Hard Light Productions Forums

General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: instinctepyon on December 07, 2007, 11:01:41 am

Title: (Yet Another) Freespace Music Thread
Post by: instinctepyon on December 07, 2007, 11:01:41 am
Greetings good Fellows,

It is instinctepyon again, I was just wondering has anyone figured out how to get WAV files playing on their iPod?  I can't seem to be able to get Slaying Ravana (Also known as FS2_Cinema2) to play on my iPod since everytime I select it, it always seems to skip it and move onto the next track.  So I am wondering is there anyway to somehow convert the music into Mp3 format.

With Regards,

instinctepyon.
Title: Re: (Yet Another) Freespace Music Thread
Post by: Jeff Vader on December 07, 2007, 11:20:02 am
There has to be an easier way to change music files from one format to the other, but one working way is to get Audacity, open the wav file with it, and export to an mp3.
Title: Re: (Yet Another) Freespace Music Thread
Post by: instinctepyon on December 07, 2007, 11:23:05 am
Where can I get audacity?
Title: Re: (Yet Another) Freespace Music Thread
Post by: Jeff Vader on December 07, 2007, 11:30:50 am
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
Title: Re: (Yet Another) Freespace Music Thread
Post by: Dark Hunter on December 07, 2007, 12:55:39 pm
I do something similar, except I use a trial version of Goldwave.

It works very well: I have all the FS music saved to my iPod. The FS1 music makes great mood music for long interstate drives (I also have one of those gizmos that hook an iPod into a car radio. They're expensive, but extremely fun).


The reason for the .wavs not working is due to some sort of encoding :v: put on the files, IIRC. Media players on your computer can play them only because FS is installed, but if you try to ccnvert them without using something like Goldwave or Audacity, it gives error messages.
Title: Re: (Yet Another) Freespace Music Thread
Post by: IceFire on December 08, 2007, 11:02:32 am
The reason for the .wavs not working is due to some sort of encoding :v: put on the files, IIRC. Media players on your computer can play them only because FS is installed, but if you try to ccnvert them without using something like Goldwave or Audacity, it gives error messages.
Nope...they use Microsoft ACM compression.  FreeSpace doesn't install any CODECs when you install the game and any computer, FreeSpace installed or not, that has a Media Player version from the last decade should be able to play the files just fine.  The format is that widespread.  That said, most MP3 players focus very specifically on MP3 and whatever other formats they support such as AAC, M4A, OGG, etc.  I don't know if any MP3 players support compressed WAV files...the format is just too obscure for the music listening/CD ripping public.
Title: Re: (Yet Another) Freespace Music Thread
Post by: Dark Hunter on December 08, 2007, 03:03:09 pm
OK then, if the encoding is so common, why did none of the normal conversion software I tried before Goldwave work on them? They worked fine on .wav -> .mp3 before, but FS music makes them go .wav -> error message.
Title: Re: (Yet Another) Freespace Music Thread
Post by: karajorma on December 08, 2007, 03:09:44 pm
You need to have the codec for them to work. Some converters however will do it internally.

FS2 doesn't install any codecs. It converts the wavs internally same as it does with .ogg
Title: Re: (Yet Another) Freespace Music Thread
Post by: Dynamo on December 08, 2007, 10:49:28 pm
Greetings good Fellows,

It is instinctepyon again, I was just wondering has anyone figured out how to get WAV files playing on their iPod?  I can't seem to be able to get Slaying Ravana (Also known as FS2_Cinema2) to play on my iPod since everytime I select it, it always seems to skip it and move onto the next track.  So I am wondering is there anyway to somehow convert the music into Mp3 format.

With Regards,

instinctepyon.

iPods don't play wavs (but iTunes does, go figure). The easiest way to get it to play on your iPod is right clicking the track in iTunes and selecting convert selection to AAC. I'm not sure how compatible that file type is outside of Apple products, but if you're using just an iPod with iTunes, you won't have any problems. (and it's a hell of a lot easier than going out and downloading a bunch of software.)

edit: don't forget to delete the wav copy from your iTunes music list because it'll make a duplicate entry for the AAC file.
Title: Re: (Yet Another) Freespace Music Thread
Post by: IceFire on December 08, 2007, 11:46:58 pm
OK then, if the encoding is so common, why did none of the normal conversion software I tried before Goldwave work on them? They worked fine on .wav -> .mp3 before, but FS music makes them go .wav -> error message.
Well...what software are you using?  Most of the really really basic stuff takes CD's and turns them into MP3's and thats all they are programmed for...which makes sense.  There's no reason to support a greater library and load more potential options into memory when 99.9% of the userbase is interested in only one scenario.

Goldwave or Audacity or anything else in that vein that you throw at the job is fine because they are multipurpose audio suites.  In those two cases neither are particularly advanced but they have a fair number of basic features and they load a full library from Windows.