Dancing Monkeys: Automatically Generate step files for DDR

bboyflames · Trick Member Joined: 24 Nov 2003

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\family>cd..\..\

C:\>cd C:\Dancing Monkeys\bin\win32

C:\Dancing Monkeys\bin\win32>DancingMonkeys.exe "C:\Dancing Monkeys\through.mp3"
2 7 9 "C:\DancingMonkeys\output\through\"

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
Initialised.
input: C:\Dancing Monkeys\through.mp3
(44.1 kHz, 2 channels, MPEG-1 Layer III)
output: ..\..\Temp Music\Temp Song.wav (16 bit, Microsoft WAVE)
skipping initial 1105 samples (encoder+decoder delay)
Frame# 8816/8816 128 kbps
Decoded Mp3 / Copied Wav
Loaded song.
ERROR: A memory allocation request failed.

EXITING

C:\Dancing Monkeys\bin\win32>

sum 1help me plzz?[size=3]

Cyan Garamonde (Nosaj) · Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2003 12:15 pm Post subject:

It sounds like you don't have enough RAM or Virtual Memory.
_________________

Anything and everything you wanted to know about DWI/SM bgchanges.

Dark Dexter · Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2003 5:08 pm Post subject: Help for "bbboyflames"

TO BBBOYFLAMES: Read what I said to twen in my last post before this. It explains exactly how to fix this error in great detail. Next time you have a question, please read the previous posts and you may be able to solve your problem a significant awount of time quicker. Please, don't take this as an insult; it is mearly a piece of advice. By the way, like I said in my former post, the error is caused by: to slow a processor or to low RAM. Both of these problems can be solved by adding more virtual memory. Ayato Kamina was partially incorrect in saying, "It sounds like you don't have enough RAM or Virtual Memory." This is because Virtual Memory is not "real". You cannot actualy touch it with your hand. Normal RAM is real. Virtual Memory is a setting to use space on you hard drive to make up for a low amount of RAM. However, I don't want people to get the idea that Vitual Memory is a cure-all. It is not. Physical RAM in much more effective because of it's processing speed and data rate. Virtual Memory is based off the power of your hard drive and cannot go faster than its read/write speed. Even if you have a hard drive that goes at 100,000 RPMs (extemely expensive state-of-the-art hard drive with amazing speed for a hard disk); it is never as fast as a pure eletctric current. If you have a slow processor, like I mentioned in my last post, your prerty much screwed and cannot improve it unless you buy a new computer. That is the forever impediment toward the advance of new computer technologly because the technologly is ever too frequently made obsolete. For more in depth instructions on editing the value of Virutal Memory please view my last post.

TO spoonsman & Ayato Kamina: Thank you for telling me a little about MATLAB. I code in Visual Basic, C++, and Java all the time but had never heard of MATLAB until now. Thanks for the little tip there!

_________________

Throughout the darkness I lurk for my next victim in the name of Justice

pineapple_republic · Trick Member Joined: 16 Aug 2003 Location: Stuck

Hmm .. I assume Tournamix 5 will be the best yet.
_________________

"Come on Buddy Lee, lets make like a tree. . . .. . and go"

bboyflames · Trick Member Joined: 24 Nov 2003

thanx dark dexter after using ur tipz and instructionz i finally got it up and running proeperly,even managed to make a few simfiles.this is truly and great program despite the wait anyhow its a good program and the creater deserves MAD props. peace.

Swinky · Trick Member Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Location: Fort Collins CO

I got that fid error twice, the second time I checked to make everything was typed out correctly. Then I tried it again, but for the output directory, I simply put it in "C:\". The program ran through fine, and after putting the newly created files in the right folder, everything worked perfectly.

Hope this helps.
_________________

"I am a banana!"

Dark Dexter · Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2003 7:32 pm Post subject:

TO Swinky: You made a good point that solidifies my previous specualtions. The program just sucks at moving files and making disk writes. By just putting it in the C:\ drive shows that the program has a amazingly hard time making any intelligent wirte, such as to folders and subfolders. Just as a kinda random question for you, do you use a FAT32 or NTFS format hard drive? Also, what operating system are you running? I am trying to extrapolate the error in greater detail than a simple file write error. However, I may be wrong and it might just be an extremely badly written peice of code. In all of my programming I have learned that writing to the disk can be tricky business, however, it can be accomplished with a little bit of ingeunity and pratice. The first time I worte a program that actually wrote to the disk I was frequently frusterated with frequent errors and problems. However, as I became a better programmer and more aquainted with various programming languages it became quite natural. Yet, MATLAB might be a programming language with problems with making disk writes. I really don't know MATLAB that well so don't take this in an offenseive manner, it is merely a specualtion. Anyway, I hope in time that i can narrow down the sorce of this error to at least warn people about it or actually get KarlOKeffe to fix it. Hope you enjoy the program Swinky!

_________________

Throughout the darkness I lurk for my next victim in the name of Justice

Cyan Garamonde (Nosaj) · Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2003 9:54 pm Post subject:

I don't think it's that complicated. Look what's going on: specifying "C:\Music\Song Folder" doesn't work, but "C:\Music\Song Folder\" does work. When you run the program with this as a command line argument, that string gets set as the value of a variable, say SONGFOLDER.

