Re-creating KSP2's dynamic music in KSP1

[RileyHef]

Hello!

Like many others, I have been working to compile mods that best recreate the KSP2 experience in KSP1.  The biggest element that I miss from KSP2 is the amazing music by Howard Mostrom, so I have begun work to transfer them over to the original game. Here is what I have been able to do so far:

• I have converted all available music tracks from KSP2 that I can find to independent .ogg files.
  • Some tracks are independent "layers" of a track meant to be used in combination with others as dynamic music. For now, these remain independent.
  • Some tracks appear to not have been used in KSP2 (afaik) as of 0.2.2 but were found in the game files. These have been included.
• By using Soundtrack Editor Forked I am able to add these files to the game. So far I have been able to replicate the music scenarios for the following scenes:
  • Main Menu
  • KSC
  • VAB/SPA
  • Tracking Station
  • Research and Development
  • Mission Control
  • Kerbin - planet surface
  • Kerbin - orbit
• I also added music to a few new scenes not featured in KSP2 or modified them:
  • Astronaut Complex
  • Admin Building
  • Modified: Launchpad (Launch music plays without 10 second countdown. The track begins when the first stage is activated).

This has been a great start to replicating the KSP2 experience, but much more work is needed. Soundtrack Editor Forked allows for tracks to be played based on various scenarios. Tracks can be activated or deactivated depending on the altitude of a craft. I believe I can somewhat replicate the dynamic music for the descent/ascent of each body by using the altitude feature of this mod. However, some work and limitations are needed, primarily:

• Identifying tracks for each body's descent/ascent music + planet surface music.
• Determining at which altitude range each track's additional musical "layers" should be active for dynamic effect.
• Combining musical "layers" in a 3rd party program as new .ogg files (this is due to the mods limitation of only being able to play one track at a time).
• Limitation: The app offers no crossfade ability and can not play/start multiple tracks at once. This means that dynamic music based on altitude (or other factors) will change abruptly.
• Limitation: Other dynamic music scenarios, such as additional tracks being played while using the maneuver nodes, are not possible to apply as the mod does not account for these situations.

I have done some testing to other bodies and believe this app will get users quite close to the immersive experience of approaching a celestial body, but it is not a perfectly smooth 1:1 recreation. I am at the mercy of the mods I use for now. At this time I simply shuffle the majority of other KSP2 tracks not already assigned to be played throughout missions. It still creates an ambient experience, even if it is not an intentional use of the music. My hope is to eventually complete work on the other planets/moons, but I simply don't have time at the moment.

So, if anyone would like to continue or collaborate on this project I am happy to help. Soundtrack Editor Forked can be used to flesh out music for other celestial bodies and many other gaps I may have missed. If anyone has recommendations for file sharing I would be happy to provide the music files and my config file for the mod to include what IU mentioned above. Beyond that point I believe additional mod support would be needed to further replicate the music of KSP2. The primary barrier I have identified is the inability to crossfade between two active tracks based on the changing scenario of a craft. If that puzzle can be solved then I believe we can best recreate Howard Mostrom's amazing work!

I'd love to hear the thoughts of others on this. A full overhaul of KSP1's music (and even sound effects/other audio) to match KSP2 would be my dream scenario for modernizing the gameplay experience.

[Genekermanisamoneylaundere]

This is really awesome! I tried to use Sountrack Editor Forked to input KSP 2 music into KSP 1 before this, but got tired after having to do it over and over again because nothing would save.

[bcawley]

Hey, I think this is a great thing that should be implemented. I would love to get my hands on your configs, google drive would probably be the best way to share them.

[RileyHef]

Thanks to the config files provided by SinkingFeeling on Youtube I was able to  create KSP2 music for all celestial bodies in addition to my past work on Kerbin, the KSC, and the game menu. This more or less recreates the KSP2 musical experience throughout the entire game. Most of the limitations I stated above still hold true due to mod limitations but the magic of the soundtrack still translates great, imo.

A few notes:

• The dynamic tracks work at 3 stages for most bodies - high, low, and descending.
• When landed on any body, the "descending" track will play continuously. This was done mostly as personal preference and differs from KSP2 having separate (and, imo, uninteresting) music when on surfaces.
• The "Launch" track/playlist is a bit finicky and will play at times when in low Kerbin atmosphere - especially when returning to Kerbin from space. I have not had time to further test this within the limitations of the Soundtrack Editor Forked mod but if it annoys you it can always be turned off within the mod's menu.

EDIT: Removing distribution of related files to keep things legally clean and tidy.

Edited July 5 by RileyHef

[Skarlinger]

Thankyou so much for the work you put into this, so keen to try it out

 

[dandoesstuff]

hey, i'm working on a similar mod, and so is NexusHelium. i've got duna, eve and jool, the mun and minmus.

 

it's just, i don't know if it's legal or not to share the KSP2 songs so yeah

Edited July 5 by dandoesstuff

[RileyHef]

51 minutes ago, dandoesstuff said:

 i don't know if it's legal or not to share the KSP2 songs so yeah

Good point. I've made changes to ensure I don't break any rules.
 

52 minutes ago, dandoesstuff said:

hey, i'm working on a similar mod, and so is NexusHelium. i've got duna, eve and jool, the mun and minmus.

If you make any substantial progress please let me know here! Soundtrack Editor Forked could work some real miracles if it can be updated...

[Gargamel]

16 minutes ago, RileyHef said:

Good point. I've made changes to ensure I don't break any rules.

Thank you.

[SheepDog2142]

Love this idea. Between this and a real UI port with all the beeps and boops not just Z theme and we would really have something.

[FunkyBigodon]

Does everyone experience a brief freeze in the game each time a new playlist starts playing?

[RileyHef]

3 hours ago, FunkyBigodon said:

Does everyone experience a brief freeze in the game each time a new playlist starts playing?

I experience freezes/gaps between playlists and stuttering when playlists start while a scene is loading. However, the mod has a "Pre-load Time" feature which may be able to help. I have not tried using it myself, but it sounds like it would help you so I'll link the details from the original post below.

• Preload Time (s): When changing between tracks in this playlist, the next track will be preloaded into memory this many seconds before the current track ends. This can be used to reduce gaps or stuttering between tracks.

[FunkyBigodon]

That is a bummer - these small sttuders really bug me more than they should, lol

I had taken a look a the preload time setting in the mod, but it seems like it only preloads songs that are in the same playlist, and not when a new playlist is about to start.

[SpongeX]

Is there anything new about this mod? Is it still being worked on?

[RileyHef]

2 hours ago, SpongeX said:

Is there anything new about this mod? Is it still being worked on?

Soundtrack Editor Forked? No, LinuxGuruGamer oversees the mod but they don't seem to be actively developing it any further. A few users noticed the mod had a few unrealized features but I'm not aware of anyone who is working on this mod or any like it. Hopefully someone is brave enough to do it one day...