Sims 3 Adding Custom Music

[landess]

Allrighty then. I seem to be on a bit of a roll concerning new posts. It's easy to get off topic in other posts and I'm trying to keep certain information in their own posts for easy access. Some posts become so bloated with off topic conversations taking up pages and it seems many can't be bothered to search huge posts for relevant information, so the same questions get asked many, many times adding to the problem. I digress - onwards.

 

I added custom music to my game years ago. While I found using the 'custom music' channel easy, it's not without it's drawbacks. For example: When adding new EP's or other official EA stuff - sometimes the current installation is checked and if the original 'custom music' isn't found, there may be issues. I simply created a backup folder to 'hide' the default custom music and placed my own there for use during play sessions. Other issues though for reasons I can't fathom other than EA is an asshole and has hidden certain information within the game files causes music placed in the custom folder to only play on one 'device' at a time. If one wires a home with multiple speakers or uses custom music at a venue/public lot with more than one speaker - each source will play different songs from the custom music folder simultaneously - fuckin' EA.

 

I recently had an issue trying to add more music from a different 'source'. All I had to do before was drop the bit rate on copies of the existing MP3's I had to meet EA standards and use those in game. Worked perfectly (issues stated above notwithstanding). Recently I ran across some music on YouTube which I wanted - specifically for a Strip Club I wanted to build. I've been collecting CC for a while as I run across it and finally decided I wanted to take the time to build it.

 

I found a website which will take the music from YouTube and save it in audio format - no video. Fine I thought. The files though are listed as .M4A and while I could play them on any of my video players, I couldn't use them in the Sims 3. It took awhile, but I finally found 'another' website which one can upload these files and properly convert them to MP3's. Whew! Now I could use an Awesome mod I found at Mod The Sims (MTS).

 

>Broadcaster was able to take THESE files I finally adapted for use and create a test package for my game. What was cool was it added a NEW channel to the stereo's/music source (apparently one can add their own music to existing channels as well!) and when I tested it in game - I was quite satisfied I had found the solution to my wants.

 

While this works for me - it's obviously not the most efficient way to do this and I'm subject to having access to 2 websites to do the lifting for me and if either 'go away', then I'll be forced to find alternatives to continue. One to get the music from YouTube, the other to convert it to 'MP3 proper' for use by Broadcaster. I know I could always use Captura to make a file - but this means a much bigger file than needed just to save what is 'happening' on my desktop, which would take more time since it needs to play out, and also the file would need to be 'trimmed' in another program to get rid of the front and back end of the file which would include my starting and stopping the program doing it's thing. This would still leave me with a file which needs to be converted. I had the hardest time finding a way to convert the M4A files to begin with.

 

Anyways - it works for me for now and if anyone has any legitimate knowledge of downloadable programs which fulfill the same needs, this post would benefit from it's addition. For now, I'll link the 3 web addresses which can help anyone else do the same thing.

 

https://modthesims.info/d/638203/broadcaster-a-custom-stereo-music-utility-updated-27-march-2020.html

 

https://www.go-mp3.com/en2

 

https://convertio.co/m4a-mp3/

 

>As always - make sure your computer is protected with a good antivirus and anything else you can install safely - the internet is a nasty place, you never know what you can 'catch'.

[Guest]

AND.... LINKED!!!!

[landess]

For the curious - I'll link the 3 Videos I found on YouTube to start this sequence of events. While there 'ARE' other posts in the "Off Topic" forum (What Music do you listen to?), I wouldn't mind if anyone else took the time to link music/songs which would enhance the atmosphere of a dedicated strip club. I've been to a few - and many allow the Dancers to choose what song(s) are played when they take the stage. This results in quite a variety of artists and also says something about the Dancer themselves. Plus most choices in my experience do enhance the 'visual art' on display.

 

Spoiler

 

 

 

 

Remember - It's about the music - you won't see video in a Sims 3 strip club - so close your eyes and imagine it playing while your Sims get provocative.

