SC3k Music - How to convert .xa?

[wkw427 1]

I'm trying to get the few music files that aren't on the EA website, but I'm at a loss as to converting the .xa music files to .wav or .mp3!

I found a program, but it seems to only do the first half unless you buy the program, which isn't useful the slightest.

So, does anyone know where I can get the music, or how to convert them to something that is playable?

Thanks

[mrbisonm 1,622]

There was a place some time ago (maybe 6 or more years ago, where one could download the converted SC3K music from. I don't have the link anymore, but maybe someone else from the older players remembers here.

Besides that I can only think of "mediacatcher" or something like it that could do the job.

mrb

[Duke87 1,070]

Oh jeez... I managed to do it years ago. I seem to recall finding a tutorial on it somewhere that involved making a minor hex edit to the files and then opening them up in some other program called "Game Audio Player" which could convert them to .wav.

I later recall discovering that this program would not run on 64-bit Windows, erasing my ability to do it again (and also making this method unlikely to work for you).

I do still have all the converted files, though...

[wkw427 1]

Could you upload the music somewhere then?

I also found the guide on sc3000.com, but the links are dead =\

[Duke87 1,070]

Could you upload the music somewhere then?

As much as I would love to, that is both illegal and against the rules of this site.

[thals1992 1]

I found the gap player after a quick bing....

http://www.sac.sk/fi...es.php?d=11&l=G

ftp://ftp.sac.sk/pub/sac/sound/gap132.zip

Still works on Win8 (Enterprise 32bit)

Edit:

Here is the info from the old sc3000 page thats down at the moment.

GAP will convert the XA format files to WAV format flawlessly, but seems to be dependant on the specific version of the XA files. It has been confirmed that the music for the original SimCity 3000 does NOT require hex editing the XA format files in order to load them into GAP, only the music from the Unlimited version of the game. In SC3KU the XA files are missing one byte in the "XA" header that GAP uses to identify the files as being in true XA format. Without this one byte, GAP won't even attempt to load in the XA file.

In all of SC3KU's XA music files, you must use a hex editor and change in the files' header (the first three bytes of the file):

XA (hex 58 41 00)

- to -

XAI (hex 58 41 49)

Simply change the third byte of each XA fomat file from a hex 00 to an ASCII "I" (hex 49) so that the header reads "XAI". Note that the music file "SC2KBUG.XA" will properly convert to WAV format in it's existing state without any hex editing. The header of that file is "XAJ", which seems to work properly with GAP. All of the other SC3KU XA format files have the header "XA(hex00)", and must be hex edited.

After hex editing all of the XA files' headers, GAP will load in and convert the music to WAV format files with no problems at all. If you wish, you can then encode the WAV format files to MP3 format with your MP3 encoder/converter of choice.

Here is a list of the XA format filenames and their matching song titles (which many of you probably already know anyway):

3KD1.XA = "Window Washer's Dream"

3KG2.XA = "SIM Broadway

3KJ1M.XA = "Updown Town"

3KJ2M.XA = "Night Life"

3KJ3M.XA = "South Bridge"

3KJ4M.XA = "Central Park Sunday"

3KLOOP.WAV = "SimCity 3000 Theme"

3KP1.XA = "Building"

3KP2.XA = "Magic City"

3KP3M.XA = "Illumination"

3KP4.XA = "New Terrain"

3KP5m.XA = "Concrete Jungle"

3KSE1.XA = "The Howling Wind"

3KSE2.XA = "Sixth Floor"

3KSE3.XA = "Desert Sand"

3KSE4.XA = "City Lights"

3KSE5.XA = "City of Dreams"

3KT1.XA = "Power Grid"

3KT2.XA = "Infrastructure"

3KT3.XA = "Urban Complex"

SC2KBUG.XA = "SimCity 2000 Theme"

  Edited September 15, 2012 by thals1992  

[I. Lostalim 589]

or how to convert them to something that is playable?

The best converting software I use is "Format Factory" and it's the most easiest to use.

It can do everything!

Pictures, music, CDs/DVDs, and video to any format you please!

Provides functions below:

All to MP4/3GP/MPG/AVI/WMV/FLV/SWF.

All to MP3/WMA/AMR/OGG/AAC/WAV.

All to JPG/BMP/PNG/TIF/ICO/GIF/TGA.

Rip DVD to video file , Rip Music CD to audio file.

MP4 files support iPod/iPhone/PSP/BlackBerry format.

Supports RMVB,Watermark, AV Mux.

Format Factory's Feature:

1 support converting all popular video,audio,picture formats to others.

2 Repair damaged video and audio file.

3 Reducing Multimedia file size.

4 Support iphone,ipod multimedia file formats.

5 Picture converting supports Zoom,Rotate/Flip,tags.

6 DVD Ripper.

7 Supports 60 languages

OS requirements: All Windows OS

It can even do more than what is listed here.

Also, it's FREE!!

just download it here at their website...

http://www.formatoz.com/

  Edited September 15, 2012 by I. Lostalim  

[I. Lostalim 589]

So, does anyone know where I can get the music.

This person on YouTube has a few songs from the soundtrack as downloads...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9MMrxo2Gq4

[MandelSoft 2,775]

This thread might be usefull for you:

[qyuhnasp 0]

I know a professional XA Converter for both Windows and Mac users. The nice XA Audio Converter can help convert XA to MP3, convert XA to WAV, convert XA to FLAC, convert XA to ALAC, convert XA to AIFF, convert XA to AC3, convert XA to M4A and more.

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