for the Yamaha YM2149 (or General Instrument AY-3-8910) sound chip. This means the file essentially tells the sound chip "set channel A volume to 10" or "set frequency to 440Hz" 50 times per second. While efficient for storing retro music, this format is technically obscure and completely unsupported by modern operating systems or standard media players like Windows Media Player and Apple Music. To listen to these tracks today, you are typically forced to download niche emulators or specialized players like ST-Sound or Audio Overload.
For most users, the most practical workflow is converting these chiptunes into a modern format. If you want to listen on your phone or share the music, convert the .YM file to MP3 or AAC. If you are archiving the audio for production or remixing, convert it to WAV or FLAC to capture the exact output of the emulation without compression artifacts. Note that converting .YM to MIDI is notoriously difficult and often inaccurate; because the file stores hardware instructions rather than musical notes, translating raw register data back into a musical score results in significant loss of nuance.
Use Convert.Guru to open and convert your YM file.
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If you want to convert YM file to MP3, WAV, AAC, FLAC, OGG, WMA, M4A, AIFF, OPUS, ALAC, APE or WV, you can use ST-Sound or similar software from the "Atari ST Chiptune Audio" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert MIDI, AAC, TTA, AU, WV, DTS, MID, FLAC, RA, MP3, PCM or WAV files to YM, try ST-Sound or another comparable tool in the "Atari ST Chiptune Audio" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our YM converter.