vgmstream

This is vgmstream, a library for playing streamed (pre-recorded) audio from video games.

There are multiple end-user bits:

• a command line decoder called "test.exe/vgmstream-cli"
• a Winamp plugin called "in_vgmstream"
• a foobar2000 component called "foo_input_vgmstream"
• an XMPlay plugin called "xmp-vgmstream"
• an Audacious plugin called "libvgmstream"
• a command line player called "vgmstream123"

Help and newest builds can be found here: https://www.hcs64.com/

Latest development is usually here: https://github.com/kode54/vgmstream/

Needed extra files (for Windows)

Support for some codecs (Ogg Vorbis, MPEG audio, etc) is done with external libraries, so you will need to have certain DLL files.

In the case of the foobar2000 component they are all bundled for convenience, or you can get them here: https://github.com/kode54/vgmstream/tree/master/ext_libs (bundled here: https://f.losno.co/vgmstream-win32-deps.zip, may not be latest).

Put libvorbis.dll, libmpg123-0.dll, libg7221_decode.dll, libg719_decode.dll, at3plusdecoder.dll, avcodec-vgmstream-58.dll, avformat-vgmstream-58.dll, avutil-vgmstream-56.dll and swresample-vgmstream-3.dll somewhere Windows can find them.

For Winamp/XMPlay/command line this means in the directory with the main .exe, or in a system directory, or any other directory in the PATH variable.

test.exe/vgmstream-cli

Usage: test.exe [-o outfile.wav] [options] infile
Options:
    -o outfile.wav: name of output .wav file, default is infile.wav
    -l loop count: loop count, default 2.0
    -f fade time: fade time (seconds), default 10.0
    -d fade delay: fade delay (seconds, default 0.0
    -i: ignore looping information and play the whole stream once
    -p: output to stdout (for piping into another program)
    -P: output to stdout even if stdout is a terminal
    -c: loop forever (continuously)
    -m: print metadata only, don't decode
    -x: decode and print adxencd command line to encode as ADX
    -g: decode and print oggenc command line to encode as OGG
    -b: decode and print batch variable commands
    -L: append a smpl chunk and create a looping wav
    -e: force end-to-end looping
    -E: force end-to-end looping even if file has real loop points
    -r outfile2.wav: output a second time after resetting
    -2 N: only output the Nth (first is 0) set of stereo channels
    -F: don't fade after N loops and play the rest of the stream
    -s N: select subtream N, if the format supports multiple streams

Typical usage would be: test -o happy.wav happy.adx to decode happy.adx to happy.wav.

Please follow the above instructions for installing the other files needed.

in_vgmstream

Drop the in_vgmstream.dll in your Winamp plugins directory. Please follow the above instructions for installing the other files needed.

xmp-vgmstream

Drop the xmp-vgmstream.dll in your XMPlay plugins directory. Please follow the above instructions for installing the other files needed.

Note that there are minor differences compared to in_vgmstream. Since XMPlay supports Winamp plugins you may also use in_vgmstream.dll instead.

Because the XMPlay MP3 decoder incorrectly tries to play some vgmstream exts, you need to manually fix it by going to options > plugins > input > vgmstream and in the "priority filetypes" put: ahx,asf,awc,ckd,fsb,genh,msf,p3d,rak,scd,txth,xvag

foo_input_vgmstream

Every file should be installed automatically by the .fb2k-component bundle.

Audacious plugin

Needs to be manually built. Instructions can be found in the BUILD document.

vgmstream123

Needs to be manually built. Instructions can be found in the BUILD document.

Usage: vgmstream123 [options] INFILE ...

The program is meant to be a simple stand-alone player, supporting playback of vgmstream files through libao. Files compressed with gzip/bzip2/xz also work, as identified by a .gz/.bz2/.xz extension. The file will be decompressed to a temp dir using the respective utility program (which must be installed and accessible) and then loaded.

It also supports playlists, and will recognize a special extended-M3U tag specific to vgmstream of the following form:

#EXT-X-VGMSTREAM:LOOPCOUNT=2,FADETIME=10.0,FADEDELAY=0.0,STREAMINDEX=0

(Any subset of these four parameters may appear in the line, in any order)

When this "magic comment" appears in the playlist before a vgmstream-compatible file, the given parameters will be applied to the playback of said file. This makes it feasible to play vgmstream files directly instead of needing to make "arranged" WAV/MP3 conversions ahead of time.

The tag syntax follows the conventions established in Apple's HTTP Live Streaming standard, whose docs discuss extending M3U with arbitrary tags.

Special cases

vgmstream aims to support most file formats as-is, but some files require extra handling.

Renamed files

A few extensions that vgmstream supports clash with common ones. Since players like foobar or Winamp don't react well to that, they may be renamed for vgmstream (mainly to get looping in some cases).

