Q)  Can you add this sound from that game?

A)  I will if it's possible!  Newer game media make it very difficult to rip or record sound effects (see below for details on how sounds are obtained), so unfortunately this site will probably never be complete, but it's the best I can do.  I haven't even played Link's Awakening, Four Swords Adventures, or Phantom Hourglass yet, and pre-assessing which sounds are available for ripping is the first step in the long process.

If you'd like sounds from Link's Awakening or the Oracle games, please tell me specifically where to find them or send me a VisualBoyAdvance save state.  Recording from DS games is impossible for me at this time.

As I'll describe further into the FAQ, I can only record sounds from Majora's Mask, Twilight Princess, and any sounds from The Wind Waker that are composed of multiple notes (rupees, menu jingles, the "Secret Discovery" sound, etc.), by finding areas in the games where those sounds are accessible without any background music or noises.  You can help me out by letting me know of any silent locations that you can find!

Q)  Why don't you have Zelda music as well?

A)  There are plenty of other places to get Zelda music. Lots of website have entire soundtracks in MP3 format. One of the most popular is Galbadia Hotel, and most Torrent sites will have some as well. For MIDI renditions, try Video Game Music Archive, and for actual game rips, try Zophar's Domain.

Q)  Is it legal to download these sounds?

A)  Not really.  While I encourage the use of these sounds for whatever creative purposes you can think of, I don't encourage actually downloading them.  And if the site happens to drop off the face of the web one day, be understanding as you mourn.

Q)  I heard these sounds contain viruses. WTF?

A)  WTF, indeed. Naturally I'm going to say that they don't, but I'll say more than that.

There have been several "virus" complaints lately, but the first one came over 2½ years into this site's existance, and several weeks after the most recent update at the time.  So far, none of them have given me any details as to what the supposed virus is, or how they found out about it.  I recently scanned all the sounds and my entire hard drive with both NOD32 antivirus system and Avira AntiVir, and all scans were negative.

Every sound on this site has been saved with a registered copy of Goldwave, and then they are untouched before uploading (other than being moved from the "temporary" to "ready" folders, and the occasional renaming of a file).  They are also tested first, and typical sound players or editors won't even recognise .wav files that contain anything except for normal wave data.  I don't even know how to create viruses or purposely infect files, nor do I have any intention of harming other people's systems.

Any virus claims are most likely the result of a virus being picked up somewhere else on the internet and incidentally infecting my sound files, or a troll's attempt to scare away visitors to the site.  I'll still acknowledge any virus claims you have, but I would prefer that you contact me through e-mail, rather than the Shoutbox, and that you provide as much detail as you can.

Q)  Why do some games have sounds with various bitrates?

A)  Because the sounds in those games vary in quality.  After ripping or recording each sound, I resample them to the smallest standard sample rate before they suffer any noticeable loss in quality, in order to keep the file sizes as small as possible.  Depending on the purpose, you may even want to edit them yourselves using software such as Goldwave.  For example, a 16-bit, 32 kHz sample sounds good, but for a Gameboy-styled fan-game, it would sound more fitting as an 8-bit, 22.05 kHz sample.

Q)  So, how do you rip these sounds?

A)  It's a process that took a lot of experimenting, and varies by the system each game is for.  Emulators are the key.

For NES, Gameboy, and Gameboy Advance, I use emulators (VirtuaNES and VisualBoyAdvance) that allow me to turn off certain sound channels, leaving only the waveforms used in the sound effects that you hear.  Then I use the wave-logging feature to record the gameplay.  Save-states also help to record a sound several times, since waveform sounds aren't always perfect.  After that, I open the recordings in an editor and cut the sounds to the right length.  These sounds are typically best at 22.05 kHz.

For SNES games, I haven't found an emulator with a working wave-logger, so I actually start a blank sound in the editor, hit record, and play the game as the sound is recorded.  My settings for the best results are to use ZSNES for Windows, with a sample rate of 48 kHz and cubic spline interpolation, then record a new 32 kHz sound with Goldwave.  Once recorded, try resampling to 22.05 kHz, since some sounds can be reduced without losing quality.

SNES and GBA games often use pre-recorded samples as well.  For SNES games, these can easily be ripped using a program called Snessor.  For GBA games, try loading the ROM directly into the sound editor; with the right settings you may be able to find the sound bank and cut them straight out of there.  The correct settings differ for each GBA game but the sample rate is usually 12 to 16 kHz.

