Ripping PS2 music: now I’m REALLY lost.

Ever since I have discovered the perfect way to extract PS1 audio (IMGburn + jPSXdec), I have been wondering on how to do the same with my PS2 games. I KNOW that there is a way to rip games like Ratchet & Clank and Jak & Daxter. It has been done already. Naysayers need to understand that as a fact.

Now, since I already know there is a way, the only question is

have you tried vgmtoolbox?

If you want to extract files from ps2 games use Apache2. It will help in most cases. Also VGMToolbox works fine for that purposes. Dunno about Ratchet & Clank ripping process (you’d better ask !!!!! about that) but in most cases you can use either CubeMediaPlayer or VGMStream plugin for winamp to convert or play audio files.

A reminder: if you teach me how to rip PS2 music, I will provide you with soundtracks to Beyond Good & Evil, Ratchet & Clank 2, Jak II, Sly 2, and many more.

Isn’t Cube Media Player 2 v2.05.0117 helpful?

Isn’t Cube Media Player 2 v2.05.0117 helpful?

Does it run on Windows 8? Can it extract music from R&C2?

The PS2 had a more diversified library of runtimes and engines than the PS1, so you will have to deal with audio containers and codecs on a per-case basis. And despite what some people here might say there’s no point to distribute rips in FLAC, as 256kb M4A/AAC will be more than sufficient to transcode the already lossy audio found in 99.99% of PS2 games.

Does it run on Windows 8? Can it extract music from R&C2?

I used that on W7 x64 for Art of Fighting Anthology. Beyond that, got no clue.

I know the ratchet and clank games’ files are in sets of .img archives. I cannot say if a generic .img reader can read them, but try it. then extract what you can, and google ADPCM player. It’s quite a good media player for PS2 audio formats, such as .vag, .vpk etc. If I remember correctly, Ratchet .vags are in mono single channel, one for left channel, one for right channel. Using, ADPCM Player, convert to .wav, import audio into Audacity to combine to a stereo 2 channel .wav and export to taste.

The PS2 had a more diversified library of runtimes and engines than the PS1, so you will have to deal with audio containers and codecs on a per-case basis. And despite what some people here might say there’s no point to distribute rips in FLAC, as 256kb M4A/AAC will be more than sufficient to transcode the already lossy audio found in 99.99% of PS2 games.

You do realize that compressing something already compressed will make it sound worse, right?

You do realize that compressing something already compressed will make it sound worse, right?

Sure, but not by a noticeable margin. The thing with audio compression is that it’s very subjective.

You do realize that compressing something already compressed will make it sound worse, right?

quite questionable

The PS2 had a more diversified library of runtimes and engines than the PS1, so you will have to deal with audio containers and codecs on a per-case basis. And despite what some people here might say there’s no point to distribute rips in FLAC, as 256kb M4A/AAC will be more than sufficient to transcode the already lossy audio found in 99.99% of PS2 games.

Actually,there is a point to distribute to FLAC. I know that 99% of A LOT of games (not just PS2) are lossly. But if you convert them to a lossy format, your just recompressing them. When you convert them to FLAC, it preserves the quality.

You can do it man.

Actually,there is a point to distribute to FLAC. I know that 99% of A LOT of games (not just PS2) are lossly. But if you convert them to a lossy format, your just recompressing them. When you convert them to FLAC, it preserves the quality.

Thank you for being smart. Smart people are awesome. You are awesome.

Actually,there is a point to distribute to FLAC. I know that 99% of A LOT of games (not just PS2) are lossly. But if you convert them to a lossy format, your just recompressing them. When you convert them to FLAC, it preserves the quality.

IMHO. it sounds like an idiotism to me. Why should I waste my HDD free space on the dummy space in files? More than that I highly doubt people will hear difference in files converted (just as an example) from ADX ~120kbps to AAC 256kbps with their ears (unless they are true audiophiles, which I accept, can happen but chances are very low). If you want to preserve quality – use the original files, do not transcode them into anything. I guess I share many rippers’ attitude towards it.
Peace.