• .ac3 to .lac3
• .aac to .laac
• .mp4 to .lmp4
• .ogg to .logg
• .opus to .lopus
• .stm to .lstm
• .wav to .lwav (or .xwav in rare original Xbox cases) Command line tools don't have this restriction and will accept the original filename.

When extracting from a bigfile sometimes internal files don't have an actual name+extension. Those should be renamed to its proper/common extension, as the extractor program may guess wrong (like .wav instead of .at3 or .wem). If there is no known extension usually the header id is used instead.

Loop assists

Some formats have companion files with external looping info, and should be left together.

• .mus (playlist for .acm)
• .pos (loop info for .wav: 32 bit LE loop start sample + loop end sample)
• .sli (loop info for .ogg)
• .sfl (loop info for .ogg)
• .vgmstream + .pos (FFmpeg formats + loop assist)

Decryption keys

Certain formats have encrypted data, and need a key to decrypt. vgmstream will try to find the correct key from a list, but it can be provided by a companion file:

• .adx: .adxkey (derived 6 byte key, in start/mult/add format)
• .ahx: .ahxkey (derived 6 byte key, in start/mult/add format)
• .hca: .hcakey (8 byte decryption key, a 64-bit number)
• .fsb: .fsbkey (decryption key, in hex)

The key file can be ".(ext)key" (for the whole folder), or "(name).(ext)key" (for a single file). The format is made up to suit vgmstream.

Artificial/generic headers

In some cases a file only has raw data, while important header info (codec type, sample rate, channels, etc) is stored in the .exe or other hard to locate places.

Those can be played using an artificial header with info vgmstream needs.

GENH: a byte header placed right before the original data, modyfing it. The resulting file must be (name).genh. Contains static header data. Programs like VGMToolbox can help to create GENH.

TXTH: a text header placed in an external file. The TXTH must be named ".txth" or ".(ext).txth" (for the whole folder), or "(name.ext).txth" (for a single file). Contains dynamic text commands to read data from the original file, or static values.

Supported codec types

Quick list of codecs vgmstream supports, including many obscure ones that are used in few games.

• PCM 16-bit
• PCM 8-bit (signed/unsigned)
• PCM 32-bit float
• u-Law/a-LAW
• CRI ADX (standard, fixed, exponential, encrypted)
• Nintendo DSP ADPCM a.k.a GC ADPCM
• Nintendo DTK ADPCM
• Nintendo AFC ADPCM
• ITU-T G.721
• CD-ROM XA ADPCM
• Sony PSX ADPCM a.k.a VAG (standard, badflags, bmdx, configurable)
• Sony HEVAG
• Electronic Arts EA-XA (stereo, mono, Maxis)
• Electronic Arts EA-XAS
• DVI/IMA ADPCM (stereo/mono + high/low nibble, 3DS, Omikron, SNDS, etc)
• Microsoft MS IMA ADPCM (standard, Xbox, NDS, Radical, Wwise, FSB, etc)
• Microsoft MS ADPCM
• Westwood VBR ADPCM
• Yamaha AICA ADPCM
• Procyon Studio ADPCM
• Level-5 0x555 ADPCM
• Activision EXAKT SASSC DPCM
• lsf ADPCM
• Konami MTAF ADPCM
• Konami MTA2 ADPCM
• Paradigm MC3 ADPCM
• SDX2 2:1 Squareroot-Delta-Exact compression DPCM
• CBD2 2:1 Cuberoot-Delta-Exact compression DPCM
• InterPlay ACM
• Visual Art's NWA
• CRI HCA
• Electronic Arts MicroTalk a.k.a. UTK or UMT
• Xiph Vorbis (Ogg, FSB5, Wwise, OGL, Silicon Knights)
• MPEG MP1/2/3 (standard, AHX, XVAG, FSB, AWC, P3D, etc)
• ITU-T G.722.1 (Polycom Siren 7)
• ITU-T G.722.1 annex C (Polycom Siren 14)
• ITU G.719 annex B (Polycom Siren 22)
• Electronic Arts EALayer3
• Electronic Arts EA-XMA
• Sony ATRAC3, ATRAC3plus
• Sony ATRAC9
• Microsoft XMA1/2
• Microsoft WMA v1, WMA v2, WMAPro
• AAC
• Bink
• AC3/SPDIF
• Xiph Opus (Ogg, Switch)
• Musepack
• FLAC
• Others

Note that vgmstream doesn't (can't) reproduce in-game music 1:1, as internal resampling, filters, volume, etc, are not replicated. Some codecs are not fully accurate compared to the games due to minor bugs, but in most cases it isn't audible.

