Keysound explanation for GDA/DTX FIles

A great video by Billkwando explaining how keysounding works for simfiles.

Video Tutorial: How to make a DTX simfile

If you are interested in making your own DTX file but aren't sure how to go about doing it, this video is for you. To see the video more clearly, select HQ (high quality).

To begin you must have the following:
GDA Creator*
DTXMania*
Drum sound files*
An image editing program (e.g. Photoshop)
A sound editing program (e.g. Adobe Audition / Audacity)

*These are available in the GDAmania Files section under accessories.

Converting a Youtube or Nicovideo for DTXMania

As I was editing the V5 encore stage simfiles, I learned something new, so I'll share it with you guys. Here is how to turn an online music video into something suitable for DTXMania. Most of the steps I followed using this article. Here are the steps I took.

1. Convert your video into an FLV and download onto your computer.
I used Toshichan Green Tune to do it. Some sites can convert directly into an AVI, but I don't recommend it as it will cause problems at a later stage. If you get a 404 error, play the video first.

2. Convert your FLV into an AVI.
I used FLV extract for this step (refer to the article above).

3. Load your AVI into VirtualDubMod.
I ran into problems opening the AVI in Virtualdubmod, even though I followed all the settings for installing and configuring ffdshow in the article. So I installed TMPGEnc, converted it into MPEG first and then I could open it.

4. Crop your video in Virtualdubmod.
To crop and resize, you will need 2 filters. Go to Video > Filters > Add filters. Use null transform to cut out unwanted parts (use the cropping button). The second filter is Resize - the DTXMania video width / height is 272x352. Under streams you can also disable the audio stream since you won't need audio.

5. Encode your video to a new AVI.
You need the DivX codec. I used 1-pass 780kbps to compress a 2 min video to about 10MB. Save it into the directory you are making your DTX in.

6. Use GDA Creator or DTX Creator to add the video to your DTX
I won't go into the details here. If you need help with this step, please ask in the GDAmania forums.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please read the documentation in the DTXMania English resource center first.

I will try and update this FAQ periodically. If you have a question which isn't answered, please feel free to post a comment:

Where do I unzip the GDA or DTX simfiles?
Create a folder called "DTXFiles".

How do I change the song difficulty?
Press the Hi hat twice.

How do I change the scroll speed?
Press the bass pedal twice. Whilst playing, you can use the up and down arrows to change the scroll speed also.

The charts are off-sync in the game:
In DTXMania versions 064 and above, press the delete key whilst playing a song to show the DTX details, then press Shift+Up or Shift+Down to adjust the chart sync. The game will remember your adjustment for the song the next time you play it.

How do I make subfolders to organize my DTX files?
Name your folder DTXFiles.Yourfoldername and DTXMania will recognize it as a sub-folder. Alternatively, use box.def.

Quick Start guide to setting up DTXMania

Connect your PC to your electronic drumset
1) You will need a MIDI to USB converter such as the Yamaha UX16.
2) Install the latest drivers for the converter (especially if you are running Windows Vista)
3) Plug the MIDI-In cable in your converter to the MIDI-Out hole in your drum module. Hook up the other end to the USB slot of your computer.

Connect your PC to a Guitarfreaks or Guitar Hero controller
1) You will need a converter depending on the type of controller. e.g. A PS2 GH controller will need a PS2 to USB converter.
2) Hook up your guitar to the converter, and check to see if it works under Control Panel > Game controllers.

Install DTXMania
1) Download DTXMania from the official site. Version 067b is the latest recommended stable version.
2) Download some simfiles and unzip them inside your DTXMania directory.
3) Load up DTXMania and see if your drums work.

Set your Drum and Guitar Key config in DTXMania
1) Most likely you will need to remap your drum and guitar keys first.