SCI Audio Utilities

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Soundbox

 

Soundbox is a standalone application for editing SCI0 sound resources. It can convert format 0 and format 1 MIDI files and allows managing resource specific features like sound cues.

Download from the Soundbox homepage or download from The Sierra Help Pages:

Quickstart: Most will only need Soundbox to import MIDI files into their SCI0 games.

  1. Use format 0 or format 1 standard MIDI files. Format 2 files are not supported.
  2. Leave channel 16 empty. Don't try to play music on it.
  3. Don't rely on embedded sysex messages. They will be removed during import.
  4. Break large, long, heavily layered works into smaller pieces. An individual sound resource should not be larger than 64k. If necessary, a number of resources can be played one after the other.
  5. To convert the MIDI file, choose File -> Import MIDI from the menu.
  6. To save the imported resource, use File -> Save As.
  7. To play imported MIDI resources in Sierra's DOS interpreters, get the SCI0 MPU MIDI sound driver.

 

SCI Sound Utilities

 

A companion for Soundbox, the SCI Sound Utilities is a collection various utilities for working with SCI SOUND resources. It provides a unified GUI for several command line tools and makes batch processing easy.


 

sciAudio

sciAudio

 

sciAudio is here! Check out the "LockerGnome Quest Redux" demo game to see it in action!

 
 

Features

- Playback of WAV and MP3 files - Unlimited number of sounds playing simultaneously - Fade in/out, looping and volume control - Classification of sounds for playback management - Multiple commands may be issued simultaneously to the 'controller' file - Multiple controller files to avoid resource contention - Runs hidden in background & will terminate itself shortly upon game close - Calls to sciAudio are performed very similarly to the built-in SCI sound calls - Poor man's encryption (MP3's only) - simply rename your .MP3 to be .sciAudio - Log file for troubleshooting sound playback ('sciAudio.log' located in same directory as sciAudio.exe)

 

Limitations

Works only in Windows (requires .NET framework)

 

Download sciAudio

 

Anvil Studio

Anvil Studio

 

Anvil Studio ™ is a free Windows Windows 7 / Vista / XP / 2000 / 98 program designed to record, compose, sequence and play music with your MIDI and Audio equipment. Can be used to create music for your SCI game.

Download from the Anvil Studio homepage or download from The Sierra Help Pages:

 

Audacity

Audacity

A free cross-platform sound editor for recording and editing sound effects for your game.

Download from the Audacity Home Page

 

Additional Audio Resource Tools

These tools are for people who don't want just simple slap-a-midi-file-in-soundbox-and-put-it-in-your-sci-game procedure. These tools will allow you to produce Adlib and Roland MT-32 soundtracks in your games. They will also allow you to use Digital Sound Effects in your game like Roger Wilco speaking in the SQ3 introduction sequence ("Where am I?") and the sound of the gate closing at the beginning of the KQ1 SCI remake.

InsMaker

INSMaker

 

Adlib Instrument Maker. 64-bit Windows users will need to use DOSBox to run this 16-bit DOS based program. Creates and edits custom Adlib BNK files of custom Adlib sounds. All BNK files you wish to convert to SCI0's patch format must be saved in "Melodic Mode" in the Options menu and must have no more than a maximum of 96 instruments. This program is best run inside DOSBox as it requires an FM Synth MIDI device which no modern sound card has, nor any modern OS supports.

 

SCI Sound Tools Pack

  • AddWav.exe - Ammends a digital WAV file to a sound resource. This will enable you to have digital sounds in your game. This is possible because we know that SQ3 as well as a couple other games had digital audio sounds. You'll need to use either the SNDBLAST.DRV or MTBLAST.DRV drivers for digital sounds to work. Some limitations: the WAV file must be 8-bit mono and the resulting sound resource must be no bigger than 65536 bytes. See included doc for usage. SCI0 only.

  • Bnk2Pat - Converts the Adlib Instrument Maker INS file format to Sierra's SCI0 patch file format for use in SCI0 games. BNK files must be saved in "Melodic Mode" or it won't sound right in-game. The converter will warn you if the file is not in the right format. You're also limited to 96 total instruments (an SCI0 limitation). Works with SCI0 - SCI1.1. See included doc for usage. See also SBank 1.06 below.

