To my knowledge, all of these programs are freeware. I personally recommend using The ModPlug Tracker (MPT), which is a Windows based tracking program and easy to use. I will use MPT for this tutorial and I recommend you using it. But ultimately, it's up to you what program you want to use. :)
Additionally, you probably also need a sound editor, like Goldwave to edit your sound file to your needs. However, Goldwave is not freeware. Following is a list of some sound editors which ARE freeware (in no particular order):
- SoundPad
- WinAmp - Can save MP3s in WAV format.
- DecodePro 1.0 - An MP3 to WAV converter. This link will take you to Tucows.com.
I haven't tried these sound utilities, so I can't give you any information on
what they can or can't do.
Remember: to import your sound file into MPT, the
file must be in wave format!!! For example, you cannot
import any mp3 files into MPT - you first need to convert them to .wav
files...
NOTE: If you want to make a module for Unreal Tournament (umx), there are some things you need to know before you go on! The Unreal Tournament engine does NOT support any high-quality wave files. To make a music module (umx) for a UT map, your wave file format must be no more than:
- 22050 Hz - you can't use wave frequencies higher than 22050 Hz
- 16-bit - no idea what the 16 bit means (bitrate perhaps?), but don't use wavs in 32-bit or something...
- Mono - you can't use stereo wavs. No, you can't use surround either ;)
You can use a sound editor to convert the wave file. To change the sound
frequency, you need to find a command with which you can resample the
sound. In Goldwave, you can do this, by going to the menu Effects >
Resample... and you can choose a sample rate for the sound. Be advised that
you also need to make sure that the playback rate is at the same value as
your sample rate, or the wav will sound funny if you play it. So make
sure the Playback rate is set at 22050 Hz (if you chose this as the
sample rate). In Goldwave this is done automatically. You can change this
through the same menu, option Playback rate...
Don't forget to change
the sound to 16-bit and mono. In Goldwave, you can do this by saving the wave
file. In the save dialog, a drop-down list appears with the option to save the
wav in 16-bit, mono. I don't know how to do this with other sound editors. You
should browse a bit until you find the options...
Also keep an eye on your
file size. Having a wave file in 22050 Hz/16-bit/mono is fine, but if the file
size is over 5 MB, then you seriously need to tone down the file size. You might
consider making it 16000 Hz/8-bit/mono or something like that. Try to find a
balance between file size and quality. A 2.5 MB wave file should roughly be the
maximum you want to have.
Making the module
Once you have your audio file, you need to import it into MPT.
So, start
up MPT. When the splash screen disappears, you can begin. To import the wave
file, click on "open" and go to the directory which contains the wave file. If
I'm correct, the wave file doesn't appear! What now?
No, don't go away
yet!!!!!! :D
You need to select the appropriate file type from the drop-down
menu. The default should be "All modules". You need to select Wave files (*.wav). See below
Phew! :)
Now you can select the wave file. Select it and choose open.
You see a new screen appear with some tabs. The general tab doesn't contain
anything special. You can e.g. specify the song title or add channels. The
patterns tab contains, uh well, the patterns! The number of patterns depends on
the length of the song. Trackers record different notes through patterns and
thus create a whole song. The samples tab contains the wave sample that you
imported. Very useful for trackers, because here they can import the samples (of
musical instruments) they want for their track to contain. To you, it doesn't
mean anything if you're just here to convert the wave file ;) Same thing goes
for the instruments tab. In the comments tab, you can put comments about your
song. Some info about yourself, credits, notes/reminders, anything.
Now, luckily for you, MPT automatically converts the whole deal
into a music module, so there is little you need to do right now =)
Click
the play button on the main toolbar or press F6 to play the module to see if it
turned out right.
Saving
If this is your last stop and you're here only to convert a wave file to a mod, then you just have to save the mod in MPT. But if you also want to convert the mod to a umx file for use in a UT level, READ ON!
- Module file types: it doesn't really matter much which
format you choose to save the mod in (IT, S3M, XM or MOD). The different
formats are there for people who want to add some effects to their modules.
