don't click here

Changing music in Sonic CD?

Discussion in 'Engineering & Reverse Engineering' started by REPO Man, Feb 2, 2011.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Feb 2, 2011 #1
    REPO Man

    REPO Man

    Member
    72
    0
    6
    Avon, NC
    If Sonic CD's music is stored as redbook audio, could one, in theory, swap out the tracks with new ones? If so, what would the rules be? Does it have to be the same length as the original song? What bitrate does it need to be?
     
  2. Feb 2, 2011 #2
    nineko

    nineko

    I am the Holy Cat Tech Member
    6,308
    486
    63
    italy
    If you're using an emulator, and you're using an iso/mp3 rip, you just need to replace the mp3s with other ones.
     
  3. Feb 2, 2011 #3
    GerbilSoft

    GerbilSoft

    RickRotate'd. Administrator
    2,971
    76
    28
    USA
    rom-properties
    Yes. No specific rules, but the replacement tracks have to match the ordering of the originals. (e.g. Palmtree Panic 1 'P' Mix is Track 3, 'G' mix is Track 4, etc.)

    No, except for the title screen. (The title screen is hard-coded to fade to demo after a certain duration.)

    Standard CD-DA: 44.1 kHz, signed 16-bit BE stereo PCM. (1411 Kbps)
     
  4. Feb 2, 2011 #4
    Andlabs

    Andlabs

    「いっきまーす」 Wiki Sysop
    2,175
    1
    0
    Writing my own MD/Genesis sound driver :D
    The only songs you cannot replace without hacking are the past songs (which are stored as programs that send samples to a special PCM chip much like how a tracker plays back modules). I should have the past song format documented by next week or something (sooner if I didn't want to release sample rips simultaneously).

    I have no idea how the sound in the PC port(s?) works.

    In general the rule for Sega CD games is: does the game store its audio has regular music tracks? If so, you should be able to replace them by just using different tracks. Conversely, stick your disc in a CD player and skip track 1 to hear the soundtrack.
     
  5. Feb 2, 2011 #5
    MainMemory

    MainMemory

    Kate the Wolf Tech Member
    4,742
    338
    63
    SonLVL
    PC version uses only CD audio. Gems Collection uses ADX.
     
  6. Feb 2, 2011 #6
    REPO Man

    REPO Man

    Member
    72
    0
    6
    Avon, NC
    Sucks I can't change the past songs.

    But... can this work with Redbook audio games for other consoles?
     
  7. Feb 2, 2011 #7
    dsrb

    dsrb

    Member
    3,149
    0
    16
    Usually. It's fairly safe to ignore the words "Sega CD" in the final paragraph of the post you quoted.
     
  8. Feb 3, 2011 #8
    Mr Lange

    Mr Lange

    A wise guy eh. I know how to DEAL with wise guys. Member
    1,286
    11
    18
    The Land of Waldos
    Sonic Utopia, Sonic Overture
    Wow so that's why only the past level music plays for me. >.>
    I'm interested in the idea that all the music could be replaced with tracker formats. That sounds like fun.
     
  9. Feb 3, 2011 #9
    REPO Man

    REPO Man

    Member
    72
    0
    6
    Avon, NC
    One idea is to replace all of the Bad Future tracks with Marilyn Manson ones, Good Future with something more upbeat, and the Present with their Japanese counterparts.

    Another dumbshit question (from a dumbshit of the hacking world)... can the boss music be changed, cuz I'm thinking "Behold the Machine" by steampunk/darkwave band Vernian Process.
     
  10. Feb 3, 2011 #10
    Andlabs

    Andlabs

    「いっきまーす」 Wiki Sysop
    2,175
    1
    0
    Writing my own MD/Genesis sound driver :D
    The boss music is a normal CD track, yes.

    Also I think the US version (not sure about the others) plays Stardust Speedway Bad Future for the Metal Sonic race no matter what (you get the appropriate music beforehand), so choose wisely =P
     
  11. Feb 3, 2011 #11
    dsrb

    dsrb

    Member
    3,149
    0
    16
    What system are you running the game on? I'm now wondering if I'm remembering correctly that there was a PC edition whose manufacturers somehow omitted to include the Redbook audio tracks, as with Rayman Gold. If I'm not totally wrong, I had a copy of it from a friend.
     
  12. Feb 3, 2011 #12
    GeneHF

    GeneHF

    SEGA-ier than you'll potentially ever be. Site Staff
    8,429
    59
    28
    Scenic Studiopolis
    Complete Global Conquest
    It's also recommended you use a CUE sheet for best results, since sometimes, some MP3s may not behave properly in an emulator.

    Example of some sound editing I did:




    It's really not that hard, but it pays off really well if you use music that fits the stages thematically.
     
  13. Feb 3, 2011 #13
    ValleyBell

    ValleyBell

    Tech Member
    246
    25
    28
    researching PC-98/X68000 sound drivers
    As long as your mp3s have a constant bitrate, it's all fine. Windows fails to calculate the correct length of VBR mp3s and emulators like Gens behave strange because of that.
     
  14. Feb 3, 2011 #14
    GerbilSoft

    GerbilSoft

    RickRotate'd. Administrator
    2,971
    76
    28
    USA
    rom-properties
    Gens doesn't use Windows' MP3 decoder; it uses an ancient copy of mpg123, which has caused a multitude of problems before with Gens/GS. (The first time I tried building Gens/GS on Win32, it crashed because of some weird issue with mpg123.)

    I'd recommend using either ISO/WAV or BIN/CUE if you're experimenting with audio placement, since then you don't have to deal with MP3 bitrate oddities. (Kega supports BIN/CUE and I think it also supports ISO/WAV. Gens unfortunately only supports ISO/MP3 at the moment.)
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.