NHL 2001 Ditty Importer

Overview

The Ditty Importer converts MPGs, WAVs and AIFFs into the EA ASF audio format.  These ASF files can then be placed into the User\Ditties\… directories of a typical NHL 2001 install.  

Each subdirectory of User\Ditties corresponds to a context.  Each stoppage in play in NHL 2001 is given a particular context, depending on what caused the stoppage.  To have a ditty play in a particular context, make sure to output the ASF file to that directory.  The following table explains the meaning of each context.

Directory	Context	
Cup		Stanley Cup win	
EOP		End of period/during an intermission
Fight		During a fight	
Gen		Generic
Ghome		Home goal	
Paway		Away penalty
Phome		Home penalty
Pukovr		Puck over the glass/out of play
To		Time is running out on away team

 
A ditty is a piece of music that plays during stoppages of play and in between periods.

The ditty importer can also be used to import menu tunes.  To import a menu tune, simply set your output folder to User\Menu Tunes.


Importing

To import a ditty, follow these steps:

1.	Enter the filename of an MPG, WAV or AIFF file in the Convert File: box; or, click 	the Browse button to select a file.
2.	Choose a folder in which resulting ASF will be placed.  If NHL 2001 has been 	installed on this system, the output folder will default to the User\Ditties\Gen 	folder of your NHL 2001 installation.  If not, enter a folder in the Output Folder: 	box, or, click the Browse button to select an output folder.
3.	If you would like to have this ditty play in a different context than the "generic" 	context, select a different folder.  See the help in "Overview" for a description of 	contexts.  If you would like this ditty to play in the front end as a menu tune, 	select User\Menu Tunes as the output folder.
4.	Select the amount of reverb desired on the resulting ASF.
5.	If you want the audio file cropped, select Crop.  If not, make sure Crop is cleared.
6.	Click the Import button.

FAQ

My ditties are not playing in the game.  What could be wrong?

· There are three possible problems:
1.	Ensure that the ASF files are in the User\Ditties\… directories of your NHL 2001 	installation.
2.	Ensure that the files all have the extension .asf.
3.	In the Sound Options of NHL 2001, make sure you do not have the "In Game Music" 	option set to "Default In Game Music".

How do I import ditties that I have on a music CD?

· You will need to convert the CD tracks to either MPG or WAV format.  There are many freeware and shareware tools on the Internet for doing this.  Search for "CD Ripper", "CD to WAV converter", "CD to MPG converter" at any search engine.

My ditty sounds like it is all bass in the game, but not when I play it normally.  What's wrong?

· If you import a song with a lot of heavy beats the reverb begins to add up and wash out the rest of the signal.  For such songs, use a lower reverb setting.  A setting of less than 45 is recommended in such situations.

How many ditties can I import?

· As many as you have hard disk space for.

I imported a ditty and when it played in the game (or, when I previewed it), it didn't sound right at all.  What's wrong?
The ditty importer crashes on some MPGs.  How do I get around this?

· Because of the wide variety in MPG encoders, and because not all MPG encoders follow a consistent standard, the importer may have problems with some MPGs and may even crash.  If this happens, use an MPG to WAV converter, and then import the WAV.  There are many freeware and shareware MPG to WAV converters on the Internet.  Try searching for "MPG decoder", "MP3 decoder", "MPG to WAV converter", or "MP3 to WAV converter".

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