[Other] Nintendo DS Music Hacking [LOOPING INCLUDED, FULLY EXPLAINED]

[Team Fail]

The Nintendo DS is a file-based system that can be modified easily if you understand what is happening. I will attempt to get this all into something that is easy to understand, even if you are beginning the Nintendo DS Music scene.

My tutorial will be separated into several parts. Each part will be explained in-depth.

Part One- Accessing The Song You Wish To Modify
This program will require the use of VGMTrans. You can find it in the Music Hack Pack. There is a link at the end of the tutorial. Note- The program is rather unstable and can crash. It is normal and will not damage your computer. You can find other copies and builds of VGMTrans by searching on Google.

Getting the MIDI and DLS files
These are files that are the heart and soul of this tutorial. A MIDI file is a set of sequenced sounds that can be played as a song. A DLS file contains wave samples that are used in conjunction with MIDI files to play these samples with certain instruments to generate sounds that MIDIs by themselves cannot generate. You'll get the idea later on. To get these files, there are two ways. I'll give you the best way because it will save you heartache later on. Open CrystalTile (In Music Hack Pack) and open your Nintendo DS rom image. From here, at the top, click on the third icon from the Right (The little DS Icon). It will open up a list of files. Now, click "View a List Of" and click on "Directory". Now, you will want to look for the .SDAT file within the game. Keep in note that some games have more than one. It will have an icon of a speaker. Right-click on it and click on "Export". Save it to a location of your desire. Now, open VGM Trans. Minimize CrystalTile because you won't need it until much later. Take your newly-extracted .sdat file and drag it on the VGMTrans window. You CANNOT use the "Open" command from the file menu, as the program is not complete. This stage will most likely be the most painful, as the program is rather unstable. It may take a minute to open the sdat file, and it may even quit responding. Just be patient, it will eventually open it and grant you access to it's controls. From here, browse the list of songs to extract. Note that the songs will not loop in the program, but you can simulate a loop in FL Studio. You can click on the song and press play at the top, but who's lazy? I know I am. You can use the arrows on the keyboard and the spacebar to choose a song and play it. How convenient? Once you choose a song of your liking, you have a few options here. Your best option is to right-click on the song and select "Export as MIDI and DLS". Save those to a location of your liking as well. You can now close VGMTrans, but this is optional. It's best to, though. Now, you have your .dls and your .midi files. Now, what will you do with those?

Part Two- Modifying Music- and knowing what it will sound like
This part of the tutorial has a little-known trick I found and I thought it would be nice to explain the process.

FL Studio
For this tutorial, you will need the program FL Studio. I have a download link in the Music Hack Pack at the end of the tutorial. You will want to download it and let install the programs, including ASIO4ALL. It is a MIDI driver- required for FL Studio to work.

FL Studio- Importing and Editing music
This is the easier part that requires use of the imagination. Open FL Studio. Keep in mind you cannot save as projects in the Demo. You can, however save files as MIDI to get around that. Or, find a crack on Google. It's up to you. Click and drag the midi file to the program (You can also use File... Open) and import all the tracks, by pressing OK on the window that will pop up with the numbers 1 through 16. Now, you have your midi open! But, there is one problem, no, wait. Two problems. How will you know what it will sound like? And how will I simulate a loop? It's easy. I have included images to assist you.

When you import a midi file, it will open an additional window called Fruity LSD.

I have opened up the file SEQ_ROAD_SNOW_D, but that's besides the point. In the image, there is a folder button. Click on that. From here, browse to the .dls file you extracted with VGMTrans. Open it, then press play. Ta-da! It sounds... Game-ish! Now, there is a little restriction. Not all 126 instruments are used. If you need an extensive tutorial on how to use FL Studio, click here. It also explains looping.

From here, you can do all your editing. You can modify many of the game's song's aspects, like panning, volume, patch and whatnot. This is done through the Piano Roll in the program (Click the bar with the lines.) Do note, though, that you cannot insert bytes for loops in FL Studio, but you CAN insert note placeholders to indicate where you want to have your loop. Look at Looping (Preliminary) for more info on how to use note placeholders.

FL Studio- Exporting the final product
Now, you've finished, eh? Click on File and go to Save As... . Now, save as the type .midi and name it. When it's done, you can close FL Studio. You've exported it, and it's almost ready to be inserted!

