No One Lives Forever 2 & Contract J.A.C.K.
Ultimate lossless in-game soundtrack

Accurately assembled with Audacity (no dithering)
from SOUND.REZ in game-directory and encoded with
the lossless audio codec TAK. By Reino Wijnsma.



[INFO]
I've extracted all the music files from the game (each � 5 seconds long) and used Audacity, a free and
open-source audio editor, to assemble the music files with sample-precision, into full-length stage music.
The numbers in the filename and track title indicate the number of iterations.
I've then compressed all tracks with the lossless audio codec TAK, which results in a nice average bitrate
of 580Kbps. This way the audio quality is preserved and you can enjoy the soundtrack as if you were playing
the game itself.
For information on the TAK audio codec, visit: TAK - Hydrogenaudio Knowledgebase (http://wiki.hydrogenaudio.org/index.php?title=TAK).
Also included; real-time video recordings of 4 stages in Audacity, which I've also uploaded to Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y3aKcQ0HK4):

[CREDITS]
N.O.L.F.2 Theme and Game Score: Nathan Grigg
Cut Scene Scores: Nathan Grigg and Guy Whitmore
Andrea Wittgens: Vocals (NOLF2 theme)
Nathan Grigg: Vocals (NOLF2 theme, India, Island)
Jack Klitzman: Saxophone (NOLF2 theme, India)
Vincent Gates: Guitar (NOLF2 theme)
Lori Goldston: Cello (H.A.R.M. motif-arranged by Guy Whitmore)
Guy Whitmore: Arrangement of H.A.R.M. motif
Recording Engineers: Jay Kenney, Vincent Gates, and Nathan Grigg

[CONTENT]

folder.png India_Combat-1.tak Khios_Explore-1.tak
Opening_Credits.tak India_Combat-2.tak Khios_Explore-2.tak
Japan_Explore-1.tak India-1.tak Khios_Warning-1.tak
Japan_Explore-2.tak India-1�.tak Khios_Warning-2.tak
Japan_Warning-1.tak India-1�.tak Khios_Combat-1.tak
Japan_Warning-2.tak India-1�,1,1.tak Khios_Combat-2.tak
Japan_Combat-1.tak Underwater_Explore-1.tak Khios-1.tak
Japan_Combat-2.tak Underwater_Explore-2.tak Khios-1�.tak
Ohio_Explore-1.tak Underwater_Warning-1.tak Khios-1�,1,1.tak
Ohio_Explore-2.tak Underwater_Warning-2.tak End_Credits.tak
Japan-1.tak Underwater_Combat-1.tak Title screen.tak
Ohio-1.tak Underwater_Combat-2.tak Italy_Explore-1.tak
Japan-1�.tak Antarctica_Explore-1.tak Italy_Explore-2.tak
Ohio-1�.tak Antarctica_Explore-2.tak Italy_Combat-1.tak
Japan-1�,1,1.tak Underwater-1.tak Italy_Combat-2.tak
Ohio_1�,1,1.tak Antarctica-1.tak Italy-1.tak
Siberia_Explore-1.tak Underwater-1�.tak Italy-1�.tak
Siberia_Explore-2.tak Antarctica-1�.tak Italy-1�-1.tak
Siberia_Warning-1.tak Underwater-1�,1,1.tak Moon_Explore-1.tak
Siberia_Warning-2.tak Antarctica-1�,1,1.tak Moon_Explore-2.tak
Siberia_Combat-1.tak UNITY_Explore-1.tak Moon-1.tak
Siberia_Combat-2.tak UNITY_Explore-2.tak Moon-1�.tak
Siberia-1.tak UNITY_Warning-1.tak Moon-1�,1,1.tak
Siberia-1�.tak UNITY_Warning-2.tak playlist_long.m3u
Siberia-1�,1,1.tak UNITY_Combat-1.tak playlist.m3u
India_Explore-1.tak UNITY_Combat-2.tak Underwater-1_video.mkv
India_Explore-2.tak UNITY-1.tak Siberia-1�,1,1_video.mkv
India_Warning-1.tak UNITY-1�.tak Khios-1�,1,1_video.mkv
India_Warning-2.tak UNITY-1�,1,1.tak Italy-1�-1_video.mkv

[DOWNLOAD-LINK]
http://www.mediafire.com/?3z49cpiq27l3m (http://www.mediafire.com/?3z49cpiq27l3m) (6 7zip-archives, 886MB in total)

Thanks.

