Tutorial; Music2MP3 - HWRM/KarosGraveyard GitHub Wiki

How to Convert Homeworld 2 Music to MP3 by gorillaman

This is how I got the music out

  1. I opened up the "C:\Program Files\Sierra\Homeworld2\Data\Music.big" file with a Big Extractor.
  2. I downloaded and installed Winamp 2.91 (I don't think 3.0 works for this).
  3. I downloaded the AIF plugin, then placed it into Winamp's "Plugins" folder.
  4. In Winamp, I went to options>preferences>plugins>output, then selected "Nullsoft Disc Writer" [sic] as the output plugin.
  5. I went back to the folder [sic] containing the Big Extractor [sic] and opened up the "Music.big" file. Then I doubleclicked on every file that had "aifr" as its extension. As I did this, each file was converted to a ".wav" file.
  6. I used CDEX to convert the wav's to MP3's.

Thats all folks!!! There is probably an easier way, but since I had most of this stuff already, this worked out great for me.

Note: instead of doubleclicking every file, build a playlist within Winamp (use the playlist "Add" feature to add a bunch of files, and hold down "ctrl" to multiselect files). Then select them all in Winamp and it'll write them all over to .mp3's while you're off doing something else. -Retro

Also: if the files are extracted as ".fda" instead of ".aifr" you can just change the extensions, as the formats are the same. -Apollyon470

More Info by ZaTcH.

  • Open Winamp (3 or 5 preferrably, I'm not even sure the plugin works with 2.)
  • Right click on the main window, click on "Options->Preferences..."
  • Navigate to the "Plugins_Output" submenu, and select the "Nullsoft Disk Writer Plugin"
  • Click on "Configure" (at the bottom of the window.)
  • Select an output directory, do not enable the "Convert to format:" checkbox -- this can cause problems if you have improperly installed codecs, and you may lose some sound quality if you don't know what you're doing.
  • Do not enable "Single file mode"
  • For "Output File Mode" select "Force WAV file" -- this isn't always a good idea, but it works fine with the *.aifr files and it's the format you want anyways.
  • Click "OK" and close the preferences window.
  • Add all of the HW2 *.aifr song files to your playlist, disable repeating, and then double click the first file in the list to begin dumping the data into *.wav files. When the playing has finished (it reaches the end of the last song) you should have all of the HW2 song files converted into the *.wav format in whatever directory you specified when we configured the Disk Writer Plugin. Be sure to go back into "Preferences-->Plugins_Output" and reselect "DirectSound Output" so Winamp will play song files normally again.
  • After all of that, you may choose to leave the files in *.wav format or convert them to *.mp3 files. If you choose to convert to MP3, I recommend using dbPowerAmp -- it's a free, fast music conversion program. I think you can find it at www.download.com

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Discussion

Discussion

Comments

i couldn't find any files labeled "aif" or "aifr" but i DID find that i could extract ".fda" files and rename them to "aif" and it worked just fine.

--bryn

--h-67-101-66-18.hstqtx02.dynamic.covad.net (2004-04-18 05:35:00)

and wow, that was stupid -- i just realized that apollyon said just that.
--bryn, again.

--h-67-101-66-18.hstqtx02.dynamic.covad.net (2004-04-18 05:35:28)

i cant seem to extract even tho i have the software, or does extracting simply means to save the files on the hard disk?

--163.167.138.223 (2004-05-19 13:21:59)

Finally worked except I got an error at Winamp: "Compressed AIFC files other than 4-bit IMA ADPCM are not supported."!! What can I do?

--Please mail me to [email protected]

--c51477597.cable.wanadoo.nl (2004-05-24 13:04:42)

the link you provided for the extractor is faulty, after downloading from the Url, my pc keeps telling me theres a file missing, the program wont run : /

--pD9550ADD.dip.t-dialin.net (2004-06-22 10:51:30)

am also gettin the same winamp problems mentioned 2 posts up...need more asistance pls

--pD9550102.dip.t-dialin.net (2004-06-23 10:47:41)

bahhh,my email is [email protected]

--pD9550102.dip.t-dialin.net (2004-06-23 10:48:06)

i'm getting the same error. Would help a lot if some nice person would post a solution to it here. ;)

--a80-186-220-112.elisa-laajakaista.fi (2004-06-24 16:59:33)

i have the same problem pls write any solution

--pa109.gorowo-ilowieckie.sdi.tpnet.pl (2004-06-29 03:40:57)

anykinde plase

--pa109.gorowo-ilowieckie.sdi.tpnet.pl (2004-06-29 03:44:44)

helpppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppppp

--pa109.gorowo-ilowieckie.sdi.tpnet.pl (2004-06-29 04:55:55)

i have found a solution of this problem instal winamp 5.03c

--pa109.gorowo-ilowieckie.sdi.tpnet.pl (2004-06-29 05:21:46)

perhaps a better disk writer is needed, i dloaded the winamp 5.0 but i still have the same problem, now what should i do?

--pD9550876.dip.t-dialin.net (2004-07-10 00:11:33)

the solution to all our problems- why don't u just email the files to us, zipped w/ winzip?

--adsl-68-126-126-71.dsl.irvnca.pacbell.net (2004-07-25 19:35:49)

o yah, here's my email: [email protected]

--adsl-68-126-126-71.dsl.irvnca.pacbell.net (2004-07-25 19:43:18)

Yo ppl, i did it it works now. Basically i installed winamp 5.0 and reinstalled the aif plugin into the plugins folder, went back to the HW extractor and saved the files to my hdd. After that i simply renamed the extensions to "aif" went back to the winamp and went to the preferences section. selected nullsoft disk writer plugin v.2.0c. I then went back to the file and played it in winamp, it produced it and its now playable, even with Windows Media player!! You guys should try this out. Thanks to the guy that suggested the winamp 5.0. Peace out

--pD9550C54.dip.t-dialin.net (2004-08-22 06:43:10)

Does anyone have any idea why this doesn't work with DOW? .fda files? I've installed Winamp 2.91 2.95 and 5.05 and none of them can play the renamed .aifr files, much less convert them. :(

--c-24-130-86-83.we.client2.attbi.com (2004-10-10 06:49:36)

AFI plugin link is broken, can u fix it or tell me where i can load my music?
E-mail: [email protected]
aim: deathwish17101
tell me here

--d19-53.rb.lax.centurytel.net (2004-12-11 10:36:37)

Can someone please just send the homeworld 2 music files to me in a zip file? I can't do this, this tutorial is a bit vauge, can someone please send all the music files to me in a zip file at [email protected] thks people

--66-188-68-153.cpe.ga.charter.com (2005-02-20 10:37:40)

The link is fixed. -Mikali

--milton.monroe.lib.in.us (2005-03-03 17:28:02)

how do u simply name the fda files to aifr? [email protected]

--CPE-144-131-172-200.vic.bigpond.net.au (2005-03-12 02:52:50)

Try posting in the discussion forum (see link, above) instead of asking here.

--dialup-4.224.99.193.Dial1.Cincinnati1.Level3.net (2005-03-25 21:09:23)

discusscussion link not working, i'll try to search it manually
--bobafett

--ip-131-214.sn1.eutelia.it (2005-04-26 03:47:32)

I gots it to work, thanks to putitng this tutorial up. Also the comments helped. if you need help with it still after reading this then feel free to email me
Aazman24@hotmail.com

--host86-139-10-121.range86-139.btcentralplus.com (2006-02-04 06:02:26)

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