Sourcing samples

Do you hear what I hear? Here is some useful information with regards to obtaining instruments and samples for your SNES music making endevours!

First a primer – what are instruments (.sti) and what are samples (.brr)? BRR is a raw sound. If you import a BRR into SNES Tracker (or any tracker, for that matter) it may sound odd until you give it some suitable instrument settings (namely an ADSR volume envelope, and key). Instruments on the other hand, contain both a BRR sound sample (or white noise) and pre-set instrument settings.

Default instruments for SNES Tracker are planned, and many are available here already. It's also very possible to make/rip/find your own:

• How can I rip complete Instruments or raw BRR samples from an SPC file?
  It is possible to rip not only BRR, but also complete instruments from SPC files! Using the debugger (included with SNES Tracker v0.1.1 or above), open an SPC song, click the Instruments tab, then right-click the memory hex area when you see an instrument line light up. This will give an option to save as .sti (SNES Tracker Instrument) or .brr (raw sample).
  

• How can I rip BRR samples from a SNES ROM?
  It is possible to rip BRR sound samples from ROM files directly using noiSNESs_Brr_Finder. This utility is useful for ripping game SOUND EFFECTS and VOICE SAMPLES, i.e. the sounds from a SNES game that do not necessarily appear within SPC songs.

• How can I rip SPC files from a SNES ROM?
  Launch a game with Snes9x, and when the song you want to rip is playing, click File ➤ Save Other ➤ Save SPC data. This will save the song to an SPC file in the /SPCs folder within your main Snes9x folder.
  Or often easier, just find the SPC's to download from a SNES Music website (Google it..). Can't put the link here for copyrights etc.

• How can I PLAY BRR samples?
  SNESSOR '95 plays BRR quickly and directly from SNES ROMs. It can export to WAV only (not BRR). And of course within SNES Tracker you can import a BRR, assign to an Instrument, then use your keyboard or MIDI keyboard to preview it.

• How can I PLAY SPC tracks?

  • PC or Mac: foobar2000 with plugins foo_snesapu or foo_gep.
    The Debugger included with SNES Tracker also plays SPCs, of course.
  • Real SNES: use a flash cart such as SD2SNES (now rebranded as "FX PAK") – plays directly from the file menu. Or with other flash carts (or emulators) try SPC to ROM.
  • Portable devices running Rockbox.

• How can I convert WAVs to BRR?
  Google "BRR tools".

Further reading

• Lots of great utilities here:
  • https://www.romhacking.net/utilities/
  • https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&s=tools
• BRR Sample pack by musicalman: https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&a=details&id=20745