Extracting audio from a PC game

DarkLadyPhoenix · Post by **DarkLadyPhoenix** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 6:06 am

I read the tutorial on how to get video from a PC game, but not quite sure on how to get the raw audio. I've been looking around the forum for an answer, but quite frankly there's too many posts to weed through.

I want to make a short AMV with the music in the opening for Diablo II if I can. My other alternatave is to use Scars Of Time, but it's rather overplayed. (and who wants another one of THOSE anyways?)

bum · Post by **bum** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 7:11 am

well, you could look in the game folder. just search around for the music files and it'l have it thier. it'l probaly be an mp3 file, or something similar, mabey. if all els fails ya could just open the game, get the music playing and record it manualy with a microphone

Devolution · Post by **Devolution** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 8:12 am

ok, if you want the audio from the intro for Diablo 2, what i recommend is converting the Bink video file over to AVI and using Virtual Dub to rip the audio off of it. now the fun part about diablo 2 is that it doesn't just store the intro as a .bik file anywhere. it's stored in the MPQ file. so fun fun.

here's how to get the file out.

you'll need a couple things:

-MPQView
the newest version of the -MPQ datafile (the link to download that is on FilePlanet...i looked for it somewhere else, but i'm in a bit of a hurry right now, so i don't have time to look more)
-The RAD Video Tools
-VirtualDub
-and of course, d2Video.mpq, which is either on the Cinematics Disc(CD 3), or installed on your HD, depending on what size installation you selected.

unzip MPQView and the datafile to the same directory(don't have to but it makes it easier). in order for MPQView to run you have to copy the file Storm.dll from your diablo 2 folder into the same folder as MPQView. Do that now and get it over with.

Open MPQView.exe, click Open Data file, and point it to the Diablo 2 Datafile you downloaded. Then click open Archive, and point that to the d2video.mpq file. since you want the intro, you should be looking in the file list for d2_intro_640x292.bik (or something similar, i don't have the game installed right now, or i'd go check for you). Then just select that file, click save, tell it where to put it, and you're done that step.

next you'll have to install the RAD Video Tools. These tools are made for opening, re-encoding and creating Bink(.bik) and Smacker(.smk) video files, which is what we'll need for this next step. once you have them installed open the program, find the directory where you put the d2_intro_640x292.bik, click on the file and click Convery a File. A new window will pop up with all sorts of options to play with(you won't need to play with any of them for this). Click 'Convert', and the program will prompt you to select a compression codec to save the new .AVI file in. pick your favourite codec here for all i care(i used HuffyUV, but that's my choice), since all you seem to want is the audio. Wait for the program to finish converting the file.

for the last step, open up VirtualDub, and open that shiny new AVI file we just made with the RAD Video Tools. click file > Save WAV..., pick a spot to save the audio, click Save, and TADA! you now have the Introduction audio for Diablo 2! yay! *does a funny dance*

hope that helped : ) if you have any other questions, contact me on AIM sometime and i'll see if i can answer them.

laters
-Devo

DarkLadyPhoenix · Post by **DarkLadyPhoenix** » Sun Jun 20, 2004 9:56 pm

Don't have AIM, but your help is greatly appreciated.

However, couldn't find the Diablo II datafile. The link you provided sent me to FilePlanet, but it wasn't there after I searched for it. Any mirror sites I could get it from or is it small enough to be sent through e-mail?

Devolution · Post by **Devolution** » Mon Jun 21, 2004 1:39 pm

it's small enough to be sent by e-mail...i'll send the one i have to you as soon as i can.