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Modifying Dota 2's Main Theme and More!

By duckness

The modifying of music in Dota 2, so you can have your own custom tracks!

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Created by

duckness
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Category: Modding or Configuration, Walkthroughs

Posted

Updated

Jul 7, 2013 @ 12:48pm

Aug 22, 2015 @ 5:31pm

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Guide Index

Overview

NEW UPDATE 2015/14 (READ FIRST)

VALVE DESTINATION FOLDER CHANGE (5/13/14)!

KNOWN ISSUES (PLEASE READ)

What do I need before hand?

Setting Up

(Optional Section) How does all this work?

Getting it to Work

That's It?

Comments

NEW UPDATE 2015/14 (READ FIRST)

Valve no longer uses "override_vpk" on its console launch command, instead "-enable_addons" is the new command. This command does not allow all sound mods to work however, as they must be checked by valve itself.

http://dev.dota2.com/showthread.php?t=154822
As of the change, Dota 2 Music files are no longer moddable. Only certain effects can be changed. I recommend consulting this list of what is currently disabled in Dota 2.

VALVE DESTINATION FOLDER CHANGE (5/13/14)!

Thanks to Runninghell:

Valve has changed the destination of all music to dota/sound/music/valve_dota_music_001/music

The last two folders must be made manually!

KNOWN ISSUES (PLEASE READ)

Currently some people have messaged me asking for help as some issues come with changing some of the files. First, in order for this to work, DOTA 2 MUST BE ON A DRIVE WITH THE OS. I currently have asked people with issues and majority of them have Dota 2 located onto a different drive. I'm not sure if this is currently the issue but I will start looking for a fix. For those that did not add the snd_updateaudiocache in the autocfg file, I suggest you do.

TO DO A QUICK TEST TO SEE IF YOUR COMPUTER WILL BEHAVE PROPERLY WITH MODDED MUSIC FILES PLEASE go to http://www.reddit.com/r/DotA2/comments/1ehtoc/public_service_announcement_the_nba_jam_megakills/ download the NBA Jam Pack, follow the instructions in the rar file, and test to see if any of them play.

THANKS TO warheat1990TM: He has found a fix, going to dota -> sound there is a file called master.cache. Deleting it has fixed his issue.

THANKS TO Kaon: For finding a fix.
Here are the steps:
1. Extract the entire "sound" folder from the vpk and drop it into your dota folder.
2. Replace music files as described in this guide.
3. Launch Dota 2 and enter snd_rebuildaudiocache in console.
4. Restart Dota 2.

Step 1 is needed because apparently if the -override_vpk launch command is active, then snd_rebuildaudiocache would build the cache without the files in the vpk. So if only the music folder has is in dota/sound, then you would loose all other sounds in the sounds folder.

Thanks to [Hi'Ta] Der Muffy: Music of a sample rate higher than 485KZ will have issues playing!"

What do I need before hand?

You will need:
-Your favorite songs in MP3/wav format.
-Audacity (optional).
-GCFscape or Gibbed Valve Extractor (Optional).

I recommend having "-novid" on Dota 2's launch settings.

NOTE: For those having the infinite errors with GCFscape, I recommend using Gibbed Valve Extractor. It works just as well as GCFscape, if not, even better.

Setting Up

Firstly, if you haven't read "Modding Dota 2: Episode 2: Editing Sounds and Testing Custom Announcers" by Your Lord and Savior Jesus Stick, I highly recommend doing so http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=155078298#-1

Now in order to allow your music to be heard we need to insert "-enable_addons" (without the quotes and the "_" is required: NO LONGER "override_vpk") into Dota 2's lauch settings (Right click Dota 2 -> Properties -> Launch Settings). Doing this will have Dota 2 look for the files you add instead of any of the VPK files first.

THIS IS CRUCIAL!!!

The main files we will be working with is \Steam\steamapps\common\dota 2 beta\dota\sound\music (if you do not have a music file in sound, create one now).

Now that's done, this is where your music files will be inserted.

