PS2 .bnk files|Properly using bnkextr.exe by Jack Krowell at 12:05 AM EST on January 27, 2020
Does anybody at all know a proper command to enter into the cmd prompt, when using bnkextr.exe to convert .bnk files?
I'm trying to convert the .bnk files for the PS2 version for Twisted Metal: Black.
Every time I drag a .bnk file over the exe, it automatically closes. Which is why I decided to use the cmd prompt, I just don't at all know the proper bnkextr command to type up.
Could any of you please show me what proper words to use to make the bnkextr properly extract the .bnk files?
Here's a shareable link for the ".SND folder" containing the .bnk files I'm talking about:
by Ultrafighter at 3:45 PM EST on January 28, 2020
First, your shareable link doesn't work.
Second, bnkextr.exe should only work with Audiokinetic Wwise banks & they have nothing to do with TMB files which merely have the same extension. The latter are supposed to contain numerous *.vag sounds I think & should be rippable, maybe it's even going to be a piece of cake. All in all we gotta see those *.bnk files to tell you for sure.
See you!
by Jack Krowell at 11:00 PM EST on January 28, 2020
I understand what you mean. My sincere apologies to all on this forum.
Here's another shareable link for the SND file containing the .bnk files for TM:B|PS2. Hopefully it works this time around:
by Ultrafighter at 6:49 AM EST on January 29, 2020
Yes got it this time, entire folder to be precise.
As I said earlier bnkextr.exe is of no use here because your *.bnk files don't have the kind of headers that tool expects, that's the reason it's not able to extract a single sound.
About ripping those TMB banks being such a piece of cake - no such luck yet, you'll probably have to ask someone more advanced than me. I've already checked if some select *.bnk files have either VAGp or SShd/SSbd headers (corresponding to *.VAG & *.SS2/*.ADS formats usually used in PS2 VGs) but all that rummaging didn't pay off.
The best advice I can come up with right now is to try searching for some game-specific extractor / unpacking tools, maybe something was developed to deal with TMB banks (named like "Twisted Metal: Black audio tool" or "TMB bank unpacker") & you only have to hunt it down.
Bye!
by Jack Krowell at 5:06 PM EST on January 29, 2020
I hear you and understand perfectly. Thank you for your help though, I really appreciate it.
by Ultrafighter at 9:50 AM EST on January 30, 2020
I wish you the best of luck with those *.bnk files mate, I'm sorry I couldn't help you much.
BTW are you after some SFX or VO or some very specific sounds from the game? If you simply wanna get music then you might try out gamerip by AlphaTwentyThree available here, I suppose he's made the most complete rip of TMB BGM which was ever posted anywhere. I listened to it years ago & there're some additional BGMs like radio tracks / ice-cream truck tune / etc. , those were in *.VAG format; it made me think those VAGs could be found in some of your *.bnk archives and easily extracted with VGMToolbox but as you remember nothing was ever so easy & straightforward.
So long!
by Jack Krowell at 6:21 PM EST on January 31, 2020
I appreciate your kind words, and I'm mostly after the music track that plays while in the main menu screen.
I'll give that gamerip software a try and see how it works. I already have VGMToolbox downloaded, but didn't understand how to use it. Hopefully I will soon.
Main menu screen bgm is sequenced and uses a custom driver found in games developed by 989 Studios. Unfortunately, that will take a lot of time and reverse engineering with the psf2 driver to get a working solution for it.
by Ultrafighter at 6:26 AM EST on February 1, 2020
Hey Jack, if you downloaded VGMToolbox you could try out its "Advanced Cutter/Offset Finder" feature (go to Misc. Tools->Extraction Tools->Generic in menu on the left of program window), load a preset from dropdown menu on the right (for example "PlayStation 2 - VAGp Streams Type 3" or "PlayStation 2 - SShd/SSbd Streams Type 2") then drag & drop *.bnk files into "Files to Search" field. You might get some playable sounds extracted that way because I didn't go to great lengths with that VGMToolbox feature, I've only checked the most common audio formats.
BTW VGMT also has psf2 tools included but I've got no experience with those, I can't advise you on those.
Bye!
by Jack Krowell at 11:40 AM EST on February 2, 2020
I was having problems extracting, nothing at all was extracted. I don't know what I'm doing wrong.
What I'm wanting to figure out is, what do I have to set up in VGMToolbox to make it work properly, such as:
-Search String -Starting Offset -Treat as Hex -Offset mod -Cut Options -Output file extension -Cut Size Options -Use Terminator String -Add extra bytes to cut size
Just whatever I need to do to make VGMT properly extract the .BNK files I'm wanting.
by Ultrafighter at 10:03 AM EST on February 3, 2020
Let's take that "PlayStation 2 - VAGp Streams Type 3" preset for example: in VGMToolbox window you go to Misc. Tools->Extraction Tools->Generic->Advanced Cutter/Offset Finder, then you choose "PlayStation 2 - VAGp Streams Type 3" preset from dropdown menu on the right, click "load" button then OK button in that warning pop-up, set Output folder if you wish and finally you should simply drag & drop *.bnk files into "Files to Search" field.
You don't need to enter values for Search String, specify Starting Offset by hand, etc. - all those values are loaded automatically when you load any preset, hell that's what presets were made for in the 1st place. There're a few slightly incomplete presets, "Microsoft Windows Media Audio (WMA)" to name some, and you'd have to manually fill "Output file extension" field there (VGMToolbox won't even start scanning input files unless all the crucial fields are filled with required parameters) but all PlayStation 2 or PSX presets are complete as far as I can tell.
If there's a green bar in the very bottom of VGMToolbox's window + the words "Advanced Cutter/Offset Finder" are highlighted in green then search process was successfully completed, it might simply mean that the program wasn't able to find anything in your input files using that specific preset. To be sure you didn't get a thing inspect contents of a directory where *.bnk files are located or double-check if you custom-set output folder is still empty.
The main problem with such a ripping method (or better say a workaround) is finding out exactly what audio/video formats are actually contained in your input files, it can be quite a bother when dealing with streamed formats (pre-recorded sounds which are rather big) but it's way more complicated if sequenced stuff (I'm talking about rather small audio tracks which are assembled on fly from a number of pre-recorded or synthesized sounds)is involved. Anyway as I said previously you can try out every single PlayStation 2 or PSX presets available in Advanced Cutter of VGMToolbox but no one is able to guarantee that the program is going to find something within *.bnk files, especially if some audio is actually sequenced in TMB...
I hope this clears up lots of things for you Jack! Best regards, Ultrafighter.
edited 10:05 AM EST February 3, 2020
by Jack Krowell at 5:54 PM EST on February 25, 2020
Thank you for your assistance Ultrafighter, I actually managed to extract all the sound files stored within SHELLMUS.bnk through PSound.
Though I found out I needed a MIDI-like table to decipher how the sound effects are played out.
So AceK, any chance you could tell me where it is I can find the custom driver for Twisted Metal: Black?
I can't seem to find anything in the games folders relating to psf2 files, or any MIDI tables/files for that matter.