Famitracker - Making a combined txt file of songs / sfx

Jonny

Well-known member
I've watched all the tutorials I can find about this and have been searching the internet for some clues but I can't seem to figure this out....

Is there a simple tutorial or can someone help my take some song txt files and some sfx text file and combine them into one file to import into nesmaker?

I've downloaded famitracker and tried to figure it out myself but I really could do with some help.

At the moment I've got some individual song files and sfx files (txt) from JollyShadow. I wan't to try some of them out in my game...
 

CutterCross

Active member
In FamiTracker, if you go to Module -> Module Properties, there is an Import File option where you can import music and instruments from another FTM file and add it to your song list. However, your instrument bank will be quite a mess if each imported song has many similar instruments in them. You'd be wasting a lot of instrument data, so it's not really the best way to add music to your FTM file for NESmaker.
 

jorotroid

Member
The best thing to do is to do things all in one file from the beginning. You can have multiple songs in a famitracker file by going into Module Properties located at the bottom of the Module menu or there is a shortcut button to the left of the play button. You can add songs and from then on you can switch between songs using the drop down menu that is under the waveform display.

If you have already written multiple songs in different files, things are going to get a little frustrating, but it can be done. Unless your instruments have been different for all of your songs, don't use the import file feature in the Module Properties. It will bring your songs into one file, but it does not check to see if you are using the same instruments or not and will just make duplicate instruments wasting space. Ideally, you have been using the same instruments and they have been ordered the same in each of your files. If that is the case, you best option is to export txt files of each of your songs and just copy and paste the track information into one file. Each song starts with the line that looks like "TRACK [number of frames] [speed] [tempo] [title]" and they end at a new song starting or the end of the file where it says # End of export. If everything else is the same between files you should be able to just copy and paste them one after another. When you are done, you can re-import the txt file into Famitracker. You can even reorder them back in famitracker.

If you have been using the same instruments across different files, but they were in a different order, that's the worse case scenario. You'll have to go through each song and change the instrument for each note to be the correct instrument in your final file. Instead of doing the editing a txt file method, you might just be better off opening two instances of famitracker at the same time: one for your final file, and one for a song you want to bring over. Then go frame by frame selecting and copying frames from one file to other, correcting the instruments as you go.
 

jorotroid

Member
Thinking about it slightly more, if you do have instruments in a haphazard order between files. I suppose you could still use the txt editing method and do a find a replace of instrument numbers. Just becareful that you don't replace a number that wasn't for an instrument.
 

Jonny

Well-known member
Thank you so much! I understand it so much better now. I had thought about cutting and pasting but then thought I was being stupid for thinking that would work. It's a lot less overwhelming to me now, thanks.

I was considering using Jolly Shadows tracks once I've double checked its ok with them. I'm not sure if the same instuments have been used and in the same order but I can check. It will be a good learning excersise to sort them out now I have a basic understanding of how it works. Thanks again.
 

Bucket Mouse

Active member
The whole thing is pretty darn frustrating. You can't compose songs as you build the game -- you have to make the whole soundtrack at the end because you have to load it all in at once.
 

CutterCross

Active member
Bucket Mouse said:
The whole thing is pretty darn frustrating. You can't compose songs as you build the game -- you have to make the whole soundtrack at the end because you have to load it all in at once.
You can absolutely compose music as you build your game, you just have to build them all upon the same FTM then import the whole txt file in for each iteration. Really I find that the best way to create music for NESmaker since you can check how much space you have left in the music bank at each build of the game.
 
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