1. Backup the existing MPQ files in your starcraft folder to somewhere else (Broodat.mpq, StarCraft.mpq, StarDat.mpq).
2. Extract the 3 new MPQ files into your starcraft folder.
3. Turn on your subwoofer or wear your best headphones! Time to kick some ass with remastered tracks!
Hell, it's about time!
Merry Christmas SCBW community! This is my present for fans and an event for celebratating 17 year anniversary of best RTS and game alive - StarCraft BroodWar. I'm announcing you the greatest edition of StarCraft: BroodWar - The Soundtrack Remastered Edition. I may call this a game patch (how about 1.17?), not a mod because I didn't change anything but only updated music. I suggest for everyone to use this version of game if they really want to enjoy listening some badass clear and improved tracks.
Blizzard made remastered BroodWar soundtracks for SC II. Who listened to them knows that they got really improved quality sounds compared to original:
Just look at this masterpiece!
I patched these tracks into game. Now you'll hear them while playing without running any music player.
I really respect composers of remastered tracks but guys who compiled them really ruined some tracks. One of terran track got screwed equalizers and some protoss tracks were with so much cracks and clicks, I discovered them by listening every second of track on full volume with high quality headphones. So I needed to fix them by expert sound program, and it wasn't really easy work because of listening every millisecond, I mean I did a lot to give you the best sounding. Now every track looks cooler than ever! Also I replaced briefing room themes with high quality musics from original StarCraft OST and cutted/added/mixed them to achieve right duration. Files are about 2 GB, because I didn't compress wav files to prevent any quality loss and SCBW reads only wav files, so you can't replace with ogg, mp3 or any other type of format (about compressing issues read below posts).
- Title screen changed: added Remastered Soundtrack text; half of Infested Kerrigan picture modified with Human Kerrigan. - Title music replaced with high quality music. - Mineral & command click button sound changed with improved SC II sound (it is hard to discover the difference). - Original Terran soundtracks replaced with remastered soundtracks. - Original Protoss soundtracks replaced with remastered soundtracks. - Original Zerg soundtracks replaced with remastered soundtracks. - Expansion Terran soundtracks replaced with remastered soundtracks. - Expansion Protoss soundtracks replaced with remastered soundtracks. - Expansion Zerg soundtracks replaced with remastered soundtracks. - Original briefing room music for every race replaced with high quality tracks.
Holy f*ck! The last thing we needed was a patch and you did it! Players will be in ecstasy! SSL should use it if they play default musics during the match. Awesome!!! BUMP this!
... and SCBW reads only wav files, so you can't replace with ogg, mp3 or any other type of format.
It's less common knowledge, but .WAV files can contain compressed audio (at least on windows). Depending on whether the same framework is used in BW it could perhaps be possible?
On December 21 2014 09:31 13Julia wrote: Hi, Mca64 wanted me to ask you "what's the source format and where did you get it?", please reply here if possible.
Then I edited them through cutting, adding, mixing, equalizing, removing clicks, cracks and etc. and saved as wav file. Then opened BW mpq files and replaced them. If he wants to add them to launcher, I suggest not using these which are in above link but mine because mine are edited. Just tell me and I will convert wav to ogg and size will be reduced.
On December 21 2014 09:49 Mutisk wrote: It's less common knowledge, but .WAV files can contain compressed audio (at least on windows). Depending on whether the same framework is used in BW it could perhaps be possible?
Editing is done by Sound Forge Pro 11. I didn't compressed them because there were some troubles that SC refused to play and after compress there was quality loss, even if you can discover it by listening attentively with headphones. Default old BW soundtracks use 22050 Hz that's why their size is less, but if you compress remastered tracks into this hertz they will sound really catastrophic bad! And also there is ADPCM which is modern of PCM codec by Microsoft which can compress well without lack of quality, but BW refuses to run this type of codec in game. So there is nothing you can do.
On December 21 2014 12:34 xboi209 wrote: I haven't downloaded it myself yet but 2GB is quite huge. Have you changed the wav files from stereo to mono?
