Converter — Vgm Midi
As of 2024, new machine learning tools are emerging. Projects like Chiptune2MIDI (neural networks trained on thousands of VGM/MIDI pairs) aim to guess FM patch parameters and convert them to appropriate General MIDI or SoundFont instruments.
While still experimental, these tools could solve the “FM patch mapping” problem. In the future, you might type:
ai-vgm2mid streets_of_rage_track.vgm --output output.mid --style "orchestral"
and the AI will convert the gritty bassline to a contrabassoon with accurate articulation.
Until then, VGM2MID remains the reliable, if manual, workhorse.
A raw VGM to MIDI conversion is rarely ready for Spotify. You will need to perform post-processing.
Is converting VGM to MIDI legal?
Always credit the original composer (e.g., "MIDI conversion of Yoko Shimomura’s Street Fighter II VGM").
The VGM MIDI converter is not just a utility. It is a translator between two eras of music history.
It allows a track composed on a Sega Genesis in 1993 to be played by a string quartet in 2025. It allows a forgotten gem from the Commodore 64 to become the basis for a dubstep remix. It takes the ghosts of silicon and copper—those voltage fluctuations that were never meant to be seen—and turns them into standard, universal, human-readable sheet music.
So go ahead. Find a VGM of the Sonic the Hedgehog Chemical Plant Zone. Run it through a converter. And then drop that bassline into your next track.
Just be careful. Once you see how the masters built those melodies out of thin air and six tiny channels, you’ll never listen to a video game the same way again.
Converting VGM (Video Game Music) files to MIDI allows you to analyze, remix, or recreate classic chiptune tracks in modern digital audio workstations (DAWs). VGM files capture the raw register data sent to sound chips (like the Sega Genesis's YM2612), while MIDI translates these into playable note events. Top VGM to MIDI Tools
: A powerful desktop application that detects and converts sequenced video game music into formats like MIDI and SoundFont2 (SF2). It supports various consoles, including the PS1, PS2, SNES, and Nintendo DS . You can download it from the VGMTrans GitHub page
: This is the standard community tool for converting VGM/VGZ files. Simple GUI
: Many versions come with a graphical interface—just add your files and click "Convert All". Compatibility
: It processes a wide range of chips supported by the VGM spec, with current maintenance handled by Valley Bell. : It is widely available through the VGMRips Wiki vgm2midi (CLI) Vgm Midi Converter
: A modern command-line tool that focuses on high accuracy. It features: Precise Timing : Uses sub-tick delta timing for perfect synchronization. Hybrid Pitch Handling
: Uses pitch bends for vibrato and slides to prevent "machine gun" re-triggering. Percussion Mapping : Automatically maps noise channels to MIDI Channel 10. : Can be installed via Vgm2Midi (Ben Ryves) : A lightweight converter specifically designed for PSG (Programmable Sound Generator)
VGM files. It is ideal for simpler 8-bit tracks but requires the .NET 2.0 Framework. Conversion Challenges to Keep in Mind
: Because VGM is a log of chip commands, older converters might struggle with complex timing or unique chip effects, resulting in "ghastly" sounds on default Windows softsynths. Format Limitations : Converting VGM is much harder than converting
it because consoles have strict channel limits (e.g., the Genesis is limited to about 6 channels). File Handling : Some tools require you to manually unzip files into format before they can be processed. import the converted MIDI into a specific DAW like FL Studio or Ableton? vgm2midi - Yarn Classic
VGM (Video Game Music) conversion tools are essential bridges between the rigid world of retro hardware and modern music production. While several tools exist, they generally serve to translate instructions intended for old sound chips—like the Sega Genesis's Go to product viewer dialog for this item. or the Master System's Go to product viewer dialog for this item. —into universal MIDI sequences. The Core Tools
The landscape of VGM conversion is defined by a few key projects that have evolved over decades:
VGM2MID (VGM to MIDI): Originally developed by Paul Jensen in Visual Basic and currently maintained by Valley Bell, this is a staple for retro music enthusiasts. It is frequently used for chip-accurate logging, where exact commands sent to sound chips are translated into MIDI notes.
Vgm2Midi (by Ben Ryves): Created around 2006, this lightweight tool specifically targets PSG (Programmable Sound Generator) VGM files. It was often used to create mobile phone ringtones from classic game music.
VGMTrans: A more comprehensive, cross-platform tool used not just for VGM, but for "ripping" sequenced music from entire ROMs, such as those for the Nintendo DS or PlayStation. It allows users to export music as MIDI along with SoundFonts (.SF2) to recreate the original console sounds accurately in a DAW. How the Conversion Works
Converting VGM to MIDI is not a simple file-type swap because VGM files contain raw hardware instructions, while MIDI contains musical notation.
Parsing: The converter reads the VGM header to identify which sound chips the game used (e.g., Yamaha or Texas Instruments chips).
Command Processing: It interprets chip register writes—instructions telling a chip to change its frequency or volume—over time.
Translation: These frequencies are mapped to MIDI keys. For example, some tools use A440 (MIDI key 69) as a reference to keep the music in tune. As of 2024, new machine learning tools are emerging
Channel Mapping: Each channel of a console's sound chip (typically 3–4 for older systems) is mapped to a separate MIDI channel. Challenges and Limitations
The "feel" of a classic game track is often lost in conversion because MIDI cannot perfectly replicate the quirks of vintage hardware.
Synthesizer Mismatch: MIDI synthesizers use instruments with attack, sustain, and decay, whereas old sound chips often output simple square waves at fixed amplitudes.
Extra Data: To simulate complex effects like vibrato or slow fades, converters often generate a massive number of pitch wheel or volume commands, making the resulting MIDI files unusually large.
Manual Rework: Most professionals use these converters only to create a "skeleton." They must later clean up the notes and manually re-assign instruments in a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) to make the song sound polished. vgm2midi - Yarn Classic
VGM MIDI Converter is a utility designed to translate VGM (Video Game Music)
files—which contain raw instruction data for vintage sound chips—into standard MIDI sequence files
. This process allows musicians and retro enthusiasts to extract the note data from classic games for use in modern digital audio workstations (DAWs). Core Functionality
While audio formats like WAV store recorded sound, VGM files store the actual "commands" sent to hardware like the Sega Mega Drive's YM2612 Master System's PSG
. A converter interprets these frequency and timing commands to recreate the musical performance as MIDI notes. Note Extraction:
Identifies pitch, duration, and velocity from complex chip instructions. Multi-Channel Support:
Most converters can split different sound chip channels (FM, PSG, PCM) into separate MIDI tracks. Pitch Precision:
Because legacy chips often used micro-tuning, converters like vgm2midi by Ben Ryves use the MIDI pitch wheel to maintain accuracy. Popular Tools
VGMTrans - a tool to convert proprietary, sequenced ... - GitHub A raw VGM to MIDI conversion is rarely ready for Spotify
Unlike a simple "audio to MIDI" converter (which attempts to transcribe a wave file and often fails), this tool operates on a fundamentally different and more precise principle: it extracts the original, discrete MIDI-like sequencing data from vintage game audio files.
If you grew up in the 16-bit era, you have a secret superpower. You can hear a chord progression from a distance—maybe wafting from a coffee shop speaker or buried in a TV commercial—and instantly blurt out, “That’s from Streets of Rage 2.”
But here is the technical magic behind that feeling: those iconic bass wobbles, the crunchy pseudo-orchestral hits, and the thundering drum tracks weren't "MP3s." They were data. Raw, ruthless, mathematical instructions sent directly to a sound chip.
For decades, accessing that data meant either recording it off real hardware (losing quality) or listening to bloated recordings. Then came the VGM (Video Game Music) format—and the converter that turned it from a historical artifact into a living, editable instrument.
There are several tools available, ranging from command-line utilities to graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Here are the industry standard solutions.
The story of the VGM to MIDI converter is really the story of a programmer known as "Valley Bell."
Around the mid-2010s, Valley Bell didn't just update the converters; they reinvented the wheel. They realized that you couldn't just brute-force the data. You had to understand the context.
Valley Bell’s tools introduced the concept of "Optimization." They wrote algorithms that looked at the VGM data and identified the "arpeggio tricks." They programmed the software to say, "Hey, these three notes are playing so fast that they are actually meant to be a C-Major chord," and collapse them into a single chord block in the MIDI file.
They tackled the noise issue. They created "datalogging" features that allowed the converter to analyze the specific chip (Sega Genesis, Neo Geo, Arcade) and apply specific rules.
Suddenly, the conversion worked.
I remember the first time I loaded a properly converted MIDI file of Green Hill Zone. I opened it in my sequencing software. There it was: the bass line on Track 3. The melody on Track 1. The percussion, cleaned up and mapped to standard General MIDI drums.
It wasn't perfect. FM Synthesis has a grit—a harmonic distortion—that MIDI can’t capture. A MIDI file sounds "clean," like a robot playing a keyboard. The Genesis sounded like a snarling engine. We lost the texture, the warmth, the "crunch" of the original chip.
But we gained the structure. We had the sheet music. We had the skeleton.
MIDI is the lingua franca of electronic music. Developed in 1983, a MIDI file contains sequenced events: Note On, Note Off, Velocity, Pitch Bend, Control Changes (CC), and Program Changes (to select instruments).