Audio Quality Fix

[XenoBrain]

Edit:: Since Moguri Mod is out and incorporates the fix, you should use that

Here's the patched SdLib.dll that resolves an issue in the audio engine's output that was degrading sound below the quality of the game's actual assets.


It goes in steamapps\common\FINAL FANTASY IX\x64\FF9_Data\Plugins

Please note it's for the 64-bit version. If you're running a 32-bit OS it won't use the patched plugin.

[Zunnoab #931]

Publicado originalmente por Zeikar:

FF7 has a PSF soundtrack on the PS1 discs

You are mistaken. Have fun reading this:
http://www.angelfire.com/tx5/someone42/psfrip.txt

Edit: This is arguing semantics I admit. You were just talking about the way the PS1 music sounds, even if there is no such PS1 file format.

[Zeikar]

Publicado originalmente por Zunnoab #931:

Publicado originalmente por Zeikar:

FF7 has a PSF soundtrack on the PS1 discs

You are mistaken. Have fun reading this:
http://www.angelfire.com/tx5/someone42/psfrip.txt

Edit: This is arguing semantics I admit. You were just talking about the way the PS1 music sounds, even if there is no such PS1 file format.

it's still Playstation Sound Format also, I don't want to argue this, by the looks of it we're both a little bit wrong, unless the information is a bit wrong, I don't want to argue like I said, it reminds me of the PSX arguement, PSX was a Japanese only system different from PS1 or PSOne even, but somehow saying PSX became more common place than saying PS1 even though it was a recorder and a PS2/PS1 console

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PSX_(digital_video_recorder)

[Zunnoab #931]

I'm afraid you are entirely mistaken (the PSF fan-created format contains stripped out program data that 'plays' the sound chip of the PS1 using sound samples, similar to the SPC fan format for the SNES), but it doesn't change your original argument about switching in fan music that some may prefer. I regret ballooning the discussion a bit off topic there since I was just being nitpicky at your wording anyway.

I don't know anything about potential modding. Options are always a good thing, of course.

[TrueSephiroth]

Why isn't this in the Mods/Guides section yet? Makes a noticable improvment to the audio.

[Zunnoab #931]

These things don't put themselves there. Perhaps the creator would like to do so, so they get the most obvious credit?

It's a random Sunday morning in the USA and 319 are in game now. That's not so bad for a re-release of a rather old game many months after release, I suspect.

[Doc Holiday]

Thank you Xeno, even though I already finished the game and won't be playing it anytime soon.
I will install this

[Doc Holiday]

Do I need to delete the old file? I just renamed it to SdLib_old.dll and put the new file there, is going to be a problem?

[Zunnoab #931]

Publicado originalmente por Doc Holiday:

Do I need to delete the old file? I just renamed it to SdLib_old.dll and put the new file there, is going to be a problem?

I don't know, but if you rename it with the extension .dll.old it will prevent any such issue I'd assume.

[Paul]

Thanks for fixing Silicon Studio's work.

[Doc Holiday]

I've never played the Playstation version so I can't compare but this fix made the music really easier on the ears... Definitely an improvement... Just wish I'd waited for this to play and finish the game

[BONKERS]

Oh my god, does this fix the ridiculous aliasing the audio suffers from? (FMVs, Sound Effects, Music)

That was the biggest deal breaker for me. It sounded terrible.

Comparison links: {ENLACE ELIMINADO}http://www.mediafire.com/download/2dq33n3wqr998wx/FFIX_Steam_vs_OST_comparison.rar

[Zeikar]

Publicado originalmente por BONKERS:

Oh my god, does this fix the ridiculous aliasing the audio suffers from? (FMVs, Sound Effects, Music)

That was the biggest deal breaker for me. It sounded terrible.

Comparison links: {ENLACE ELIMINADO}http://www.mediafire.com/download/2dq33n3wqr998wx/FFIX_Steam_vs_OST_comparison.rar

I dunno, it sounds better to me, but now we need to record the fix so we have a third comparison, maybe you should be that volunteer

[Zunnoab #931]

Publicado originalmente por BONKERS:

Oh my god, does this fix the ridiculous aliasing the audio suffers from? (FMVs, Sound Effects, Music)

That was the biggest deal breaker for me. It sounded terrible.

Comparison links: {ENLACE ELIMINADO}http://www.mediafire.com/download/2dq33n3wqr998wx/FFIX_Steam_vs_OST_comparison.rar

I don't understand what those files are showing? Do they switch between the two?

[BONKERS]

Publicado originalmente por Zunnoab #931:

Publicado originalmente por BONKERS:

Oh my god, does this fix the ridiculous aliasing the audio suffers from? (FMVs, Sound Effects, Music)

That was the biggest deal breaker for me. It sounded terrible.

Comparison links: {ENLACE ELIMINADO}http://www.mediafire.com/download/2dq33n3wqr998wx/FFIX_Steam_vs_OST_comparison.rar

I don't understand what those files are showing? Do they switch between the two?

They are. And if you can't hear the difference, then I envy your ears lol.

It's night and day to me.
The problem isn't compression so much as it's like someone stupidly ran everything at an incorrect Sample Rate and then when it's resampled for final output like it's using a Nearest Neighbor/Point sampling algorithm. (Or audio was encoded with Point resampling when upsampling to a higher SR) Which creates massive audio aliasing.

The fact that everything in the game suffers the same issue, makes that explanation make sense. Because it doesn't happen in the original game on real hardware.

I thought it was compression at first, until I realized that the audio artifacts present don't sound like compression artifacts at all. Aside from the shrill aliasing and non existent real detail of the high frequencies, it generally sounds cohesive.

Then I thought it was a resampling error on the instrument samples or reverb if they were using a music playback system similar to the original. (Sequencing data>Samples>Audio Playback>SPU For reverb and mixing before final output)
War of The Lions on the PSP suffers a similar issue to this where they(TOSE) didn't implement the reverb the music was supposed to have. Or ignored part of the SPU processing all together, causing the audio to sound dry and scratchy with minor aliasing artifacts.
MGS2 HD is another example, half of the game's music was sequenced and processed by the SPU on the PS2. In the HD version they chose not to emulate the Reverb for whatever reason. Making the music sound dryer than it should.

I realized it was happening to all audio from FFIX. At that point I figured all audio had been encoded wrongly. (IE: Upsample from 32khz>48khz with Point Filter). And then refunded the game. Because such an amateur mistake is unacceptable. More so given SE's history of basically NEVER patching any FF port on PC in a significant manner.

My interest in rebuying would be higher if it turned out it was a simple engine resampling error. I would've loved to get my hand on the actual audio files the game uses to verify how they are actually encoded.

[XenoBrain]

Publicado originalmente por BONKERS:

I would've loved to get my hand on the actual audio files the game uses to verify how they are actually encoded.

They're OGG Vorbis, stereo, 44100hz, -q3 (120kbps nominal). I think they're a mix of OST rips and recordings as some (not all) of the songs have a slightly higher noise floor than the PSF rips.