Different formats have different effects - effects like vibrato, tremolo,
panning and note delay. It's not useful if you want to convert a music file
into a music module.
UMX requirements
Before you save the mod and close MPT, there's something you need to do if
you ultimately want to convert the mod into a umx:
I've heard from some
people on the Unreal / UT Editing Forum that when they made the music module
and converted it to a umx, the music stopped playing after approximately 30
seconds when they were listening. Not very desirable!
I've done a little
research of my own and have found the cause of this problem. Who cares!?!? Yes,
but I also found a solution! =)
I've noticed that if you'd set the speed for
each pattern in the patterns tab, the module would play correctly when converted
to a umx...confused already? Don't worry, we'll go through this step by step ;)
The problem - as I assume - is that the Unreal engine does not recognise and
process empty patterns in a music module. Maybe the engine doesn't see anything
to play and just loops back to the beginning of the song...who knows? Anyway,
the engine has got problems when there's nothing in a pattern. To solve this
problem, do the following:
Switch to the "patterns" tab. Above the
table-like area, you see a slide bar which contains all the patterns with their
pattern numbers. The amount of patterns depends on the length of the song. But
you should see something similar as the screenshot below.
Note the pattern speed. You need to select all three
characters (which can be different at your end) by dragging over them.
Right-click the selection and copy it. Next, you need to switch to the next
pattern. You do this, by clicking on the "1" in the pattern numbers section.
Now, place your cursor on the same position where the pattern speed was located
in the previous pattern, right-click and paste. If done right, you'll see that
the pattern speed has been pasted in the current pattern. Now, all the patterns
with the same number (1) have the pattern speed assigned to them. And when the
Unreal Engine reads the umx file, it'll maintain that speed for pattern 1. It
will continue playing the note (song) that was played in the first pattern (0).
That basically should solve the whole problem that you get when playing the umx!
=)
Now you can save the whole bunch as a module and safely import it into UEd and convert it into a music file.
If you come to find that the volume of your mod is too low, then I know of two ways to increase the volume:
One way is by switching to the samples tab and adjusting
the sample's volume with the normalize and amplify buttons. This will change
the volume of the sample that you imported into MPT. If you would change the
sample volume and save the module, there's no way of un-doing the operation.
You would have to re-import the wave file into MPT (by clicking the "open"
button in the samples tab). You can click the play button to play the sample
to hear whether you need to adjust the sample again.
- Another way of doing this is by first selecting the current note (C-5) and the current sample (01). You copy this and paste it in the next column/channel in the same row number (number 0). If you do this for the 4th channel, the volume will be doubled (increase by 3 dB). I find this way easier and more efficient. You don't have to change the sample itself by doing this and you can come back later and add or delete some channels.
If you still need to increase the volume, you need to add
more channels. You can do this by switching to the "General" tab and clicking
the "change" button (see screenshot). In the screen that appears, you can
specify the number of channels you want. So if you want two more channels, you
select a total of 6 channels from the list, switch back to the patterns tab and
copy & paste the note + sample code to the two channels. Save the module and
you're all done! :)
- Additional info: to import the mod into UEd, first start up UEd
(located in your UnrealTournament\System folder, filename: UnrealEd.exe). Open the music browser, go to
file > import and choose the module. Open it, confirm the name and it will
appear in the music browser. Click on the play button on the music browser to
test whether the module turned out well. Don't forget to save the module as a
umx file! You do this by clicking the "save" button in the same music browser.
You'd have to specify a name for the umx. Good luck! ;)
One final note: when you want to distribute the umx or mod, remember to give credits in a txt file to whoever made the song in the first place. There's no need to include the wave file itself in the package (zip file), because this is already imported into the module.
That's it for this tute! :)
Any problems, questions, suggestions or
comments? You can Email me!
Links
Finally, here are some links to Unreal / UT
mapping related forums:
Infogrames Unreal /
UT Editing Forum
T.com
Mapping Forum
All rights reserved
