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Messages - midgarsfinest

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This is a tutorial I created on creating looping .ogg music files in Audacity to use in games that support .ogg files like FFVII. Please feel free to pm me with any questions.

How to make looping BGM (OGG Vorbis)
Credits : midgarsfinest

Introduction
After teaching others how to do this, I decided it was time to make a tutorial on how to create looping .ogg music files for use with several BGM in games like the popular Final Fantasy VII. Here is a detailed tutorial (with pictures) on how to create that perfect atmosphere during your favorite fight or love scene.

Required Program
Audacity 2.0 (or higher)

Opening and Editing the MP3/WAV/etc.
1. Find your audio file on your PC. Right-click and select “Open with”. Search for the Audacity Program and select it. After the file loads in Audacity begin by finding the portion that you want to loop by using the selection tool. Be mindful of where you want the loop to end, and then restart. In order to make the loop transition seamlessly, you will want to find loop points that are relatively loud. Lower volume loop points tend to be harder to loop because it easier to hear the transition if not done absolutely perfect.

2. Once you know where the points are, use the Selection Tool to select the point where the loop should begin, and then go to the top of the window and select Tracks -> Add Label at Selection. Type "Loop Start." Repeat this step for where you want the loop to restart, but label it as "Loop End."

3. Then use your Selection Tool and drag it from the Loop Start to the Loop End (the lines will highlight yellow when you’re aligned). Hold down the “Shift” key and Select a portion near the end of your loop. This will allow you to hear whether or not your loop transition back to the Loop Start seamlessly. If not, make your adjustments now, being sure to move your Loop Start and End labels accordingly.

4. Now, go to the bottom of the program, where you will see “Selection Start”. Click the drop-down menu and set it to "samples" (pictured below)

5. Next to that, select the tick for "Length" changing it from"End" (also pictured)

6. Now, use the Selection Tool and highlight the area from the Loop Start label to the Loop End label, and then go to File -> Export Audio (don’t select the other Export options)
Name it, and make sure the File Type is set to Ogg Vorbis Files. Click “Save”.

7. FINALLY, an “Edit Metadata” window should pop up. Near the bottom, click “Add” until there are at least two blank tags. Select the first blank tag and type in "LOOPSTART" (without parentheses). Likewise, select the second blank tag and type in "LOOPLENGTH" (also without parentheses). Back on the Audacity window you should still be able to see the Selection Start and Selection Length values. Type the Selection Start value (without commas) for LOOPSTART. Repeat this step for LOOPLENGTH using the value under Length.

8. Make sure you name the file so that the game will recognize it ("ob.ogg" for opening bombing mission in FFVII)

(Optional) Before saving—If this is your first time creating a looping .ogg file in Audacity, and intend to create more in the future, save the template as a default, so you do not have to add tags, or have to type “LOOPSTART” and “LOOPLENGTH” each time you create a looping .ogg file.

Now you have a looping .ogg file, which can be inserted into your game’s music folder (music folder name may differ by game and/or game client). Enjoy!!

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Releases / Re: One of many FF7 music .oggs I created
« on: 2016-06-07 22:53:39 »
well i can get the mp3's now i guess, assuming you agree to the same ones, ill send you them and see what you think
Pick whichever ones you like. I've still got the ones I like. So this is all for you.

"We've all done things we regret. It's how you respond that defines who you are."


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Releases / Re: One of many FF7 music .oggs I created
« on: 2016-06-07 22:41:08 »
Sweet yeah, may take me a few days like as im working on quite a few things at the same time but i may prioritize this
I'm down whenever you get the mp3s. If time is an issue we can do a few together and you can take off at your own pace after.

"We've all done things we regret. It's how you respond that defines who you are."


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General Discussion / Re: Modded ISOS for Emulators
« on: 2016-06-07 22:34:28 »
I haven't done any solid research but I have come across posts where some android devices were being oveclocked for emulator purposes. There also frame limiter settings within most emulators with the sole purpose of preventing the system from exceeding certain speeds.

I totally get where you are coming from by warning against the time and effort it would take to accomplish this. But surely there were doubters, and even Devs, that had those same fears with every task they undertook.

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Releases / Re: One of many FF7 music .oggs I created
« on: 2016-06-07 21:52:14 »
Alright, that sounds simple enough, thanks
Let me know when you get that step done and we'll work together on the next few steps and have it up and running before you know it.

"We've all done things we regret. It's how you respond that defines who you are."


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Releases / Re: One of many FF7 music .oggs I created
« on: 2016-06-07 21:15:38 »
Ok. First thing you're going to want to do is learn what song titles go with what .oggs. For example, the one I posted is named ob.ogg in the music folder, and the song title is called "Opening Bombing Mission" . So I went and found the version of that song I liked the best and turned into an .ogg to replace the original.

Ultimately I found the original soundtrack on a website which coincidentally had them all in order as they appear in the game. Then I went down the list and found all of the mp3s first. Then, one at a time I created and replaced the .ogg files in the music folder.

"We've all done things we regret. It's how you respond that defines who you are."

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Releases / Re: One of many FF7 music .oggs I created
« on: 2016-06-07 19:49:03 »
I wanted to do a whole rock metal guitar list but I've no idea how to do it. I play myself too so I might be able to make some myself
That's awesome man. I found that my own sound recording quality wasn't quite up to par as this guy, and others I have found, so I borrowed there's, remastered them, and created a whole new experience for FFVII.

I can help you get started and walk you through the process if that's something you're really interested in. Either way (download someone else's mp3 or create your own) you will need a program that creates .ogg files. I strongly recommend Audacity, as it was the quickest for me to learn.

"We've all done things we regret. It's how you respond that defines who you are."

