Capcom games' .MUS file format

Capcom games' .MUS file format

I'm using files from Super Puzzle Fighter 2X. I got to open them on wave editors, by using 44100 Hz, 16-bit signed byteswapped PCM (Motorolla). They playback at the right speed, but at wrong pitch, and there is a flangering effect on the whole track I ca'n get rid off without resorting on massive audio filtering usage (thus destrying the original files).

Did someone ever managed to open those properly? They seem to have no header at all.
 
Capcom games' .MUS file format

Can't help you with the format, but don't most (all?) Capcom games use QSound? The flanging effect you're hearing may be the result of the samples being pre-processed by the QSound software.
 
Capcom games' .MUS file format

Hi, i am an audio engineer by trade so i think that i have the answer to your question, well at leats part of it.

the flange effect that you are hearing is due to a phase variation in the waveform. This phase variation is used to create the spatial effects that you here within the game using Q-Sound.

Q-Sound works in a similar way to the original Dolby Decoder box that used to be used for cinema sound in the early 90's.

The original dolby sorround was a crude for of what we know now as 5.1 sorround sound. To send stuff to the rear speakers in the original dolby format, you had to phase audio information. (which was a real pain in the ass) This is simialr to the way that Q-Sound Works, except in stereo.

Q-Sound is actually more similar to what is called a brainwave convultion, that is using phase variance, you can simulate a sorround effect using only 2 speakers.

Unfortuneatly, the only way to decode this information is using proprietry software/hardware. But you could try opening the file in protools free to seperate this file into Stereo info only and mono info only. This is done using a matrix master a

from here you should be able to illiminate this effect.

Firstly, import your stereo file into protools. Split it into two mono files on seperate tracks. Send the left channel out of bus 1 and the right channel out of bus 2. Create 6 new auxillary inputs. Make the input to the first two auxillary inputs bus 1 and bus 2 respectively, then pan both hard left. On auxiallry chaneel two, place a one band eq and inverse the phase.

Next make the inputs on aux channels 3 + 4 bus's 1 and 2 respectively, this time pan both hard right. Now, on aux channel3 place a one band eq and inverse the phase. Now you should only have stereo information coming out of these channels.

To seperate the mono information on aux channels 5+6 make the inputs bus 1+2 respectively and pan both to the centre. now you have only your mono information!!! you should be able to eliminate the phase now.

Oh yeah, your file is playing back too fast because you have the wrong sample rate.

msg me any questions!
 
Capcom games' .MUS file format

Sounds a bit like the procedures you need to go through to get mid-side stereo working...
 
Capcom games' .MUS file format

That matrix mastering proceedure kicks ass for mastering your music, especially if you duplicate the mono information channels and run a Hi pass filter on it, then you can control the low end as well. I use this procedure to artificially create sorround sound using only stereo music files. eg I send the phase info to the rear speakers, left and right as normal, centre gets the mono info and LFE gets the hi pass mono info.
 
Capcom games' .MUS file format

I'll hunt Protools down and try it. Right now I only got CoolEdit2K and Goldwave.

But the files aren't in the wrong speed. The are in the wrong pitch. If I load them at 22KHz, they play at the proper pitch, but at half the speed. I have to apply a pitch change with time preservation to get the proper sounding file.

Maybe it's due to the embbed Qsound data. I didn't know that the Capcom sound drivers for their Saturn games had such level of complexity, decoding Qsound in real time.

It's interesting how they can add surround effects to Redbook audio in some of their games. Pocket Fighter is a good example.
 
Capcom games' .MUS file format

But the files aren't in the wrong speed. The are in the wrong pitch.

Two guesses:

1) You've actually got samples for two channels interleaved into one file.

2) There's undocumented QSound Magic embedded into the stream that's supposed to do something like alter panning registers instead of actually being played.
 
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