[landess]

Well my test was better than expected - Broadcaster 'fixes' the issue with multiple sources playing different songs from the custom music channel when using non-default music. My 'strip club' has 2 main house speakers like the ones found in any LateNight bar, and I also had 3 satellite/wall mounted speakers - they ALL play the same song together. God bless the Broadcaster CC author !!!!!!

 

Here's a few shots - I used a CC 'stage/backdrop I found, but it has no collision or pathing - it's a visual 'ghost'. Still - using Kinky Worlds 'move object' feature I raised the Dance Pole and Dancer 'stage sockets' to the correct height, and the sims walk through the 'stage to them and raise up to the proper height when their animations start. Good enough..... One good thing is the lighting works fine as everything is still technically in the same 'room'. Many should know if one uses any foundation - it creates a different floor causing lighting to need creative input from the player to work. Even a small riser can cause issues with object placement (ceiling too low).

 

 

Spoiler

 

[jdw6]

For the geeks among us that have a linux box laying around...

https://www.tutorialspoint.com/how-to-download-mp3-tracks-from-youtube-video-using-youtube-dl

 

youtube-dl does work on windows... and I know I've gotten the recommended ffmpeg utility working on windows in the past.  So the steps on there could be extrapolated for windows.  I'll try to do some testing w/ things to see if it can be made a bit more "windows user friendly".

 

Wherever possible, it's generally "safer" to do things on your own computer than to trust some random website to do conversions.

 

Install ffmpeg (OK how-to here:  https://www.wikihow.com/Install-FFmpeg-on-Windows just looks scarier than it is)

Install youtube-dl (grab the exe here:  https://youtube-dl.org/)

Spoiler

 

In testing, I found I did not need the --prefer-ffmpeg option.  Go find your youtube link. Grab either the whole URL or just the part after the watch?v= and... if you find you need to have a specific bitrate, like "128K", you can put that in with the --audio-quality option.

youtube-dl -x --audio-format mp3 --audio-quality BITRATE URL

 

Note: I haven't quite gotten to where I tested actually adding music to TS3 from this method (since I have taken copious steps to mute/remove/eliminate any and all annoying music/sound from TS3, I doubt I will, but I do know the mp3 is playable.  On a Coldplay sound I tested with, it came out to be 127kbps without the --audio-quality option and 128kbps when I specified it.  (128kbps seems to be what the EA provided mp3s are, but I didn't see a specific bitrate mentioned either in @landess your post above or on the Broadcaster tool's MTS page, so what bitrate were you trying that you had to lower it from?  Most of my existing music directory is 256kbps, which is why I'm wondering.)

[Patriguz]

A question. Although it has nothing to do with the subject ,,, how do you do so that the onlookers do not get on the catwalk next to the dancer? Every time I put on a poledancer and one of the girls starts dancing, they all come closer and barely leave space, is there a way to keep them at a distance?

[landess]

1 hour ago, jdw6 said:

what bitrate were you trying

 

It's been awhile and looking at the wording used - may have been misleading - still trying to find further information yielded nothing. I said Bit Rate - but now realize it was Hz. Standard MP3's will usually be around 44kHz. I had read somewhere LONG ago when I decided to add custom music a value of around 16kHz was recommended iirc. Since I can't seem to find it anywhere and am now using the Broadcaster mod with overwhelming success and satisfaction - I had no need to bother until your reply brought up my terminology and reminded me of the actual measurement value.

 

For those not familiar with sound information - the Hz value are not the same as the bit rate:  https://www.lifewire.com/what-does-the-unit-khz-mean-in-digital-music-2438237

[landess]

17 minutes ago, Patriguz said:

onlookers do not get on the catwalk

 

I never have onlookers bother looking, as they either are dancing on their own or doing something different. Not the best experience for tips. Now the dancers using the floor socket will sometimes attract a viewer or 2, but the Pole never does in my experience (unless naked) which then gets either a cheer, or some idiot wanting to grope so they just stand there in a queue that keeps them in a 'holding pattern'.

 

Be aware the stage shown above is without 'form' and has no collision - so if another Sim were to walk up, they would look like the stage is chopping off their shins. Both the pole and stage sockets are moved up using KW/debug/move feature.