Supported file types

As manakoAT likes to say, the extension doesn't really mean anything, but it's the most obvious way to identify files.

This list is not complete and many other files are supported.

• PS2/PSX ADPCM:
  • .ads/.ss2
  • .ass
  • .ast
  • .bg00
  • .bmdx
  • .ccc
  • .cnk
  • .dxh
  • .enth
  • .fag
  • .filp
  • .gcm
  • .gms
  • .hgc1
  • .ikm
  • .ild
  • .ivb
  • .joe
  • .kces
  • .khv
  • .leg
  • .mcg
  • .mib, .mi4 (w/ or w/o .mih)
  • .mic
  • .mihb (merged mih+mib)
  • .msa
  • .msvp
  • .musc
  • .npsf
  • .pnb
  • .psh
  • .rkv
  • .rnd
  • .rstm
  • .rws
  • .rxw
  • .snd
  • .sfs
  • .sl3
  • .smpl (w/ bad flags)
  • .ster
  • .str+.sth
  • .str (MGAV blocked)
  • .sts
  • .svag
  • .svs
  • .tec (w/ bad flags)
  • .tk5 (w/ bad flags)
  • .vas
  • .vag
  • .vgs (w/ bad flags)
  • .vig
  • .vpk
  • .vs
  • .vsf
  • .wp2
  • .xa2
  • .xa30
  • .xwb+xwh
• GC/Wii/3DS DSP ADPCM:
  • .aaap
  • .agsc
  • .asr
  • .bns
  • .bo2
  • .capdsp
  • .cfn
  • .ddsp
  • .dsp
    • standard, optional dual file stereo
    • RS03
    • Cstr
    • _lr.dsp
    • MPDS
  • .gca
  • .gcm
  • .gsp+.gsp
  • .hps
  • .idsp
  • .ish+.isd
  • .lps
  • .mca
  • .mpdsp
  • .mss
  • .mus (not quite right)
  • .ndp
  • .pdt
  • .sdt
  • .smp
  • .sns
  • .spt+.spd
  • .ssm
  • .stm/.dsp
  • .str
  • .str+.sth
  • .sts
  • .swd
  • .thp, .dsp
  • .tydsp
  • .vjdsp
  • .waa, .wac, .wad, .wam
  • .was
  • .wsd
  • .wsi
  • .ydsp
  • .ymf
  • .zwdsp
• PCM:
  • .aiff (8 bit, 16 bit)
  • .asd (16 bit)
  • .baka (16 bit)
  • .bh2pcm (16 bit)
  • .dmsg (16 bit)
  • .gcsw (16 bit)
  • .gcw (16 bit)
  • .his (8 bit)
  • .int (16 bit)
  • .pcm (8 bit, 16 bit)
  • .kraw (16 bit)
  • .raw (16 bit)
  • .rwx (16 bit)
  • .sap (16 bit)
  • .snd (16 bit)
  • .sps (16 bit)
  • .str (16 bit)
  • .xss (16 bit)
  • .voi (16 bit)
  • .wb (16 bit)
  • .zsd (8 bit)
• Xbox IMA ADPCM:
  • .matx
  • .wavm
  • .wvs
  • .xmu
  • .xvas
  • .xwav
• Yamaha ADPCM:
  • .adpcm
  • .dcs+.dcsw
  • .str
  • .spsd
• IMA ADPCM:
  • .bar (IMA ADPCM)
  • .pcm/dvi (DVI IMA ADPCM)
  • .hwas (IMA ADPCM)
  • .dvi/idvi (DVI IMA ADPCM)
  • .ivaud (IMA ADPCM)
  • .myspd (IMA ADPCM)
  • .strm (IMA ADPCM)
• multi:
  • .aifc (SDX2 DPCM, DVI IMA ADPCM)
  • .asf/as4 (8/16 bit PCM, DVI IMA ADPCM)
  • .ast (GC AFC ADPCM, 16 bit PCM)
  • .aud (IMA ADPCM, WS DPCM)
  • .aus (PSX ADPCM, Xbox IMA ADPCM)
  • .brstm (GC DSP ADPCM, 8/16 bit PCM)
  • .emff (PSX APDCM, GC DSP ADPCM)
  • .fsb/wii (PSX ADPCM, GC DSP ADPCM, Xbox IMA ADPCM, MPEG audio, FSB Vorbis, MS XMA)
  • .msf (PCM, PSX ADPCM, ATRAC3, MP3)
  • .musx (PSX ADPCM, Xbox IMA ADPCM, DAT4 IMA ADPCM)
  • .nwa (16 bit PCM, NWA DPCM)
  • .p3d (Radical ADPCM, Radical MP3, XMA2)
