Ripping instruments from QSound games? by TheBigL1 at 10:51 PM EDT on July 3, 2013
I've noticed that when playing the music from Capcom's arcade games with QSound using M1, the channel mixer only shows the left and right channel for the entire mix of sound. I'm wondering, is there a way either in M1 or another emulator that I could mute individual QSound channels or extract the instrument samples from it? What I really wanted to get is the guitar samples out of 1944: The Loop Master, and I'm not sure what would be the easier or more viable way to do it.
If it helps, sometimes extracting audio data from a MAME game is as simple as opening the appropriate ROM file(s) in an audio editor like Audacity or SoundForge. This is obviously very hit-or-miss, but I'd try solutions on that level of simplicity before I started trying to figure out how to rip.
M1 is nice and all, but is there really no other modern tool suitable for pulling samples from arcade games? Nebula Jukebox and Neojuke barely work these days, from what I can tell...
The vgm format supports Qsound. So you could rip the song you want with a modified mame or m1 player, then use the winamp plugin or whatever to mute the individual channels for whatever sound you like.
I tried that VGM rip of 1944 using the Winamp plug-in, but I don't hear anything from it. It's completely silent. I haven't the foggiest what I'm doing wrong, as I tried it in that command-line player VGMPlay and it works there, so what's Winamp's problem? EDIT: I also tried Aero Fighters, and that one works in Winamp with the plug-in, so now I'm even more confused.
Ohh, I grabbed 0.40. I just set up 0.40.3, and it seems to be working! I can even mute the individual channels. I'll still have to find loop points in the samples that loop, but this is a huge help. Thanks loads.
Such utilities are always appreciated, but...unless I'm missing something obvious, I don't think there are any QSF archives? I'm not sure 1944 was even ever ripped (although 19XX apparently was). Well, thanks regardless.
QSF ripping is apparently relatively easy, if you have the fundamentals already learned (which unfortunately doesn't apply to many of us). It certainly seems that doing so and modifying qsf2vgm is the only way to get the loop points. I'd attempt it, but I don't have any confidence in my ability to do so from basically zero knowledge.
(is there no way to get the clean samples and loop point information from VGM files logged from M1? Even before they are optimized?)
To me, it's just like m1 with alot more work... I also remember someone submitted a zip folder with several qsf's, don't remember if i still have it on my other harddrive.
edited 9:41 PM EDT August 11, 2013
Edit: Yeah, I still have the zip. It only has these games, however:
19xx Cadillacs & Dinosaurs Mega Man 2 The Punisher Street Fighter Alpha 2 Saturday Night Slam Masters Warriors of Fate