BNK-Tools

A command-line utility for working with Wwise soundbank (.bnk) files - a common audio middleware format used in game development.

Features

• Extract individual or all audio files from soundbanks
• Replace audio files within soundbanks
• Inspect soundbank contents and metadata
• Analyze event-to-audio relationships and hierarchies

Installation

Download the latest release from the Releases page, or run the Python scripts directly if you have Python 3.7+ installed.

Usage

Info

Displays the IDs of the audio files in the .bnk file.

Example Usage:

SoundBankPatcher.exe info YourBNKFileName.bnk

Option	Description	Example Usage
--export-catalog	Exports info (IDs and file sizes) to a JSON file	bash SoundBankPatcher.exe info --export-catalog YourJSONFileName.json YourBNKFileName.bnk

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Extract

Extracts a specific .wem audio file from a .bnk file.

Example Usage:

SoundBankPatcher.exe extract YourBNKFileName.bnk audioID

Option	Description	Example Usage
--output	Specifies output directory and filename	bash SoundBankPatcher.exe extract YourBNKFileName.bnk audioID --output YourExtractedAudio.wem

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Extract-All

Extracts all .wem audio files from a .bnk file.

Example Usage:

SoundBankPatcher.exe extract-all YourBNKFileName.bnk OutputDirectory

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Replace-One

Replaces a single .wem audio in a specified .bnk file.

Example Usage:

SoundBankPatcher.exe replace-one YourBNKFileName.bnk audioID YourReplacingWemFile.wem --output OutputBNK.bnk

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Patch

Replaces multiple .wem audio files in a .bnk file using a JSON map.

JSON Structure:

{
    "IDFromBNKFile1": "AudioToReplaceWith1.wem",
    "IDFromBNKFile2": "AudioToReplaceWith2.wem"
}

Example Usage:

SoundBankPatcher.exe patch YourBNKFileName.bnk YourJson.json -w Path/To/Your/WEM/FILES --output OutputBNK.bnk

Option	Description	Example Usage
--big-endian	Uses big-endian instead of little-endian	bash SoundBankPatcher.exe patch YourBNKFileName.bnk YourJson.json -w Path/To/Your/WEM/Files --output OutputBNK.bnk --big-endian

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Additional Tools

Event Parser

Analyzes the relationship between events, actions, containers, and audio files within a soundbank. This tool helps you understand which audio files are triggered by specific events, including complex hierarchies with containers and playlists.

Features:

• Maps event IDs to their associated audio file IDs
• Resolves complex container hierarchies and playlists
• Handles recursive sound structures
• Supports multiple Wwise versions

Example Usage:

python event_parser.py YourBNKFileName.bnk

With JSON output:

python event_parser.py YourBNKFileName.bnk --json_output event_mapping.json

Output format options:

# Decimal IDs (default: hexadecimal)
python event_parser.py YourBNKFileName.bnk --format dec

Sample Output:

Event ID: 0x12345678
Action IDs: [0x11111111, 0x22222222]
Associated Audio File IDs: [0xAAAAAAAA, 0xBBBBBBBB]

The JSON output provides a clean mapping structure:

{
    "305419896": [2952748896, 2952748897],
    "305419897": [2952748898]
}

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Technical Details

This tool parses Wwise soundbank binary format, including:

• BKHD (Bank Header) sections
• DIDX (Data Index) sections containing audio file references
• DATA sections containing the actual audio data
• HIRC (Hierarchy) sections for event/action/sound relationships

The event parser additionally handles:

• Event → Action → Sound/Container relationships
• Recursive container hierarchies
• Playlist resolution
• Multiple Wwise format versions (pre and post v89, v122, etc.)

Use Cases

• Game modding and audio customization
• Audio analysis and research
• Working with Wwise audio pipelines
• Understanding game audio event structures
• Batch audio replacement workflows

Requirements

• Python 3.7+ (if running scripts directly)
• No external dependencies for core functionality
• PyYAML for YAML config support (optional)

License

MIT License