The Incredible Machine (TIM) 1992 music format

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spikey
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Post by spikey »

The game has a buggy General MIDI driver, this is explained in detail here (and one post earlier in the thread):
http://www.vogons.org/viewtopic.php?p=270010#p270010

It is composed for General MIDI (Roland Sound Canvas SC-55). Windows versions of the game, or the remake, have the MIDI files natively in the folder. (Obviously remakes have a digital redbook soundtrack as well, but that's beyond the scope of this immediate chat.)

The Adlib music is in (I believe) SCI format, a custom Sierra Adlib format. Or since this was a Dynamix game, it could be something else. Not sure.
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Malvineous
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Re: The Incredible Machine AdLib RIP

Post by Malvineous »

Batteryman wrote: Wed Jun 01, 2016 19:49 Here is The Incredible Machine music converted to IMF format, same format as used in many Apogee games.

You can use adplug for winamp to play your OPL/AdLib tunes
https://goo.gl/ay6lMB
Sorry for reopening an old thread but this is great! I've been looking for this music for many years and it's one that I never had any luck reverse engineering due to the compression algorithm.

It looks like tracks 13 and 14 are swapped around in the IMF conversion, and track 16 is missing. Any chance you can add this one? I'm adding it to the VGMPF now.

I'm not sure how you are getting to the songs in the game, but in case you didn't know, you can go into the freeform mode and press the numbers 1-9 and the letters A-G to change the music. It's the "Metal" song that plays when you press G that is missing.

Is anyone here any good with music genres? The song filenames included with the game are these:

Code: Select all

1 = TIM
2 = TIM_EURO
3 = TIM_FUNK
4 = TIM_REGG
5 = TIM_ZYDI
6 = TIM_ROCK
7 = TIM_WEST
8 = TIM_BLUZ
9 = TIM_CLAS
A = TIM_SLSA
B = TIM_PLKA
C = TIM_CRUZ
D = TIM_ROK2
E = TIM_RMNT
F = TIM_FUSN
G = TIM_METL
I can figure out what all the song names are supposed to be except TIM_ZYDI. Any idea what genre ZYDI is an abbreviation for?
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Nisaba
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Re: The Incredible Machine AdLib RIP

Post by Nisaba »

Batteryman wrote: Wed Jun 01, 2016 19:49 Here is The Incredible Machine music converted to IMF format, same format as used in many Apogee games.
[...]
Is anyone here any good with music genres? The song filenames included with the game are these:
[...]

I can figure out what all the song names are supposed to be except TIM_ZYDI. Any idea what genre ZYDI is an abbreviation for?
TIM_ZYDI: The first thing that comes to mind is a music genre called Zydeco. Zydeco is Louisianan Creole music which blends a bunch of different styles. check this article for further information: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zydeco

EDIT: just listened to it once more. yeah, this definitely is Zydeco. just check to the intro of this track over here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB9SJ3kH3Fw

can somebody extract the music tracks of The Incredible Machine 2 as well, please?!
out now (link) : Image
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Levellass
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Re: The Incredible Machine (TIM) 1992 music format

Post by Levellass »

I second this.
What you really need, not what you think you ought to want.
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Malvineous
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Re: The Incredible Machine AdLib RIP

Post by Malvineous »

Nisaba wrote: Wed Sep 13, 2017 14:51 TIM_ZYDI: The first thing that comes to mind is a music genre called Zydeco. Zydeco is Louisianan Creole music which blends a bunch of different styles.
Nice find! Definitely Zydeco. Never heard of that before. I've updated the VGMPF page, thanks!
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Re: The Incredible Machine AdLib RIP

Post by Batteryman »

Malvineous wrote: Wed Sep 13, 2017 10:32
Batteryman wrote: Wed Jun 01, 2016 19:49 Here is The Incredible Machine music converted to IMF format, same format as used in many Apogee games.

You can use adplug for winamp to play your OPL/AdLib tunes
https://goo.gl/ay6lMB
Sorry for reopening an old thread but this is great! I've been looking for this music for many years and it's one that I never had any luck reverse engineering due to the compression algorithm.

It looks like tracks 13 and 14 are swapped around in the IMF conversion, and track 16 is missing. Any chance you can add this one? I'm adding it to the VGMPF now.
https://goo.gl/Av6iA4

Added track 16 , renamed 14 to 13 and vice versa. Recreated link since it was expired.
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Malvineous
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Re: The Incredible Machine (TIM) 1992 music format

Post by Malvineous »

Many thanks! I updated the recording, which includes the ripped files.
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Re: The Incredible Machine (TIM) 1992 music format

Post by Batteryman »

Malvineous wrote: Sat Oct 28, 2017 4:53 Many thanks! I updated the recording, which includes the ripped files.
Ok, you didn't need to give me any credit :P but anyways
I just did it the old fashion way. Using dosbox and slowed the cycled really low to like 2000 so i could have time to react when pressing Record . I also used the DroTrimmer and the DRO2IMF. so i think almost everybody can do that as long as you use your guts and your ears when you want to listen after where the song loops in Drotrimmer :p
The only slightly more difficult part is to have a sense of music tempo when you have to set the frequencies when doing the dro2imf conversion.
And i think TIM uses ~545 hz or something like that
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Malvineous
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Re: The Incredible Machine (TIM) 1992 music format

Post by Malvineous »

Of course you should have credit, because you were the one who actually took the time to do it - nobody else did :)

The DRO captures you made probably would have been slightly better quality - when converting to IMF, because of the fixed tempo, the delays have to be approximated. DRO2IMF just rounds the values as needed as most of the time you don't really notice.
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