Barking Sands

I love Kama Sutra, but it has an original yet unoriginal soundtrack simultaneously, and I think it could use a remix edition.

That's very interesting. So far, all of the channels I've worked with have been using bank 0 (except for the drums channel of course, which uses bank 127), and I've been wondering why that is. I was thinking about trying different presets for the percussions to see what happens, but I have no way of knowing which preset the MIDI is using based on watching the synth mixer (it just says "drums"). I guess I would need to open the MIDI files in an editor. If I get really ambitious, I could get tempted to edit the MIDI and swap some banks around so that I can use all of the custom presets in a single SF2 file. I think the harder job is just normalizing the sound using a combination of attenuation (to decrease a preset's sound volume) and duplicating instruments (to increase the volume). Right now, I'm doing most of the work with the mixer board because it takes seconds instead of minutes to adjust a channel. So far, I've been adjusting the mixer settings based on the drum channel as a constant (100% volume using the same exact drum soundfont). I just realized that the MIDI sets the channel volume to different levels based on how pronounced the composer wants the drums to be which varies from one track to the next, and that means that my master levels are all out of whack. I'm seriously considering just going with the first option which was to cobble together a custom soundfont (Chives.SF2) which just has normalized volume voices (just enough to populate the MIDI channels that DOOM uses) and providing along with it some custom MIDI files in order to use multiple banks. I looked at a DOOM MIDI file in a MIDIEditor program I downloaded, and it assigns voices to channels on the same tick that the music starts, so I think I have to replace that command with a command that assigns a bank instead of a preset. That hopefully changes a setting that was once (000:030) to (030:000) so I just have to meddle with the first preset in the bank which number matches the original voice's preset value.

Now that I've heard the direct VirtualMIDISynth output compared to a 100% quality converted .ogg format played through the Unity rerelease port a few times, I feel spoiled. I just don't want to allow the quality loss. I still think that a one-size-fits-all soundfont is the best route to go for quality, but it comes at a great cost as well. The same "Distortion Guitar" preset that plays the backup in "At Doom's Gate" is used at the forefront in "An Intermission from DOOM," and that just doesn't work at all for me because I'd have to find some kind of common ground between those MIDI tracks, which there is little to none. I guess I just have to settle for something less than optimal no matter what approach I take here. I'm just lazily attempting to do a version that's noticeably crisper in sound clarity than the OST version (or versions) found all over YouTube. Also, for what it's worth, I'm only using assets or resources that were provided in that Soundfont tutorial you posted with 40 great soundfonts and 10 soundfonts of drums. BTW I think I've finished "An Intermission from DOOM" (Besides more cowbell, I think it could benefit from a sawtooth with a higher pitch without sacrificing tuning): (Uploading the file to DoomWorld forums isn't working for some reason)

OT, but I cobbled together a TITLEPIC lump based on that cover art (using the UD INTERPIC because it's a cleaner image):

I was hoping to get a reply from you; you're always so helpful on these subjects. I don't have a million hours of spare time to work with, so I think it makes sense to steal presets from the soundfonts I already have and just throw them through a mixer in CoolSoft VirtualMIDISynth and convert the MIDIs to .mp3 and then into .ogg (I have to trim several seconds off of the end of the clip so I'm using Shotcut to convert from .mp3 to .ogg as well as do the time trimming). I'm just worried about getting into hot water for using both soundfonts and MIDIs I don't own the rights to and producing and distributing soundtrack files with them. Here's a first draft At Doom's Gate (D_E1M1.ogg): D_E1M1.zip

