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Mar 28, 2024, 11:58 AM

NFS III/IV Engine "Click" noise

This is a discussion for the topic NFS III/IV Engine "Click" noise on the board Help/F.A.Q.

Author Topic: NFS III/IV Engine "Click" noise  (Read 4756 times)

11 Replies on NFS III/IV Engine "Click" noise
on: May 27, 2020, 9:00 PM
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Posts: 46 Joined: September 15, 2019

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I've read multiple threads on this topic.  Zpectre's tutorial threads were very helpful for understanding how to modify audio in need for speed IV.  Most of that information could easily be applied to need for speed III as well.  I've made myself a (near) perfect engine audio sample from recording the engine sound of the car I own in real life.  When I loop my sample in goldwave, it sounds just as clean as all the other engine audio samples from EA's default cars.

The problem starts when I import my own audio sample into the BNK files of my car using NFS Wizard.  There is always a "click" noise that gets added to my loop.  I tried overwriting the entire VIV file and reimporting everything.  I tried reimporting all of the audio samples in the BNK file.  Nothing seems to work.  The closest I have gotten to minimizing the "click" noise was when I added a small section of silence to the beginning and ending of my (near) perfect audio sample.  And then adjusted the loop beginning and ending in NFS Wizard to the start and end of my engine audio.  The attached image might explain what I'm trying to say better.  But even when done this way, I can still hear a slight "zip" sound.  It sounds wayyyyy better than the clicking noise I was hearing before (as in it's way harder to notice)... but it is still there and it is driving me nuts.  Does anyone know any other tricks to getting around NFS Wizard's "clicking" glitch?

Reply #1
on: Jun 10, 2020, 7:36 PM
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Posts: 46 Joined: September 15, 2019

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I'm still trying to figure this out.  I just now proved that modifying my custom audio will not fix the clicking noise even if it was perfect.  I made a completely silent audio file.  I imported that into every sample of the car.bnk file, saved it, and started up the game.  When i got into a race and revved the engine... a looped "click" was the only noise that was made.  There has to be a different way of importing your own samples into the bnk file.  NFS Wizard just ruins it every time.  This is getting so frustrating.  It's literally the last thing I want to do before uploading my car and calling it done.  I've spent over 500 hours on this car since last summer easily.  And the hours just keep racking up.  I'm so close and so far at the same time.

I can't even find another editor to modify these bnk files.  Here are other programs I found that can modify bnk files:

1) bnkextr.  All this one does is extract audio.  You can't import and overwrite audio with this one.
2) bnk editor.  This one modifies bnk files from test drive unlimited... but not from need for speed.
3) NFS Wizard.  Always inserts a "click" noise.

I guess I could try learning how to use a hex editor for this... but that seems really complex.  Idk...

Reply #2
on: Jun 12, 2020, 2:41 PM
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Posts: 46 Joined: September 15, 2019

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4) BNK editor https://github.com/Nexusphobiker/BNK-Editor
    This one doesn't work with need for speed BNK files.  Gives "Invalid .bnk file" error.

And the search continues for a solution.

Reply #3
on: Jun 13, 2020, 11:25 AM
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Posts: 46 Joined: September 15, 2019

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I decided to take a different route for the moment.  Trying to figure out exactly when and how NFS Wizard is adding this "click" noise.

In my case, it keeps adding the click noise only to the first sample.  This is only the case for the BNK file I am using which I grabbed from the indy 500 pace car.  For the BNK files from all the other cars, the click noise is added to both the first and the second samples (engine acceleration and deceleration respectively). Although for these BNK files, the first sample is compressed so once the click noise is added by NFS Wizard... the only way to fix it would be to overwrite the entire BNK file because you cannot overwrite the compressed sample (sample one) by importing another WAV file for these BNK files that have 4 samples.

I've also found out that just closing and reopening the BNK file in NFS Wizard does not add the click.  What adds the click is when you open the file and press save.  You won't see the click in the audio until you reopen the BNK file though.

Reply #4
on: Jun 14, 2020, 7:44 AM
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Posts: 46 Joined: September 15, 2019

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Confirmed a couple more things.

1) The click that is added is exactly the same each time.  If you keep reimporting the same sample and clicking save, the exact same click is added to the beginning of the sample each time.

2) The first click is actually added when you import the sample.  I imported a wav file with no sound, closed the BNK window and then reopened the BNK file and the click was already there.  Even though I had not yet saved.  Then when you click save for the first time, that click doesn't change.  Any save after the first save will keep adding more clicks.

Reply #5
on: Jun 15, 2020, 2:22 PM
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Posts: 46 Joined: September 15, 2019

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I think the best way around the click is to add silence to the beginning and ending of a sound sample like I explained in my original post, but you have to adjust the loop points after closing and reopening the BNK file again in NFS Wizard because then it will show that first click... which it will always have even if you don't reopen it.  Then you need to reimport the sample again and save.  So here's the process:

1) Open BNK file
2) Import sample that has a little bit of silence in beginning and ending.  This just makes it easier to see where to place the loop start and loop end.
3) Close BNK file
4) Reopen BNK file
5) Adjust loop start to where the beginning silence stops and the audio you care about starts
6) Adjust loop end to where the audio you care about ends and where the ending silence starts
7) Then reimport the sample
8 ) Then save and close

If you just save the sample after step 6) and you do not reimport the sample... it will have 2 clicks and your loop start/end will not line up anymore.

Even though the sample will not show a click upon initially importing the sample, as soon as you close that BNK file and save the VIV file... the click will be placed whether you reopen the BNK file or not.



