Audio: The GBA Music Resource

[Child Amnesiac]

I'm here today to provide you some music for your Pokemon GBA ROM hacking endevors.
But first, some background:
Despite it being advertised, I have never seen music here, well i'm here to change that, and seeing how difficult GBA music hacking is I've decided to provide some .s files for you to use in your projects.
These .s files are used with Sappy, a program used for GBA music hacking. However, Sappy can be a pain to set up. So I shall provide a tutorial on how to do just that. Sappy Tut

Contributing:
Here's how you can contribute: post (or send me) your .s files

Contribution Guidelines

Spoiler:

• The song has to sound good
• The song has to be looped
• The song can use the default R/S/E or FR/LG voice groups (FR/LG R/S/E) they can also use custom voicegroups, just include it with the song in a text or BIN file (if the voicegroup is custom, put "custom" in the "Voicegroup Offset" field of your entry).
• You must provide a preview of the song. Playing either in game, or a rip. (On Youtube/Soundcloud/Ect.)
• Give the person who sequenced the midi credit.
• Provide the game the song comes from (if applicable)
• Credit the person who edited the midi (If applicable)
• If your song is for the title screen, include a duration
• Specify if the song is for R/S, FR/LG, or Emerald
• VM, PM or email me your song ([email protected])

Tips on making your song sound good/looping

Spoiler:

Experiment with instruments/volume mixing, the only way to find out what sounds good is to test things out and see what works.
This tutorial will help you loop songs/explain a lot of things better than I can.

One last thing, expanding the amount of Direct sound instruments
1. Go into a hex editor (I recommend HXD)
2. Search for the hex string "00 C5 94 00" (without quotes)
3. Change the 5 to the true limitation of the games (12 (C in hex) for FR/LG and Emerald and 7 for R/S)

I would recommend doing this, because these files may use a lot of tracks

Now without further ado, the files

Battle themes:

Spoiler:

Trainer Battle
Game: Pokemon G/S/C
Voicegroup: 48ABB0
Original Sequencer: EJNorris
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Base Game: FR/LG
Preview:

Download

THE WORLD REVOLVING
Game: Deltarune
Voicegroup: 48ABB0
Original Sequencer: fakt13
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Base Game: FR/LG
Preview:

Download

Lavos Core
Game: Chrono Trigger
Voicegroup: 48ABB0
Original Sequencer: Unknown
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Base Game FR/LG
Preview:

Download

Battle 1
Game: Chrono Trigger
Voicegroup: 4957A0
Original Sequencer: Lychee Akana
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Base Game: FR/LG
Preview:

Download

Battle 2
Game: Chrono Trigger
Voicegroup: 4957A0
Original Sequencer: Jay Reichard
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Base Game; FR/LG
Preview:

Download

Boss 1
Game: Chrono Trigger
Voicegroup: 4957A0
Original Sequencer: Corlen Belspar
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Base Game: FR/LG
Preview:

Download

Boss Battle
Game: Lufia 2
Voicegroup: 4957A0
Original sequencer: Unknown
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Base Game: FR/LG
Preview:

Download

Final Boss
Game: Breath Of Fire 2
Voicegroup: 48B8B8
Original sequencer: Sivak Drac
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Base Game: FR/LG
Preview:

Download

Zinnia Battle Theme
Game: Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire
Voicegroup: 6A8CBC
Original Sequencer: paterDM
Editor: STikER
Base Game: Emerald
Preview:

Download

Wild Pokemon battle
Game: Pokemon G/S/C
Voicegroup: 490574
Original sequencer: Juan Esparza
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Base Game: FR/LG
Preview:

Download

Boss Battle
Game: Final Fantasy 7
Voicegroup: 490574
Original Sequencer: Unknown
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Base Game: FR/LG
Preview:

Download

The Decicive Battle
Game: Final Fantasy 6
Voicegroup: 490574
Original Sequencer: Jarel Jones
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Base Game: FR/LG
Preview:

