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| Acmlm's Board - I3 Archive - General Emulation - Huge project - need help with .spc files! |
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Grunkles Micro-Goomba                Since: 06-12-06 Last post: 6501 days Last view: 6501 days |
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| Hello everyone!
This is my first post here, but not my first visit. I used to be a member a long time ago when I was hunting down sprite artists. I've used the search function already and couldn't find a page that would help me with my project I'm working on. What project you ask? Well, maybe if you knew what my burning desire at the moment was... Guitar. I love playing the guitar. I love effects pedals and getting songs to sound like their SNES counterparts. I also visit a site called Powertabs (www.powertabs.net) which has a whole community dedicated to creating guitar tablature for all of our favourite games (the Final Fantasy and Chrono Trigger sections are fabulous). Sadly, there is no section yet for Secret of Mana. And this is where I come in. I want to create it. Now the tabbers (as we refer to them) on the site deconstruct their favourite songs by ear. They can actually tell notes by their ear alone, and that is a quality that I sadly do not possess. Yet, I still want to help them in their quest to make some of the most memorable and overall kick-ass music of the twentieth century available to the future generations of guitar and instrument players. Being unable to detect notes (or chords) by ear alone, I would need to have access to the "sheet music" of the games. Since sites such as VGMusic create good tributes to the songs, but often have errors (or are altogether of a much weaker quality) than the actual songs from the game (which the tabbers at Powertabs recreate most often perfectly - they tinker with the MIDI settings to create the exact same instrument tracks as the games). Having this desire for utter perfection, I would need to go to the source of the SNES music, which of course would be... The .spc files. I have several .spc players, but none which I can open the songs themselves and be able to see the notation. Seeing as you guys are (a pretty impressive) bunch of ROM creators and hackers that can change everything from level layouts, sprites, and coding, I'm guessing that you possess a tool within your backpacks that can open and tinker around with the music in games as well. This is what I would need to have access to. A utility that allows me to open .spc files and read how they are written down so that I can transfer them to a tab. Failing this, I would need a utility that transfers .spc files into MIDI. Anything along these lines would be of tremendous help. Thanking you guys in advance (and crossing my fingers); - Grunkles |
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Raccoon Sam Boomerang Brother Custom Title      Since: 11-20-05 From: Correct Last post: 6294 days Last view: 6294 days |
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| So lemme get this straight, you want SPCs into MIDIs so you can open them into a special program which shows you the tablatures? | |||
richyawyingtmv Bouncy Since: 11-18-05 From: England Last post: 6296 days Last view: 6294 days |
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Originally posted by Raccoon Sam Believe it or not, it's possible. I remember a program called SPC TOOL which did this. However, I last used it about a year ago and it didn't work with all SPC files. Here it is: http://www.zophar.net/utilities/download/SPCTL061.Zip (it will only work in full screen mode apparently. And i'm not sure if it works with XP...I havent used it for over a year, but hey.) It's worked fine for me in the past, and I was able to open the midi files created using notation software such as Noteworthy Composer, and then print off the score. (edited by richyawyingtmv on 06-13-06 08:15 AM) (edited by richyawyingtmv on 06-13-06 08:17 AM) (edited by richyawyingtmv on 06-13-06 08:18 AM) (edited by richyawyingtmv on 06-13-06 08:20 AM) |
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Raccoon Sam Boomerang Brother Custom Title Since: 11-20-05 From: Correct Last post: 6294 days Last view: 6294 days |
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| Amazing. | |||
DJ Bouche Koopa Since: 11-22-05 From: Bligh Park, NSW, Australia Last post: 6456 days Last view: 6456 days |
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| I prefer SPC2MIDI myself, takes a bit of tweaking but sounds nice in the end...does pitch bends, percussion support and that... the output may generally be too large for opening in tablature program though........perhaps, perhaps not, it's worth a try. (just google for it, it may be in Japanese, an older version has an English patch though if you're incapable of reading the Japanese [it's not necessary either]).