Part Three- Inserting the song
This part of the tutorial will use a NEW version of MIDI2SSEQ that is much better than the original. Click here to download it.

Looping
For this, you will need Anvil Studio. Open the MIDI and view any track in the Piano Roll editor. It will make it far easier if you use a track in which you know where the loop point is. Right after the final note plays, place the marker there and the program will record the time at which the marker is. Click EDIT -> Insert MIDI Event... . Under Kind Of Event, make sure both boxes have a check mark beside them, then look for "Marker" in the drop-down list. After you find it, you will just have a blank text box. Type "loopEnd" (This is case sensitive. Just don't use the "".) Now, this is the slightly difficult part. Go to the point in the song where it loops to, and select it. Now, go to EDIT -> Insert MIDI Event... . Make sure you are using marker, BUT, look at the time. You need to peel off one frame so the loop will sound correctly.

How do I do that?

When looking at the time, It will go 29:30 (29 seconds, 30 frames.) to 30:00. Meaning that there are 30 frames in 1 second. So, if your time for the loop point is on an exact second, go to the previous second, and use 29 frames.

Now, use the Marker "loopStart". Remember that it is case sensitive. Keep in mind that you only have to do this on ONE track, and it saves you time. The revised MIDI2SSEQ is smart enough to place the loop point correctly on all tracks. Now, go FILE -> Export MIDI-Format 0 File... and save it to a directory. IT IS RECOMMENDED that you save it in the C:\Users\[Name] along with MIDI2SSEQ because you WILL NEED to use a command line to convert it. You can now close Anvil Studio.

NOTE! When looping, the program will NOT insert events at loop point to fix tempo and patch number to what it is supposed to be. Those must be applied manually during the MIDI editing process. If you don't fix them, the song may play incorrectly after it loops.

Converting
The revised MIDI2SSEQ uses a command line and is very easy. Now, you might be asking, why am I supposed to save the song to C:\Users\[NAME]? That is because you won't have to type a very long file address when using the command. MIDI2SSEQ also must be in the same place as the MIDI too. Note, you CANNOT drag-and-drop, because it will be missing an argument that it requires to convert. Open a Command Prompt window and type "midi2sseq nameofmidi.mid nameofsseq.sseq" without the quotes. You'll be telling the program to take the file nameofmidi.mid (nameofmidi will change, obviously) and convert it using the named program into nameofsseq (which is defined by you). When done, it will spit out a .sseq file. Don't worry about any errors on tempo. It's normal. The SSEq will be saved in the same directory that the midi is in.


Inserting
There are 2 ways to insert, but I'll make it simple for you. Open your .SDAT in both CrystalTile and VGMTrans. Find the song in VGMTrans that you want to replace. Now, find that song in CrystalTile. Right-click on it and click "Import" and browse to the MIDI that we just made. Double-click on it and it will attempt to insert it. IF it gives you an error, that means that the file is too large, and CrystalTile cannot repoint files. Therefore, you will need to make it smaller. It is possible to repoint files, but I am unsure as to how yet. Then, save the .sdat file and import it to your game. Test it in an emulator or a flashcard.

If you have followed all the steps correctly, you can make some good music. Like my song, for instance:


Hack Pack link: https://dl.dropbox.com/u/34957059/Hack%20Pack.zip
If this worked for you, then good job. If not, keep reading. If something is unclear, don't hesitate to ask! I thank you for your time. If you want to repost this tutorial, please PM me or VM me.

MAY 31/11: 2500 Views! Keep up the work! Go ahead and ask questions!
JULY 2/11: Added preliminary information on looping. I hope to expand it and find a better alternative in the near future.
AUGUST 15/11: Added much better info on looping.

[shaqattacks]

Yes, now I can get my songs to work. I've tried this a long time ago but now I can finally fix the tempo problem when inserting the songs. Thank you for the tutorial.
There is a guy on youtube called utuber6061‬‎ and does music hacks and knows how to loop the music. You might know him already, but the point is I don't think he has told anyone how to loop the songs.

