How to Create Custom L4D Sounds?

A simple guide on how to create and change sounds for anything that makes noise in Left 4 Dead.



Foreword
Firstly, I would like you all to know that in Left 4 Dead, the sounds are controlled within and has an expected set time of playing. Therefore, it's very important that all your sounds do not exceed the time limit (as in, if a sound file in L4D is 10 seconds long, your new sound should be 10 seconds or less as well) or it will get stopped halfway.

So first of all, just look for the sound you want to replace in your L4D directory. You'll be referring to this sound a lot as you make your own sound.



Tools Needed
Basically any sound editing tool could do the job, but I recommend Audacity as it is free and is a powerful tool. You can get it here...

http://audacity.sourceforge.net/


In this guide, I'll be using the pictures from the Audacity website itself. You can take a look at them at their website as well, but I'll just be using them as a reference to guide you. These are not my pictures.

How to Edit?
Alright, here are the step-by-step instructions and things you need to look out for.



1. Matching length.
You can get any sound file, record your own or just use music as L4D sounds. Using Audacity, you can select the parts you do not want and Cut (Scissors Icon) them out. Make sure the length of your file is the same as the sound you're going to replace.

If you're not sure how to get the same length, open up both sound files and compare with each other. Use the Zoom tool to zoom in so that you can cut them into the same length properly.

2. Matching bitrate.
You need to match the bitrate of your sound file. If the bitrate is unmatched, your sound may either slow down or speed up, which will sound bad.

Notice on the left side of both sound files, there is Mono, 44100Hz. This shows whether the sound file is Mono or Stereo, and its bitrate. To change bitrate, click on the arrow (which is pointing downwards, right beside the filename) and point to Bitrate, and click on the one that matches L4D's sound.

Bitrate Changes Speed!!
If you face problems where after you change the bitrate, your sound speeds up or slows down too much, it's very simple. Select your sound file, click on Effect and click Change Speed. Slowly change your speed until it is correct. You can also use the Change Tempo and Change Pitch options to adjust.

3. Matching type.
The last thing you need to make sure is that, if the L4D sound you're going to replace is Stereo, make sure it's Stereo and vice versa for Mono. Before you do all this, make sure the length and bitrate is already the same.

A stereo sound.

Stereo to Mono
Click on the arrow (pointing downwards, beside the filename) and select Split Stereo or something of the sort. You will now have two sound files, one being Left and one being Right. Delete one of them. Click the arrow again and click Make Sound to Mono.

After splitting, the right one is deleted, leaving only the Left. This can then be switched to Mono.

Mono to Stereo
Select your sound file and duplicate it (Copy & Paste), then select both files and click Make Sound to Stereo.




4. Matching filetype.
Finally, check the filetype of the original L4D sound, whether it's MP3 or WAV file. Close all other sound files except the sound you want to save. Click File and then export it as .MP3 or .WAV file. Replace the L4D sound in your L4D directory (don't forget to backup!) and you're done!







End of Guide
There you have it, a quick guide on how to create your own sounds! If you followed this guide closely, you shouldn't have any problems with the sound in-game. Good luck!

Studying In College

Another notice to notify all readers that I am now currently studying in INTI College Subang Jaya.


Right now, I have already moved to Putra Heights in Subang and is taking the Foundation In Business IT programme. So basically I'm in College! And how is my experience??!









The Good
1. Friends, girls and people.
Yeah, basically you can just socialize with anyone, with your lecturers and see all the girls you want.


2. They treat you as an adult.
No longer like school-kids, you can do whatever you want and go wherever you want with no questions asked unless it's wrong or illegal. No raising hands to answer, no standing up to speak and no one's gonna scold you for any reason.


3. Assignments!
The assignments you do will all be at home and typed in a computer, which will be convenient if you have a computer. If you do not, then too bad! Assignments contribute marks to your final examination as well, so you can basically say that some of the marks are already in your hands.




The Bad
1. Messed up management.
My timetable and my lecturers' as well as other friends' are not the same. The venues are all different but fortunately we found out before anyone could end up in the wrong class! The assignment they give has no proper format also...never even explain.


2. Improper breaks.
I got breaks on the wrong time and I had to stay back for like 3 hours just to attend the next class. And to my surprise the lecturer said that specific class will only be a few minutes as it is a tutorial class where he would just give some questions. Now I have to wait 3 hours just to attend a 5 minute class and go home!!


3. Only ONE girl who's major in IT.
I just don't like this...why those major in Business got so many girls one?










Okay, there's really not much of a bad experience when going to college as all your work are reduced and narrowed down into a specific field. Although you will be spending much more time in finishing your assignments and researches, you will get to do it comfortably with the help of many sources. It is also more interesting to get to know more about the subject you like.



My 7 Subjects
1. Business Studies
2. Malaysian Studies
3. General Studies
4. Basic Computing
5. IT Principles
6. Mathematics & Statistics
7. English Language Skills



I hope I can get rid of all these unnecessary subjects except IT and Computing when I go for a Computer Science degree next year!










Other Experiences
Another experience is when I was looking for a dance club in INTI. I was hoping I could continue b-boying or at least learn some other dances in college as I liked dancing. I did not find any and was disappointed until I saw this notice board...

COLLEGE PLAYERS

...and I went ZOMG who the hell would name a dance club College Players?!




