Seeking Information On The SS1 Music System

[6648993c6c633nintendoeats]

Hi! I am planning to do some work on a project involving the System Shock sound track, and I would like to have some understanding of how the interactive scoring system works. The only resource I have found on it thus far is a Looking Glass studio podcast which includes Greg LoPiccolo. I was wondering if anybody here has first hand knowledge or is aware of any other resources discussing how it works and behaves.

Thanks!

[6648993c6c87bKolya]

I have only very basic information about it that you probably already know: It's based on MIDI tracks and IIRC it supposedly reacts to situations (like combat). Although to be fair I never noticed that in game, unlike in SS2.
Since the Mac source for SS1 is available now, you might be able to gather specific info from that.

[6648993c6cc02ZylonBane]

Although to be fair I never noticed that in game, unlike in SS2.

SS2's music is not reactive.

[6648993c6cea9RoSoDude]

Doesn't the SS2 music respond to what area of the map you're in, at the least? I always recall different drum loops in different parts of Med/Sci (just as it goes away and comes back in different parts of the level), but maybe I'm full of crap.

[6648993c6cfa8ZylonBane]

The music isn't responding to where you are. Triggers in some maps switch to completely different songs when the player passes over them.

[6648993c6d0e1nintendoeats]

Thanks, I will try to parse the source code. If it is intelligible that would be the most direct route to figuring it out.

[6648993c6d233JosiahJack]

GameSrc/MUSICAI.C Is where to start.

[6648993c6d312nintendoeats]

Ah yes, not the in very obvious sound folder :p. Danke

[6648993c6d48clgs]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598858095/system-shock/posts/1889009

[6648993c6d6f1nintendoeats]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1598858095/system-shock/posts/1889009

That is pretty much exactly what I was looking for, thank you!

[6648993c6d89bnintendoeats]

I do have a further favor to ask. Reading that article and listening to the available files, I am clearly going to need the original MIDI files to work from. In short, I want to be able to rebuild the different gameplay states and fade between them. All of the files I can find online are tweaked, so I am trying to extract them myself. Unfortunately the XMI-MID programs will not run in 64-bit windows (I presume that they have a 16-bit launcher).  I am planning to install Windows XP mode tomorrow to try and sort this out, but given that's not exactly secure these days I would appreciate it if anybody who has them on hand could provide them. Again, thank you!

Edit: Scratch that, I found ssplayer. All is well.

[6648993c6d9a2JosiahJack]

Please note SSplayer doesn't have the transitional sequences and a few "tertiary" sequences.  There should be an xmi converter around here somewhere though.

[6648993c6dc6fnintendoeats]

Please note SSplayer doesn't have the transitional sequences and a few "tertiary" sequences.  There should be an xmi converter around here somewhere though.

I was going to say "I can probably get away without those", but I decided to take another look around. I didn't appreciate how widespread the XMI format was; as it turns out foo_midi which I was already using will play them directly. However, there are things that ssplayer pulled out which foo_midi does not, and I think those may be the transitional riders. It's possible that ssplayer will extract them but not play them. Is this an example of the sorts of transitions you are talking about?
[SS Music Transition Test.wav expired]

[6648993c6ddbenintendoeats]

Followup question: does anybody know what specific piece of Roland equipment was used to compose the soundtrack.  I'm experimenting with a variety of soundfonts to play this music (plus MUNT) and I am narrowing down which ones at least work, but if possible I would like to use something close to the equipment actually used to compose it. At present I'm thinking that I will have two versions, one using something like 8MBGMSFX to represent a typical player experience and one using something similar to LoPiccolo's gear.

[6648993c6deb6lgs]

Just ask Greg LoPiccolo on facebook or something

[6648993c6df95JosiahJack]

Others on here seem to agree it was most likely Roland SC-55.

[6648993c6e221nintendoeats]

Others on here seem to agree it was most likely Roland SC-55.

Thanks, I've been debating between that and the SC-1. Unfortunately the SC-55 soundfont I have sounds a bit odd in spots. I am going to look into emulators for it.

[6648993c6e33elgs]

Don't know if this helps, but there is an official VST for it https://www.roland.com/global/products/sound_canvas_va/

[6648993c6e59enintendoeats]

Don't know if this helps, but there is an official VST for it https://www.roland.com/global/products/sound_canvas_va/

Yes, I'd seen that. $125 american exceeds it's value to me. I've been using the SC-1 soundfont to sort out the sections and it consistently sounds "right", so I've all but decided to use it. Luckily I can change my mind at more or less any time :p

Thanks though.

[6648993c6e71anintendoeats]

In case anybody comes here asking similar questions to mine, this pack contains the raw MIDIs labelled as best I can. I have educated guesses for all but 3 files. Each has a tag indicating what the file is named when first extracted from SSplayer.

After carefully combing over it I do not believe that there is anything missing. I was working from a lets play and at no point did I hear anything which did not exist in those files. The only exception would be sections which faded into each other over 4 bars, which isn't actually new data.

[6648993c6e888nintendoeats]

For the record, here is what this was all about:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1428252618

[6648993c6e97fnintendoeats]

Here is an updated version of the above MIDIs which is more accurate. Unfortunately the tags have not carried over.