Saber Forum

Hey guys! I just downloaded the Obsidian Launch program successfully onto my cousin's PC ( I only have macs) and I spent the better part of the day trying to upload the Ep. III Sidious Font files I got right before they were taken down from US onto my Bane. It worked, and I wanted to play around with the.lsu converter feature, so I ripped an mp3 file from youtube of Palpatine saying "Are you threatening me Master Jedi...", that whole conversation, and converted it to .wav, then to .lsu, then uploaded it to my saber as a "lockup" effect. Now every time I press the power button, it plays that clip!! It is soooo sweet. Once I get access to a camera, hopefully tomorrow, I will do a demo vid of it. Basically, I cannot speak higher praise of the .lsu converter feature, It makes for SWEEET custom lockups, boots, etc. Video coming soon! :)

Okay, I'm about to sound like a complete and utter NOOB... But ;)

Brother if you could give us all an in depth explanation and demo of how you did what you say you did, IT WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED!!  ;D

I know, I'm one of those people out there, that would LOVE TO DO WHAT YOU DESCRIBED!!!!!  But HAVE NO FRICKIN IDEA HOW TO DO IT  :'(  :'(  :'(

If you could post a explanation of how to do this, I (and I Believe Many Others), Would Be Massively In Your Debt ;)!!!

Your will is my command, Wraith! Okay, so- I'm going to assume you got your Launch program up and running, cuz that's reallly complicated- took me about three hours. Essentially, you have to right click the command prompt selection and select "run as administrator, then type in the regsvr32 command, but with the systemroot\system32 , then the name of the "missing" file, in my case, comdlg32.ocx. But anywhoo, assuming you can boot up the Launch program, this is what you do.

1st: Go to the youtubez! Find a video that contains the audio you want for your custom boot/lockup soundfile. For example: The vid with the name "I AM THE SENATE!!!" (That's one I used)

2nd: hilight and copy the URL of the screen that contains the playable vid.

3rd. Go search youtube to mp3, click on the website named youtubetomp3.com, or something like that.

4th: Paste the URL into the box you see. It should be very upfront and FREE.

5th: Press convert, download mp3 file.

6th: Drag mp3 file into iTunes.

7th: Go to Edit, then Preferences, then General, then Import settings. Select convert using .wav encoder, AND select the import settings from "auto" to 16 bit sample rate, and 48.00kHz. This is important for later.

8th: Select the mp3, go to Advanced and select create .wav version. It'll convert it from mp3 (unuseable) to a perfect .wav file.

9th: Drag .wav file to desktop.

10th: In your "Obsidian" folder, if you have recently downloaded it, there should be a file called Lsu_converter.exe. Open it.

11th: Select "desktop" from the left bar, then select your .wav file.

12th: MAKE SURE YOU UNCHECK THE LOCK BOX!!!

13: Click the big ol' convert .wav to lsu button.

14th: search for the new .lsu file under "Start"

15.: Drag to desktop.

16th: Power up saber, plug in to computer, launch Obsidian program, (saber turns off), then select all the boot, poweron, poweroff, idle, impact, motion, and lockup slots with files from your desktop (if you didn't download the original Obsidian Font first, do that, slap it on yer desktop.) OR, if you are putting on NEW files, do that.

17th: What I did, was clear the "lockup" parameter, and select my .lsu file from the desktop, and load it into that slot. Then, save the configuration file, and hit the button on the upper far right, the "download file" button. A progress indicator should pop up, progressing in .1 percents.

18th: wait..... and wait......

19th: Once its done downloading, it'll say "memory checking" or whatever, and when its done with that, it'll say memory check error, then sometimes an error window pops up saying "CRC not recieved". Ignore that crap, then go up to the hammer and wrench icon, which opens up the sensitivity parameters, click send to saber (i'm paraphrasing), then your saber should ignite.

20th: Power off saber, close program, unplug saber, and TEST!!

If it works- great! If not, you probably either left a parameter unfilled, or didn't download it to the board. Oh, and if the program menu turns from blue to red, don't flip out. Its just telling you you've exceeded the max memory, so you will either have to get rid of some swing/clash sounds, or get a smaller "new" lockup file. Hope that helped!

Darth Caugnien

Most Impressive My Brother ;)!!!