The problem with SPC2MIDI/SPC Tool is if you import it into any program and want sheet music or such that the intervals of timing need to be nice and even and to a beat... it won't be. As it's just real-time conversions of a sound log. I do have my own program that converts N-SPC format songs into MIDI with an instrument map (with correct timing alignments and such), however Secret of Mana, unfortunately, is not a game that uses that engine. |
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Grunkles Micro-Goomba Since: 06-12-06 Last post: 6501 days Last view: 6501 days |
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| Wow guys! Thank you so much!
Having given me your time, I believe the least I could do is tell you how it turned out. Really odd. First I tried SPC Tool - which wouldn't get running (I am not the sharpest of PC drawer knives), so I decided I would give SPC2MIDI a shot. It installed itself and seemed straight-forward enough, so I tried to open up a .spc-esque document (it's a document labled "som" that I open with Super Jukebox (a .spc player) that gives me the entire Secret of Mana library of songs). Understandably, this failed, but then... When I tried it again (maybe I did some secondary step that I'm forgetting about now), it opened the song I last played with my Super Jukebox. And not only that, but it had all the instruments, settings, etc. Everything down to the smallest detail was there! I then transfered to it .midi and voila! I could open the song using my .midi composer and everything was laid out before me! The instruments and everything else too! I nearly pissed myself! But then! ... I couldn't get it work again with any other title. Whenever I tried to open it, it would just make this "blip" sound and would end right there. Being extremely disheartened, I got into that zone where I was just dicking around with all the options and seeing if anything would work. I somehow then ran across another .spc player that I had installed before Super Jukebox (long time ago) called ZD-SPC. After tinkering around with this baby for a bit, I found out I could save the .spc songs individually from the entire library. Upon trying to open the songs again in SPC2MIDI, it opened the file without a glitch and began playing it. The only difference was... everything was set to acoustic bass and acoustic piano. All the finer details of the instrumentation had disappeared, but regardless, the heart of the song is still there. Right now, I'm going to try to see if I can find any other .SPC players that would allow me to save the songs individually from the library while still keeping all the details. If you know of anything that do this (or just .spc players in general that you like), hit that reply button! And again guys. Thank you so much. You've been of tremendous help to me. I know now that I'm on my way. This is the starting point that I needed. You really came through for me and I really do appreciate it. - Grunkles |
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HyperHacker Star Mario Finally being paid to code in VB! If only I still enjoyed that. <_< Wii #7182 6487 4198 1828 Since: 11-18-05 From: Canada, w00t! My computer's specs, if anyone gives a damn. STOP TRUNCATING THIS >8^( Last post: 6294 days Last view: 6294 days |
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You have all the songs in one file?  Usually they're distributed as individual .spc files. Is it a .zip or .rar file? |
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DJ Bouche Koopa Since: 11-22-05 From: Bligh Park, NSW, Australia Last post: 6456 days Last view: 6456 days |
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| I'm guessing .rsn, which consequently is just a .rar file with the extension changed (RAR'd set of SPCs)...quite a pointless extension indeed. | |||
jensthecomposer Paratroopa Since: 05-18-06 From: Norway Last post: 6298 days Last view: 6294 days |
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| The first time you converted it when you got the nice sounding music, I guess you just made the spc's into mid, while it still was just a spc. The spc's doesn't contain any instrument-data that can help the "SPC2MIDI" find the right MIDI-instruments. Therefore it just choose piano or acoustic bass as standards. Even the drum will be a piano, wich make some terrible noise. Another issue wich is bigger, is that the different tracks in the MIDI usually will be in different keys. I've been working with MIDI for some years now, and also got some pretty skilled musical ears. I'm gonna have a look at the MIDI's I get from these SPC's and if they are not to messed up, I may make some MIDI's for you. It would be helpful to know exactly wich songs from the soundtrack you wants most. | |||
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Grunkles Micro-Goomba Since: 06-12-06 Last post: 6501 days Last view: 6501 days |
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| Thank you so much for your offer Jen. Really, I do appreciate it.