I'm thinking about starting a new project that creates a custom soundfont that caters to each DOOM midi track individually. I'm brand new to Polyphone, and I have no idea how to keep things legal, so any help from the community is greatly appreciated. The goal is a single soundfont, but if necessary, I plan on tayloring a series of soundfonts to maximize the quality of the music for each MIDI and converting the MIDI to .OGG so they can be compatible with Bethesda's Unity port. The sound type I'm shooting for is a garage band of metalheads. It should use minimal synth and loop effects for maximum sound clarity and realism. Tracks like E3M3 can get away with orchestral presets for the atmospheric effects. All resources need to be public domain (free to modify and distribute), so the samples especially must be both well normalized (same volume) and unprotected by legal tape. I'm very open to any advice on better ways of approaching the project. E1M1 E1M2 E1M3 E1M4 E1M9 E2M3 Database of presets complete: Production road map: This next step might take longer than I previously imagined. I was planning on just copying and pasting the channel presets into a single soundfont, but comparing and analyzing the presets is taking a great deal more effort than I thought it would. I just finished work on preset 000:004 (Rhodes piano), and I found myself feeling forced to mix multiple instruments together and modify the settings a great deal to get the sound I wanted. The Fender Rhodes only appears once in the DOOM soundtrack, and it isn't happening until late in D_STALKS.MUS which means there's a chance few will even hear it. But here it is in its full glory (the channel preset still has a couple of bugs in the higher register, but they don't affect the sound here): This is a comparison of the SC-55 General Grieferus versus the same soundfont but with Preset 000:004 replaced with a mix of three custom soundfonts. I'm going to use that database to merge voices from soundfonts provided here and here into a single soundfont called Beowulf. The noise levels will be normalized to match the volume output that SC-55 General Grieferus uses. Beowulf.sf2 will only contain the samples necessary to populate those basic presets with instruments, so I predict it will be between 100-200 megabytes in size. At least this is something I'm confident that I can do with the very limited skill set that I currently have. Part three is the first ambitious or optimistic endeavor. I'll try to assemble together a soundfont that mirrors Beowulf but also features cross-faded instruments from multiple soundfonts to populate individual channels. It will also use channels on higher level banks so it will need to be accompanied by a set of modified DOOM midi files. That soundfont, if I can create it, will be called Chives.sf2, and it will likely be larger than 400 megabytes in size. The final achievement that I can only dream of reaching, is Gorgonzola.sf2 (Alias "The Cheese"). That soundfont is going to have a complete collection of presets so that it can be used to convert any custom midi files to ogg, mp3, wav, or flac. If it's even possible (it's going to have multiple banks and a huge assortment of intermixed voices and instruments, and it will probably contradict its own design at some point because of the large variety of custom midis that are designed to be played with DOOM), I predict its size to exceed 1 gigabyte, so it will only really be useful for conversions unless the user is running on a high-end machine that can manage that kind of workload in real time.

I changed my mind later and went with midi, but that's only after looking up CoolSoft virtualMIDI and finding a copy of the "Roland SC-55 v3.7.sf2" file for a good sound font. I was using MP3 or OGG files for the Doom music and keeping everything .mp3 kept the volume level consistent.

I did that already (I named it D_IN_CIT.mp3), and it plays Unbearable Torture for both maps 5 and 7 if I do that. The only way to get those two maps to play different songs is with MUSINFO and Doom Builder unfortunately.

Thank you for the new music pack, it rocks. I'm currently using it with Crispy Doom 5.2 In order to make the soundtrack work with Crispy Doom, assemble a WAD in Slade and import the .mp3 files. Rename the files according to this chart: "MegaSphere - No Rest For The Living - Community MIDI Pack - 01 MegaSphere - NRFTL Intro.mp3" --> D_DM2TTL.mp3 "MegaSphere - No Rest For The Living - Community MIDI Pack - 03 MegaSphere - NRFTL Intermission.mp3" --> D_DM2INT.mp3 "Dwars - No Rest For The Living - Community MIDI Pack - 12 Ride's Closed Due to Gibs.mp3" --> D_READ_M.mp3 "decino - No Rest For The Living - Community MIDI Pack - 02 Homesick.mp3" --> D_MESSAG.mp3 "TrialD - No Rest For The Living - Community MIDI Pack - 04 Archaic Doctrine.mp3" --> D_DDTBLU.mp3 "JD Herrera - No Rest For The Living - Community MIDI Pack - 05 Dry Gulch.mp3" --> D_DOOM.mp3 "CammyBanana - No Rest For The Living - Community MIDI Pack - 06 The Last Gatling Gun Rodeo.mp3" --> D_SHAWN.mp3 "Sego - No Rest For The Living - Community MIDI Pack - 08 Unbearable torture.mp3" --> D_IN_CIT.mp3 "MegaSphere - No Rest For The Living - Community MIDI Pack - 09 MegaSphere - Staccato Slaughter.mp3" --> D_THE_DA.mp3 "JD Herrera - No Rest For The Living - Community MIDI Pack - 10 Monsieur Gourmet.mp3" --> D_ROMERO.mp3 * "Bloo - No Rest For The Living - Community MIDI Pack - 11 Darkness Unfolds.mp3" --> D_DDTBL2.mp3 "Rogue Akai and Sumo - No Rest For The Living - Community MIDI Pack - 07 Mountain Slayers of the Eagle's Thunder.mp3" --> D_SHAWN2.mp3 * D_ROMERO.mp3 is arbitrary. I chose that name because the default MIDI fits the map's atmosphere, but it's irrelevant. The next step is necessary to get Monsieur Gourmet to play correctly on MAP07. Create a file called MUSINFO.lmp: MAP07 1 D_ROMERO And insert that file into the music pack WAD. Finally, it's necessary to open MAP07 of NERVE.WAD in Doom Builder and add Thing type 14101 on top of the player start Thing. Save the modified map into the music pack WAD. Make sure your Crispy Doom sound setup is set to MIDI/MP3/OGG/FLAC. Now load the new pwad on top of NERVE.WAD and enjoy.