Download

J-E-N-O-V-A
Game: Final Fantasy 7
Voicegroup: 490574
Original Sequencer: Unknown
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Base Game: FR/LG
Preview:

Download

Overworld themes (Routes, Towns, Ect.):

Spoiler:

At The End of Time
Game: Chrono Trigger
Voicegroup: 4957A0
Original Sequencer: Unknown
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Base Game: FR/LG
Preview:

Download

Corridors of time
Game: Chrono Trigger
Voicegroup: 4957A0
Original Sequencer: Masashi Ito
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Base Game: FR/LG
Preview:

Download

Black Omen
Game: Chrono Trigger
Voicegroup: 4957A0
Original Sequencer: Klassikal King
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Base Game: FR/LG
Preview:

Download

Encounter themes:

Spoiler:

Circus (Jevil room)
Game: Deltarune
Voicegroup: 48ABB0
Original Sequencer: Atecain
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Base Game: FR/LG
Preview:

Download

Lavos Theme
Game: Chrono Trigger
Voicegroup: 48B8B8
Original Sequencer: Valius
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Base Game: FR/LG
Preview:

Download

Title Screen themes:

Spoiler:

A Premonition
Game: Chrono Trigger
Voicegroup: 48ABB0
Original Sequencer: Jon Berney
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Duration: 32 seconds
Base Game: FR/LG
Preview:

Download

Msc.

Spoiler:

Victory fanfare
Game: Final Fantasy 3 (US)/Final Fantasy 6 (Japan)
Voicegroup: 497678
Original Sequencer: Unknown
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Base Game: FR/LG
Preview:

Download

Remember to credit the resource if you use anything, have fun! If you have any questions, feel free to post in this thread, or VM/PM me.

Contributors:
Child Amnesiac
STikER

 

[Child Amnesiac]

Sorry for the double post, but:
2 Chrono Trigger themes have been added! (Lavos Core, Battle 1)
check them out in the "Battle themes" Section!

 

[Megax Rocker]

I wish you luck on your project.

 

[Child Amnesiac]

I wish you luck on your project.

Thanks! There's 2 new Chrono Trigger themes coming today by the way! (Battle 2, Boss 1) Keep your eyes peeled for them!

 

[STikER]

Wonder why nobody started a thread like this in all those years... By the way, pretty good job at reworking those Chrono Trigger songs!
Also, do you accept any requests? If I provide you a midi, can you rework it to make it work with RSE soundfont?

 

[Child Amnesiac]

Wonder why nobody started a thread like this in all those years... By the way, pretty good job at reworking those Chrono Trigger songs!
Also, do you accept any requests? If I provide you a midi, can you rework it to make it work with RSE soundfont?

I do take requests. VM or email me the MIDI or a link to it and I'll edit it.
Just make sure it's 7 tracks if it is going to be for R/S. If you want more (up to 12), i'll just put it in Fire Red.

 

[RoadToCerulean]

Battle themes:

Spoiler:

Trainer Battle
Game: Pokemon G/S/C
Voicegroup: 48ABB0
Original Sequencer: EJNorris
Editor: Child Amnesiac
Base Game: FR/LG
Preview:

Download

Some personal thoughts on your Johto Trainer theme:

Spoiler:

1. FRLG-style battle themes rarely use trumpets in the main track. French horns are not very frequent, either. They use organs and overdriven guitars more often.

2. FRLG-style battle themes use square wave (Channel 2) on the bass track and the noise channel (Channel 4) as hi-hats. The drum kit offset is at 0x848A0D0.

You may compare your remix with mine here:

Spoiler:

https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?p=9912547#post9912547. (Song No. 510)

 

[Child Amnesiac]

Some personal thoughts on your Johto Trainer theme:

Spoiler:

1. FRLG-style battle themes rarely use trumpets in the main track. French horns are not very frequent, either. They use organs and overdriven guitars more often.

2. FRLG-style battle themes use square wave (Channel 2) on the bass track and the noise channel (Channel 4) as hi-hats. The drum kit offset is at 0x848A0D0.

