Find free sounds for FreeDink

2008-08-23
2009-02-23

In 2008, Seth (the man behind Dink Smallwood) agreed to license most of the Dink game data under the free zlib license. This means that we can package the game for GNU/Linux distros, making it more visible and easy to install.

Most of the Dink game data means everything except for sounds: most of the wav and midis in Dink were not made by RTsoft, and could not be released freely as well. So currently the game will be distributed with few sound files, but I'm much interested in finding replacements for them under free licenses (such as Creative Commons BY-SA, Art Libre, etc.)

What sounds effects and music are available?

Some of the MIDIs are marked Copyright (C) 1997 by Seth A. Robinson:

Some of the sound effects were also made by Seth. credits.txt mentions:

Many were created by us as well, most using a Korg T3 & X3 keyboard. (level up wave, choir noise when you pickup a strength potion, etc)

This wasn't discussed when preparing the game data free release, so maybe some other sounds can be released, in particular the mentioned "level-up" and "potion" sounds.

Included in the free data zip:

Sounds possibly made with a keyboard:

What sounds effects need free replacements?

Unused in the main game, but maybe used in D-Mods:

Editor sounds: Dinkedit embeds 2 sounds, stop.wav (a 'tick' sound when moving the cursor or a sprite) and jump.wav (a 'boing' sound to indicate that a file was saved, used in spritemovie2000 mode). Their origin are unclear so they were removed. In addition, they were missing since v1.07 (built without resources) but it would be nice to reintroduce them.

See also Sparrowhawk's reference: dink_sound_reference-v1_00.html.

And musics?

Summary of internal MIDI comments (obtained using TiMidity++):

Classical pieces with free replacement

Sequence: AVE MARIA    
Copyright: (C)1994 Roland Corporation
(Bach/Gounod version)
Possible replacement:
http://arsouyes.org/partitions/finies/Bach/Prelude/Piano/prelude.mid (Bach's version, Art Libre)
http://arsouyes.org/partitions/finies/gounod/Ave_Maria/Ave_Maria.mid (faster pace, Art Libre)
** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:JOHN_MICHEL_CELLO-BACH_AVE_MARIA.ogg (record, cc-by-sa)

Text: Serenade
Text: Composer:  Franz Schubert
Text: Sequence:  Faren Raborn (June, 1995)
Text: Email:  raborn@mail.dtx-bbs.com
# domain name stolen ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Apparently more precisely: Serenade D957
Found a copy at:
http://www.karadar.com/Dictionary/schubert.html
http://www.karadar.com/Midi/schubert_serenade.mid
Replacement:
http://www.free-scores.com/download-sheet-music.php?pdf=5672 (score, public domain)
http://www.free-scores.com/PDF/schubert-franz-peter-serenade-5672.pdf
Remade with Rosegarden by Beuc: serenade-d957.mid serenade-d957.rg (GPLv3+ | Art Libre | CC-BY-SA)
Other leads:
http://www.kunstderfuge.com/schubert.htm (non-commercial, maybe ask?)
http://www.jamendo.com/en/album/26603 (record, by-nc-sa, maybe ask?)
http://www.archive.org/details/Serenade (record, Ogg Vorbis, unknown license, a liberal play with a little mistake in the middle)
http://www.archive.org/details/CollectedWorksOfHansKronold (empty file?)
http://www.classicalmusic.spb.ru/music-mp3/index.htm (russian record with child voice, no copyright information)
http://schubertserenade.tripod.com/ (record, no copyright information)
http://www.eadcentral.com/go/1/1/0/http://www.liafail.org/clmids.html (unknown license, need to ask)

Track name: Rêverie by
Track name: Claude Debussy
Track name: Sequence by
Track name: Faren Raborn
Track name: June, 1995
Source (same author, not exactly the same instruments though):
http://www.classicalmidiconnection.com/cmc/impress.html
http://www.classicalmidiconnection.com/cgibin/x.cgi/mid/debussy/deb_rev.mid
No mail information in http://www.midiworld.com/contributors.htm
No author entry for the other "Rêverie" MIDI's author (Gary D. Lloyd)
Remade with Rosegarden by Beuc: reverie.mid reverie.rg (GPLv3+ | Art Libre | CC-BY-SA)
Possible replacements:
http://imslp.org/wiki/Rêverie_(Debussy%2C_Claude) (score, public domain)
Other leads:
http://www.classiccat.net/debussy_c/68.htm (several MP3s, none has license info)
http://www.classicalmidiconnection.com/cgibin/x.cgi/mid/debussy/reverie.mid