(Optional Section) How does all this work?

If you opened pak01_001.vpk in GCFscape, you will see how the music files are placed if you go Dota 2(or whatever the extracted file using GCFscape is named) -> sound -> music:

All of Dota 2's files in pak01_001.vpk. Basically your own custom track should be named exactly like those!

Basically inserting your own music with the name of any of the files in the VPK will have Dota 2 play that new track instead.

So for instance, I want to have Cowboy Bebop's main theme (Tank) for the music when I pick my heroes, I would then convert the mp3 to a .wav file and dump it into my \Steam\steamapps\common\dota 2 beta\dota\sound\music. Then rename it into "hero_underscore_select_loop.wav"

Cowboy Bebop's Main Theme converted to a .wav then renamed

Why you ask? So it replaces the original hero_underscore_select_loop.wav file in the VPK (thanks to VPK override). So simply renaming your own song into it's proper designation, adding into "\Steam\steamapps\common\dota 2 beta\dota\sound\music," and having "-override vpk" on Dota 2's launch settings will allow your own song to play.

Got it?

This should be the result

Getting it to Work

So now you have your songs that you want in Dota 2, you need to determine where and when they will play. The easiest method is using GCFscape, listening to each track individually, and renaming your songs into the name of the track you want to replace. To make this easy. I will use a example of what I did.

I wanted Game of Throne's Main Theme as my Dota 2's start up track, in order to achieve this you would need to know what the game start up track is named in Dota 2. Using GCFscape, the original Dota 2's game start track's name is "gamestartup1.mp3."

So grab your song, rename it "gamestartup1.mp3" and place it into "\Steam\steamapps\common\dota 2 beta\dota\sound\music" (For this example, I have three "gamestartup.mp3" tracks that all play GOT's Main Theme. I did this since Dota 2 has three different start up songs. So in order to have only a single track play, have that single track copied three times, and renamed into gamestartup1.mp3, gamestartup2.mp3, and gamestartup3.mp3.

The original GOT's main theme in Dota2's music folder...

Now renamed to overwrite the VPK's provided music!

The results (note the track ends when you look at the map. Dota 2 starts to play world_map.mp3)

That's It?

Yeah pretty much. It's extremely easy to do and just a quick recap...
MAKE SURE "-override vpk" "-enable_addons" IS ENABLE IN DOTA2's LAUNCH OPTIONS.
MAKE SURE YOUR SOUND FILES ARE PLACED/NAMED CORRECTLY.
ADJUST THEM TO WHAT THE VPK WANTS (Some tracks are wmv. not all mp3).

Just doing all these will allow it to work, for those too lazy to extract the VPK files here are some file names.

(NOTE: These are in Steam > Steamapps > common > dota 2 beta > dota > sound > music)
gamestartup1.mp3: First song that Dota 2 plays on start up.
gamestartup2.mp3: 2nd song that Dota 2 plays on start up.
gamestartup3.mp3: 3rd song that Dota 2 plays on start up.
world_map.mp3: Song that plays when Dota 2 shows off the tutorial map.
hero_select_underscore_loop.wav: Song that plays when the heroes are being chosen.
dota2_music_battle_002.mp3: Music that plays when in battle.
dota2_music_battle_003.mp3: Music that plays when in battle.
dota2_music_battle_004.mp3: Music that plays when in battle.

(NOTE: These are in Steam > Steamapps > common > dota 2 beta > dota > sound > music > stingers.
dota2_music_victory_dire.mp3: Victory music for dire.
dota2_music_victory_radiant_comp.mp3: VIctory music for radiant.

On a final note:
Thanks to "Modding Dota 2: Episode 2: Editing Sounds and Testing Custom Announcers" by Your Lord and Savior Jesus Stick, without that guide, I would not be doing all this.

NOTE: Keep in mind, the "enable_addons" command does not allow all sound modifications to work, since few have been using VPKs to cheat on Dota 2, Valve now moderates what addons are allowed.

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