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[Blazer]

I made this several days ago but haven't gotten a chance to release it and spread it about and such.

This tutorial teaches you how to take a MIDI and insert it into a Fire Emblem game. THe process can also be applied to most any other GBA game, but it is MEANT for Fire Emblem.

There are 2 formats: A PDF or a DOC (MS Word). Use whatever you like the best.

If you are using this tutorial for any purpose please tell me. I just want to know who makes use of the tutorial and whatnot. Just make a quick post and I'd really appreciate it. I want people to use it obviously (or I wouldn't make it) but at the same time I don't want people like, leeching, and I want to know if people actually make use of this stuff.

Thanks and hopefully this will come in handy to many people. If you have any questions, ask here, on the shoutbox, in a separate thread, or through AIM. I'll do my best to help.

- Blazer

Fire Emblem Music Hacking Tutorial [DOC]
Fire Emblem Music Hacking Tutorial [PDF]

(Last Updated January 30th, 2010)

[Blademaster]

Blademaster from FEU here. Just wanted to say that I got what I wanted to import working fine for the most part except for some reason the more the song seems to repeat in a row, the worse the quality gets. Also, the song doesn't play in Sappy. It's not that big a deal for me really since the song is meant to be a battle theme anyway so it really only needs to play once.

Also, when you were talking about the pointers in the B2* pointer B1* section of chapter 7 of the tutorial, you made a typo. It's right here: "For example, one of my tracks is at 0x11EBFF0. The repeat for that would be [this is where the typo is>]B2 F0 FB E1 09 B1[<this is where the typo is]." It's small, but it can confuse people who don't know how pointers work exactly.

Awesome tutorial. And thanks for all the help!

[Blazer]

Ah, right, dangit, I have to re-upload everything now for that one typo! lolfail

I'm really happy that you got it to work. I was honestly thinking nobody would understand it...

As for the repeating thing, it's probably because of messed up repeat codes. Make sure each track's repeat bytes are correct and that the pointer points to the beginning of that track. It could also be that you didn't properly align all the tracks which would mean that each track repeats at a different time.

I hope you fix your problem (or at the least, hopefully it doesn't happen with your next attempt). I'm happy you found it useful.

[Blazer]

Bumpdate. Tutorial has been revamped. A ton. I completely redid several sections and added various more sections. I also added a shortened version of the full tutorial (although it's still an exceptionally long tutorial and has lots of text).

Please see the first post.

[Rexstatic]

Wut happened to the web page option?

[Blazer]

Didn't feel like putting it up with the new release, is it really important? >_<

[Ryrumeli]

Ohhh, I saw it! Really nice update, blazer, the part on the commands is reeeeeealy something else!


Seriously, adding info on voicegroups and samples would turn this into the ultimate sound hacking tutorial, it is THAT good. I recommend it for a pinning, and even a site update. XD(or at least it being mentioned in the next update. XD)

[Blazer]

I want to finish up some other stuff before I make a mainsite update with it.

I lack permission to release the program I have that I use to insert sounds. I do have some information on instrument maps ("voice groups" as you call them) but it's very little. I may very well add it in the future, once I get enough to call it worthy, as well as add some notes on sound effects.

[Rexstatic]

Can I get the formula for pointers to instruments in voicegroups?
I need it to relocate your patch's data.

[Blazer]

Stop using the term 'voicegroups'... and ask questions more clearly... are you talking about the format for instrument maps?

If so that can get pretty complex and I only know a little bit of it. Also there are way too many pointers for you to repoint the data... it would take you 6-7 hours without a program to automatically do it for you (and creating said program would also take at least 5 hours assuming you have experience, it could take days though...).

I can't help you with relocating the patch's data, I'm not going to attempt such a feat or even attempt to figure out how it might work...

[Rexstatic]

Yes I meant the instrument map.

in FE8, the pointer to the electric guitar instrument in the instrument
map, which I got from following a tut, was "00 3C 00 00 00
E3 4C 08 FF 00 FF A5". I want to know how this works. Does
it point to an offset like common pointers, or is it more
complicated? If It's the first, then which offset would this
point to?

I would take a while to do that, but it would take even longer
to re-insert the animations that I put in my ROM.

[Blazer]

Urgh, I can't stand how you press enter so early... UGH I don't even feel like helping you with it because it's so annoying... Sorry but it's just a pet peeve, it's not you it's me

What you see there is the basic format for an instrument pointer, the middle 4 bytes point to the actual sample of the instrument, or possibly a voice clip or something else. I can't say I'm sure what the "A5" is for. It could have to do with different note pitches or something. I haven't really gotten myself into such things. I just keep it as

00 3C 00 00 PP PP PP PP FF 00 FF 00

Of course little endian is applied to the instrument map, just wanted to remind you of that...

[Rexstatic]

Haha sorry. it's easier for me to read lines that length because I don't really have too run my eyes horizontally at all.
Anyways, that answers my question. Thanks a ton.