When the program goes to write "steps.dwi" to the folder, it's probably trying to write "SONGFOLDERsteps.dwi", where it assumes that SONGFOLDER already contain the \ needed to distinguish between folder name and file name; i.e. the result would be "C:\Music\Song Foldersteps.dwi" or "C:\Music\Song Folder\steps.dwi".

When we don't include that trailing \, the folder name and file name run together, and Dancing Monkeys can't create it; when the \ is included, it works.
_________________

Anything and everything you wanted to know about DWI/SM bgchanges.

Swinky · Trick Member Joined: 31 Jan 2003 Location: Fort Collins CO

Dark Dexter: My hard drive uses NTFS, and I am running win XP home.

This was the first time I ever got the fid error, but it's also the first time I've tried putting it somewhere other than C:\ (the first time I hit ENTER on accident right after hitting the \ button)
_________________

"I am a banana!"

Karrde · Basic Member Joined: 15 Jun 2003

Hmmmm, ok, theoretically I got this running. I got that error about it being unable to output a truncated version blah blah, who knows if that wil cause a catastrophic problem or not. It seems to be progressing relatively normally atm. What I'd like to know is the approximate expected running time per use of DM.

*edit* damn, got the fid error so I'll try some of those fixes and see what happens. Personally, I'm only interested in this from the standpoint of the concept of automation and for the BPM.

*edit again* Ok, still got the fid error. tried all of the suggested fixes and still nothing. Running out of ideas.

-Karrde-

Cyan Garamonde (Nosaj) · Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2003 8:50 pm Post subject:

When I was running through a whole bunch of songs overnight, each one took about 5 to 10 minutes on the average, which fits with what Karl said about the executable being slower than the MATLAB code.

One suggestion on running it is to use file and path names that contain no spaces, just to try and help the program along. I.e., put the program in C:\DancingMonkeys, and point it to an mp3 something like this: C:\Music\song.mp3. Don't know if that's actually a problem, but it couldn't hurt, since that's how I ran it.
_________________

Anything and everything you wanted to know about DWI/SM bgchanges.

spoonsman · Trick Member Joined: 01 Dec 2002

If you put quotes around the file and directory names you shouldn't have a problem with spaces.

I happen to be on one of the school's lab computers right now (which has MATLAB), so I think I'll try out the MATLAB code right now to see how much faster it actually takes.

Karrde · Basic Member Joined: 15 Jun 2003

Yeah nothing's worked so far for me. Everything seems to proceed normally asside from the unable to truncate error and the fid error. I guess we'll have to wait for Karl to get back to us with a fix or workaround. I'd try it in matlab if I had it. And there's no reason it shouldn't work. Win ME, 933 mhtz, 256 mb ram. Hopefully Karl will come up with something soon.

-Karrde-

Freak'nBigPanda · Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2003 5:34 am Post subject:

wow this is one sweet buttocks program! I made some steps for ayu - evolution and busta rhymes break ya neck. Worked really well! Only thing is that the songs cut off after like 1:30secs I think this has to do with some limitation of stepmania though seeing as thats as long as any song I've ever dled.

spoonsman · Trick Member Joined: 01 Dec 2002

A stepmania song can be any length. DM cuts off the songs at about 1:45 because that's the usual threshhold for DDR songs.

I tried the MATLAB version but I'm too lazy to figure it out, so that didn't really go anywhere.

YmkFX · Trick Member Joined: 24 Jul 2003 Location: California

Someone should write another program around this with an interface and such, it would simplify the placing of files and tell you what all the stats are for a song as it compiles steps for it, such as the BPM and gap. Of course I have no idea how this would be done, but it might make it something that could be released on a more mass scale if it were more newbie friendly.
_________________

Karrde · Basic Member Joined: 15 Jun 2003

Anyone come up with any fixes for the fid error asside from adding the slash or not specifying a directory?

-Karrde-

Karrde · Basic Member Joined: 15 Jun 2003

Ok. Normally I wouldn't make a whole new post, but I want to make sure everyone sees this. I may have just solved the 'invalid fid' error. Maybe it's just a fluke, maybe not. Now to ppl who understand programming, etc. might have taken the following for granted, and thus, have had no problems running the program. However, those of us who've had little to know programming experience might not think it's so obvious. Ok, I'm talking first off, about the new version that contains the updated fixes for the crash after the normalization, version 1.01. Here's what I did.

1. delete the original 'dancingmonkeys.exe'
2. rename 'dancingmonkeys101.exe' to 'dancingmonkeys.exe'
3. Run like normal

I was able to get it to write to the specified output directory. The only problem is that it seems to be calculating the BPM to be exactly 1/2 of what it's supposed to be. I tested it with a Pump it up song called "willo the wisp" which the arcade game claims to be 210 BPM (though I'm sure that's not exact. Dancing Monkeys output it as 104.9917. I haven't tested whether or not this has fixed the problem with it not being able to convert it to an mp3. I also want to make doubly certain that this is not just some fluke. Anyway, I hope this helps.

*edit*

Just wanted to note that the idea came to me after looking at the word/thing 'fid'. I'm guesing it means 'invalid file ID" which made me think that some filename was wrong.

-Karrde-

spoonsman · Trick Member Joined: 01 Dec 2002

If you go his site that he has listed on the first post and read through the documentation he has there you'll see that there is a specific range of BPM that he searches for. Anything that is below that range would likely be doubled/tripled/etc to get in the range and anything above it will be halved/etc.

Cyan Garamonde (Nosaj) · Posted: Sun Dec 07, 2003 2:06 pm Post subject: