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[Guide] How to format audio files for Source Filmmaker
By Capt Fuzzy
In this guide, I show you how to format an audio file for use in Source Filmmaker.
I use Adobe Audition in the guide, but the process is basically the same for any audio editing software.
   
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Created by
Capt Fuzzy
Online
Category: Modding or Configuration
Languages: English
Posted
Updated
5 Mar, 2018 @ 9:48am
22 Nov, 2024 @ 12:00pm
3,104 Unique Visitors
96 Current Favorites
Guide Index
Overview
A Little Info First... 
The Guide... 
Comments
A Little Info First...
Resources
If you need a good audio editing program, but can't afford something like Adobe Audition, then the best alternative that I know of is Audacity. It's free and will get the job done.

You can download it here:
https://www.audacityteam.org/

Audio Format
I find that the best format for audio, whether it be music or voice tracks, is 16bit PCM .wav at 44.1kHz bitrate. This is also backed-up by the Valve Developer Wiki:
Originally posted by Valve Developer Wiki:
PCM 16bit WAV at 44KHz is the highest quality available.
Source:
https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Creating_your_own_music#Format

While the Wiki mentions that you can use .mp3 audio, and that it is supported by the Source Engine, this is NOT entirely accurate for Source Filmmaker.
Source Filmmaker uses an older (and somewhat outdated) version of the Source Engine that DOES NOT appear to fully support .mp3 audio.
So, in simple terms, .mp3 audio doesn't work consistently in SFM.., PERIOD!

One other issue that sometimes makes SFM 'choke' on .mp3 files is tags.
SFM's internal player does not appear to like tags in it's audio files, and particularly tags in .mp3 files, but have no fear, there IS a solution: MP3Tag.
It's a free software that allows you to edit, or even completely remove tags from your .mp3 files, safely and easily. There are no ads and no gimmicks in this software, it's completely free and it just plain works. I've used it for many years now with no issues.
Give it a try: https://www.mp3tag.de/en/

Now that we've got that little bit out of the way, on to the guide...

The Guide...

If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below and I will reply as soon as I possibly can...

36 Comments
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Capt Fuzzy  [author] 22 Nov, 2024 @ 12:38pm 
@goober - Yeah, I agree.
There have been calls from the community for years now for Valve to release the source-code for SFM, since it's no longer supported, and let the community update it to work better, but Valve doesn't seem to be open to that idea, even with software that it admittedly no longer updates.
They don't make any money off of SFM, so I don't understand why they want to be so stingy with what basically amounts to 'abandonware' as it currently sits...
goober 22 Nov, 2024 @ 12:24pm 
I honestly think the reason SFM is inconsistent with mp3 audio is because we're literally just not valve, so we do t know the specifics of what the Source engine expects and what it doesn't like. If we knew how source handled MP3 files and how it expected then down the to line of code, then we'd be able to be more consistent, but that is simply not the case. I make mine work by bumping it down to like a 16 bit pcm with like a slightly lower sample rate.
Capt Fuzzy  [author] 22 Nov, 2024 @ 12:14pm 
@goober - I see what you mean, I did word that rather poorly, I will admit that, so I've corrected it to be more accurate to the point that I was actually trying to make, which was that .mp3 files don't consistently work correctly in SFM, as well as a solution that does make them work a bit more consistently, which is removing any tag data from the .mp3 files.
Thank you for your input.
goober 22 Nov, 2024 @ 11:48am 
And on top of that, you made your article sound as if the dev wiki was wrong and source filmmaker doesn't at all support MP3 files. "While the Wiki mentions that you can use .mp3 audio, and that it is supported by the Source Engine, this is NOT true for Source Filmmaker.
Source Filmmaker uses an older (and somewhat outdated) version of the Source Engine that DOES NOT support .mp3 audio.
So, in simple terms, .mp3 audio doesn't work in SFM.., PERIOD!"

It doesn't initially sound like you made this guide as a more consistent replacement for MP3 audio in SFM. It sounds like your we're trying to disprove a known fact. Hence the reason I corrected the blatantly false information.
goober 22 Nov, 2024 @ 11:46am 
I found that looking at how valve made their files and copying the settings has a pretty decent success rate.
Capt Fuzzy  [author] 22 Nov, 2024 @ 11:42am 
@goober - While I appreciate your research abilities, you're practical knowledge is a bit lacking.
Yes, you can get .mp3 files to work in SFM, but unless they follow a strict format, that appears to change some from engine version to engine version, they won't work consistently.
I too have gotten .mp3 files to work in SFM, but not consistently. Sometimes they work, other times they won't, and there doesn't seem to be any clear-cut reason why the same files work in one instance but not in another.
I made this guide to illustrate a more consistent format for SFM that would work better than .mp3 files, and more consistently than .mp3 files.
This guide wasn't meant to be a replacement for .mp3 files, only an alternative if you happen to be one of those people who simply cannot get an .mp3 to work correctly in SFM.
goober 21 Nov, 2024 @ 3:01pm 
SFM does support MP3 though... I've used it in SFM on multiple occasions. Plus GoldSrc has supported MP3 audio since 2003 (HL2 came out in 2004). If you crack open a steam copy of HL1, there's literally MP3 audio inside the media folder. Your statement that SFM doesn't support is factually wrong because the engine SFM uses was built off of a game that supports MP3 audio, therefore there is no "older version" that doesn't.
Capt Fuzzy  [author] 17 May, 2023 @ 5:44pm 
SFM has always been a little weird when it comes to audio files, some work, some don't.
Even some of it's own audio files don't always work.
This is why I generally add the audio in the software, but also keep track of the files that I add.
This way I can re-add them in a video editor later, just in case they don't work in SFM.
Demoking 23 Dec, 2022 @ 3:56pm 
i am exporting as wav and sfm still refuses to allow, only certain audio can be used when exported
Capt Fuzzy  [author] 23 Dec, 2022 @ 1:32am 
Again, if it's an mp3, you can download MP3Tag. It's free software, no bugs, very reliable.
It can easily remove the tag data from ANY mp3.
https://www.mp3tag.de/en/