Request Square Enix to convert the MIDI music to PS1-quality music

[The Wizard of Hok]

Hey guys,

I heard that this game has the horrid MIDI quality music straight from the PC version and as a result, have not purchased the game as of yet. Let's contact Square Enix and request for them to patch in the PS1 quality music!

[EMDream]

Messaggio originale di JunkyBiggs:

I want to clear up some things regarding the music so people can understand.

This is what I got from what you said. The music isn't bad at all it's just that a lot of areas will not have music because the game only has samples? Or the game has all the music and just can't load the music as well as the ps1 version? I don't really care about the music really if I can fix it that's great if not I can just mute it and play my own music. I do love final fantasy 8 ost "eyes on me" "the man withthe machine gun" are two of my favorites.

[biggs]

Messaggio originale di EMDream:

The music isn't bad at all it's just that a lot of areas will not have music because the game only has samples? Or the game has all the music and just can't load the music as well as the ps1 version?

Basically, it's loading instrument samples that are not the same as the PS1 so the music will sound different (inferior to many). You can personally fix this issue very easily by dragging and dropping the files that are located here but many people have stated that they want an official fix so the steam client will automatically update the music.

[EMDream]

Messaggio originale di JunkyBiggs:

Messaggio originale di EMDream:

The music isn't bad at all it's just that a lot of areas will not have music because the game only has samples? Or the game has all the music and just can't load the music as well as the ps1 version?

Basically, it's loading instrument samples that are not the same as the PS1 so the music will sound different (inferior to many). You can personally fix this issue very easily by dragging and dropping the files that are located here but many people have stated that they want an official fix so the steam client will automatically update the music.

I'll do that to fix it thank you very much!

[wintimes]

Messaggio originale di Twinsen:

Messaggio originale di wintimes:

The problem is that there is not any description of music on the introduction page of this game, it is even OK to mark in the remarks that “this game uses original PC version of midi music format”, but there is not, if I knew it before I bought this game, I would never buy it. Now I have bought it but cannot get a refund, don’t you think this is a kind of commercial fraud?

Well, to be fair to Square Enix the original PC version did only come with the MIDI-quality sound tracks. So no, it is not commercial fraud only Square releasing an inferior version of the game (compared to the PS1 version).

If you have used the original PC version, you should know that the MIDI in the original version was compatible with different sound cards to get different tone quality; for example you can choose Yamaha XG or Creative Soundfont. However, this current version leaves no room for you to choose and presents the worst tone quality by itself.

[EMDream]

Messaggio originale di JunkyBiggs:

Messaggio originale di EMDream:

The music isn't bad at all it's just that a lot of areas will not have music because the game only has samples? Or the game has all the music and just can't load the music as well as the ps1 version?

Basically, it's loading instrument samples that are not the same as the PS1 so the music will sound different (inferior to many). You can personally fix this issue very easily by dragging and dropping the files that are located here but many people have stated that they want an official fix so the steam client will automatically update the music.

I just got done with the game download. I replaced the files with the ones you made. The music sounds the same as on the playstation I compared them. Thank you very much I will enjoy playing this game again.

[wintimes]

Messaggio originale di JunkyBiggs:

I want to clear up some things regarding the music so people can understand.

Firstly, this version uses the same executable as the version from 2000 with a wrapper to intercept API calls and work with modern computer hardware. I'm assuming that they must have lost the source code so, by default, this version is stuck with DirectMusic. The reason why the music was "bad" or inaccurate to the PS1 in the 2000 release: DirectMusic loads in all the samples into memory. They had to limit the amount and quality of samples used so it could fit in memory of computers from mid to late 90s. PS1's SPU can swap out samples into SRAM so 512K is more than enough for one song. There are some other issues too but that was the most significant contributor.

They essentially have 2 solutions to fix this:
1. Do what I did which was hand convert AKAO to DirectMusic format. The issue with this is that I highly doubt they have anyone in their PC division staff that still knows AKAO and/or the DirectMusic format. They probably have no interest in hiring one either as both formats have been deprecated for a while now.

2. With FF7 they tricked the executable by using a faux-MIDI synthesizer that actually plays ogg wave files rather than the MIDI files from the original. The problem with FF8 was that there was never a configuration option for a synthesizer like there was for FF7. It will always use the DirectMusic synthesizer without reverse engineering the executable (impossible). They would have to intercept DirectMusic calls like RaW which is a much more difficult task than with FF7 and once again, they clearly have nobody with that capability on their staff.

So you'll have to probably send them quite a few angry emails before they'll hire someone and do as I said above. If I had to bet money it will probably not happen anyway but I guess it wouldn't hurt to try.