No, it is stereo, 1411 kbps, 44100 Hz. (Also, saving with 48000 Hz makes quality loss, weird). Default old tracks were 705 kpbs, 22050 Hz, that's why default sizes are smaller.
If somebody thinks that he can compress it without quality lack - go through, do it. Just show it how to do and I'll reduce the size. And size is big because default 4 mpq weigh approx. 1GB. So +1GB are my wav files additionally. And soon will be 2015 - I don't think that 2GB should be problem for modern network. My maps folder is 10 GB lol. SCII weighs so much more than that.
You can compress the wav files to FLAC without quality loss.
By the way, I compared the wav files with http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/games/music/sc.html and could not tell a difference. However, I believe the CD would have the better quality music since it hasn't been through additional edits.
On December 21 2014 13:03 flashimba wrote: You can compress the wav files to FLAC without quality loss.
By the way, I compared the wav files with http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/games/music/sc.html and could not tell a difference. However, I believe the CD would have the better quality music since it hasn't been through additional edits.
You mean to convert? FLAC is even bigger than wav, I guess.FLAC reduces size about 40%. But I wrote that game reads only wav.
This is OST CD and released at 2007. Of course it is improved if you compare with 1998 default tracks which you hear when playing without my patch. I copied from OST only title music, and briefing room themes from there, and it doesn't got expansion musics, you can't see 4th track for every race. Others were extract from SCII HOTS update. Remastering is done at 2013.
If you all really want me to compress anyway, I'll do it, but not now. Now is a time to get drunk before Christmas passes :D.
EDIT:
No, I won't do it, because it is impossible to compress them without losing quality. Default old BW soundtracks use 22050 Hz that's why their size is less, but if you compress remastered tracks into this hertz they will sound really catastrophic bad! And also there is ADPCM which is modern of PCM codec by Microsoft which can compress well without lack of quality, but BW refuses to run this type of codec in game. So there is nothing you can do.
On December 21 2014 13:28 xboi209 wrote: Well StarCraft doesn't support stereo sound so you can cut the file size in half by converting the sounds to mono.
What are you talking about? I worked with every default wav file which I extracted and they were stereo in graph. And when I'm playing ingame with remastered tracks I hear exact same stereo quality which you can hear in winamp, foobar or etc. If you convert them to mono you know what will happen? Sound will turn into sh*t. That's true man.
On December 21 2014 13:03 flashimba wrote: You can compress the wav files to FLAC without quality loss.
By the way, I compared the wav files with http://us.blizzard.com/en-us/games/music/sc.html and could not tell a difference. However, I believe the CD would have the better quality music since it hasn't been through additional edits.
You mean to convert? FLAC is even bigger than wav, I guess. And I wrote that game reads only wav.
This is OST CD and released at 2007. Of course it is improved if you compare with 1998 default tracks which you hear when playing without my patch. I copied from OST only title music, and briefing room themes from there, and it doesn't got expansion musics, you can't see 4th track for every race. Others were extract from SCII HOTS update. Remastering is done at 2013.
If you all really want me to compress anyway, I'll do it, but not now. Now is a time to get drunk before Christmas passes :D.
EDIT:
No, I won't do it, because it is impossible to compress them without losing quality. Default old BW soundtracks use 22050 Hz that's why their size is less, but if you compress remastered tracks into this hertz they will sound really catastrophic bad! And also there is ADPCM which is modern of PCM codec by Microsoft which can compress well without lack of quality, but BW refuses to run this type of codec in game. So there is nothing you can do.
Just to correct you, FLAC is a lossless compression format, so of course the file size will be smaller. However, like you said, BW doesn't support it.
I don't get why people are complaining about the file sizes if they want a high quality remastered version....
If they really need to save 500MB do badly I guess compressing it to ~700kbps would still be fine right?