  • .psw (PSX ADPCM, GC DSP ADPCM)
  • .rwar, .rwav (GC DSP ADPCM, 8/16 bit PCM)
  • .rws (PSX ADPCM, XBOX IMA ADPCM, GC DSP ADPCM, 16 bit PCM)
  • .rwsd (GC DSP ADPCM, 8/16 bit PCM)
  • .rsd (PSX ADPCM, 16 bit PCM, GC DSP ADPCM, Xbox IMA ADPCM, Radical ADPCM)
  • .rrds (NDS IMA ADPCM)
  • .sad (GC DSP ADPCM, NDS IMA ADPCM, Procyon Studios NDS ADPCM)
  • .sgd/sgb+sgh/sgx (PSX ADPCM, ATRAC3plus, AC3)
  • .seg (Xbox IMA ADPCM, PS2 ADPCM)
  • .sng/asf/str/eam/aud (8/16 bit PCM, EA-XA ADPCM, PSX ADPCM, GC DSP ADPCM, XBOX IMA ADPCM, MPEG audio, EALayer3)
  • .strm (NDS IMA ADPCM, 8/16 bit PCM)
  • .sb0..7 (Ubi IMA ADPCM, GC DSP ADPCM, PSX ADPCM, Xbox IMA ADPCM, ATRAC3)
  • .swav (NDS IMA ADPCM, 8/16 bit PCM)
  • .xwb (PCM, Xbox IMA ADPCM, MS ADPCM, XMA, XWMA, ATRAC3)
  • .xwb+xwh (PCM, PSX ADPCM, ATRAC3)
  • .wav/lwav (unsigned 8 bit PCM, 16 bit PCM, GC DSP ADPCM, MS IMA ADPCM, XBOX IMA ADPCM)
  • .wem [lwav/logg/xma] (PCM, Wwise Vorbis, Wwise IMA ADPCM, XMA, XWMA, GC DSP ADPCM, Wwise Opus)
• etc:
  • .2dx9 (MS ADPCM)
  • .aax (CRI ADX ADPCM)
  • .acm (InterPlay ACM)
  • .adp (GC DTK ADPCM)
  • .adx (CRI ADX ADPCM)
  • .afc (GC AFC ADPCM)
  • .ahx (MPEG-2 Layer II)
  • .aix (CRI ADX ADPCM)
  • .at3 (Sony ATRAC3 / ATRAC3plus)
  • .aud (Silicon Knights Vorbis)
  • .baf (PSX configurable ADPCM)
  • .bgw (PSX configurable ADPCM)
  • .bnsf (G.722.1)
  • .caf (Apple IMA4 ADPCM, others)
  • .dec/de2 (MS ADPCM)
  • .hca (CRI High Compression Audio)
  • .pcm/kcey (DVI IMA ADPCM)
  • .lsf (LSF ADPCM)
  • .mc3 (Paradigm MC3 ADPCM)
  • .mp4/lmp4 (AAC)
  • .msf (PCM, PSX ADPCM, ATRAC3, MP3)
  • .mtaf (Konami ADPCM)
  • .mta2 (Konami XAS-like ADPCM)
  • .mwv (Level-5 0x555 ADPCM)
  • .ogg/logg (Ogg Vorbis)
  • .ogl (Shin'en Vorbis)
  • .rsf (CCITT G.721 ADPCM)
  • .sab (Worms 4 soundpacks)
  • .s14/sss (G.722.1)
  • .sc (Activision EXAKT SASSC DPCM)
  • .scd (MS ADPCM, MPEG Audio, 16 bit PCM)
  • .sd9 (MS ADPCM)
  • .smp (MS ADPCM)
  • .spw (PSX configurable ADPCM)
  • .stm/lstm [amts/ps2stm/stma] (16 bit PCM, DVI IMA ADPCM, GC DSP ADPCM)
  • .str (SDX2 DPCM)
  • .stx (GC AFC ADPCM)
  • .ulw (u-Law PCM)
  • .um3 (Ogg Vorbis)
  • .xa (CD-ROM XA audio)
  • .xma (MS XMA/XMA2)
• artificial/generic headers:
  • .genh (lots)
  • .txth (lots)
• loop assists:
  • .mus (playlist for .acm)
  • .pos (loop info for .wav: 32 bit LE loop start sample + loop end sample)
  • .sli (loop info for .ogg)
  • .sfl (loop info for .ogg)
• other:
  • .adxkey (decryption key for .adx, in start/mult/add format)
  • .ahxkey (decryption key for .ahx, in start/mult/add format)
  • .hcakey (decryption key for .hca, in HCA Decoder format)
  • .fsbkey (decryption key for .fsb, in hex)
  • .vgmstream + .pos (FFmpeg formats + loop assist)

Enjoy! hcs