^ Completely true, files are lossy/lossy as hell sometimes, why would I convert them to flac – to preserve the lossiness? Waste hdd space? Hell no.
The best you can do is convert to ogg q10 (~500 kbps) – fucking nobody will hear the difference.
Same with mp3 v0 if you do the more common route

And yeah, in the end you don’t really have to convert it at all… vgmstream foobar/winamp plugin etc.

so you just want to understand how these games were ripped, rather than getting the files themselves?

and while flac does preserve the quality whatever the native format was, it’s kinda silly to do that. (5-10mb for something that sounded 192mp3 or less in the first place?) nobody can tell the difference from 320mp3 and flac anyway.
as Ares13 said, the best way to preserve the quality is to simply not convert to anything at all.

you don’t really have to convert it at all… vgmstream foobar/winamp plugin etc.

:this: I would much rather have the original files and play them back through a media player that can play them.
Foobar is my poison.

You’re all assuming they can be ripped in their native format, or that that format can be played. PSF2 aside, I haven’t heard of anything usable

You ARE all aware of this right?
Index of / (http://psf2.joshw.info/)

so you just want to understand how these games were ripped, rather than getting the files themselves?

and while flac does preserve the quality whatever the native format was, it’s kinda silly to do that. (5-10mb for something that sounded 192mp3 or less in the first place?) nobody can tell the difference from 320mp3 and flac anyway.
as Ares13 said, the best way to preserve the quality is to simply not convert to anything at all.

>nobody
I didn’t know I am a nobody >:(

IMHO. it sounds like an idiotism to me. Why should I waste my HDD free space on the dummy space in files? More than that I highly doubt people will hear difference in files converted (just as an example) from ADX ~120kbps to AAC 256kbps with their ears (unless they are true audiophiles, which I accept, can happen but chances are very low). If you want to preserve quality – use the original files, do not transcode them into anything. I guess I share many rippers’ attitude towards it.
Peace.

^ Completely true, files are lossy/lossy as hell sometimes, why would I convert them to flac – to preserve the lossiness? Waste hdd space? Hell no.
The best you can do is convert to ogg q10 (~500 kbps) – fucking nobody will hear the difference.
Same with mp3 v0 if you do the more common route

And yeah, in the end you don’t really have to convert it at all… vgmstream foobar/winamp plugin etc.

and while flac does preserve the quality whatever the native format was, it’s kinda silly to do that. (5-10mb for something that sounded 192mp3 or less in the first place?) nobody can tell the difference from 320mp3 and flac anyway.
as Ares13 said, the best way to preserve the quality is to simply not convert to anything at all.

I do keep all the original files, but not every single file type can be played in all players, even with plug-ins. Which is why I convert to flac in the first place.

For example, Whenever I ripped the music from The Haunted Mansion for PS2, the files had the extension of ".SVG". I could not find anything on that file while researching (Except for the image format, but that doesnt help when its for audio :P). So I tried every single possible plug-in and player. None of them would play the files. Not even Winamp, foobar, or anything that accepts VGM plugins like vgmstream. The only thing that worked was to spend HOURS figuring out the right interleave and hex values for the files, and converting them with MFAudio (which BTW, the only option for converting music from MFAudio is to convert to WAV!) So while not converting the files is indeed the best way to preserve the quality, its not always the best way to listen to the files.

And far as people saying you cant hear a difference, or that nobody can hear a difference, well I can! Not only does audio compression make a difference in sound quality, but also the hardware. If your using shitty speakers or headphones, then yes, you wont tell a fucking difference. But, if you’re like me and have invested a couple hundred dollars in quality stereo speakers, they yeah you can tell a difference. It also helps when you’ve worked with audio your whole life…

Now I will agree that it is hard to tell a difference between lossless and 320kbps mp3, but I CAN tell a slight difference sometimes.

For lossy VGM, I find it better to convert to FLAC. Sure it will still sound compressed, but there is no point to recompress something that is already compressed. Especially if the music is HIGHLY compress (Like most older VGM is). I know there are quite a few PS1 games, where the original files are equivalent to 128mp3 and at 32,000 or 36,000 khz, so recompressing is not going to do that music any good now is it?

I’m not saying we need to institute a TOS #8 here, but some ABX test results would go a long way toward ending this argument. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence – more than "if you’re like me and have invested a couple hundred dollars in quality stereo speakers, they yeah you can tell a difference. It also helps when you’ve worked with audio your whole life…" Remember that sighted tests are not valid tests.