[Team Fail]

Originally Posted by shaqattacks

Yes, now I can get my songs to work. I've tried this a long time ago but now I can finally fix the tempo problem when inserting the songs. Thank you for the tutorial.
There is a guy on youtube called utuber6061‬‎ and does music hacks and knows how to loop the music. You might know him already, but the point is I don't think he has told anyone how to loop the songs.

Yes, I've heard of him- I have asked him, but I haven't gotten a reply as of yet.

[shaqattacks]

I asked him but he said something like "there is a flstudio patch called magicsseq that lets you loop and play the .sseq files without converting it, it is on gbatemp". I searched for it and it did not exist, I think he was tricking people or something because he never gave anyone the link. Well hopefully looping will be figured out, great tutorial btw.

[Spiky-Eared Pichu]

Originally Posted by shaqattacks

I asked him but he said something like "there is a flstudio patch called magicsseq that lets you loop and play the .sseq files without converting it, it is on gbatemp". I searched for it and it did not exist, I think he was tricking people or something because he never gave anyone the link. Well hopefully looping will be figured out, great tutorial btw.

It exists, because I have it installed in my FL Studio 9 :D. But I don't know how it works because it crashes and I'm not going to distribute it because I don't know if the creator wants this...


Oh, and I know how to loop tracks. Just add 94+XXXXXX at the end of each SSEQ track (XXXXXX = offset to where you want to start the loop, in reversed hex).

Originally Posted by Team Fail

Keep in mind that files CANNOT BE REPOINTED!

Who said that? Because I have like 6 tracks in my Diamond track repointed, and some of them are even bigger than the originals! At the start of the SDAT, there's a table with the size and the offset to each of the files, and you can edit it with a hex editor. Also, you can extract a SDAT with NDS Editor, edit the files and repack it.

[shaqattacks]

Oh okay it does exist I thought he was making a joke. Now there is a problem I am currently having when using hxd. When I try to search for FF C0 and replace with FF C7 hxd says "Can't find FFC0" and doesn't do anything after that.

[Team Fail]

Originally Posted by Spiky-Eared Pichu

It exists, because I have it installed in my FL Studio 9 :D. But I don't know how it works because it crashes and I'm not going to distribute it because I don't know if the creator wants this...


Oh, and I know how to loop tracks. Just add 94+XXXXXX at the end of each SSEQ track (XXXXXX = offset to where you want to start the loop, in reversed hex).



Who said that? Because I have like 6 tracks in my Diamond track repointed, and some of them are even bigger than the originals! At the start of the SDAT, there's a table with the size and the offset to each of the files, and you can edit it with a hex editor. Also, you can extract a SDAT with NDS Editor, edit the files and repack it.

You'll have to teach me DS repointing. I've read billions of times, if not more, that it cannot be done. And that magicsseq, I've found the .dll of it, and I am yet to try it.

Originally Posted by shaqattacks

Oh okay it does exist I thought he was making a joke. Now there is a problem I am currently having when using hxd. When I try to search for FF C0 and replace with FF C7 hxd says "Can't find FFC0" and doesn't do anything after that.

Click on the first byte in the .sseq in the HxD, then make sure you are searching as Hex Values, not Text strings. They exist in the .sseq because they are track pointers.

[shaqattacks]

Nevermind. The mistake was I was using a midi edited from anvil studios and not fl studio. The hex values are different when exporting from fl studio and the file size of the midi is larger too.
I tried to transport the hgss champion midi and changing the instruments to import to dpp but the tracks were still not working right when I changed the hex values. I edited it anvil studios first and then exported the midi in flstudio.

[Team Fail]

Originally Posted by shaqattacks

Nevermind. The mistake was I was using a midi edited from anvil studios and not fl studio. The hex values are different when exporting from fl studio and the file size of the midi is larger too.
I tried to transport the hgss champion midi and changing the instruments to import to dpp but the tracks were still not working right when I changed the hex values. I edited it anvil studios first and then exported the midi in flstudio.

It shouldn't be- you must convert it to sseq before opening it in HxD.

[shaqattacks]

I did I edited as a .sseq after I exported it. I did however get a couple of songs working properly it's just that one didn't work when I edited in anvil studios and then exported in fl studio.

[Team Fail]

Originally Posted by shaqattacks

I did I edited as a .sseq after I exported it. I did however get a couple of songs working properly it's just that one didn't work when I edited in anvil studios and then exported in fl studio.