From Guide to detecting and removing malware on AtomicMPC.com.au: BTW, I didn't catch what type of web browser you use ... you might try the latest Firefox to see if it works differently for you there. The loss of system restore functions is leading me to believe that you've encountered rootware. You might see about running a trusted rootkit to detect and quarantine any suspicious data on your system that antimalware, spybot, and antivirus software isn't detecting. Oh yeah, and get Linux. :p (Sorry to be the "getlinux arsehole" -- I couldn't resist.)

If you have Heretic, Hexen, or Strife, you should be able to find a template for multiple projectile attacks in the bestiary.

@ gggmork & bucket: It's posts like these that get me reaching for that "like" button (too bad I can't find one). I asked for Windows 7 for Christmas; now I just have to figure out what to get for my family. I'm used to being deployed in the middle east around this time, but now I don't have any excuse not to celebrate Christmas. It totally effing blows.

There are a few Windows programs to fix these sorts of things, Registry Cleaner comes to mind ... I think that's the name of a legit software solution. From here it sounds like there's malware infecting your systems. This thread in an Australian geek forum is my personal reference for detecting and removing malware using freely available and trusted tools. Hope this helps.

I was there, man! It was so essentially a B movie! :p (I was actually two years old at the time, but the wiki article shows...)Tron was released on July 9, 1982, in 1,091 theaters grossing USD $4.8 million on its opening weekend. It went on to make $33 million in North America, moderately successful considering its $17 million budget.So I take back what I say about it being essentially a B movie. It did have a major production budget behind it. Fix'd for clarity. Cheers.

/ Review -- no spoilers Just got back after watching this in IMAX3D. Definitely worth the go just for the eye candy. Creators did a spectacular job getting every last bit of awesome out of their special effects efforts. Film didn't seem too long especially considering that it is 127 minutes, and that time passed very quickly for me even though I had to pee -- I'm getting old I guess. This does justice to the original TRON film, taking a classic and turning it blockbuster. I personally miss the odd processor architecture and design throw-in like that silly "yes/no" bit from the original. With today's technology what it is with the "if the light glows green it's working" common knowledge base, this film produces a fairly reasonable picture of the microcosm that could be hiding beneath our keyboards. Plot doesn't hold on to what the original movie did. They seemed to be setting the same stage in the beginning of the film with the evil software corporation, but then they blasted off on some tangent with an opening to a sequel that I personally fear is going to turn into another Matrix trilogy. "Noooooo!!!...." Jeff Bridges seemed ... well ... yeah, he was the same Dude from Big Lebowski and he carried forward his hippie swagger from that aweful Men Who Stare at Goats into this film, but it only produced a bit of 60's nostalgia and comedic relief which complemented the action a bit. Do watch ... and watch on the biggest, awesomest screen you can find. Very worth it. <END OF LINE>