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Releases / One of many FF7 music .oggs I created
« on: 2016-06-07 03:46:54 »
http://www.driveplayer.com/#fileIds=0Bze184UJlMe3N0xScmttTmh0UHM&userId=104656117573360842770

Here is a link to an .ogg I created for my personal audio mod for the opening bombing mission in FFVII. I have many other with the same Advent Children sound, and remixed with better quality. Check it out, and let me know if anyone is interested in hearing any of the other's I created. Each .ogg guaranteed to loop without hesitation or getting off tempo.

Credit for the composition of this song goes to ToxicxEternity. Hear the full version here https://youtu.be/ygTWujawYVY

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Support / Re: [FF9 PC] Re-mastered music
« on: 2016-06-07 03:30:15 »
The numbers are the samples. So, for the loopstart the loop begins at sample <number> and the sample number for loopend determines when the loop finishes and then goes back to the loopstart sample location. To get the ogg to loop seamlessly you need the sample numbers to be perfectly on the beat. I've been putting in my own remasters of the soundtrack - I use Cubase Pro to produce my music and I can also use it to get hold of the exact sample number I need. So, if the loop begins at bar 4, I can go to bar 4 and copy the sample number for that exact location and then I go into a program called "audacity" (it's a free program), import my audio file, put in the metadata, then export it as ogg. There are probably other programs out there which can help you find exact bar locations and sample numbers, but since I use cubase I've never had to look around for any.

Hope that helps.

I can confirm that Audacity is a great tool for creating .ogg files, and the above-mentioned tutorial is exactly how I produced my own music for FFVII (Cubase 5).

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General Discussion / Re: Modded ISOS for Emulators
« on: 2016-06-06 23:57:08 »
Pre-mixing it in the FMV is one thing, and fairly easy. Mixing two separate streaming audio sources from different files (bgm, fmv) in realtime is a totally different beast, and one that could prove problematic for the weak little PS1, especially while running the rest of the game's logic.
Ahh. See what you mean now.

Edit: Although, it should be noted, I don't intend to run the game on the original ps1. I'm hoping My LG G5, along with other devices, can emulate with a lot more power to spare.

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General Discussion / Re: Modded ISOS for Emulators
« on: 2016-06-06 21:21:15 »
Like I said, it's one hell of a task for little profit.



Au contrair. If I could create my own version of the game, as well as having the ability to revisit and modify the iso as new mods present themselves, the reward would be more than worth the effort. Ideally, I would be able to take the modded ISO to any emulator -- in a perfect world, off course.

My ultimate goal would be to have the Roses and Wine experience that I have on my desktop, on a mobile device or tablet. Here is a link to FF8 with the mods I preferred at the time I captured this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glt-uhw77s0&list=PLvPTJKb375qbj5roZ8vH0buRTTAZhDp9f

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General Discussion / Re: Modded ISOS for Emulators
« on: 2016-06-06 21:09:06 »

It's not as simple as replacing files on the PS1, as the audio formats used are rather different. OGG is a streaming format, which has the full data* of already-rendered audio. The PS1 version uses sequenced music, essentially a soundfont and a list of notes and effects. While the PS1 game does have some streaming audio support (used in FMVs, among other things), I don't know that it'd be possible to replace the music engine with a streaming one. What's more, the audio mixing needed to make streaming music and streaming FMV audio play at the same time could prove troublesome.

Suffice to say that the amount of code needed for such a task would be no small feat. The formats are so different that music replacement really isn't remotely as simple as swapping in the desired files.

Excellent points. As for the sound and audio mixing, I successfully recreated an fmv with custom audio. However, it was on the Steam Version of the game and the files were easy to replace.

   Regarding the music engine, does it need to be replaced in order to replace the original audio? If we are able to format midi files identical to the original, we could trick the img file from knowing that anything was even changed. If size is the issue, I could understand that.

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General Discussion / Re: Modded ISOS for Emulators
« on: 2016-06-06 19:34:42 »
For PC versions of these games, it was quite simple. Replace the original .ogg with a new one, but renaming it the same as the old. This way the system would recognize it as the original. I opened the file location, found the .ogg files, and replaced them. Then closed the folders and started the game up with a new soundtrack. I guess my question is, if we can open an ISO, like opening up the files on pc games, we should be able to replace these files, keeping the same files names, and recreate the ISO without the system knowing any better. I'm currently in the process of trying to get expand the ISOs so that I can attempt this. I'll keep detailed notes, in case this isn't as smooth as I hope it will be.

Edit:

Please see OP

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General Discussion / Modded ISOS for Emulators
« on: 2016-06-06 18:38:12 »
So I've researched the Web, and the forums, and have yet to see any real answer to my question. Can I mod an ISO and use that ISO in an emulator?

I own several copies of Final Fantasy VIII. I would very much like to use the .ogg music files that I have created on the epsxe playstation emulator on my LG G5. (Open ISO, replace music, recreate ISO, play on emulator).

off course this sounds too easy to be true, and I hesitate to feel confident because if it were possible, I believe there would be many modded ISOS available for download on the web.

Any help or advice is appreciated.

Edit:

I'm starting to understand why this isn't common practice. Though I am able to extract the .BIN file, I am unable to extract the .IMG file in order to view and edit the files within. While using 7Zip, I encounter the error, "Can not open file as archive". When using WinRar I receive the error message, "The archive is either an unknown format or damaged." While using PowerISO, I receive the error message, "The file format is invalid or unsupported."

I am sure that with a little more knowledge I could break some ground here, and I understand not everyone has time to teach a noob about the ins and outs of unsupported archives, but If anyone is willing, I am a quick learner. I browsed through the tools here in the Qhimm forums, but I honestly wouldn't know where to begin when attempting to view and edit .IMG files that appear to be archived in a manner that can only interact with by the System it was originally designed for.

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