Track name: Mendelssohn 
Track name: Concerto for Violin
Track name: Opus64- a - Allegro mol. apass.
Track name: Midi by:
Track name: B.Fisher
Source (not exactly the same instruments though):
"Violin Concerto in E-, Op.64 - 1.Allegro molto appassionato"
http://www.classicalarchives.com/mendelssohn.html
http://www.classicalarchives.com/m/8/menop64a.mid
No mail from http://www.classicalarchives.com/c.html
Possible replacements:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Felix_Mendelssohn_-_Violinkonzert_e-moll_-_1._Allegro_molto_appassionato.ogg (CC-BY-SA - heavy 19MB / 13:27, maybe truncate)

The Blue Danube / On the Beautiful Blue Danube
An der schönen blauen Donau op. 314, Johann Strauss
Possible replacement:
http://www.mutopiaproject.org/cgibin/piece-info.cgi?id=519 (cc-by-sa, Copyright (C) 2004  Nikos Kouremenos, Mutopia-2005/01/17-519)
** http://www.mutopiaproject.org/ftp/StraussJJ/O314/blue_danube/blue_danube.mid (but very short :/)
http://www.free-scores.com/redirection-partition.php?partition=5401 (score, public domain)
** http://www.archive.org/details/BlueDanubeWaltz (record, Ogg Vorbis, public domain)
   STRAUSS_Blue_Danube_Waltz_1934.ogg (but too serious, the original midi was supposed to add a funny effect to a gory fighting)
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:An_der_schönem_blauen_Donau.ogg (old recording, some noise, public domain)

Modern, author ~identified, need to be contacted or replaced

18.mid (End Boss)
Sequence: tukiyo.mid
Copyright: Composed by Y-Asano

lovin.mid (Kernsin parade)
Sequence: Lovin' / GACHOPIN
Copyright: Copyright(c)1997,GACHOPIN All Rights Reserved.
http://sound.jp/gachopin/en/
http://sound.jp/gachopin/music/lovin-e.html
http://sound.jp/gachopin/midi/midplug/lovin_mp.mid
gachos@gmail.com ICQ:21807998

5.mid (bar/tavern)
Format: 0  Tracks: 1  Divisions: 480
Text: Oda Sanae

13.mid (?, used in Lyna's Story)
Sequence: untitled
Text: Sanae Oda

Not identified

4.mid (generic attack sequence)
Sequence: battle

9.mid (battle, but which battle? used in 9Gems2 end boss)
Sequence: Mixed

10.mid
Sequence: Cave Exploring

16.mid (secret Giant Duck's island)
Sequence: Favorite

100.mid (area south of Terris)
Sequence: Wanderjam

101.mid (?)
Sequence: Wander 3
Track name: Memorymoog 4

102.mid (Aunt house at Terris, upstrairs)
Sequence: Tavern2
Track name: Big PWM

103.mid (Mr SmileStein's)
Sequence: Neighbor

Bullythe.mid (Milder's nagging)
Playing Bullythe.mid
MIDI file: Bullythe.mid
Sequence: Bully Theme
Track name: Dreamers
Possible replacement: HellFortressTwo.ogg from FreeDroidRPG

Wanderer.mid (meeting Martridge)
Sequence: wanderer

Used in the main game?

11.mid (unused? I think it's used in QFD though)
Sequence: In my dream
Sequence: In my dream
Copyright: The Honest LoveThe Honest LoveThe Honest LoveThe Honest Love

7.mid (?)