I actually got something to work ;) (after sitting here for hours trying everything I could think of lol  :P )  Thanks To You and Your Tutorial  ;D  ;D  ;D

This Is Amazing and Epic In Ways I Can Not Even Begin To Describe  ;D  ;D  ;D !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Never In My Wildest Dreams, Did I Think That Something Like This Would Be Possible  :o  :o  :o  8)

I Shall Have Great Fun With This ;)!!!

Who needs a blade lock up, or a blaster block when you can have the saber spit out any line of dialogue from the movies that you wish  ;D  ;D  ;D!!!!!

(The Only Snag I Ran Into, Was The Converter Said That Only Mono Files Could Be Converted Over...  But No Biggie, That Was Easily Changed  ;D)

Great Walk Though, I'm Sure This Will Make Many People Very Very Happy  ;D  ;D  ;D 

Here are the links to all online tools you need:

http://cutmp3.net/ (http://cutmp3.net/) <-- used to cut mp3s short, or just favorite sections
http://www.video2mp3.net/ (http://www.video2mp3.net/) <-- Used for Youtube links and such to convert to mp3 if you havent DLed the whole mp3
http://www.easeaudioconverter.com/ (http://www.easeaudioconverter.com/) <--one of many free (trial) prog for converting anything in to anything (mp3-> wav) (make sure you convert in to 16@48000, mono (settings))

and finaly the LSU Converter by Ultrasabers progi, found here http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=3221.0 (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=3221.0)

Just made a short test, works like a charm :)

I've actually been doing a bit of font making myself the past few days...  I've been using Goldwave (its free google it  ;))  to convert files to the needed wav format.....  Be sure to encode then at 16 bit mono at 48 khz...  This is the settings that the lsu converter likes them at....    As stated above, after you get the desired lsu files put them into the proper slots within the obsidian launcher....       I know some of this may sound greek to you, but I just learned the process myself.....   LOL... 

Glad I could help, Wraith! Thanks for pointing out that "mono" issue, I forgot that part of the conversion process. And Maslac, those are great resources, thanks for posting them! GDFuzz, thanks for the suggestion! I might wanna tool with that some time down the road. Just an update: last night (or I guess it was reaaaally early this morning lol), The "deflector shield" quote I converted was really nice and crisp, but now, its all static-y. Everything else is nice and clean, except this one. Anyone else get this? And this is more a matter of opinion, but- do you think its worth sacrificing the amount of swings/clashes to 2 swings and 4 clashes in order to fit 3 quotes onto the lockup feature? I really can't decide.... :-\

Now all I need is a working obsidian program :) :)   Hopefully this thread will be stickied due to it's valuable information!!!

Nice prediction, Qui! :D I'm supah stoked- my first stickied topic!! But yeah, Wraith-if you can, show us a vid of whatever you were able to do! I'm sure we could all use some creative inspiration, haha. My vid will hopefully be up in a day or two.

Sorry for double posting, for some reason, I can't modify my OP. But anyway- what's the problem you're running into with the launch program, Qui? Maybe we can help! :) Do you get that "comdlg32.ocx or its dependencies is missing" error notice? Cuz I can help you fix that! Just go here:

http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=1531.105 (http://www.saberforum.com/index.php?topic=1531.105)


Read Dave of the Sith's post on that page. I also used another post that actually worked, for me. It involved the line:

regsvr32: %Systemroot%\System32\comdlg32.ocx

Or SOMETHING like that. That was just from memory. I tried to find the actual post, but I couldn't. But, its somewhere in that 15 page thread I linked to above. But yeah, if its not that issue, post it anyway, see if I can help!

I didn't have the needed .ocx file (I'm running Win7 x64), but I just googled it, downloaded it, tossed it to a couple of folders (System and SySWOW64), and it was it for me. The notorious Obsidian Launcher is obeying my will ever since :D

DC (Darth Caugnien), this was the post I was looking for.  Dave actually got it working for me on my laptop that is no longer working.  I should be able to get it running now (hoping)...thanks.

Awesome topic! Thanks for posting this, I have no doubt that in the future I shall want to use this to come up with some original fonts. ;D I keep thinking of all the anime sounds..... lol

Okay, so this is EXTREMELY informative. No doubt about that.
But does anyone have any suggestions on where to find CUSTOM saber sounds?
What I mean is, sounds from the movies/shows/games and so on are all good and fine....if you liked the characters from the movies/shows/games.
Anyone know how I could create a more....personal saber sound effect? I don't have an obsidian right now, but I DO intend for my next one to be an obsidian, and I want to know how to do this beforehand. Anyone have anything yo say about this?