Another experience of an event where students were protesting as my class is too big and therefore had to separate into two groups with different timetables. Students major in IT are exempted from the separation as we are smaller in numbers. So there was a "lucky draw" for students major in Business. There are 2 outcomes, A and B. A is the original class with the better timetable and friends, while B is the shit timetable.

So people disliked it and were demanding a change in timetable or group. This guy who was sitting behind me got B while all of his friends got A and he went, "BABI!!"
INTI oh INTI...gotta improve in timetable management.





End of Notice
Alright, this is just a notice to let you all know that I'm back on blogging again! Therefore, stay tuned for updates as I will update on how to create your own sounds for L4D which I promised earlier on.

Hopefully I would be able to come up with more useful topics.





Love,
Nicholas.

SPM Results Are Out!

SPM Results of Year 2009 are out today!


I have already moved to KL and for now I'm back in Ipoh to get my results. Using this old, sick and dusty computer, I am not able to upload any photos and blog much due to its slow performance! Therefore I will just announce my results for the day.



My SPM Results
Bahasa Melayu: A-
Bahasa Inggeris: A+
Sejarah: A
Pendidikan Moral: A
Mathematics: A+
Additional Mathematics: A+
Physics: A
Chemistry: A
Biology: A



Yeap, straight As. Seems excellent to me. Congratulations to all others who obtained very well results, even though not straight As but results full of Bs is considered very good.


Goodbye for now and I will be updating more useful information as well as the continuation of WNx Homestay comics after I get my computer and Internet connection in my new home.




Love,
Nicholas.

[Notice] - Moving to KL

Hey fellow readers, I'll be moving to Kuala Lumpur tommorow.


Alright, will be packing my stuff and moving to my new house in Kuala Lumpur. I'll be busy for the next few days or weeks and won't be online for that period of time as my computer will be moved as well.

Stay tuned for more blog updates in future! I'll be off for now.




Love,
Nicholas.

Assumptions to Delusions

Today, we will talk about the human nature of making assumptions, jumping to conclusions and ignorance due to personal experience-based opinion.



Many of you might not have realized, but in truth, ALL of us have made countless assumptions. The sad thing about is, we do not realize that we are just making assumptions and therefore neglected the POSSIBILITY of it being true or false.

Assumption = Hypothesis = Idea Based on Observation

The Human Nature of Assumptions
Let's say you had an experience in a very tough and stressful situation that you made it and managed well after like say...a month. Another friend comes to tell you later on about the same situation for only a week and they're suffering like it's hell and wanted to suicide.

By nature, you would assume that your friend is exaggerating, making excuses or just feeble-minded. This is because you've gone through the same thing and feel that it isn't as bad as it is.

After this assumption, you would say your friend is a wuss because he couldn't manage it on his own but you could. At this point, your assumption has become a delusion. You think you are already right and neglected all other possible factors.

An assumption or a guess is NOT a fact!

The Negligence of Factors
If you were not taught how to do a certain task, you cannot perform the task. At least not correctly. So why do we assume that simple tasks are common sense and can be done perfectly by everybody, whereas if someone was not taught or shown the way to do it, they will screw up?

After experience or influence, we always think that if we can do it, why can't others do the same? Here are the factors we should consider before saying that. Why are these factors? Because they cannot be controlled by the human mind.


1. Environment
Every situation has a different environment. We also grow up in different environments. In different environments we learn different things and act differently. Heck, we do everything differently in different environments.

2. Capability of Absorbing Knowledge
Everyone can be as smart as us. But not everyone receives the same amount of input or knowledge over time. Slow learners may need to work harder or dig deeper and require more time to be as smart as we could. Lazy people just need the right attitude and take initiative.

3. People
There are people everywhere. Different people tell different things and bring us into different situations. Your wife is not your friend's wife, and your mother is not your friend's mother. Situations regarding people are almost cannot be compared to personal experience.

4. Amount of Love
You can ditch your friends, your work, your lover or go against anything because it does not benefit you or it is insane/irrational to do something. However, another person might have love and passion for certain things. Logic cannot override love. It is the same as how the mind can be controlled, but the heart could not. Therefore, the heart is always true. Love is always true, no right or wrong, no logic.

5. Pain & Accidents
You can just trip, fall and twist your ankle at any moment. You can just have a gastric for eating the food you're not used to it. Some people require weeks to recover and some require days. Some don't even experience this problem. It's easy for you to go through situations without any sort of injury or sickness. What if you just spend your daily life with 2 weeks of a very annoying and painful gastric that wouldn't go away? It's hard to even move around.




There might be more factors when you come to think of it, but these are the few. Anger, in my opinion is controllable as it is manageable through your mindset. If you choose to be happy, you will be happy. Anger depends on how you approach things and how much you mind about it.

They're uncontrollable factors man. Think, think.

Consideration
How often do we consider these 5 factors on behalf of others? Due to personal experience, we had always assume we've been through the hardest and others could do the same.

"Been there, done that."

So what? It does not prove that we are in the best position to brag or make things sound easy. We could only give our humble advice and opinion, hoping to help others who will go through the tough challenges.


Also, when your friend looks for you to tell you their problems and stories, just listen. You do not really need to give your opinion at all unless they ask for it. You'd be surprised how many people would actually just want you to listen and do not need your input! That's the main reason for the word, "TELL" anyway...not "DISCUSS".






We all made many of these mistakes every single day and we don't even realize it. So please realize it now, and try to reduce. I am also working on it. :(




Love,
Nicholas.