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Audio > Making MOD files louder

#10340 - Vortex - Tue Sep 02, 2003 9:01 pm

Hello,

I would like to increase the overall loudness of the MOD files I am using to implement background music in my games. I know three methods to do that on regular wave files:

1. Normalize the entire file
2. Using dynamic compression (using either VST plugins or a harware compressor, Behringer in my case)
3. Using a hardware maximizer (BBE,Aphex)

Only the first method can be used on MOD files and it only applies to the individual samples, not the file. Also, the results, accomplished that way are rather poor.

In comparison, commercial games' soundtracks are *much* louder, and my guess is they have some way to increase the sound level without distortion.

My questions is: do you know any method to make a MOD file louder besides normalizing the individual samples?

Also I was wondering is any sound engine (Krawall, etc), which implements dynamic compression/expanding in real time?

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks

#10345 - tepples - Tue Sep 02, 2003 11:43 pm

First of all, there are bits that, when set, double the volume of the Dsound channels. These are bits 2 and 3 of REG_SOUNDCNT_H; read BeLogic's Dsound docs for details.

If this doesn't help enough, try changing your mixer to mix at twice the volume. Some module formats store a "global volume" by which the whole mix is multiplied before it is written to the final mix-down buffer.

Technically, you get "distortion" when the sound goes past +/-127, but if you make it clipping distortion and not wraparound distortion, it shouldn't sound that bad. (Clipping takes four cycles per output sample in ARM code.) Most recent CDs are mastered with heavy clipping anyway.
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