Can a lot have a sound bite added?

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Can this be done?  I would like one of my lots to make an announcement using a sound bite.

[BarbyW 40]

Yes it can be done and Pegasus made a good tutorial on how to add custom sounds. It is somewhere but I haven't a clue where now.

[SimRico 968]

I'd love to be included on the whereabouts of this tutorial.  Thanks!   Good question by the way! Cant wait for resolutions

http://www.simrico.com  (my CJ and cool links )

[geoffhaw 8]

I think this is the text of the tutorial that Barby was referring to:

HOW TO ADD SOUND EFFECTS TO YOUR CUSTOM LOTS

** This tutorial assumes a basic understanding of the use of ILive's Reader program (or DarkMatter's DatGen). It is not

within the scope of this tutorial or message topic to explain the use of these tools. For further assistance, consult

(i.e.. Search!) the appropriate topics for those tools.

1. The WAV file should be in PCM format and have a 22.050 kHz sampling rate. To reduce size (some sound files can be huge),

it should also be a 8-bit mono.

a. You can use the Sound Recorder program that comes with Windows to convert almost any WAV file to the proper format.

HOW: Load the WAV file into the Sound Recorder program. From the File menu, select Properties. From the Properties dialog

box, click on Convert Now. In the Sound Selection dialog box, set the format to PCM and the sampling rate (aka Attributes)

to 22.050 kHz 8bit Mono. Click Ok, close the dialogs and save the file.

b. Insert the WAV file into your lot file using the Reader program's Insert & Compress option. Select WAV file as the

format.

(can be done with DatGen as well)

c. Give the WAV file a Type Address of 2026960B and a Group Address of AA4D1933. Make the Instance Address a unique

8-digit HEX number.

d. You can test the WAV file using the Reader. Make sure it sounds right. If not, you can try different settings for

the file using the Sound Recorder until the sound and volume are correct. If you have access to a good sound editing

program, you can also modify it there, adding extra qualities and effects & filtering out distortion, etc...

2. Sound files are accessed in the game via TRK files. Each WAV file you use will need to have a unique TRK file. As these

are complicated files containing EVIL NASTY mojo we don't fully understand, we will copy and reuse one that we know works.

Although TRK files can do many things, we are only concerned with their ability to control the WAV file's volume and

whether the sound should repeat or not. Attached to this message is a DAT file containing two TRK files that you can copoy

into your lot files. One is set up for use as Query SFX (073D41AB)that plays at full volume and does not repeat. The other

(073D41A9)is suitable for background SFX and plays at a lower volume and repeats.

a. Each of these TRK files should be given a unique Instance address. DO NOT USE THE INSTANCE ADDRESSES THEY CURRENT

HAVE. You will also copy that unique Instance address in the appropriate SFX property of the exemplar.

b. The TRK file must also point to the unique Instance address of the appropriate WAV file. When you click on the TRK

file in the Reader, its values will display in the right pane. Copy the WAV file's Instance address to the third value,

XA Instance. Be sure to click on the Apply button when done.

And that should do it. Be sure to Reindex & Rebuild the directory before saving. Test it in the game and see if it works.

If it doesn't... well, you screwed up. Try again!

[BarbyW 40]

Hopefully the missing bit from geoffhaw's post is attached here. The TRK files referred to are in the zip.

SFX_TRK.zip

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Thanks.  I guess I'll have to start climbing further up the learning curves for these tools.