  • MIDI2Snd - MIDI to SCI Sound Converter by Ravi Iyengar. See included doc for usage.

  • Pat2Bnk - Converts Sierra's SCI0 Adlib instrument patch resources into Adlib Instrument Maker's BNK file format. Allows you to reuse Adlib instruments from other Sierra games (SCI0 - SCI1.1). See included doc for usage.

  • Snd2MIDI - SCI Sound to MIDI Converter by Ravi Iyengar. See included doc for usage. SCI0 only.

  • SndPrf - SCI Sound Resource Profiler by Ravi Iyengar. See included doc for usage.

  • Syx2Pat - Converts an MT-32 custom instrument SysEx file into Sierra's MT-32 instrument patch resource format for use in SCI games. It will also create (with the use of a text file) the 3 text messages that you can have show on your MT-32's LCD display just like Sierra's games did. Works with SCI0 - SCI1.1.

  • SBank 1.06 - By Jamie O'Connell. Manages SoundBlaster and Adlib instrument files and sound banks. It will translate between .INS, .SBI, InsMaker's .BNK, and Sound Blaster's .IBK files. It will also report instrument names stored in bank files and display musical parameters contained in the instrument definitions. See included doc for usage.

SYX to INS Conversion Utility

  • ZIP File Syx2Ins (source included) (ZIP file) [18 KB] - Converts (or rather, pulls instrument patch lists from) a custom MT-32 programmed SYX file to the Cakewalk/Sonar INS instrument list format. Since the MT-32 is a programmable synthesizer the patch lists are usually completely different based on what you're composing. Rather than compose in a sequencer by patch number only (0-127) or by typing out the instrument list by hand (takes a very long time!), now you can get the instrument list straight from any MT-32 SYX file and import it into Cakewalk/Sonar easily and painlessly! Includes source code.

NOTE: Cakewalk/Sonar's INS format is distinct from the INS format used with Adlib's INSMaker as that format is for handling Adlib patch information and Cakewalk/Sonar's is used for handling patch names only for use with iterations of its sequencer software.

M32 to SYX Conversion Utility

M32 to SYX.png

M32 to SYX Conversion Utility. Easy to use program that converts .M32 files to standard SysEx (.SYX) format. All MT-32 information is included, including LCD display.

 

MT-32 SysEx Banks

  • ZIP File Sierra MT-32 SysEx Banks (ZIP file) [217 KB] - MT-32 SysEx dumps from various Sierra games, if you want to reuse some instruments you like from your favorite game.

 

Related software

Quest Studios Archive website in the MT-32 Resource Center has a number of MT-32 releated utilities as well as a database of many other MT-32 instruments not used in Sierra's games that you can use. In addition, there are some MT-32 librarian program options you can select from to make your own instruments (you'll need one if you want to rip instruments out of existing Sierra games and create your own SYX instrument collection).

 

SCI0 Sound Drivers

In addition to these tools, the following SCI0 sound drivers are also available:

  • SNDBLAST.DRV - This driver allows SCI0 games to have stereo Adlib music (ADL.DRV is mono-only) and digital sound effects, if any are ammended to a sound resource.

  • MTBLAST.DRV - The same as MT32.DRV except it also supports digital audio-ammended sound resources.

  • MPUMIDI.DRV - For use when you just want to convert a MIDI to a sound resource quickly with SoundBox and not worry about all that instrument-creation stuff. The difference between this and GM.DRV is this one just chooses the instruments based on what patch number they're using while GM.DRV is for games that have no GM mapped instruments and tries to guess the General MIDI instrument equivalent based on the MT-32 instrument names. Use this driver if you aren't planning on having Adlib or MT-32 support.

  • GM.DRV - General MIDI driver. Used mainly with official Sierra SCI0 games. This driver guesses the General MIDI instruments by reading the MT-32 instrument names and choosing the closest-resembling General MIDI equivalent with mixed results depending on the game. Use this if you do plan on having Adlib and MT-32 support.

 

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