Need Help w/Song Randomizer

[Spadefish]

Can someone help me with the song randomizer. I'm running Vista and SH4 is installed to C:\Games\Ubisoft\Silent Hunter Wolves of the Pacific. The application is installed in the main SH4 folder. I click on it and the randomizer starts no prob. Click Start SH4, game opens fine, load patrol start gramaphone and I only get the songs that were installed by TMaru. I have .ogg, mp3 and wav files in the gramaphone folder but none play except those few. Thanks for all help in advance.

[letterboy1]

Go to some of the files that play and see what their properties are. Right click on them and click on "Properties." Then click on "Summary." Make sure to select "Advanced" under the Summary tab. Now look at the bottom of the properties summary where it says "Audio." Look at the values for "Bit Rate" and "Audio Sample Rate."

Now do the same for some of the files that will NOT play and see what the bit rate and sample rate are. Also, look for any other commonalities that your non-playing files have such as their file extensions. Post back with your findings.

In my gramophone folder, my music files have varying bit rates (usually 128kbps or 192kbps), but my sample rate is always the same - 44khz. I've never done the research to see what limits SH4's media player has, but I've found that it varies from developer to developer as to how strict their parameters are.

[Spadefish]

Go to some of the files that play and see what their properties are. Right click on them and click on "Properties." Then click on "Summary." Make sure to select "Advanced" under the Summary tab. Now look at the bottom of the properties summary where it says "Audio." Look at the values for "Bit Rate" and "Audio Sample Rate."

Now do the same for some of the files that will NOT play and see what the bit rate and sample rate are. Also, look for any other commonalities that your non-playing files have such as their file extensions. Post back with your findings.

In my gramophone folder, my music files have varying bit rates (usually 128kbps or 192kbps), but my sample rate is always the same - 44khz. I've never done the research to see what limits SH4's media player has, but I've found that it varies from developer to developer as to how strict their parameters are.

Letterboy1, thks for the info. I'm at work right now but will chk tonight and get back to you latter.

[Spadefish]

Go to some of the files that play and see what their properties are. Right click on them and click on "Properties." Then click on "Summary." Make sure to select "Advanced" under the Summary tab. Now look at the bottom of the properties summary where it says "Audio." Look at the values for "Bit Rate" and "Audio Sample Rate."

Now do the same for some of the files that will NOT play and see what the bit rate and sample rate are. Also, look for any other commonalities that your non-playing files have such as their file extensions. Post back with your findings.

In my gramophone folder, my music files have varying bit rates (usually 128kbps or 192kbps), but my sample rate is always the same - 44khz. I've never done the research to see what limits SH4's media player has, but I've found that it varies from developer to developer as to how strict their parameters are.

Letterboy1, thks for the info. I'm at work right now but will chk tonight and get back to you latter.

Ok, I've checked the bit rates and they vary between 24 an 128 kbps. Properties w/VISTA don't show the sample rate. At least I can't find it??? Any ideas?

[letterboy1]

Dang, I'm using Xp, not Vista. When you right click and choose Properties, do you get a "Summary" tab at the top. And under the Summary tab do you get an option to click that says "Advanced?"

Also, which of your files play? The ones with the bit rate of 24kbps or the 128kbps? Or both?

[Spadefish]

When I open properties, I get 3 tabs: General, Security and Details. Under the General tab there is an advanced option but all it's for is archiving and folder compression. Under the Details tab is where I found the bit rate but thats it. Both rates play so I'm at a loss. Any tunes that I've added will not play.

[letterboy1]

The files that trigger maru added to your gramophone folder work, right? Are any of them .wav files? What about the files you added, what kind of files are they? .wav, .ogg, .mp3. etc?

[letterboy1]

Well, I've researched all of the gramophone related threads here and can find no definitive list of attributes that a file has to have in order to work with SH4. Apparently .ogg, .mp3, and .wav will work. The only things left are the more detailed prperties like the bit resolution, the sample rate, and the bit rate.

Wav files ripped directly from CDs should have a 16 bit resolution, sample rate of 44.1 KHz (often simply listed as 44), and a bit rate around 1411.

Mp3 files should have a resolution of 16 bit, a sample rate of 44.1 KHz (also listed as just 44), and a bit rate of at least 128kbps . . . that's to be on the safe side; lower bit rates may work but I can't say for sure.

Also, here is a link for a huge download of radio mods. You can just use the music files from that mod and stick them in your gramophone folder if you'd rather not mess with the radio part. At least these files are already formatted to work with SH4. With some searching you will find more links to WW2 era music that users here have made available.

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=119668&highlight=gramophone

Here is a thread that discusses the file format and properties of music for the gramophone. There is even a link in there to a freeware sound editor that you might want to experiment with in order to change the properties of your non-playing files.

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=114538&highlight=gramophone

[Spadefish]

Letterboy, thanks for all the hard work, I really appreciate it. I'm going to download from the link you sent and see what the results are. Thanks again for all the great help!

[fred8615]

Also, here is a link for a huge download of radio mods. You can just use the music files from that mod and stick them in your gramophone folder if you'd rather not mess with the radio part. At least these files are already formatted to work with SH4. With some searching you will find more links to WW2 era music that users here have made available.

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=119668&highlight=gramophone
Just FTR, the music files are a seperate download from the radio mods.

[letterboy1]

Thanks Fred, so the AFRS is only a collection of actual shows aired at certain times.

Sorry Spadefish, the actual music is at the link Fred just posted . . . and there's quite a bit of it. Getting it now!:)

[Spadefish]

Thanks guys. Pulling them now.