Re: MSU1 Volume Fix, The Second Wave

by **Colines** Tue 1 May 2018 - 18:44

DatSwissGuy wrote:ASM is going to be a little bit tricky for starters, but i know at least some basics. Words like cycles, memory addresses, flags etc. are not unknown to me.

That's good! If you want suggestions for a good way to start, here it's a few tips I wrote: =)
https://www.zeldix.net/t852-any-tips-for-msu1-hacking#9721

I use a STAX SRM-252S amp + SR 207 electrostatic earspeakers (that's what STAX calls earphones)

it's a tedious process of listening the mastered tracks over and over again till you get insane

Hell yeah, don't remind me! I used to work in a marketing company at the video editing department, but I was always working together with Audio Engineers during the sound mastering and mix/editing phase, and holy mother of God, what a excruciating thing that was.

I do miss though, the equipment we had there, most of the devices were from Marshall, Musical Fidelity and the likes, I even used my workplace to help in here at Zeldix. Now being a mere mortal, normalizing tracks has proven to be difficult, particularly when songs come from different sources and taking into account my pseudo-OCD Razz

Can't express myself correctly, but reading this i did a little dance of joy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpSJAkSXc8Q

If you wish i can have a look at all the other fixed volume packs and give some feedback.

If you're able to take the time to set up the MSU-1 patches and see how the tracks perform, that would be very appreciated ^.^

Where can i upload or who shall i contact for playtesting/checking/redistribution?

We usually host the PCM packs at our own personal Cloud accounts (Mediafire, Mega, Google Drive, Onedrive, etc), you're free to create another thread to share your contributions ;-)
I would also be more than happy to include your tracks in my list, if you so desire. Smile

For playtesting/checking, someone will probably step ahead to offer feedback and report any oversight. Very Happy

by DatSwissGuy Tue 1 May 2018 - 19:37

Thanks!

Here's the link to my modified PCM files for TMNT IV - Turtles in Time:

Code:: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EdJS_ZPBBk_amnzgyyACJXtKiAiUk_uZ

Based on the original mixing of DarkShock, i adjusted the Volume.

Used tools / gear:

msu2wav
msupcm++
flac.exe (since msupcm++ didn't work with the .wav files, and i haven't figured out why. But to be honest i haven't looked at the msupcm++ code to find out ^^)
Audacity
STAX SR-207 Headphones with AMP (Reference Headphones)
Visual Studio Code

Tested with:

Higan v106 (if there are other recommendations, please tell me!)
SD2SNES Rev. H +0.0 dB amplification
PAL 1-CHIP SNES (tracks are "off-sync" due to the nature of the game not running natively at 60 Hz, but that's not an issue at all, since it's music and not sound effects.)
Super NT with FW 4.5 and cartridge audio set to +175

by DatSwissGuy Tue 1 May 2018 - 19:44

Tested MSU-1 Hacks:

Chrono Trigger: Slightly too loud when used in conjunction with the Chrono Trigger Symphony Album. I already adjusted it with msupcm++ and a custom written / modified .json file.
Secret of Mana: Mostly sounds ok, some tracks feel a tad bit too loud when listened with foobar2000. I'd have to play through the game to get a better feeling. But there's a high probability i'm just imagining things here / being nitpicky
The Legend of Zelda ALTTP: I personally think it's spot on. Need to finish the Darkworld though...

by **Colines** Tue 1 May 2018 - 20:23

Okiedokie! Added your pack to the main post =D

DatSwissGuy wrote:msupcm++ didn't work with the .wav files, and i haven't figured out why

Hm... I can only suppose this has to do with the preserve loop point functionality, I'm probably wrong though.

Have no idea how it works (never used, I've written my own tool), maybe the WAV output file isn't a traditional one? In case the loop point is carried along the conversion, WAV doesn't natively support looping information, making necessary the use of an extended header, and most wav2msu tools only work with native headers AFAIK.

You may try this msu2wav converter:
http://www.dkc-atlas.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=68&t=2087

This turns PCM files to WAV in the simplest way possible, if it works, then you probably will want to deactivate any other function except the conversion in qwertymodo's tool.

Secret of Mana: Mostly sounds ok, some tracks feel a tad bit too loud when listened with foobar2000.

