Is this the right place to ask about the official plugins?
Thank you for releasing the RPG Maker 200x/MZ converter.
I’ve already started converting some old games I made and enjoying them.
However, when I try to convert by unchecking the “Use MID plugin” option in the audio settings, I get an error saying that FFmpeg is not in the path, and the conversion fails.
If I check the “Use MID plugin” option, the conversion works, so the path should be set correctly… What should I do?
Yes, this is the right place. The Steam page for the converter says it’s in beta and asks that bugs and feedback go to the Guild, so you’re good.
From what I understand, checking Use MID plugin means the MIDI files are kept as is and played back through the plugin, so FFmpeg never gets called on that path. Unchecking it means the converter tries to render the MIDIs to OGG, and that’s the first time it actually needs FFmpeg (and a soundfont). So the checked run working doesn’t really confirm the path is set, it just never tested it.
A few things to check on the FFmpeg side:
Open a fresh Command Prompt and type ffmpeg -version. If that comes back with “not recognized”, Windows can’t find it either.
If you added FFmpeg to PATH, make sure it’s the bin folder inside the FFmpeg download (the one that actually contains ffmpeg.exe), not the top folder of the zip.
PATH changes only apply to programs started after the change, so close the converter completely and reopen it, or reboot.
Is there a separate FFmpeg or soundfont path setting inside the converter itself? If so, could you post a screenshot of that screen?
Thank you for your reply.
Sorry, I meant timidity.exe.
I added the environment variable, and it seems the path was set correctly, so the conversion worked. However, now the BGM is not being converted at all, and it appears not to exist in the project folder.
Looking at the displayed log, it says that timidity converts to wav, and then FFmpeg converts to ogg…
I’m not very familiar with the command prompt, so I set the path by adding an environment variable.
I only added the path to the folder containing the executable file to the environment variable. Is there anything else I need to add?
The attached image shows the converter’s settings screen.
For the PATH side, the folder that holds the exe is all it needs, so nothing else to add there.
Where I’d look next is timidity itself. TiMidity++ can’t render audio from the exe alone, it reads a timidity.cfg at startup and that file has to point at a soundfont (an .sf2) or a set of GUS patch files. If the cfg is missing or the soundfont line in it points somewhere that doesn’t exist, timidity runs and exits without writing a wav, and I’m wondering if the converter’s log just reports that each step was launched rather than checking that a file actually came out. Then ffmpeg has nothing to convert and no ogg ever lands in the project folder. That could explain why the log looks fine but the BGM is missing.
Could you check the folder timidity.exe lives in and see if there’s a timidity.cfg next to it, and open it to see what soundfont or dir line it has? Also which TiMidity++ build did you download, and could you paste the exact log lines for one BGM? One quick test that skips the command prompt entirely, try dragging a .mid file onto timidity.exe. If it plays, timidity is set up right and the problem is somewhere between it and the converter. If it stays silent or errors out, it’s the cfg or soundfont.
Thank you for your response.
Since it said “Stable Version,” I downloaded TiMidity+±2.13.0-w32.zip.
The sound doesn’t play, and the timidity.cfg file isn’t included. I assumed that since this software doesn’t play sound by itself during conversion, I only needed to extract the files. I didn’t realize the configuration file was necessary even if I wasn’t playing sound. I apologize for my lack of understanding.
I read the help and tutorial sites, but I couldn’t figure out exactly what steps to take. There are many technical terms, so I couldn’t fully understand what was being said.
After trying various things despite my confusion, I was finally able to convert the files.
I placed the FluidR3_GM.sf2 soundfont, which was recommended in the converter’s help, into the TiMidity folder. I also placed the cfg file bundled with FluidR3_GM into the TiMidity folder and renamed it to timidity.cfg.
I opened the cfg file with a text editor and changed the path /usr/share/sounds/sf2 to the path of the TiMidity folder.
I dragged and dropped the MIDI file onto TiMidity.exe to check if the sound played, and then restarted my PC before running the conversion.
As a result of being able to convert the files, the conversion process became extremely slow. Unchecking the “Convert to WAV” option didn’t make much difference.
I suspect this is because all RTPs, even those not in use, are being converted. For games that primarily use RTPs, I think I’ll try converting only the non-audio assets.
In conclusion, this issue was not a bug, but simply due to my lack of knowledge. I apologize for the trouble I caused.
Thank you very much for your patient assistance.