By the way, its not MIDI that sucks...it's the default Roland SC samples in your computer's GM.dls file that gave MIDI a bad name. In fact, many of Rare's games in the 90s, like Conker's Bad Fur Day (won a BAFTA award), use MIDI and it sounds fantastic.

If it was really as what you said, they could entirely retain the original audio option when making the new version, the MIDI sound library could be chosen in 2000-version, such as Yamaha XG or Innovation soundfont, but I do not know why they removed this option in the new version, only the worst ds can be used to play MIDI

[biggs]

Messaggio originale di wintimes:

If it was really as what you said, they could entirely retain the original audio option when making the new version, the MIDI sound library could be chosen in 2000-version, such as Yamaha XG or Innovation soundfont, but I do not know why they removed this option in the new version, only the worst ds can be used to play MIDI

Just checked my old version and I have misremembered but now I have learned some information that may help. The team that has been porting the FF games to steam is not SE; it is DotEmu. I can confirm this here: http://www.dotemu.com/en/forums/pc-games/discussion/final-fantasy-vii-by-dotemu
They must not have someone on their porting staff familiar with DirectMusic; they also seem to have fixed FF7 using vgmstream which had been used in a mod for the original release. I would go to them to ask them about fixing the music and maybe they can state their reasons why it has not been done. If they want to use the files I ported directly from PS1 AKAO then they can do so I do not need to be credited.

[The Wizard of Hok]

Messaggio originale di JunkyBiggs:

Messaggio originale di wintimes:

If it was really as what you said, they could entirely retain the original audio option when making the new version, the MIDI sound library could be chosen in 2000-version, such as Yamaha XG or Innovation soundfont, but I do not know why they removed this option in the new version, only the worst ds can be used to play MIDI

Just checked my old version and I have misremembered but now I have learned some information that may help. The team that has been porting the FF games to steam is not SE; it is DotEmu. I can confirm this here: http://www.dotemu.com/en/forums/pc-games/discussion/final-fantasy-vii-by-dotemu
They must not have someone on their porting staff familiar with DirectMusic; they also seem to have fixed FF7 using vgmstream which had been used in a mod for the original release. I would go to them to ask them about fixing the music and maybe they can state their reasons why it has not been done. If they want to use the files I ported directly from PS1 AKAO then they can do so I do not need to be credited.

So maybe DotEmu are behind the Final Fantasy VIII port as well?

[biggs]

Messaggio originale di Twinsen:

So maybe DotEmu are behind the Final Fantasy VIII port as well?

Yes, they are responsible for the FF3, FF7, FF8 port so it would be best to try and contact them.

[DragonxRyderx73]

Just get the BitSymphony Roses and Wine mod. It makes the music great and improved.

[wintimes]

Messaggio originale di JunkyBiggs:

Messaggio originale di wintimes:

If it was really as what you said, they could entirely retain the original audio option when making the new version, the MIDI sound library could be chosen in 2000-version, such as Yamaha XG or Innovation soundfont, but I do not know why they removed this option in the new version, only the worst ds can be used to play MIDI

Just checked my old version and I have misremembered but now I have learned some information that may help. The team that has been porting the FF games to steam is not SE; it is DotEmu. I can confirm this here: http://www.dotemu.com/en/forums/pc-games/discussion/final-fantasy-vii-by-dotemu
They must not have someone on their porting staff familiar with DirectMusic; they also seem to have fixed FF7 using vgmstream which had been used in a mod for the original release. I would go to them to ask them about fixing the music and maybe they can state their reasons why it has not been done. If they want to use the files I ported directly from PS1 AKAO then they can do so I do not need to be credited.

Have the results?

[biggs]

I have tried to contact them here about official update to the music but have got no response http://www.dotemu.com/en/contact

[wintimes]

Messaggio originale di JunkyBiggs:

I have tried to contact them here about official update to the music but have got no response http://www.dotemu.com/en/contact

Maybe we are too naive. After all, the copyright belongs to SE. If third-party transplant companies want to develop patches, they need to get SE's authorization. Alas...

[HisShadowX]

Keep at it because there was such an uproar with Steam banning people for posting mods to the music that eventually I feel it was Steam that got tired and told them to patch it.

Try addressing your complaint to Steam because like any store they do not want to lose customers and see if you can get them to go to bat for us. I have yet to buy this game because of the music.

[Nightwolfnl]

Messaggio originale di HisShadowX:

Keep at it because there was such an uproar with Steam banning people for posting mods to the music that eventually I feel it was Steam that got tired and told them to patch it.

You're wrong, that is not how it works. Steam doesn't tell companies to improve their music for their games. Feedback should be send to SE directly, not to Steam nor DotEmu.