VGMTrans is a cross-platform desktop application that converts sequenced video game music into standard formats.
- Convert various formats into MIDI, SoundFont2, and DLS.
- Preview conversion with built-in audio playback.
- Inspect data with an interactive hex view.

We have builds for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
The following formats are supported with varying degrees of accuracy:
- Capcom's sequence and sampled instrument formats used in CPS1/CPS2/CPS3 arcade games
- Akihiko Mori's sequence and instrument format (.spc)
- ASCII Corporation, Shuichi Ukai's sequence and instrument format (.spc)
- Capcom's sequence and instrument format (.spc)
- Chunsoft's sequence and instrument format (.spc)
- Compile's sequence and instrument format (.spc)
- Graphic Research's sequence and instrument format (.spc)
- Heartbeat's sequence and instrument format used in Dragon Quest VI and III (.spc)
- Hudson's sequence and instrument format (.spc)
- Konami's sequence and instrument format (.spc)
- Namco's sequence and instrument format (.spc)
- Nintendo's sequence and instrument format known as N-SPC (.spc)
- Pandora Box's sequence and instrument format (.spc)
- Prism Kikaku's sequence and instrument format (.spc)
- Rare's sequence and instrument format (.spc)
- SquareSoft's sequence and instrument format (AKAO/SUZUKI/Itikiti) (.spc)
- Sega's sequence format
- Heartbeat's sequence format used in Dragon Quest games (.seqq)
- Konami's sequence format known as KDT1
- Sony's sequence and instrument formats (.seq, .vab)
- SquareSoft's format known as AKAO – sequences and instruments
- SquareSoft's format used in games such as Final Fantasy Tactics (smds/dwds)
- Tamsoft's sequence and instrument formats (.tsq, .tvb)
- Sony's sequence and instrument formats (.bq, .hd, .bd)
- SquareSoft's sequence and instrument formats (.bgm, .wd)
- Nintendo's sequence and instrument format known as MP2k
- Nintendo's sequence and instrument formats (SDAT)
Load files by dragging them into the application window or by using the File
=> Open
menu action. The program will scan a
file for contained music files, which when found will appear under the "Detected Music Files" panel.
VGMTrans is able to
unpack portable sound format files (psf
) and related formats (psf2
, ssf
, etc). SNES formats generally must be loaded
from spc
or rsn
files. Arcade formats are loaded via mame rom set zip
files, which are catalogued in mame_roms.xml
.
The Scanned Files panel lists all files that have been scanned by VGMTrans which yielded detected files.
A scanned file can be removed by selecting it and pressing Delete
or Backspace
, or by right-clicking and selecting Close
.
When removed, all detected files contained in the scanned file will also be removed.
Right-clicking a file listed in the Detected Music Files panel brings up a menu of conversion options. Double-clicking
a detected file will open it in the Hex View. Detected Files can be removed by pressing Delete
or Backspace
, or by right-clicking and selecting Close
.
For some formats, when files representing musical sequences, instruments, and samples are all loaded, VGMTrans may
associate these files together into a Collection. Collections are listed in the Collections panel at the bottom of the
main window. Double-clicking a collection or selecting one and pressing the Space Bar
or clicking the green Play button
will attempt to play back the sequence using its associated instrument data.
Right-clicking a collection will bring up a menu with conversion options.
Sometimes VGMTrans cannot properly group detected files into Collections. In this event, the Create collection manually
button at the bottom of the Collection panel can be used. The button opens a dialog to select a set of detected files for
which to create a new Collection.
Double-clicking a detected file opens an interactive Hex View. The Hex View provides a visual breakdown of a file's structure, with each element color-coded and annotated upon selection. The accompanying File Structure panel to the right of the Hex View provides a hierarchical list of all the elements within the file. Clicking an element, either in the Hex View or the File Structure panel, highlights it and displays more information about the element in the status bar at the bottom of the main window. When enabled, the "Show Details" toggle button in the top right corner of the File Structure panel will display details for each element directly in the File Structure panel.
To convert files in batch, select multiple files of the same type (denoted by icon) in the Detected Music Files panel, then right-click the selection and choose a conversion action. Similarly, Collections can be converted in batch by selecting multiple and right-clicking the selection.
Please refer to the wiki for compilation instructions.
Pull requests are greatly appreciated. Check out our guidelines for contributing effectively.
- Mike: The original author of the tool, worked on a lot of formats.
- loveemu: Creator of github project, worked on bugfixes/improvements.
- sykhro: Worked on the Qt port, CI whisperer, contributed improvements and general housekeeping.
View more contributors on GitHub.
- Sound Test: 774: Anonymous Japanese guy in 2ch BBS, worked on the HOSA format, analyzing the TriAcePS1 format and such.
- Bregalad: Author of GBAMusRiper, great reference of MP2k interpretation.
- Nisto: Author of kdt-tool, thank you for your approval of porting to VGMTrans.
- Gnilda: for his/her dedicated research of SNES AKAO format. https://gnilda.cloudfree.jp/spc/
- @brr890 and @tssf: Contributed a lot of hints on PS1 AKAO format.
Licensed under the zlib/libpng License. See LICENSE
.