There are a few of them, which music pack are you referring to?
https://www.zeldix.net/t798-secret-of-mana#8884

by DatSwissGuy Tue 1 May 2018 - 20:29

Secret of Mana: "Fixing all of the too-loud audio packs for good"

Code:: https://www.mediafire.com/?hvcv15tmns8j5bw

Editing reason: no direct links

by **Conn** Wed 2 May 2018 - 3:27

Okiedokie! Added your pack to the main post =D

Can you edit the main post in TMNT?
If a new pcm pack is released, please post it as comment in the database section, with a short description what is it (OST, arcade, whatever). I'll add it as alternative download then to the first post.

by DatSwissGuy Wed 2 May 2018 - 8:04

I posted it as a comment in the following topic:
https://www.zeldix.net/t1443-tmnt-iv-turtle-in-time#21216

The rest is up to you guys Smile

by **Conn** Wed 2 May 2018 - 11:31

ok, just need a verification by Colines that I can overwrite his "too silent" pack? Or keep both, like I now made it... or Colines, did you mean with "added your pack to first post" that you replaced your files with those new, and your cloud link leads to the updated files already, so we do not need a second link?
I'm confused, sorry

by **Colines** Wed 2 May 2018 - 17:59

Conn wrote:... or Colines, did you mean with "added your pack to first post"

Yes, exactly that Razz

Please, remove my link entirely at the TMNT page, seems like DatSwissGuy's pack is pretty spot on and has succeed to mix perfectly the audio tracks =D

by **Conn** Wed 2 May 2018 - 19:55

Thanks for the heads up, done:
https://www.zeldix.net/t1443-tmnt-iv-turtle-in-time#21216

Since DS patch was part of your cloud link too, I uploaded it to the bszelda server now so I could remove your link.

by **gyaragax** Mon 7 May 2018 - 20:46

New here, so I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this. I also posted in the relevant MSU-1 Hacks Database comments.

I put together a new pcm set for SFII Turbo, including heavy damage tracks. The set is mostly sourced from CPS-2 (Super/Super Turbo SFII), with a few exceptions. PittStone's previous CPS-2 set was volume blasted. I wanted to make a full set with all the heavy damage tracks and make few changes, so I did a new set from primarily lossless FLAC source and made it fully normalized, so it does not drown out the game's sound effects.

I did my testing on a Rev. F SD2SNES, with the volume boost on +12dB and emulated, running through SNES9x. The levels sound right to me on both.

In addition to the majority CPS-2 tracks an additional recomposed track 16 for the Capcom jingle. The default title track uses an OverClocked ReMix rock arrangement from vertexguy, though a CPS-2 option is included, alternatively. There are a few tracks for which there was not a CPS-2 version, so I used newly looped and normalized CPS-1 tracks for those. It's detailed in the included readme file.

Let me know if there's another place I should post this.
https://mega.nz/#!VeYW1TyK!ey1QUrzId6cREyS3YOpEXec5bC71oIi3kOyFwncobuA

by **Colines** Mon 7 May 2018 - 23:05

Outstanding! =D

Your contribution is really appreciated, this thread deals specifically with encoding lossless/Red Book audio tracks for usage with MSU-1, so be my guest to share your work ;-)

Alternatively, you're more than welcome to create your own thread in case your goals are far beyond from what is offered here. =)

Meanwhile, the main post now includes your tracks, soon our moderators/admins gonna edit the SFII entry in the database to reflect your addition Smile

Don't forget to keep track of your tracks (~~lame pun~~)! Someone might point out an oversight at anytime!

Thank you and welcome to Zeldix!

by **Conn** Tue 8 May 2018 - 2:33

Meanwhile, the main post now includes your tracks, soon our moderators/admins gonna edit the SFII entry in the database to reflect your addition

Already done Smile

Since the set works also for the native SF2 turbo, I put it to both in the first post:
https://www.zeldix.net/t1456-street-fighter-2-turbo-msu-hack#21310
https://www.zeldix.net/t1605-street-fighter-2-turbo-msu-1-heady-damage-themes

by **emuandco** Mon 6 Aug 2018 - 22:09

Colines wrote:I though emuandco already had normalized the DKC2 tracks? Gonna take a look at them, long ago I was planning to normalize those tracks too, but somehow I truly ended believing emuandco had fixed them X|

Just before I forget to reply here. I normalized them according to the howto and before that, remade them from source. Now I wonder, how much too loud were my files?

by **Conn** Tue 7 Aug 2018 - 5:40

That quote from Colines was from Feb/7. The new files for DKC2 are from Mar/5 and all fixed and done:
https://www.zeldix.net/t1445-donkey-kong-country-2

Colines already fixed the volume. If I remember correctly they also did not loop (no loop point inside the pcm) and thus repeated from the very start with a small break before repeating

by **emuandco** Tue 7 Aug 2018 - 9:54

Yeah, I know. I wanted to reply here weeks ago and always something else stole my time. Now I have holidays Razz