12.mid (?)
Sequence: winter...from?
Text: - System Mode Setg

Unused

neighbor.mid (unused)
Sequence: Neighbor

Duplicates

• 4.mid, Battle.mid [battle with soldiers]
• 6.mid, 18.mid [end boss theme]
• 10.mid, 107.mid, Caveexpl.mid [cave]

How to help

Send sound replacements indicating the source, the license, and what it replaces at bug-freedink@gnu.org or beuc@beuc.net.

Leads:

• We could implement Ogg Vorbis support in the engine to replace MIDIs with .ogg audio files
• Sites like Jamendo references music files released under a Creative Common licenses by their author. Look for licenses 'CC-BY-SA' and 'Art Libre'.
• List of full length copyleft/public domain musical works available on Wikipedia or Wikimedia Commons
• Other free games exists. Preferably check games that are already packaged in GNU/Linux distros, because it's more likely that the sound license was properly checked. For example, you could check Battle of Wesnoth (Debian package) for medieval war sounds, as well as The Mana World. Also check Addonthell (bgm & sfx) and Trackballs (bgm), kq, to name a few.
• The One Laptop Per Child project has a collection of free sound sample.
• Game resources at love2d.org (game engine)
• Of course, if can compose new musics or generate/record new sound effects, that would be marvelous :)
• In particular, you may try to create some sounds with the sfxr random generator.

arrow.wav
/usr/share/games/attal/themes/medieval/sounds/arrow.wav: doesn't fit: Dink only has start (launch) and end (hit + vibrate) sounds,
  while this one combines running + small hit sound
/usr/share/games/wesnoth/data/core/sounds/spear.wav

bhit.wav
/usr/share/games/freeciv/stdsounds/woodbrk.ogg: OpenQuartz - Frank Condello (pox@planetquake.com)

bow1.wav
/usr/share/games/wesnoth/data/core/sounds/bow-miss.ogg

burn.wav
/usr/share/games/freeciv/stdsounds/LrgExpl.ogg: Warzone - Eidos Entertainment (GPL release)

caveent.wav:
asc paquage: the sy-* sounds

drag1.wav
/usr/share/games/wesnoth/data/core/sounds/torch-miss.ogg
/usr/share/games/wesnoth/data/core/sounds/torch.ogg
/usr/share/games/wesnoth/data/core/sounds/water-blast.wav

escape.wav
/usr/share/games/freeciv/stdsounds/MedCan.ogg: Warzone - Eidos Entertainment (GPL release)

open.wav
/usr/share/games/wesnoth/data/core/sounds/open-chest.wav

punch.wav
/usr/share/games/wesnoth/data/core/sounds/fist.ogg

splash.wav
/usr/share/games/freeciv/stdsounds/Splash.ogg: Warzone - Eidos Entertainment (GPL release) - though a bit heavyweigh for a fish

squish.wav
/usr/share/games/wesnoth/data/core/sounds/entangle.wav

sword2.wav
/usr/share/games/wesnoth/data/core/sounds/spear.ogg is interesting but may not fit the 'pick' sound when played at 22050Hz



Musics:
boss, background music (ogg):
attal-themes-medieval: /usr/share/games/attal/themes/medieval/musics/
ambiance, walk sequences (mp3):
/usr/share/games/asc/music/

asc: war, but rather modern (fire weapons)

freedroidrpg:
/usr/share/games/freedroidrpg/sound/music/town.ogg - ambiance, guitar
Author: Arvid Picciani
Title: Town

Sons intéressants:
bzflag (/usr/share/bzflag)


Other sounds:

harp, going up:
/usr/share/games/freedroidrpg/sound/effects/Mission_Status_Change_Sound_0.ogg

clear/space, going up:
/usr/share/games/freedroidrpg/sound/effects/Takeover_Game_Won_Sound_0.ogg
/usr/share/games/attal/themes/medieval/sounds/good.wav (identical)

broken glass:
/usr/share/games/freeciv/stdsounds/metbrk.ogg: OpenQuartz - Frank Condello (pox@planetquake.com)

explosion
/usr/share/games/moon-lander/sounds/explosion2.wav
/usr/share/games/supertransball2/sound/explosion.wav
/usr/share/games/wesnoth/data/core/sounds/explosion.ogg