You may compare your remix with mine here:

Spoiler:

https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?p=9912547#post9912547. (Song No. 510)

I've tried using overdriven guitar in my tracks as well as distortion guitar, it's loud and sounds not good to me, but I guess I can try experimenting with volume.
As for bass, I have started using Sawtooth as my bass instead of electric piano. (See: The Chrono Trigger/Lufia 2 Remixes)
As for drums, I can't get it to play valid notes most of the time (Maybe because i'm using preexisting midis), and I don't know how to edit the drum track to make it sound good.
I'll try what you suggested out in my songs.

 

[RoadToCerulean]

I've tried using overdriven guitar in my tracks as well as distortion guitar, it's loud and sounds not good to me, but I guess I can try experimenting with volume.
As for bass, I have started using Sawtooth as my bass instead of electric piano. (See: The Chrono Trigger/Lufia 2 Remixes)
As for drums, I can't get it to play valid notes most of the time (Maybe because i'm using preexisting midis), and I don't know how to edit the drum track to make it sound good.
I'll try what you suggested out in my songs.

Some tips for you:

Spoiler:

1. Mimic the arrangement of the tracks, instruments and note volumes of the original songs (almost all my remixes follow this strategy).

2. For the battle themes, remember the timbres of these pitches (FR only). Bold pitches are the most common. Pitches not included in this list either don't exist in FR drum kit or are never used in battle themes:

[B]C1: Bass drum;[/B]

[B]C#1 & D1: Snare drum (D1 is louder);[/B]

[B]D#1: Hand clap;[/B]

[B]E1: Acoustic snare drum;[/B]

[B]F1 & G1 & A1 & B1 & C2 & D2: Tom drums;[/B]

[B]C#2 & E2 & G2 & A2 & B2: Cymbals;[/B]

F2: Ride bell;

F#2: Tambourine;

G#2: Cow bell;

[B]C3: Reverse cymbal;[/B]

C#3 & D3 & D#3 & E3: Congas. (Barely used)

G#4 & A4 & A#4: Triangles;

B4: Jingle bell. (Barely used)

3. As for the hi-hats (not included in FR drum kit), move them to separate tracks and:

• Transpose all F#1 (closed hi-hats) notes to C5 and apply the instrument patch 127 (Noise, ADSR = 0-1-6-0 or 0-1-6-1)

• Transpose all A#1 (open hi-hats) notes to G5 and apply the instrument patch 126 (Noise, ADSR = 0-2-6-0)

 

[Child Amnesiac]

Some tips for you:

Spoiler:

1. Mimic the arrangement of the tracks, instruments and note volumes of the original songs (almost all my remixes follow this strategy).

2. For the battle themes, remember the timbres of these pitches (FR only). Bold pitches are the most common. Pitches not included in this list either don't exist in FR drum kit or are never used in battle themes:

[B]C1: Bass drum;[/B]

[B]C#1 & D1: Snare drum (D1 is louder);[/B]

[B]D#1: Hand clap;[/B]

[B]E1: Acoustic snare drum;[/B]

[B]F1 & G1 & A1 & B1 & C2 & D2: Tom drums;[/B]

[B]C#2 & E2 & G2 & A2 & B2: Cymbals;[/B]

F2: Ride bell;

F#2: Tambourine;

G#2: Cow bell;

[B]C3: Reverse cymbal;[/B]

C#3 & D3 & D#3 & E3: Congas. (Barely used)

G#4 & A4 & A#4: Triangles;

B4: Jingle bell. (Barely used)

3. As for the hi-hats (not included in FR drum kit), move them to separate tracks and:

• Transpose all F#1 (closed hi-hats) notes to C5 and apply the instrument patch 127 (Noise, ADSR = 0-1-6-0 or 0-1-6-1)

• Transpose all A#1 (open hi-hats) notes to G5 and apply the instrument patch 126 (Noise, ADSR = 0-2-6-0)

What.

 

[RoadToCerulean]

What.

If you want to make your remixes sound "good". That's based on my personal experience.