But to be honest, I could save you a lot of trouble if I just found out exactly how I got that one file to sound so good (the first one that you suggest went directly from an .spc into a .mid). Do you have any idea how that was done? I can't seem to recreate it at all. You say that SPC2MIDI loses all the instruments and that seems to line up with what is happening. What's going on now though is that when SPC2MIDI converts an .spc into a .mid file, when I try to open up that file with Anvil Studios, it says there are several errors contained within and should I want to fix it? I say yes - but then the program just freezes on me. So... SPC2MIDI has gone from completely awesome to nearly useless in a rather short amount of time. Is there nothing else that can convert .spc to midi's? Is there any other tricks that I haven't thought of yet that I could perform? Any advice at this point in time would be extremely appreciated. Thanks. EDIT: I've got a program on my PC entitled: SPCDisasm. It's a SPC disassembler that produces a file extension entitled ".out". I put an SPC into it and it turns out the file, but I have no idea what good that file is for. Has anybody ever used this before and can tell me just what the point of it is (or if it would be any use to me at all)? Thanks again. (edited by Grunkles on 06-18-06 12:57 PM) |
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jensthecomposer Paratroopa Since: 05-18-06 From: Norway Last post: 6298 days Last view: 6294 days |
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| I've been looking on the MIDI's I get from "SPC2MID", different from the most games, the different tracks in the midis you get from SOM are not in different keys, but there is missing some tracks. You could try snestool, it's not so difficult to use. And there is also a app. called "OpenSPC" (get it at:http://www.zophar.net/utilities/spc.html) which can convert SPC to IT(impulsetracker). They will usually sound exactly as the SPC but I've never found any MOD trackers wich can display staff, and the MIDI's you get from these IT-files are just as the ones you get from other converters.
About those errors when you try to open these MIDI-files, these MIDI-files cannot be opened by many MIDI-sequensers. I don't know why, but just look around and find a sequenser that can open them and use that sequenser to save a new MIDI-file. I got Reason to open these files but Reason is a expensive software. i'll give you more info later. |
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Grunkles Micro-Goomba Since: 06-12-06 Last post: 6501 days Last view: 6501 days |
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| I downloaded OpenSPC and it wouldn't install itself on my machine. I double-clicked all the available files within the download and nothing seemed to work. I got two DOS-looking screens with no text written in them pop up for a second and then disappear.
Keep plugging away though. I'm open to all suggestions and ideas. I just need an SPC program that can save the song (preferably with the instrument tracks and sounds in-tact) to either a MIDI file, or a file that can then later be transfered into a MIDI file. I don't care how many loops I have to jump through, so long as I can open the file as a readable MIDI (as in, I see all the notation) in some program (Anvil Studios or otherwise). Thanks though Jen. You, along with DJBouche and Rich, are being a great help!  (edited by Grunkles on 06-18-06 01:45 PM) |
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jensthecomposer Paratroopa Since: 05-18-06 From: Norway Last post: 6298 days Last view: 6294 days |
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| The openSPC is already installed as it is. But you have to use DOS commands on it. There is also a value in the config-file you have to change.
I've attached a RAR-file containing OpenSPC ready configured to export IT-files. Inside this archive there is two BAT-files. One for windows XP and one for windows 95/98. Choose the one who fits your operation system and right-click it and choose EDIT. In the winXP file you'll see this: "C:\EXAMPLE\EXAMPLE\openspc.EXE" YOURSPC.spc -Rewrite to the right destination and write the name of the spc wich have to be in the same folder. (ex. "C:\program files\openspc\openspc.EXE" Gaias Navel.spc) In the win95/98 file you'll see this: openspc YOURSPC.spc -Rewrite the spc-file name, but make sure you shorten the filename of your spc if it long or got any spaces (ex. openspc gaia.spc) After done one of these just double-click the edited BAT-file and it will start recording a IT file in a fullscreen application. Press ESC when you've recorded what you want. Now you got a IT-file of your SPC. Now you can open it in a free application called MODplug tracker. (modplug.com I think) There you can export to a MIDI, wich is better than the one you get from SPC2MID and will also open in your sequenser. You may also choose instruments when saving a MIDI, but make sure you've renamed the instrument samples so you know what to choose!! Hope this helps!! |
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