Since ValleyBell updated VGM format and added support for separate chip volume\clock it's now possible to log PC-88/PC-98 games with correct PSG volume.
Here we go, updated version of my crappy converter written in pascal and some other tools:
http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?kgke70m0zpd6r8g
Description:
s982.exe - the S98 to VGM converter
Current switches are:
-v (0-65536) - Sets SSG volume. For PC98 systems it's around $40 for YM2608 and $72 for YM2203. Didn't measured this for PC-88 yet. This value is written directly to header, so according to format specifics 0-32767 is absolute volume and 32768-65535 is relative volume. Default volume level is 128 if I'm not mistaken/
-hootx1 - A workaround for Sharp X1 logs made in hoot, it use 2xYM2151 card but all games I saw so far use only second chip, with this it should be written as first chip.
-opn - Neko Project seems to use YM2608 even if you selected YM2203 board, this will use YM2203 instead of YM2608 by default.
-noadpcm - Skips checking for ADPCM writes (this was made only to add zero sized data block), should speed up things a little.
stripssg.exe - Just strips out all SSG writes from
VGM file. Written for Providence.
sa2vdb.exe - Tool which parses raw ADPCM data log and converts it to one or more VGM data block. There's -f switch that writes full 256K memory dump, try this if you experience clicks.
Forgot to note:
1. Use hoot only if there's no other visible option to record game music in Neko Project.
2. Use MESS if your PC88(and PC98?) game works on it
3. It's not possible to record various Digital drums which are played on SSG part and some effects unless you are using MESS. This is because of format resolution: 100Hz in hoot/M88 and 1000Hz in NekoProject/PMD2S98
//Somewhat off topic
Oh and about PMD format.
There's fast way to convert PMD data to VGM without logging actual music, just use PMD2S98 (
http://is.gd/1JTJY2).
Never ever convert older OPN PMDs with it.
There are 2 caveats: ADPCM is not supported at all (even attaching data block doesn't helps) and it doesn't add loop point so you'll have to trim resulting files by hand.
It appears there are a number of PC-88 games and programs which use it too, I imagine 2 ways of getting data: extracting data from disk image and ripping PMD data from RAM in M88 :J (which is quite easy actually)
Now there's even way to play these under PC-98 with ADPCM, you just get ADPCM data... somehow and get PMD file for PC98 which uses PPC then just rename ADPCM data from PC-88 to PPC file that PMD use then play it and try playing PMD file from PC-88 after that. If I got it right ADPCM should be still present in RAM and music can be recorded with correct ADPCM start/end addresses.
//You can use $ before volume value, it will be parsed as hexadecimal value in this case.