Thanks so much for NOLF2, love the music in that game! Tbh, I just started playing it again! :D

This is simply brilliant, thanks a lot for this one!

Excellent, thanks.

By the way, how do you convert TAK files? Is there any good converter (dBpoweramp doesn't work...) for it?

I've extracted all the music files from the game (each � 5 seconds long) and used Audacity, a free and
open-source audio editor, to assemble the music files with sample-precision, into full-length stage music.
What format were those segments in? Because I dealt with Contract J.A.C.K. some time ago and they were 64 kbps MP3s. Your effort assembling them into complete tracks can be appreciated but encoding music that originates from audio samples of such quality losslessly is weird to say the least.

@ NCFirebolt21:
If you'd like to use binaries you can just download TAK_2.2.0 Final (http://thbeck.de/Download/TAK_2.2.0.zip) and open a command prompt (cmd.exe):

Takc.exe -d "[path-to-your-takfile]\takfile.tak" - | lame.exe --preset medium - "[path]\output.mp3"
or
Takc.exe -d "[path-to-your-takfile]\takfile.tak" - | oggenc2.exe -q5 - -o "[path]\output.ogg"
etc.
Or you can use these binaries in Foobar2000 (http://www.foobar2000.org/) for a more automated process.
You can also use Tak.exe (a GUI within TAK_2.2.0.zip) to decode to wav, after which you can use your favorite converter (as WAV is always accepted after all).
And I'm pretty sure there's more software out there that can convert TAK to something else.

@ JBTND:
The main stage-directory (in SOUND.REZ) contains the high-quality segments (MP3 44100Hz stereo 128kbps) and a sub-directory of that called "LOW" contains the low-quality segments (MP3 22050Hz stereo 64kbps). Obviously I used the high-quality segments in Audacity.
Yes, too bad they're actually mp3, although their wav-extension may suggest otherwise. I would've preferred to work with lossless audio material, but it's all there is. All the efforts I've seen on the internet this far are encoded in mp3, so yet another lossy audio conversion (quality loss). I believe this is the first lossless release so far.

The main stage-directory (in SOUND.REZ) contains the high-quality segments (MP3 44100Hz stereo 128kbps) and a sub-directory of that called "LOW" contains the low-quality segments (MP3 22050Hz stereo ). Obviously I used the high-quality segments in Audacity.
Do you mean that for each 64 kbps segment you managed to find its higher quality encoded counterpart? Because if that`s what you mean to say then it`s quite strange to store music like that. Maybe segments of tracks used on some specific stages were in 64 kbps MP3 and segments used on all the remaining stages were in 128? If this guess of mine is true then I can explain my 1st message like that bigger part of music (I mean more those segments and samples rather than music) was in 64 kbps and lesser part was in 128 kbps, therefore I have successfully forgotten by now that there were some segments other than 64 kbps ones.

In-game you can choose between Music Quality "High" and "Low", hence EVERY stage-directory in SOUND.REZ has the 128Kbps mp3s and the 64Kbps mp3s in the "LOW" sub-directory. I've only used the 128Kbps mp3s.

Files not exists...maybe is because I'm too late...

BTW, is it possible to re-sample the NOLF1 in-game soundtrack? That will be awesome.

Files do still exist and you can download them no problem.

Of course it is, but why would you want to resample something like that?

Well, I think the first NOLF has the best in-game music, unfortunately, the only thing we got are those 22050Hz mp3s(rip)...I really wish somebody can do an high quality rip for the in-game music. If my memory is correct, both NOLF games are using the same music file system, just wondering if you can do this...:D

Again, great great thanks for the lossless soundtrack!

Search a bit harder. There are better rips available.

I've had a look at the music of NOLF1, which are dls-files. Unfortunately you can only open them with Microsoft DirectMusic Producer, which, as far as I could tell, doesn't have an export function. I don't fully understand how the program works either, so I can't help you.

is there a way to also rip Blood2 and Kiss Psycho Circus soundtrack? how do you rip those audio files?

also is there a way to convert those files to mp3 somehow? they are in winamp playable but how to convert to mp3?

