MAME/MESS VGM mod

Duchemole · Post by **Duchemole** » 2013-11-24, 16:21:27

thanks for your advices/answers
gens works flawlessly !!
i've completely ripped urusei yatsura, no i have to find time to make snatcher (no sound test ...) and to tag all that !!!

MusicFox · Post by **MusicFox** » 2013-12-11, 2:18:49

Not sure if this has already been reported but Stagger 1/Red Hawk randomly sticks on a note.

Also, I tried logging Journey but when I trim it and play it back, it sounds all scratchy. I don't know why this is.

Sonic of 8! · Post by **Sonic of 8!** » 2014-02-04, 5:43:05

I belive that now is time to build a MAME/MESSUI 0.152 with VGM logging. Not MESSUI at least, but yes MAME, because I want to rip the Taito H System version of Sega's Tetris (it sounds much like the Taito B System (YM2610) version, except that it dosen't make use of SSG channels. ADPCM drums are also changed).

thals1992 · Post by **thals1992** » 2014-02-05, 17:45:03

It would be awesome if Outrunners on the System 32 board could be dumped, but the YM3438 (2612 variant?) isn't part of the VGM specs yet. I attempted to log it, but I get a blank file that's 15 mb.

RichterEX2 · Post by **RichterEX2** » 2014-02-06, 5:19:53

YM3438 is supported. And I just did a test rip of Outrunners in M1. Rips just fine, but I doubt finding loops for it will be easy.

Post by **ValleyBell** » 2014-03-15, 0:52:32

Well... it was about time I released the VGM mod of MAME/MESS 0.152.
(At least they didn't release 0.153 yet.)

As usual, links are in the OP.

On the side of VGM logging, it is just a new version of MAME/MESS without anything new. (MESSUI is included as usual)
Emulation probably improved on some games and systems and got broken somewhere else, so you can still download older versions if you need them.

Technically is supports SCSP logging now, but because the Model 2 sound emulation has been broken somewhere between MAME 0.148 and 0.150, it's disabled by default.
It already suffered from wrong tempo due to emulation inaccuracies in 0.148 anyway.
(Note: It's too slow in M1 and too fast in recent versions of MAME.)

Anyway, happy ripping!

GTheGuardian · Post by **GTheGuardian** » 2014-03-15, 2:16:44

Thanks for the update, I noticed however that now the K054539 logs made in this version won't even play (They outright make in_vgm/VGMPlay crash). Is it because of the recent changes in K054539 core?(And thereby would need in_vgm/VGMPlay update to play the files)

Example: https://www.dropbox.com/s/1uhn6g33m03zx7d/gaiapols_0.7z

JFD62780 · Post by **JFD62780** » 2014-03-15, 3:00:52

GTheGuardian wrote:...now the K054539 logs made in this version won't even play (They outright make in_vgm/VGMPlay crash). Is it because of the recent changes in K054539 core?

And consequentially, would that mean, for accuracy's sake all retroactive releases with that chip would require a redump?

(Hopefully that'll mean the audio artifacts from a not-quite-accurate decoder might lessen, or disappear! I'm looking at you, Xexex and Lethal Enforcers!

)

The Golden Horse · Post by **The Golden Horse** » 2014-03-15, 5:04:41

If Lethal Enforcers will need a redump, I wouldn't mind doing it! It was, after all, my first VGM pack, and to redo it with what I know now would be nice.

GTheGuardian · Post by **GTheGuardian** » 2014-03-15, 5:15:00

Well, it would need to be relogged (along with other K054539 packs) since MAME 0.152 also K054539 fixed tempo problems. Now all the music seem to be faster (Through Run & Gun and Winding Heat seem to be good sounding now)

The Golden Horse · Post by **The Golden Horse** » 2014-03-15, 5:31:49

Yeah, after going outside the bank in Lethal Enforcers, I can tell already. "Black Boots" (among others) now plays at the same tempo that its Genesis arrangement does. Well, whenever in_vgm/vgmplay's updated for that, I'll be ready to redo the pack.

Post by **ValleyBell** » 2014-03-15, 23:06:07

GTheGuardian wrote:Thanks for the update, I noticed however that now the K054539 logs made in this version won't even play (They outright make in_vgm/VGMPlay crash). Is it because of the recent changes in K054539 core?(And thereby would need in_vgm/VGMPlay update to play the files)

I indeed remember a small change to the K054539 core: they fixed the clock value. Previously it used the output sample rate as the clock value (48000), now it uses (sample rate * 384, ~18 MHz).
This doesn't have any audible effect to the K054539 emulation in VGMPlay/in_vgm though and in my WIP version both clock rates (old and new) work. (I plan to release an update soon.)

One thing that they fixed is the timer emulation of the K054539, so I assume that the tempo is now correct.

JFD62780 · Post by **JFD62780** » 2014-03-16, 10:49:23

ValleyBell wrote:I indeed remember a small change to the K054539 core: they fixed the clock value. Previously it used the output sample rate as the clock value (48000), now it uses (sample rate * 384, ~18 MHz).
This doesn't have any audible effect to the K054539 emulation in VGMPlay/in_vgm though and in my WIP version both clock rates (old and new) work. (I plan to release an update soon.)

One thing that they fixed is the timer emulation of the K054539, so I assume that the tempo is now correct.

...I wouldn't quite call it a small change; I remember years back, when the same thing happened to the OKI chips that were used in Street Fighter II and the original Mortal Kombat. Then that fix happened, and I suspect the multiplier was 128 in this case; that's how I got the 7812.5 hz output rate when they finally corrected the OKI clock rate in MK to 1 MHz exactly. (The ADPCM output used to be 8KHz exactly, a bit higher in pitch than usual...)

Post by **ValleyBell** » 2014-03-16, 16:04:02

JFD62780 wrote:...I wouldn't quite call it a small change

You're right - it's a tiny change, because replacing

Code: Select all

	MCFG_K054539_ADD("konami1", 48000, k054539_config)

with

Code: Select all

	MCFG_K054539_ADD("k054539_1", XTAL_18_432MHz, k054539_config)

in a few files is nothing considering that the whole MAME source code has about 160 MB.

btw, from src/emu/drivers/xtal.h:

Code: Select all

	XTAL_18_432MHz      = 18432000,     /* Extremely common, used on 100's of PCBs (48000 * 384) */

Anyway, it's good to hear that their timer fix improved the music speed. I won't force anyone to rerip packs, but feel free to do so.

The Golden Horse · Post by **The Golden Horse** » 2014-03-16, 21:37:06

ValleyBell wrote:Anyway, it's good to hear that their timer fix improved the music speed. I won't force anyone to rerip packs, but feel free to do so.

Thank you for the information! Also, thank you for that last sentence, but I just meant that I might do it if the tempo ends up unchanged after the VGMPlay/in_vgm update, which would mean the timer info didn't get recorded somehow. When it comes out and I check my pack with it, and the tempo's just like in MAME without any changes on my behalf, I'll leave it alone. In that case, I'll also check if M1 records K054539 timer information regardless of how slowly it plays a track, which would mean I can use it for games like Metamorphic Force that completely lack sound tests without worrying about whether they're playing at the right tempo. Either way, it's all cool.