Hello there... I have two questions that, hopefully, could be answered by someone here - the first one about file rippers with MP3 and/or OGG recognition. There are many good old rippers, but not too many newer ones, with support for formats that have become popular in just the last few years - MP3, OGG, and so on... in fact, I know of only two tools that can scan files for presence of MP3s and OGGs: "FMV-Extractor" for MP3s and "Extractor" for OGGs. They're both good, but sometimes fail, so I was wondering if there are any other MP3/OGG rippers out there?

The second one: are there any tools capable of converting DirectMusic files - .DLS /.SGT - to a more usable file format, WAV, MP3, etc.? If not tools, then e.g. plugins for some sound editors like (ex)CoolEdit or SoundForge, that would make it possible to open DirectMusic files in those editors?

Oh, and actually I have a third question, which is partially off topic, but since I've already asked two, perhaps this one will be permitted as well... can anyone recommend any good MIDI to digital audio renderer (which, practically, translates to "automated MIDI to WAV recorder" with support for batch / mass file conversion?

TIA.

Nobody...? :\ Then perhaps someone could recommend any players capable of playing DLS/SGTs, other than the "47" player and the In_DM plugin for Winamp? (They both have timing problems with some files...)

Hi Edgler, generally, the term "ripping" refers to extracting the audio information from a commercial CD. I'm not sure what you mean by having "mp3/ogg recognition." mp3's and Ogg files are just that - files. They don't need to be ripped per se. You simply copy and paste them as you would any file using Windows Explorer or similiar.

As for MIDI to wav conversion, you can find many of these doing a Google search, but they will all be a disappointment. A midi file is like the roll of paper on a player piano. It has no musical information inside it. All of the midi-to-wav convertors are somewhat experimental, and do a so-so job.

I wanted to add - here are a couple links that might help:

For audio tools in general: AudioToolsDirect

And a good Midi-to-wav convertor: Audio Compositor

Hope this helps, Dex

>I'm not sure what you mean by having "mp3/ogg recognition." mp3's and Ogg >files are just that - files. >They don't need to be ripped per se.

Before there was the MP3 format, before there was the idea of extracting CD Audio on a PC, in fact, before there even was DOS 6 and CD-ROM drives , there was file ripping, i.e. scanning files for "hidden" contents - mostly multiple music and graphic files embedded in one large library, sometimes encrypted, and so on... These are file scanners+rippers, such as Ripper5, ModRip, FMV-Extract, GameAudioPlayer, etc. I was wondering about rippers capable of searching for MP3s and OGGs inside other files, because there only seem to be two such rippers at the moment (and both are at beta stage).

>As for MIDI to wav conversion, you can find many of these doing a Google >search, but they will all be a disappointment.

Not really - MIDI2Wav for instance does a very good if only a decent soundfont is installed, so that the music doesn't sound cheap and plastic. The GeneralUser soundfont, the Merlin soundfont - they're good examples, and I had great results when I used them to e.g. convert the full MIDI soundtracks of Gabriel Knight I, Police Quest I, II and IV, etc., to audio CDs. *Unfortunately*, I can't find any good MIDI renderer capable of mass/batch conversion - that's the problem. Converting one file by one, when there are e.g. 68 MIDIs to render, is slow and tedious... I found three programs that boasted this option, but one produced awful files, the other didn't work at all, and the third won't work if I try to disable its supposedly "improving" effects (filters which allegedly make the MIDIs sound "richer", "deeper", but which in fact simply distort them)...

I don't have an answer, but I think I have a clarification:

I believe he's looking for a tool to find audio files hidden within a larger database, i.e. ripping music out of the files for a game or something to that extent.

I remember ripping MIDI's out of old Doom .WAD (map) files. That kind of thing, but more advanced, and pertaining to today's game environment.