How about that video? ;)

this is fantastic! cant wait to try this!!!

So far I've upgraded these sounds:

Boot sound is a Yoda Laugh.
Lockup #1 is Vader breathing
Lockup #2 is "It's a Trap!"

So. Much. Fun.

Wow! Lots o' replies.

Qui: Glad I could help!

Lord Gale: You could try to record sound effects in real life and convert them to .wav, then .lsu files. OR, just mix audio of SW saber sounds and mess with how it sounds in a program like Audacity, then export it as .wav, then convert to .lsu.

lexonio: Workin' on it, hopefully will be up by tonight!

MAV, AWESOME boot sound! I'll have to try that!

Leave it to MAV to come up with the best gags... lol I have a friend who would TOTALLY rock that boot sound.

I'll tell you the best hint I have for you guys: 

http://www.starwars.com/play/online-activities/soundboards/ (http://www.starwars.com/play/online-activities/soundboards/)

I use Audacity (It's audio editing software, free), run a 1/8th inch jack from my audio out into my audio in (prevent background noise) start recording and then hit the buttons I want.  After that you can export it to just about any audio file time you want at the correct 48 kHz quality.

At any rate, it gives you pure sounds with no background noise issue.  If you have two computers (which I do) you can run the Obsidian launcher and record the sound of the hum and then mix it with whatever sound you want.  That's how I got the Vader breathing and the Ackbar.  They actually have the hum in the background...

Yea.  I'm a nerd.

Good tip! I'd have never thought of that out into the in thing. And the hum with the voices, awesome.

Yea, being a musician I'm used to finding ways to filter out different sounds and such.  And I just realized you don't need two computers to do the record the hum thing, that's just how I do it cause I'm a mac user.  PC users won't need the second unit...  Enjoy and let us know what you make!  I'll keep you posted on what I make  ;)

Cheers.

Utter. Genius. THANK YOU MAV! I will totally be doing this all weekend long, when I can get my hands on a PC.

Last thing to mention, you have to mix the sounds down to mono, I'm sure you all already know that but hey, it's worth mentioning!

File types must be
Mono
48 kHz
.wav

Let us know what you create!

Alrighty, here's the vid. Sorry for the batteries dying on the LED, at least the sound still worked! :P

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfSvlQb1cXE# (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfSvlQb1cXE#)

That link is a lifesaver, and now I need to find Audacity.
But thanks a lot, guys, this seriously answers my question. Now, about RECORDING, does that mean you use a microphone? cuz I don't have one of those....

You should have an audio in jack where you would hook a microphone up.  Here's what you do:

Go to RadioShack, buy an audio cable that has a 1/8th inch jack at each end (if you wanna hear what you're recording buy a line splitter too and PM me for the set up).  Take your new cable home and run it from your headphone jack to your audio in jack.  Make sure when you set up Audacity that you have it recording from "Line In."  Then just hit record, go to the sound board and record the sounds you want.  Edit down and format the file and BAM you have a .wav ready for conversion.

Awesome.
I'm somewhat broke right now, but this is really helpful. I'll see if my dad has one of these cables, maybe I'll get lucky.
But seriously, thanks. I'm glad I finally found a forum that's this nice and informative.  ;D

Wish my sensor on my other saber was working right, can't figure out what's wrong.  But I must try this, force lightning sounds!

Have you messed with the config settings on the program? If so, you can always hit restore factory default, and get it back to how it was when you first got it.

Nice. So when you download the free fonts on US you don't have to change the .lsu file name then? I'm wanting to play around with the Sith font when I get my first Obsidian saber next month. They don't play right in my stock media player.

i didnt have to change them. i just extracted them into folders on my desktop. in the obsidian lancher if you control click the sounds you want to hear, it plays for you. hope it helps!

Hey guys!

I got a "duel of faiths" MP3 encoded to wav and then to lsu file. Its plays fine, but the file is HUGE! I only got like 15seconds fo the begining of the song (that epic shor singing :D ) but the .lsu file allready takes like 1.5  MB of board space. I have to remove some of the clashes in order to fit it.

Question: Any way i could make the sound smaller in size ? I saw some simple 1 sentince speaches of SW chars tht took like 400k of space... What am i doing wrong? How can i make em even smaller ?

My plan is to upload at least 40s of the song to my saber, or try the imperial march rythem. Any ideas ?