 

I also use a mod which makes dancing more fun for visitors to a venue with music. Without that everyone would be lining up to bore the bartender to pieces (I never found a mod to disable talking to the bartenders, and there is no tuning for it either). If I ran the game a normal speed and without the couple bartender mods I use (no mixing 'acrobatics' and another) My sim could conceivably stand waiting on a drink till closing time because of the useless chatter.

[jdw6]

50 minutes ago, landess said:

16kHz

?‍♂️ This would not surprise me in the least.

 

50 minutes ago, landess said:

until your reply

Didn't mean to revive a couple month old thread. Just noticed it as an unread one & thought it intriguing.

 

I kinda doubt I could drop 3000 mp3s in there & have the game still load. lol  (Oh, and almost all of those came directly from using cddx to rip my own cds to mp3. I still need to get a good turntable w/ digital out so I can rip the LPs & 45s.)

[landess]

11 hours ago, jdw6 said:

revive a couple month old thread

 

I'm too old to understand the hate centered around 'necro'ing a thread/post...

 

Seriously - if there is a post with several replies - all relevant with information 'buried', then not using that to build on just invites more repeat threads, posts, replies, answers.....

 

If it was such a thing - why the hell hasn't someone created or implemented LOCKING a thread once they reach some imaginary expiration date?

 

I find much info on threads from years ago - sometimes with new information to add - but I'm supposed to start a new thread? Notice even 'if' a site asks one not to 'necro', no one EVER gives a hard line for time passed? Rules need definition, not interpretation.

[landess]

13 hours ago, jdw6 said:

I kinda doubt I could drop 3000 mp3s in there & have the game still load

 

True!

 

Broadcaster I 'thought' at first was some kinda external plug-in for the Sims 3, meaning it ran outside of the game, and used some kind of script to call it. But instead it's a sophisticated .package tool which adds flags to that package so it's recognized as a new station - extremely clever, but as you say could easily bloat the Sims memory usage with too many songs.

 

The only 'down side' would be there is no Sim 'favorite' option for these new channels, but considering the impact this has on a sims mood to begin with, it's negligible. If someone 'needs' a favorite station to keep their Sims happy - they have 'bigger' problems.

[Guest]

18 hours ago, Patriguz said:

keep them at a distance?

I wish! No pics, but it does become the greatest of cluster fudges!!! Stage behind the bar... one side open for bartender and dancers to enter... smoke machines on either side of the stage... First a customer decides to go behind the bar to chat with the bartender... then a customer can't reach drinks and goes behind the bar... then another to watch dancers... and another, and.... Within 1 sim hour, the only one NOT behind the bar is the bartender who is now playing darts!!!

[landess]

6 hours ago, LadySmoks said:

a customer can't reach drinks and goes behind the bar

 

This!

 

A tray sits on a bar. The entire bar unit has a set depth. The shelf for placing drink trays is on the front half of the bar. A sim must reach 'further' by walking around behind a bar to grab a drink from the back of a tray. WTF! I had first thought it was a pathing issue based upon a queue held by the tray object, but then seeing a Sim walking around when no other Sims were in front tossed that theory out the door. I thought perhaps drinks in front were 'blocking' the drinks in the back - but that didn't hold water either. So the whole going to the back of a bar still baffles me to this day and NOT being able to move a drink tray/party food serving manually on a community lot is aggravating.

 

I have learned when buying a 'round of drinks' it's best to do it as far from the front of the bar as possible. Any counters attached to the bar on the sides seems best. Then the bartender won't immediately grab trays with drinks to 'clean up' the main ordering area.

 

I'm pretty sure I HAVE seen a bartender actually move a tray to another location instead of 'cleaning' it up, but perhaps that is 'interrupted' easily by other sims wanting to blah blah blah... (I really learned to hate that script - talking to the bartender).

[Patriguz]

On 3/9/2021 at 6:55 PM, LadySmoks said:

I wish! No pics, but it does become the greatest of cluster fudges!!! Stage behind the bar... one side open for bartender and dancers to enter... smoke machines on either side of the stage... First a customer decides to go behind the bar to chat with the bartender... then a customer can't reach drinks and goes behind the bar... then another to watch dancers... and another, and.... Within 1 sim hour, the only one NOT behind the bar is the bartender who is now playing darts!!!