That's cool, though you could have converted them in .flac and be able to tag them with a much smaller file. But its ok we aren't gonna complain. sound's great. time to copy replace
On December 21 2014 13:28 xboi209 wrote: Well StarCraft doesn't support stereo sound so you can cut the file size in half by converting the sounds to mono.
That is not true, sc samples (voice fx etc...) are 32KHZ MONO files but even though, it doesn't prevent you from having stereo. since you can choose weather the sample is played on the left or right which is called a "pan". Even if you replace those native samples with quality audio cd sample (16bit 44100hz) it will still be played the same way. For instance Scan plays scbw with sc2 samples.
Usually old games before 2000, have low quality sample rate with the main purpose to have smaller file and save space.
As for the native tracks they are definitely compressed or else you would need more than one cd to install starcraft. This "remastered edition" i believe is nothing more than the same track with 44100hz stereo samples with probably effects added up to improve the mix. Now I am not an sound engineer but I am into sound programming.
for me using lossy source is a little painful. I know you spent a lot of times, but could you make remaster from lossless source? I checked what.cd and there is "Perfect CD copy" of OST sold at Blizzcon 2007, same what you can buy from https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/starcraft-original-game-soundtrack/id288872854 and probally same what was used for SC2.
for me using lossy source is a little painful. I know you spent a lot of times, but could you make remaster from lossless source? I checked what.cd and there is "Perfect CD copy" of OST sold at Blizzcon 2007, same what you can buy from https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/starcraft-original-game-soundtrack/id288872854 and probally same what was used for SC2.
-mca
I already used that OST CD to replace some tracks, briefing room themes and title music. I compared them with lossy source and there isn't any difference, I mean, really, seriously THERE ARE NOT any differences. Only some crazy audio gourmet with big ass headphones might see difference (i am semi gourmet too because prefer FLAC to 320kpbs MP3). I'm saying it not because I'm lazy or something, but I have my cautious and prudent reasons:
At first - I can't use every track, because this CD didn't have Expansion BroodWar soundtracks - which are Terran 4, Protoss 4, Zerg 4.
At second - Their duration time is different. Ending and starting are messed up with fade in, fade out effects. That messes the music! What I did is perfect durations to make them look like default music time. The lossy (which you say) SCII source got perfect duration.
And this CD's purpose is just to listen, so they cut so many seconds. How could I replace for example Title Music if it's fading out at ending? The Title Music should have infinite seamless loop. But I found solution by mixing and I did it, you got losless Title Screen music.
If you don't believe download SCII OST CD (maybe from torrent?) and compare with MY FINAL SOURCE.
You maybe think that it hurts you because you just checked out the first source ogg files which I extracted from SCII. You should check out MY FINAL SOURCE which I used in mpq's. There it is, for not extracting wav's from mpq:
And for GOD"S SAKE please stop complaining about size. Do you read description? It's not my fault, the game's engine made by Blizz.
Some admin guy gave a guide, maybe it can trick BW engine, and I can reduce size by 60%. But it can fail too.
UPD: And it failed.
PM to pheer: I got bad news for you.
I tried, and converted that wav first into 320kpbs MP3, then using prog into wav again, size reduced to 9MB and it played super well in media player. But after I put this modified wav into mpq, I heard only silence. You can lie to Windows, but can't lie into BroodWar...
Anyways, Thanx for all. PM me if you get any solution.
I only meant to compress it as flac for distributing the wav. Of course they do not work with the mpq files. However, some of us only want to have the higher quality tracks for listening. Hope you understand.
On December 22 2014 17:43 flashimba wrote: I only meant to compress it as flac for distributing the wav. Of course they do not work with the mpq files. However, some of us only want to have the higher quality tracks for listening. Hope you understand.
Thanks for the effort!
I'm not angry, I just want to make clear that for now BW doesn't read any compressed type of wav files. I just felt ridiculous and confused when xboi209 mentioned that BW can't read stereo so for this to convert them to mono to reduce size, lol.
As you see, flac can reduce the size about 40%. But how BW engine can read flac if even most of players at Windows and Android can't read it.
