Set maximum Hz for better quality sounds Created 8 years ago2016-02-13 19:12:49 UTC by EsprimoP

In which part of the half life SDK can you set the maximum acceptable Hz? Default is 22050Hz. Xash3D engine has this already but you'll probably suggest to make my mod for Xash3D, please don't do that, I'd like to get the answer I'm looking for.

Arguably, you can even have a sound that is 44100kHz but the engine will convert the sampling rate. AKA it'll sound terrible probably.

Oh, how to get a result of a hd sound then? That is, allow 44100khz and play it without converting it?

What part of the code could it be?

You can't change it. It's engine-side.

8-bit 22k sounds fine provided you tweak the EQ, and have a strong signal to begin with. What sounds are you trying to work with?

I create 16-bit 22k and they are fine too. But I'm trying to add in even better though. Like in source engine.

I think you'd have to use another sound engine, like Sven Co-op does. It would take a lot of work.

On Gold Source, the sound will be "converted on the fly" but the result will be ackward.

Since you are using Xash3D, you might want to search for "sampling rate" in the sound part of the engine.

Otherwise as potatis_invalid mentioned, a custom audio engine will be required (in that case I recommend FMOD).

Why don't people just work within Goldsources limitations anymore? If they aren't satisfactory, move onto Source.

It's like all those mods that add dynamic lighting, physics and HD effects. Why try to make Source when Source was a thing 12 years ago...

Ugh.. I'm confused. Sorry I'm new to all of this. Well, I want to mod on Goldsrc instead.. well, because I want to , simple as that. What are the parts Goldsrc engine? What dlls? That is uncompiled from the SDK?

I think there are multiple reasons of why people stick to GoldSource and improve the engine like hell :

1) In ARRANGEMENT's case, Source wasn't even born yet (or made it's debut), tons of stuff were already made and we didn't wanted to waste years by doing all the porting work and scrapping all the code we already done.

2) For my personal project (Revenge of Love) which was born a few years ago, I've decided to stick with a heavily modified GoldSource instead of using a modern engine. Of course, I could have used Unreal Engine 3, Unity 4, CryENGINE 3 or even Source 2013. But I didn't wanted to waste years learning and mastering an engine that would quickly become obsolete especially when you have very few time for modding (see how many years Unreal Engine 3 lasted before Unreal Engine 4 was announced and first versions were published on the Epic Games Launcher). But that isn't the only reason : the purpose of Revenge of Love is to bring back what everyone liked in early FPS games like Quake/Unreal/Painkiller/Deus Ex and mix the good of modern elements (something close to what MachineGames have done with Wolfenstein The New Order, Wolfenstein The Old Blood and soon id Software's DOOM). And using an engine that everyone would consider "outdated", "old", or even "dead" helps reinforce the "oldschool" feeling of the game.

3) Don't get me wrong, most of the modern engines (Unity, CryENGINE, Unreal Engine...) are great and awesome. I enjoyed making an unfinished SCP-087-B like game in Unity 5, I enjoyed making maps in UT99/UT2004 (UE 2/2.5) and mutators for KF2 (UE3). I enjoyed making maps for Zombie Panic! Source (Source 2007). But my favorite engine is still GoldSource. I don't care about the limits, it's age, and anything that someone would find it wrong with it. People are still making HD remakes of Wolfenstein 3D in 2015/2016 (either by using a new engine or upgrading like hell the original one).

thread can be closed now

Keep it up. Sheppard is 100% right in all he have said. Stick with goldsource, there are tutorials on how to use FMOD and also 22050 Hz is still a good bitrate for a sound...

Why don't people just work within Goldsources limitations anymore? If they aren't satisfactory, move onto Source. tongue -

It's like all those mods that add dynamic lighting, physics and HD effects. Why try to make Source when Source was a thing 12 years ago...

I wouldn't say they try to make Source, at least it doesn't look like Source. Source can't come down to a simple improvement of Goldsource. There are a lot of other differences and for some reasons I really can't take the Source aspect, yet I enjoy the improved Goldsource one like the one in Cry of Fear or Paranoia 2 (even though the mapping of PS is sometimes boring). So I'm totally in favor of improving Goldsource. Furthermore, an improved Goldsource means that the gameplay and modding techniques will remain the same, and won't be like Source.

And just to make sure I completely disagree with you ( ) , if I were to move to a more powerful engine, I don't see why I'd choose Source (apart from the fact it's made by Valve). I'd rather choose UDK.

I´ve heard that there are very crazy things in its code that make very difficult to make a Mod. :/

I´ve heard that there are very crazy things in its code that make very difficult to make a Mod. :/

PARANOIA 2 ?

Ok, ok, I know that there are source mods out there, I have only heard that!!
Anyway, I think that GS mods are far much more than Source mods, but I must check the numbers to be 100% sure.

Edit: you're right, what you hear's not always the best info!. 691 GS mods vs 960 Source mods ( moddb, 15-2_2016 ).

Most of FMOD tutorials are outdated, but the API is very simple to learn and use.

i cant imagine all goldsourcemods beeing on moddb though, since many of them are older than the website and the internet was a bit different at that time as well.

Yes, Alles, you´re right, but as a base for comparisons it´s a good start

FMOD's documentation illustrations scare me...use WWISE. That being said. 22K or bust, motherfuckers!

...and 11025, too....yeah.

I am not a fan a WWise, you have to package every sound you use (goodbye swapping file, welcome to their 220 Mb SDK just to swap files within packages).

Their free licensing model limit you to 2000 sounds (unless it changed).

I don't like their tools at all, they're more designed for people who spent their lives on audio engineering rather than programmers.

FMOD was indeed a good idea. Still having those... how do you call them. Kind of sounds like you're scratching your speakers. But making them 8-bit and 44k isn't any different than 4kk 16bit or greater.

Scratching speakers? It's your signal strength. 8-bit, the noise floor is higher and you can get nasty little scratchy artifacts. Either that, or you're clipping. I slam my sounds past clipping point with a huge gain boost, and attenuate until it sounds right. Then, when it comes time to convert to 22K 8-bit, they sound clear and nice. Of course, your sounds should start out at the highest fidelity for the best results. As the saying goes, Shit in, shit out. Recording at the proper levels in the first place is key. I start out at 96K, 24-bit, and make sure to get the strongest signal I can, while maintaining the most headroom. Converting stereo sounds to mono should be okay if you have the phase inverted on one channel, otherwise, you're going to have a bad day. Most cheap field recorders will have that function built in.

But yeah, the condensed version:

A sound can only be as good as its source. You're never going to get next-gen AAA quality with 8-bit 22K, but you can at least do a decent job if you know the tricks.

It was actually because of env_sound. When you get close to a tunnel-like env_sound it makes the sounds do that. It's kind of similar to Xash3D engine. But considering making the sound 16-bit.

Ah, I see. It's a reverb impulse that is hard-coded.