Just to be safe here. I am not pissed or stuff like that, quite the opposite is the case. ppl find a problem and fix it, that's the sprit ^^ And yeah, I never found a way to make nice loops in a more efficient way than Audacity @ max zoom in manually cutting around... thus I... did not add any in there. I am just curious what was wrong in my normalizing settings. Like... preventing to make the same mistake again. Like... on my SoM conversion script which right now uses the same settings I used for DKC2 ^^

by **Conn** Tue 7 Aug 2018 - 12:24

Ah I see. Guess you need to wait for Colines to reply what his new settings were Smile

by **Colines** Tue 7 Aug 2018 - 21:38

emuandco wrote:I am just curious what was wrong in my normalizing settings.

You haven't done anything wrong at all, really. That's just a side effect from the last 70 years of the music industry which never stablished an standard volume level to follow Razz

-18db or -21db would never work exactly for all the tracks you selected, the vast majority are from several different sources, whose sound mixing of each one doesn't match any other.

Therefore, while -21db might work for a few songs, it won't be good enough for another selection.

It was necessary to listen each song individually to normalize them properly. They all use varied volume levels according to their source of reference, that was kinda of a pain to do Confused

But if your SoM pack is made of tracks from the same album/mixer, then a single value should probably do it for all. ;-)

There are a few exceptions, though. For instance, Blake Robinson seems to have made use of utter satanism techniques to compose his album:
https://www.zeldix.net/t1265p75-fixing-all-of-the-too-loud-audio-packs-for-good#19590

by JHelmeke Fri 30 Apr 2021 - 0:55

Speaking of FMV-type stuff: does anyone have a good copy of that lying around? I've found PCM-0 for Chrono Trigger myself but the only thing that plays is the audio...no FMV to be had. I've patched more than a dozen or so MSU-1 files for other games thousands of times so I'm sure I'm doing things the right way. Just need a good copy of the FMV cut scenes for Chrono Trigger

As a side note, has anyone got around to adding FMV for MMX3 yet? That'd be a blast. I've also been thinking of the possibility of adding PCM audio files to the opening scene of Flashback: QFI. The Sega CD has scripted voice acting for the Intro whereas the SNES version only has written text.

Just a conversation starter.

by **JUD6MENT** Fri 30 Apr 2021 - 5:32

JHelmeke wrote:Speaking of FMV-type stuff: does anyone have a good copy of that lying around? I've found PCM-0 for Chrono Trigger myself but the only thing that plays is the audio...no FMV to be had. I've patched more than a dozen or so MSU-1 files for other games thousands of times so I'm sure I'm doing things the right way. Just need a good copy of the FMV cut scenes for Chrono Trigger

As a side note, has anyone got around to adding FMV for MMX3 yet? That'd be a blast. I've also been thinking of the possibility of adding PCM audio files to the opening scene of Flashback: QFI. The Sega CD has scripted voice acting for the Intro whereas the SNES version only has written text.

Just a conversation starter.

Chrono trigger stuff is talked about constantly and qwertymodo stated that years ago but he is a busy guy and might have dropped the project to actually finish those, but may comeback to it. People ask him constantly so asking him again isnt going to change that, we just have to wait until he is ready to finish that project. As for mmx3, no i don't think that will ever happen. Msu1 is insanely hard and videos take that to the next level of difficult. I LOVE the MMX games and are my all time favorites so i would love cut scenes from Day of Sigma video or PS1 port to make it in, but it is not going to happen. We just dont have anyone that wants to do these projects anymore, and if they did, it would be for a different game that is their' personal favorite. Other than Conn's one time weird idea in over a year to do a new rpg he likes, new msu1 stuff is kind of dead now and only new music tracks for finished games are active at the moment.

by JHelmeke Fri 30 Apr 2021 - 6:53

Got it. I keep digging through archives like this and often times google will pick up the slack after I make a post, helping me get to the bottom of things. Your suggestion to post that whole FF6 dancing mad issue in the forums was spot on and with help has already been resolved. I won’t pester qwerty about it.

I’d still be interested in learning the basics, just trying to make use of the utilities you guys have created for patching PCM files here. Assembly language may be above my head but it’s probably the next step for me. Still trying to figure out the usefulness of expanding roms in order to make enough room for bigger builds like the more popular jrpgs and assault suits vulcan. For instance how do I how many kbs are involved in a given ips? Would that info be displayed under the priorities/get info option? Any suggestions for newbie utilities that create a UI for rom editing would be swell. Thanks everyone, you to judgement.