Path: chuka.playstation.co.uk!scea!greg_labrec@interactive.sony.com
From: mperdue@iquest.net (Mario Perdue)
Newsgroups: scea.yaroze.programming.sound
Subject: Re: VAB file on the Yaroze boot CD
Date: Sun, 27 Apr 1997 15:27:52 GMT
Organization: SCEA Net Yaroze News
Lines: 36
Message-ID: <3363670d.2046667@205.149.189.29>
References: <3361C16F.6822@charlie.cns.iit.edu>
NNTP-Posting-Host: ind-0009-19.iquest.net
X-Newsreader: Forte Free Agent 1.1/32.230

I used STD0.VB and STD0.VH in the two demo's that I've uploaded
because it was easy to do. I had the sample code, so it was just plug
and play. In practice, I wouldn't use those files. The problem is that
you don't have the VAG's or the DEF that were used to make the VAB.
You also don't have the VAB to extract the DEF. In short, you can't
really make changes to the file.

What you should really do is make your own VH and VB files. You
probably want to do this for each game so you don't waste space with
unused sounds. Here's what you need to do.

First, create your samples. I use WAV files since I'm working in
Windows 95 on a PC, but you can also use AIFF files. Use the program
AIFF2VAG.EXE to convert your samples to VAG files. 

Once you've created your VAG files, you need to make a DEF file. This
file is created with a text editor and is used to tell MKVAB.EXE how
to make the VAB file. The contents of the DEF file are documented in
the User Guide in the section titled Sound Tools. Unfortunately, there
is no sample DEF file provided on the disc. You'll need one to figure
out how the file this put together. (I'll come back to this later.)

Now that you have your VAG files and a DEF file, you can use MKVAB.EXE
to create the VAB file. Then you use VABSPLIT.EXE to create the VH and
VB files.

Simple, right? :^)

I'll try to put together a sample set of files in the next day or so
and upload them to the library. I won't promise any great sounds, but
you'll have all the files you need to build a simple VAB, including
the DEF file (see, I told you I'd get back to it.) Once you have a
full set, it's pretty easy to roll your own.

Mario