It helps if you:

Have a good system
Listen to only lossless to get your ears used to the clarity (hopefully)
Listen for some time (weeks, months, years, who knows)
Use music that uses the full range (i.e. piano may not be the best choice)
Listen to something you are very familiar with (favorite song/album)
Actually focus on the music while listening
Focus on highs or lows, which are usually cut in lower bitrates
Sometimes you can tell that a lossless copy sounds more "open," like the sound stage is less compressed; this probably only happens with stuff under 192

Don’t:
Try lossless for 10 minutes on $10 headphones and say you can’t hear the difference

Certainly 192 kbps is in the range where old encoders weren’t always transparent. It can be much more difficult with modern ones and even moreso with higher rates. People routinely suggest that they can tell the difference between 320/V0 and, while not impossible, is highly unlikely in the vast majority of cases. Yes, killer samples exist, but they are few and far between.

320 and V0? I doubt it. Very very rare. Though V0 does tend to cut into the 220-260-ish range, from my personal experience, so you could be potentially losing alot there. Then again, I’ve got lossless tracks that vbr at around 1300, so the question is just how much of that is lopped off in the 320, or is it mostly silence?

You ARE all aware of this right?

Might not be the best idea to post that link, sites like these have been closed in the past due to downloading abuse.

320 and V0? I doubt it. Very very rare.
Sorry, I meant to say they suggest they can tell the difference between 320/V0 and lossless, although people do sometimes say they can tell the difference between those two.

Lossless tracks that go up to 1300 kbps are most likely either 24 bit and/or higher sampling rate or they’re extremely loud and constantly require preserving all 16 bits. In either case, MP3 should be able to handle it transparently at high bitrates. Of course people who think they can hear above 20 kHz or that those frequencies affect the perception of lower ones (they don’t) won’t be happy about that lowpass filter. But ABX tests virtually invariably expose the placebo effect when you can’t see which is which.

Some can, most can’t. Depends on the song, and a number of other variables. Can I hear the difference? Yeah. On every song? Highly doubt it. Though I’ve used Audacity’s Generator to see how high I can actually hear, as far as KHz go. Though knowing my luck, your speakers don’t actually put out a signal that high anyway.

If anyone figured out a way to extract PS2 music, please share the wisdom.

I’ll keep bumping this once in a while.

If anyone figured out a way to extract PS2 music, please share the wisdom.

I’ll keep bumping this once in a while.
there are a whole bunch of ways of doing this, so there won’t be one single answer. some games have the music in a folder, and all you do is copy that to your local drive and you’re done. others you have to hack/use hex editors/decrypt, etc to find the music.

AFAIK, it depends mostly on which game you need to rip.

When I have a pair of audio technica 900x and only a good fiio x3 amp and I hear a great difference between 128, 192, 320, and flac (somewhat). I know this is a subject on personal reference but it’s there 128 seems squashed in on some tracks 192 sounds better and revealing 320 U will know the difference on separation quality over all. flac even thought it might be at times hard to tell at times is awesome I mean listening to legend of dragoon I hear everything as meant to be heard. Now unless it was a missed up recording from the beginning and converted to flac to mp3 320 I not notice a difference.

Ok I might get a negative for this I’ve using vgmtoolbox and Just wanted to see this whole rip from a ps2 game works. So i decided to use clock tower 3 and disgaea 1 as a test subject, so I began and ended with clock tower and some files like mov files,irx, img, and disgaea I came across a a sound folder and in it it contains a SNDPAK.pak file with then I use Dragon UnPACKer 5 that had 2 thousand wave files O_O how would I go about using any program to get the audio off without all the unknown wave files, or even opening .irx .

Might as well bump this old thread. Still wondering how extracting streams would work on a Mac OS.

Update: I just found out about the .MUS format. It’s PS2’s own MIDI, and as of now, APPARENTLY is only readable by MakeMusic Finale, which is a professional piece of software and costs hundreds of dollars (which I don’t have).

Jak 1 and 2 have the music in that exact format. Is there ANY OTHER program that reads .mus files? Those games are a big deal, and so are their soundtracks, so plz halp!

And now I found out about the .VAG music files. I have no idea if anything on a Mac will open or convert it into WAV.

Bump.

I found that, since the PS2 emulator can easily play sequenced sound in any game, there IS a way to extract and compile the music form games like SIlent Hill 2 or Jak and Daxter. There is a way, although there is a chance no one here knows how.