old Xcom1 dos music

[Zharik1999]

Good luck to you, man!

[Volutar]

Here it is. Proggy can both extract and pack files (though packing is slightly tricky - it requires file with list of files to pack).

I don't think it help much. Extracted files from adlib.cat are of unknown format (original file names certainly vanished). BTW, roland.cat is kinda same thing, but in slightly different form, though obviously is the same music (adlib/roland cards).
I think it will be easier to make adlib raw port output from dosbox and play it with winamp disk writer to create clear wav.

[Zharik1999]

So, here we go. Recording goes successfully so far. But can anyone give me saves where they can fly to mars and near the end of the game? I need to record two tunes("gmwin" and "gmnewwar") but don't have time to get to them in game by myself.

[Volutar]

With cat/uncat and trial and error you can go through every music part. You just need to find which ## in this file take initial track (story).
BTW some kind of trackname take place at the start of music files (adlib.cat, 128686 bytes):
0-Geoscape1 (14058 bytes)
1-nowt (14058 bytes)
2-Intercept (11134 bytes)
3-defend (2211 bytes)
4-defend (2211 bytes)
5-nowt (14058 bytes)
6-Enemy Base (2027 bytes)
7-Enemy Base (2027 bytes)
8-Mars (1470 bytes)
9-Mars again (1260 bytes)
10-Lose (4179 bytes)
11-Win (10025 bytes)
12-Story (2314 bytes)
13-Nowt (1260 bytes)
14-Nowt (1260 bytes)
15-Nowt (1260 bytes)
16-Nowt (1260 bytes)
17-Tactical section (4797 bytes)
18-Geoscape alternative (23088 bytes)
19-Intro1 (1155 bytes)
20-Intro2 (4406 bytes)
21-Intro3 (8794 bytes)

Equal track names doesn't mean equal music - better to rely on file length. So there are 11 unique game tracks plus 3 from intro.

And I've noticed some corrupted sounds appears here and there... Strange.

[Zharik1999]

Can you give me already extracted files beause I'm experiencing problems with cat/uncat?

[SupSuper]

or SupSuper could add an AdLib emulator to openxcom :p this one apparently is used by dosbox: https://pastebin.com/SQF8ua8s
Just kidding, probably better recording it. But I don't think you don't actually need to play the game in dosbox and record it, there must be easier ways to just get it. Isn't it possible to play the tunes in winamp with the adplug plugin? Just guessing.

Hey, I dug out the only man on Earth that claimed to have knowledge of the mystical GM.CAT format from the depths of the OpenTTD forums, just so people playing OpenXcom with the DOS version could still listen to music, despite it being virtually the same as the Windows version MIDIs. You're welcome.

Seriously though, the problem isn't finding an Adlib emulator (there's a few around), but that the music file format used in Microprose games is a mystery. Someone with a lot more free time and patience than me might be able to figure it out from the X-Com source or by drawing parallels between the GM.CAT and ADLIB.CAT files.

Here it is. Proggy can both extract and pack files (though packing is slightly tricky - it requires file with list of files to pack).

I don't think it help much. Extracted files from adlib.cat are of unknown format (original file names certainly vanished). BTW, roland.cat is kinda same thing, but in slightly different form, though obviously is the same music (adlib/roland cards).
I think it will be easier to make adlib raw port output from dosbox and play it with winamp disk writer to create clear wav.

You might as well just record to WAV straight from DOSBox then. If you have trouble Zharik1999, I can do this later today.

[Zharik1999]

No, thanks SubSuper. Everything is going pretty good, I've already recorded most of the tunes and edited them to make sure they will loop correctly. I'm planning to post here all music you can already face in OpenXcom in a few hours.

[Zharik1999]

So, I submit to your court my recordings of original X-com DOS music. It is all in this archive(only "gmwin" tune is missing, but I will record it as soon as somebody will share with me savegame where he is near the end) Let's recall the old times, welcome to the ride!

Download - https://freakshare.com/files/lecfvf58/music.rar.html

Edit: If you aren't satisfied with how I edited the tracks to loop correctly, I can share with you uncutted and unedited versions right from DOSBox.

[Volutar]

First thing - is to "null" all digital sounds, to clear music from them (using my CAT packer/unpacker), create CAT file with empty wav files.
The next thing is to repeatedly change track #12 from adlib.cat to every music track (using CAT). This track played after intro movie, when main menu appears, so it will be nice shortcut to record every track in clear form.

BTW, is xcom adlib music monophonic? I tried to set dualopl2 and found right channel muted.

[Zharik1999]

I did like you say. I disabled all sounds(except intro, because the music and sounds from it are in the same CAT) So, in these recordings you will hear no sounds and no clips, only music which I edited it to repeat and play correctly. As I have tested, everything works right

[Volutar]

Zharik1999, I clearly hear kinda slap sound at start of gmgeo1, gmgeo2, gmmars, gmtactic, and slight artifact sound at start of gmlose, gmenbase, gmdefend. Only gmstory and gmnewmar seems to be clear.

[Zharik1999]

Do you hear this in game or in general? I don't know why, but before many tracks in OpenXcom clips appear, I don't remember them in recordings.

[Volutar]

I hear them in mp3s.

I've made my own approach to make these adlib tracks, and found one thing. Strangely, but DosBox plays adlib music in MONO mode, though, when port data recorded to disk (with ctrl+alt+f7) - it played with in_adlib in STEREO mode and gets greater quality. Another thing - version 1.2 have slightly different music format and files, other than from Steam. And I tried to use it, with kind of success. All 14 tracks recorded and encoded in mp3-128/mp3-160/ogg-128. Which is better?
BTW, "gmnewmar" music is not used at all. Not in original xcom, nor in openxcom (though it listed in loaded resources).

[Zharik1999]

I think that you have made a great work. If you ask about the best quality, I guess it's mp3-160. And I can't wait to try your recordings.

About "gmnewmar", in my DOS version 1.0 X-com it plays when I start Cydonia mission.

[Zharik1999]

Also, I've checked my DOSBox recordings a little more carefully, and yes, they are far from ideal, but it's practically all what DOSBox can offer.