PS: im kinda new to the whole music-coding thingie :)

You mean duel of the fates?
Well, I'd suggest finding a program or something to compress it or at least shorten it. As it is, you're probably going to have to pick and choose which PARTS of the song you want, like one part of the chorus for swings, or another for impacts. A really great idea would be to take the basic rhythm (the iconic nana na NA nanana) and make that the IDLE HUM so that you have the basic tune of the song at all times, then it's added to whenever you swing or whatever. Like the Thrasher sound font, but more specific.

Hi guys,

Greetings from Germany

I have a little Problem i know it´s not the right Post but i think the right place to get a quick response.

Where can i find or get or someone of you Guys can E-Mail me the LSU converter Files??

I downloaded the Obsidian Launcher about 10 Times couldnt find the LSU Converter in any Folder containing!??? So what did I do wrong ?

Got me some nice Fonts and Tons of ideas( Madcow Korriban, Light Meat) and wanted to Play around with it on my Custom Weathered Raven.

Any suggestions?

Greetings from Germany

The LSU converter can be found with the "old" version of obsidian launcher here: http://www.saberfonts.com/launcher/Obsidian.zip (http://www.saberfonts.com/launcher/Obsidian.zip)

MJust make sure you only use the LSU converter and not the Obsidian progi that comes with it (its outdated).

Hope this helps :)

It helped! Thanks! Just working on converting the Files! I´ll keep you updated! ;D

Ok converted Madcows Korriban to LSU worked 65% on my Saber even receiving a CRC not received memory checking error now it´s not working anymore hmm any sugesstions memory indication bar was just 3/4 loaded so that not should be the Problem???

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi9cj0GLHIM#ws (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi9cj0GLHIM#ws)

Also got a Starkiller Meditation Chamber LSU if someone is interested!
Maybe you guys get this sounds to work right with the newer version of the obsidian soundboard!

Ehy guys...

Do you know if we have the HEIRLOOM Font? Do you remember it? It's the Sound Font of Madcow... it's amazing and i want it on my Archive for the Obsidian :)


Thx!!!


Shep

I don't believe any of Madcow's fonts have been adapted to the Obsidian board.  Since you can make your own fonts, you could always try to assemble your own Episode IV font using sounds from various sources... just a suggestion.

Nice idea! Thx My Friend....

The only problem, for now, it's the Lu converter program... Don't work... Mmmm




Shep

Awesome thread.  When I get my first saber I will definitely look this up and see If I can have some fun with sound fonts.  Thx  ;D

ok, I've got a problem here. I've got wav files, but they're in 22k format. How the heck do I use audacity to convert them to 48k?
The program has me wanting to pull my hair out at the moment.

In the bottom left corner, there's a selection menu clled "project rate", and from the pulldown menu you can select 48khz. Then when you export the file, it will be 48 khz.

Thanks, I got that part figured out, and used LSU converter to change the file format. Unfortunately I ran into some more trouble, see my "Connection Lost" thread on the obsidian order page.

This is fantastic and I can't wait to start making my own custom fonts, thanks so much!

I can't seem to get this to work! I get all the way to the LSU converter part, but my computer won't let me run the LSU Converter! Can anyone help me?

I'm also having trouble getting the LSU converter to run. When I cliuck on the converter .exe file, it says file not found (and at the end of the whole file thing is) ultrasaber_small.bmp , what is this and how can I get it to work? If anyone knows, I appreciate any help!

hmmmm. .bmp is a bitmap picture file.  Technically all you need to make it work is a file correctly named in the right folder location.

Right click on the EXE and choose "Run as Administrator"... everything should work after that. I have to do that with mine because I saved it on a secondary hard drive.


Try just downloading and unpacking the Obsidian Launcher again. After you extract the files, everything should work.

Hey everyone,

Sorry if this question's been answered already, but can you extend the length of the .lsu file in the converter or do you have to edit in another program?  I ask because I'd like to use some of the the some of the boot sounds (movie clips) in the lockup category, and they're clipped too short.  They repeat too fast because you can't tell the obsidian board to play lockup fx 1x, they just loop repeatedly (same problem for using blaster sounds in this slot).  If I can extend the length of the sound file, I'll be able to turn them off before they loop back and start playing again.  Just wondering if I have to redo all those files, or if I can add 1-2 secs at the end of each .lsu file, as that would be less work.

Thanks!