I was trying to avoid having to mess with the start/end loop points because they're not very precise.  Like you can't specify the exact time that you want those loop points to be at.  They just increment left and right by some value.  But if you want to use NFS Wizard, you'll have to do my method above to get it to avoid the clicks.  If you could somehow import the samples into the BNK file without NFS Wizard so that there would be no clicks, then you could make your audio sample loop at the very beginning/ending of the audio file and then just put the loop start/end at the very start/end of the sample and it would loop at the exact points you would need it to.
« Last Edit: Jun 15, 2020, 2:25 PM by Theycallmebk14 »

Reply #6
on: Dec 19, 2021, 5:44 AM
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Posts: 267 Joined: June 09, 2018

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Wow. Just wow! This topic is soo important!! It's a sound editing tutorial for pros :D:D I thank you so much for your time you spent into this.
There is a VIV Editor especially made for NFS Hot Pursuit 2. Now there's only missing a .bnk editor that can recognize NFS 3/4 .bnk files.
But i'm not quite sure about when the click is added. I always thought that the click is added when opening a .bnk file in NFS Wizard? I think this click is very similiar to the clicks you can get when you record your PC audio that the soundcard makes and when the CPU is working very hard, you will also get those clicks in your recorded audio at those points in the audio where your PC worked hard.
The click is expanding itself into every other sample. I can only explain it like that: The click is pushing all the samples out of their position where they have to be, so that the click has it's own position in the .bnk file at the very start. It's actually like a frickin' virus :D It deplaces all the audio files, corrupting them, destroying loops and representing itself in every sample.
I will try your tutorial with them silence parts, i hope this helps. MADMAN_nfs mentioned in another tutorial, that it makes a difference if your game is set to EAX mode or Stereo mode. I myself can only find stereo mode and mono mode in the audio settings of the game. But maybe this is an option for you.
« Last Edit: Dec 19, 2021, 5:47 AM by pete9516 »

Reply #7
on: Dec 19, 2021, 5:54 AM
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Posts: 267 Joined: June 09, 2018

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7) Then reimport the sample
But when i reimport the sample(s), will the loops be at the positions i made? Because when reimporting the samples, it will destroy the click effect? Why should we reimport the samples, after setting the loops? I don't quite get that.

Reply #8
on: Dec 19, 2021, 7:51 AM
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Posts: 267 Joined: June 09, 2018

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If you just save the sample after step 6) and you do not reimport the sample... it will have 2 clicks and your loop start/end will not line up anymore.

Even though the sample will not show a click upon initially importing the sample, as soon as you close that BNK file and save the VIV file... the click will be placed whether you reopen the BNK file or not.
Ok i think now i understand. So the first click is added when importing a sample. When importing further samples, it will not add further clicks?
And the 2nd click is added when saving and closing the .bnk file? Did i understand this correct?

Reply #9
on: Dec 19, 2021, 9:00 AM
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Posts: 267 Joined: June 09, 2018

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1) Open BNK file
2) Import sample that has a little bit of silence in beginning and ending.  This just makes it easier to see where to place the loop start and loop end.
3) Close BNK file
4) Reopen BNK file
5) Adjust loop start to where the beginning silence stops and the audio you care about starts
6) Adjust loop end to where the audio you care about ends and where the ending silence starts
7) Then reimport the sample
8 ) Then save and close
Allright, so i did it exactly as described in your steps, but now it even sounds more worse. Maybe you got an idea what went wrong if you have time to look at it, but i need to find another solution i guess

Reply #10
on: Dec 31, 2021, 11:01 AM
Sr. Member
Posts: 46 Joined: September 15, 2019

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Hey Pete,

I released a tutorial for making mod cars for NFS III this year:
https://www.nfsaddons.com/downloads/nfshp/tools/6121/the-complete-guide-for-making-a-mod-car-for-nfs-iii.html

While I was writing this tutorial, I actually found a better way to get rid of the clicking noise.  I've attached page 165 with the explanation.  Here's the basic idea:

1) Listen to your car's engine sound in game.  If you hear a click, continue on to step 2.
2) Reimport your audio file into the BNK file.
3) Adjust the left boundary of the loop region by a single step (just barely moving the left boundary).
4) Save the BNK file and the VIV file.  Then go back to step 1.

Keep repeating this process until the loop region is perfect and plays without clicks.  Believe it or not, you should be able to put together a perfect audio clip in anywhere from 5-30 minutes depending on how lucky you are.

Reply #11
on: Dec 31, 2021, 1:59 PM
Hero Member
Posts: 267 Joined: June 09, 2018

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While I was writing this tutorial, I actually found a better way to get rid of the clicking noise.  I've attached page 165 with the explanation.  Here's the basic idea:

1) Listen to your car's engine sound in game.  If you hear a click, continue on to step 2.
2) Reimport your audio file into the BNK file.
3) Adjust the left boundary of the loop region by a single step (just barely moving the left boundary).
4) Save the BNK file and the VIV file.  Then go back to step 1.

Keep repeating this process until the loop region is perfect and plays without clicks.  Believe it or not, you should be able to put together a perfect audio clip in anywhere from 5-30 minutes depending on how lucky you are.
Hello bk14,
i've come right to this conclusion some weeks ago when i was experimenting with nfs3 horns converting to nfs4. I set the loop at the almost same position like it is in nfs3, and it sounded way better than my previous loops. Then i tried it out just like you explain it in your post and this must be the best way to get good loops. In my case they are not perfect, but they do their job. I don't think there's any other method than that

 


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