Well, I'll post a reminder to not use AS then. Thanks.

[Shinamori]

Originally Posted by Spiky-Eared Pichu

Oh, and I know how to loop tracks. Just add 94+XXXXXX at the end of each SSEQ track (XXXXXX = offset to where you want to start the loop, in reversed hex).

Would you mind doing a tutorial on this?

[Team Fail]

Originally Posted by Shinamori

Would you mind doing a tutorial on this?

If he does, If he wants to, I can copy/paste one he sends to me in the bottom of this thread and make a YouTube (Possible) of it, and credit him for it. I'll try it, too, but I have one question. Is that pointer in reverse hex the address in the .sdat, .sseq, or the .nds image?

[Shinamori]

Also, I have no idea on how to use magicsseq. I put it in the plugin folder, but no dice. I have FLStudio 8?

[Team Fail]

Originally Posted by Shinamori

Also, I have no idea on how to use magicsseq. I put it in the plugin folder, but no dice. I have FLStudio 8?

Well, I tried scanning for it, and FL 8 won't even read it. I need to do some more...

[Shinamori]

Yeah, the readme said to put in the plugins folder, but there's like 4 different ones. FL8/Plugins
FL8/System/plugin
FL8/Data/Patches/Plugin database
FL8/Data/Patches/Plugin preset
Never said which. The instructions in the readme or simplsitc.

The one I have is fake. I looked at in a hex editor and it's completely blank. I got mines from the yamihoshi link. It's either fake or got messed up on the upload.

[Team Fail]

Originally Posted by Shinamori

Yeah, the readme said to put in the plugins folder, but there's like 4 different ones. FL8/Plugins
FL8/System/plugin
FL8/Data/Patches/Plugin database
FL8/Data/Patches/Plugin preset
Never said which. The instructions in the readme or simplsitc.

The one I have is fake. I looked at in a hex editor and it's completely blank. I got mines from the yamihoshi link. It's either fake or got messed up on the upload.

Ok. So is mine, then. I'll look some more into it.

[The 100 Mega Shock]

FL Studio is set up by default to also use Program Files\VstPlugins (Program Files (x86) if you're using a 64-bit OS) as a search folder for VST Plugins, of which I assume it could be.

As it stands though, it will appear in the plugin list but as stated does not work.

[Team Fail]

Well, I followed instructions to allow it to be used. It told me to place it in C:\Program Files\Image-Line\FL Studio 9\Plugins and use a custom folder, then change some settings and scan for new plugins (CHANNELS -> ADD ONE -> More...) and click refresh at the bottom. It tells me,

FL Studio 9: FL (extended memory).exe - Bad image

C:\Program Files\Image-Line\FL Studio 9\Plugins\Custom Plugins\MAGICsseq\magicsseq.dll is either not designed to run on Windows or it contains an error. Try installing the program again using the original installation media or contact your system administrator or the software vendor for more support.

[ OK ]

[Shinamori]

If we cold get the actual plugin, then it might work.

[Team Fail]

Originally Posted by Shinamori

If we cold get the actual plugin, then it might work.

That's what I'm thinking. But what if it's a hoax?

[Shinamori]

MagicSseq being a hoax all together? That's certainly a possibility.

[Team Fail]

Originally Posted by Shinamori

MagicSseq being a hoax all together? That's certainly a possibility.

Yup. 'Tis it is. :'(

If Spiky-Eared Pichu could help teaching me the art of looping, I could throw it in here, with his credit, of course.

[Shinamori]

I would love that. I really would love to loop music.

[Team Fail]

I added a step that I missed.

Just a minor adjustment here...
This, along with other steps, is a crucial step to getting this to work. Once the MIDI is exported, open it in HxD and look for the 0x0D byte. It should read, "60". Change it to "C0" and save. Re-open it in FL Studio and listen to it. It should be about 2 times faster. DO NOT ADJUST THE TEMPO! Instead, export it, again, as a MIDI, and you can overwrite the old one, you won't need it. Once it has done so, open your new MIDI in HxD. Change the 0x0D byte from "60" to "30". Open it in Windows Media player, and it should sound normal.

If your song did not sound right after inserting it, try re-doing it following this newly added step, mmkay?