I gave the source files. You can manually convert them to flac with converter (or sound program) and run with foobar. Or you can buy (or download) original OST CD and listem to them, they're losless flac. But they don't have expansion tracks .
I don't know if I can post there pirate links or not. Don't ban me :/.
On December 22 2014 00:38 endy wrote: Patch works like a charm and it sounds awesome, especially after using the iccup version for all those years that comes without the music.
Yes, these files are a perfect replacement for the iccup stripped down version that doesn't have any music. It really does sound amazing, thank you for putting this together and doing the hard work of slicing the files so it plays smooth. Great christmas present
Thanks everyone for appreciating this patch. Hey, I'm sorry if I was mad and yelling to someone.
First at morning I was pissed off from my mom with her dumb tips for improving my life, she lives in another country and mails me occasionaly. Then my (wife's) grandma told me that I talk everyday and I said her to silence and never talk me again if she thinks like that. I know that I'm wrong and look like a bad heartless person, but sometimes I think that it will be better if grandma dies, lol (after climax moment, irritation and rage I realize that I'm deadly wrong and my thoughts are so childish). Then after while I was downloading smth in PC so to pass some time I started to play Clash of Clans in my tablet (you probably heard about it, it's really popular but I don't enjoy it so much). And there in chat everybody from Russia every minute write bullshit about Ukraine, so abusive comments. I accept that you can write about country, but you can't say that everyone who lives there is dumb. I wonder why there isn't Ukrainian global, while Turkish, Japanese, Korean, Chinese etc. exist. Then I wanted to go out for a drink and walk, and suddenly there's massive rain. Today my day just sucked might be because it's first day of week . Maybe that's why I was a little mad at comments. I need some anger management therapy or tour, or some drink because when I'm angry I start to see some flashings in my eyes and everything turns into dark. But you know, there are so many retards IRL (I'm not about ma or grandma, I love them!) because of them you can act really batshit crazy.
Oh, I realize that I wrote so much, tl;dr ;-)
Right now we're with pheer working at reducing the size of files. I achieved it, and soon download link will appear. The reduced size download is for multiplayer users, you can't play single player camps with it.
Hey, thanks for this outscar. Downloading the lossless 2007 CD version.
Is there a download link for the 2013 remastered version in flac? I'm kind of confused about what link is what... and because my internet is shitty it would make me sad to find out I downloaded 2GB for nothing when the correct link was just below.
Would love to listen to it while playing other games. Thanks again!
On December 23 2014 02:33 zeo wrote: Hey, thanks for this outscar. Downloading the lossless 2007 CD version.
Is there a download link for the 2013 remastered version in flac? I'm kind of confused about what link is what... and because my internet is shitty it would make me sad to find out I downloaded 2GB for nothing when the correct link was just below.
Would love to listen to it while playing other games. Thanks again!
2007 OST CD is lossless but doesn't contain some expansion musics. So if you think that you don't need expansion tracks (like first UED terran mision in snow, first zeratul and kerrigan mission) you can download official OST.
So I suggest you my source link for full soundtrack.
outscar, you're doing god's work here. The StarCraft soundtrack is amazing, and it's great to play with the higher quality music. I was hoping to get the "Single + multiplayer" mpq download, but it's no longer hosted. Any chance you could put it back up? Many thanks!
On September 30 2015 12:24 angryeyebrows17 wrote: outscar, you're doing god's work here. The StarCraft soundtrack is amazing, and it's great to play with the higher quality music. I was hoping to get the "Single + multiplayer" mpq download, but it's no longer hosted. Any chance you could put it back up? Many thanks!
This was actually my mistake, I let the domain expire. Download links are fixed!
Dropbox grumbling me that my free space is over so I hope it's downloadable (it works for me). Can pheer update the 2nd link because somehow I can't edit my OP. Thanks!
hey, sorry i am the last one that downloaded the HQ remastered sound file so i uploaded to my mega cloud drive and share this link to you all x) and Thanks for the efforts!