 

I suppose this is already known, and is far from the best option, but I have sometimes used it to avoid overly enthusiastic viewers. It is an invisible barrier (only a mark appears in construction mode), it forces you to teleport the dancer to the fenced space to enter or exit, but prevents anyone else from approaching

I think the link still works

 

 

http://simminginmagnificentstyle.blogspot.com/2011/11/invisible-fence.html

 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Patriguz said:

it forces you to teleport the dancer

Thanks, but teleporting would be a problem, as dancers and bartenders are employees. I guess it would be possible to enter buy mode, moveobjects on and place the dancers and bartenders within the barrier... and of course use cheats to raise their motives to maximum so they are not hungry or pee themselves! Eventually, they would reset, but then I would have to do it all again the next day, and I don't visit my bars every day. (((

[landess]

10 hours ago, LadySmoks said:

teleporting would be a problem

 

I believe it was the University EP which introduced 'Making out' in the bathroom stalls. Because default EA bathrooms will use the gender 'blocking' doors, I wondered at first - How does that work? Well, they teleport. I also used MoveObjects On to place the bondage frame inside a horses stall (from Pets EP) as only horses can enter one I later found out. Yes, the Sims act weird when I tell them to use it. In this case they left the barn the stall was in - walked around to the wall closest to the frame, and teleported inside.

 

My observation is EA will auto-teleport Sims if it 'wants' to. What defines that want and not create the infamous 'stuck/can't path' issue is beyond me. I already know a Sim can 'walk on air' to get places . . . . .

 

 

[Guest]

4 hours ago, landess said:

gender 'blocking' doors

KW has "unblocking" door override.

[landess]

12 hours ago, LadySmoks said:

KW has "unblocking" door override.

 

How would this affect a horse stall that cannot be entered? By using a cheat to place an object inside - EA teleported sims inside to reach it......

 

My point was simple - EA can and will teleport Sims when it see's fit - what defines this?

[Sineadtanibata76]

On 3/12/2021 at 3:18 AM, landess said:

 

I believe it was the University EP which introduced 'Making out' in the bathroom stalls. Because default EA bathrooms will use the gender 'blocking' doors, I wondered at first - How does that work? Well, they teleport. I also used MoveObjects On to place the bondage frame inside a horses stall (from Pets EP) as only horses can enter one I later found out. Yes, the Sims act weird when I tell them to use it. In this case they left the barn the stall was in - walked around to the wall closest to the frame, and teleported inside.

 

My observation is EA will auto-teleport Sims if it 'wants' to. What defines that want and not create the infamous 'stuck/can't path' issue is beyond me. I already know a Sim can 'walk on air' to get places . . . . .

 

 

I've never seen sims makeout in a toilet stall and I have the Uni ep. A screen shot would be much appreciated if its not a bother. Also sorry for the necro. 

[landess]

9 hours ago, Sineadtanibata76 said:

I've never seen sims makeout in a toilet stall and I have the Uni ep

 

I tried to find some documentation but fucking Sims 4 and everything else wants to have a page reference when I did a search for 'Sims 3 make out in toilet stall'. The reason I bring this up is it creates a lack of documentation for the Sims 3 event. Therefore I cannot 100% prove the University EP is the reason this interaction now exists. Because of the nature of the Sims 3 though, one can easily see it's a default EA interaction as without the mosaic used when they enter, one can see the girl sits while the guys cleans as the hearts rain down as if it was Woohoo!.

 

 

I created a custom 'restroom', with the proper 'doors' and directed the Sims to 'make out' using the toilet stalls in both the guys and the girls restroom. By doing this experiment I did notice the 'blocked' Sim isn't blocked anymore and can just walk right into the restroom of the opposite gender as if those doors didn't exist while this event played out. Not sure if Sims can/will get distracted before entering/leaving the room causing them to be trapped outside or inside requiring a reset or NRaas Overwatch intervention.