The process for ripping from N64 games has evolved as I experimented and found new techniques.  The first step is to try programs such as SRip or Sound Lib Extractor, which rip samples from some, but not all N64 ROMs.  It doesn't work for Zelda games because they have specially encoded sounds.  So the next step is to try to find locations in the game with no background music and minimal noise or echo, then use Project64's wave-logger.  It may help to use some GameShark codes to try reaching areas or performing actions that are normally impossible.  Luckily, Ocarina of Time has a GameShark code to remove most music, as well as an online guide to "Actor hacking", which lets you replace objects or characters with other ones.  Both of these tricks were a great help.

I later found a Debug version of Ocarina of Time: Master Quest (don't ask for it) which contains a hidden sound test.  Finally, all the samples could be recorded with no background noise or quality loss.  Unfortunately the sound test is a bit unstable and contains thousands of unlabeled samples in no particular order, so sorting through them has been ardurous but worth the effort.

For Majora's Mask, I discovered a Demo ROM (again, don't ask for it) which has no music when you first start in Clock Town.  Combining this with Actor hacking, I was able to get some voices and other clear samples.  However the ROM does not contain the complete game, so I did some GameShark hacking and figured out the no-music code for Majora's Mask, allowing me to continue the process with the regular ROM.

Another technique I like to use for recording from N64 games when I can't remove the music or noise, is to make a save-state shortly before a desired sound plays.  Then I reload and start recording from exactly where the save-state begins, allowing that sound to be recorded.  Then I do this again, but only letting the music and background sounds play.  If done correctly, I can invert the sound waves of the latter and mix them into the former, effectively "un-mixing" the music and noise, and leaving only the sound I wanted to record.  This trick also sometimes works when two sounds play simultaneously, and I want to remove one of them.

For GameCube and Wii games, I don't have the support of emulators or GameShark codes, so I need to rely solely on finding silent locations, then plug the console's sound cables into my computer's media bay.  This results in fine sound quality but a limited selection of sounds.

Q)  Can I still make requests?

A)  Sure, as long as you keep all the above in mind.  In other words, I may or may not be able to fulfill it.

If you make requests via the ShoutBox, please make sure to not include any game spoilers.  I don't care how old the game is, some people haven't yet played or finished them yet!

Q)  Why are there so few updates these days?

A)  The sections for NES, SNES, and heldheld games are basically complete.  For Ocarina of Time, the remaining sounds either can't be ripped because they loop in unconventional ways, or they have not been identified yet. For Majora's Mask, I can only record sounds as I find them in silent places using GameShark, like the old OOT process.

I have already recorded as many Wind Waker sounds as possible.  However, thanks to some visitors to the site, I've obtained genuine game rips of many sounds from The Wind Waker and Super Smash Bros. Melee.  These sounds will be gradually added as I sort through them.  Unfortunately, there are so many sounds that are so difficult to identify, that usually the only way I can work on them is to dismantle my PC and set it up on a different floor, connected to the Wii, so I can compare and sort them.  My housing situation is not ideal for this process, so I rarely get to do it.

And sometimes I just feel like taking time off from this site. You'd understand.

Q)  Do you mind if I use some sounds for my project?

A)  Go right ahead, you don't even need to ask.  Though feel free to tip me off if you make something cool with them, and please give credit where it's due.

Q)  Are you making a fan-game?

A)  Yes, but it's on indefinite hiatus.

The Legend of Zelda: Two Swords, created with Game Maker 5.3, is a 2-player, split-screen battle game with a unique twist inspired by the Wibbles games of old.  Each player can select one of six colours of Link, each with their own special powers, and collect a chain of fairy followers that they must protect as they battle across the landscape using many traditional Zelda abilities.

The game has a highly-detailed, customised engine as well as original music and visual effects, and was to feature four playable terrains.  The Beta demo, released in 2006, is fully playable but only contains one of the levels.  Due to a lack of feedback and interest (people these days want their multiplayer games to be online with stats and achievements and such) and my increasingly-busy schedule, the game hasn't been touched since then.

Check out the Zelda: Two Swords page with more info and the Beta demo available for download.  With enough useful feedback, I may find renewed interest in completing it.

Q)  You are awesome. How can we get in touch?

A)  My e-mail address is listed on the main page.  I sometimes use Windows Live Messenger but my address for that is private - if you really want it, just ask.

I will give out my Wii console code if you ask via e-mail, as long as you provide your own as well, and intend to keep in touch (at least on occasion) through Wii messaging. I currently have no Wi-Fi games, sorry.

Q)  What's this I hear about a contest?

A)  Do you have a website, and want a permanent banner link to it on this site?  Then just find the hidden message somewhere on this site and follow its directions!

Yes, it will be difficult to find.  And yes, it may involve poking through the page sources.

If you find the message but don't have your own website, feel free to contact me and arrange a consolation prize.