The same goes for these 2 games. Dls-files, which can only be opened with DirectMusic Producer.


also is there a way to convert those files to mp3 somehow? they are in winamp playable but how to convert to mp3?
I take it you're not talking about the dls-files, but the tak-files of the NOLF2 soundtrack. For audio conversions see post #8
Doesn't WinAMP have a built-in converter?

Omg... I remember I did the same things years ago, actually... But I never went as far as you did...
I remember I extracted only a few tracks and I mixed them together like you did.
How come I didn't find that page before?

You did an INCREDIBLE job. :)

I hardly ever visit this website, but thanks to email notification I saw your post.
Thank you! I hope you like it.

In the meantime (late 2013, begin 2014) I've turned this 'project' into an AviSynth-project, but I'm not completely finished yet (lack of time, other things).
I've uploaded a test-sample for you to play with. You can find it by clicking on the same download-link in my first post.

AviSynth relies on a script system, unlike Audacity with its large intermediate audiofiles. So, as you can see in the 7z-archive, all you need is the original soundtrack files (in the map 'INDIA') and 1 avs-file, which you can open with notepad to edit AND open with Media Player Classic - Home Cinema (http://mpc-hc.org/) to play.
Download AviSynth (http://avisynth.nl/index.php/Main_Page) and make sure you extract BassAudio.dll and bass.dll from the 7z-archive to AviSynth's plugin-map in order to play avs-files with MPC-HC.
Open INDIA.avs with notepad and scroll all the way down. The line where you see ConvertAudioTo16bit(INDC)) is the most important one. In this case, with INDC being assigned, the India-1�-1-1 audiomix will be played, which is defined a couple of lines higher.
If you want to play the India-1 audiomix, simply change ConvertAudioTo16bit(INDC)) to ConvertAudioTo16bit(INDA)) AND save the file. You can enter any identifier you like, like IED (India_Explore-2). The possiblities are endless. Have fun.

When I've finished all scripts (for all soundtracks), I'll update this thread again.

This is excellent. It's a perfect rip? Did you ever think of doing NOLF1 too?


I looked at nolf1 previously but it only had dls and sgt files which nothing could play outside Directmusic Composer, but I couldn't do anything useful with that wretched program like properly play the segment, much less convert it to wav.


In-game you can choose between Music Quality "High" and "Low", hence EVERY stage-directory in SOUND.REZ has the 128Kbps mp3s and the 64Kbps mp3s in the "LOW" sub-directory. I've only used the 128Kbps mp3s.

You meant wav right?. I have the nolf files ripped and there are only wav-s and sgt-s. (I don't know what the sgt-s add...)


Well, I think the first NOLF has the best in-game music, unfortunately, the only thing we got are those 22050Hz mp3s(rip)...I really wish somebody can do an high quality rip for the in-game music. If my memory is correct, both NOLF games are using the same music file system, just wondering if you can do this...:D

Again, great great thanks for the lossless soundtrack!
I agree a hundred percent. The first game's score was awesome. A fair bit better than the sequel's, which was folky and didn't quite provide such a good atmosphere.
The problem with the rip available is not the 22500Hz, but that it's 64kbps mp3 an old encode at that, which sucks. Also at least as bad that the audio is not faithfully ripped. Some instruments are replaced with others and the outcome is weird. It also lacks the proper acoustics of the in game music.

I wish there was an excellent rip like this for NOLF1...

I looked at nolf1 previously but it only had dls and sgt files which nothing could play outside Directmusic Composer, but I couldn't do anything useful with that wretched program like properly play the segment, much less convert it to wav.Neither could I, sadly.


You meant wav right?. I have the nolf files ripped and there are only wav-s and sgt-s.

The main stage-directory (in SOUND.REZ) contains the high-quality segments (MP3 44100Hz stereo 128kbps). [...] Yes, too bad they're actually mp3, although their wav-extension may suggest otherwise.

The main stage-directory (in SOUND.REZ) contains the high-quality segments (MP3 44100Hz stereo 128kbps). [...] Yes, too bad they're actually mp3, although their wav-extension may suggest otherwise.
I see. I missed that. I was almost about to ask why not just join them, but I see now it needs editing because of silences at the end of the audio files at least.