 

[Child Amnesiac]

If you want to make your remixes sound "good". That's based on my personal experience.

Yeah I know. But I didn't understand a word of what you suggested to me.

 

[RoadToCerulean]

Yeah I know. But I didn't understand a word of what you suggested to me.

1. For Tip 1, I can't explain it in a detailed way. In order to understand it, thoroughly study the vanilla midis ripped from the ROM. Think why the composers arranged the tracks in this way.

2. For Tip 2, you said you could't get the drums to play valid notes most of the time. That's because the drum pitches of the midi don't always fit the drums provided by the ROM. You should edit the drums in your midi according to the list I summed up above.

 

[Child Amnesiac]

1. For Tip 1, I can't explain it in a detailed way. In order to understand it, thoroughly study the vanilla midis ripped from the ROM. Think why the composers arranged the tracks in this way.

2. For Tip 2, you said you could't get the drums to play valid notes most of the time. That's because the drum pitches of the midi don't always fit the drums provided by the ROM. You should edit the drums in your midi according to the list I summed up above.

For 1: I use preexisting MIDIS that I get for VGmusic.com, (See: the "Original Sequencer" field) IE, I can't choose how much I have to work with (Also I heard the MIDI has to be under 100 MB so)
For 2: I don't know how to edit notes in Anvil Studio, so i'm kinda dead on that front. (I use timpani for my drum tracks, and they sound fine)

 

[STikER]

Okay, not long ago I made a request, but eventually I managed to make it work myself! So, here it is:

Zinnia Battle Theme
Game: Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire
Voicegroup: 6A8CBC
Original Sequencer: paterDM
Editor: STikER
Base Game: Emerald
Preview:

Download

 

[Child Amnesiac]

Okay, not long ago I made a request, but eventually I managed to make it work myself! So, here it is:

Zinnia Battle Theme
Game: Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire
Voicegroup: 6A8CBC
Original Sequencer: paterDM
Editor: STikER
Base Game: Emerald
Preview:

Download

Sweet, i'll add it to the collection

 

[Blackforest]

Would somebody kind enough to make or share Field of Hopes and Dreams by Toby Fox?
I am really terrible at MIDIs.

Also, can somebody teach me how to cook these .s into a ROM that has been patched with Lukee's Music Patch?
I did try to use the universal all-instrument patch but when i cooked the .s into my ROM using the all-instrument voicegroups.
Some part of the musics screeches.

 

[Child Amnesiac]

Would somebody kind enough to make or share Field of Hopes and Dreams by Toby Fox?
I am really terrible at MIDIs.

Also, can somebody teach me how to cook these .s into a ROM that has been patched with Lukee's Music Patch?
I did try to use the universal all-instrument patch but when i cooked the .s into my ROM using the all-instrument voicegroups.
Some part of the musics screeches.

I don't know what to tell you on the music patches.
But, I can make a remix of Field of hopes and dreams using a preexisting midi.
To cook a .s file, you put the offset of the voicegroup your using into the "voicegroup offset" box, and a free space offset into the "base destination offset" box.

 

[Blackforest]

I don't know what to tell you on the music patches.
But, I can make a remix of Field of hopes and dreams using a preexisting midi.
To cook a .s file, you put the offset of the voicegroup your using into the "voicegroup offset" box, and a free space offset into the "base destination offset" box.

Is there a way to create a new voicegroup?
Or reverse engineer the music patch and identify its voicegroups then create a .s file using the identified voicegroup?
Any way to insert a new music into a music patched ROM. Please, i really love Toby Fox's musics and i am willing to learn music hacks.

 

[Child Amnesiac]

Is there a way to create a new voicegroup?
Or reverse engineer the music patch and identify its voicegroups then create a .s file using the identified voicegroup?
Any way to insert a new music into a music patched ROM. Please, i really love Toby Fox's musics and i am willing to learn music hacks.

I'm sorry man, I'm not an expert on GBA music.
Maybe you can ask on the ROM hacking help sub forum, there might be someone there who can help.