Logging

Proceed to the place where the song you're going to rip is going to play (sound test, game level, etc) and then start logging. You can do this through the sound menu by clicking on "VGM log", or by using the shortcut key CTRL+V. Kega will ask for a filename to log to. Type in a good and obvious name and proceed with the logging. Important hint: if you're ripping during gameplay, use names that will give you all the information you'll need later on tagging, like level name, number, part, boss names, etc. That way you won't have to play the game again. (Of course, if you really like the game that won't be much of an issue ;P)

A message will appear in the lower right corner confirming the log has started. Once you're logging, make the song play, either by entering an area, starting the level, pressing pause, playing it through the sound test, etc. Once you've recorded enough (a bit over two loops is the best), hit CTRL+V again to stop logging. A message will confirm this as well.

Do this with all the songs in the game you can find, and don't forget to include game over and death tunes as well. Once you think you have all the songs logged, proceeed to the next part, the trimming.

Important notes, tips and tricks

1. Make sure your log gets the start of the song until a couple of loops, plus a bit more. This way you'll have plenty of data to work with on trimming. Some games restart the song after pausing, and this is a good way to get the log started before the song runs.
2. You might want to speed up the logging process by enabling the fast-foward mode in Kega. Just hit the BACKSPACE to turn it on\off. It's safe and quick. You can also activate the FPS display (CTRL+F) and see how many FPS you can get on Fast Foward mode. 600 FPS = 10 times faster on American\Japanese country mode, 12 times faster on European country mode.
3. Make sure you're logging on the right emulation speed. European games run at 50 Hz, while Japanese and American ones run at 60 Hz. These should be ripped at the correct clock rate or you'll get songs playing too fast or too slow. You can change this option from the "country" menu.
4. The overdrive and super high quality options are irrelevant, but overdrive might be useful if the song is too quiet.
5. Sound effects are also logged, so make sure none play while you're logging the VGM.
   1. If the game has a sound test, use it. In-game rips are always discouraged. Some games have cheat codes that enable secret sound tests, so a little research is always a good idea.
   2. In addition, certain games give you the option to disable sound effects entirely, and this is very useful too.
   3. Some games, when paused, play the music normally. You can take advantage of this by pausing before any sound effect gets a chance to play. Be careful, some games actually play the song when paused, but they do so with a volume reduction. You don't want that.
   4. Sometimes you can get the song to play in a different part of the game, where sound effects don't happen.
   5. If everything fails, you can try to hack the game using Kega. See the appendix on basic hacking to learn how.
   6. If you couldn't get a hack yourself, just meet us on IRC at #Project2612 at irc.robsgaming.com and we'll see what we can do about it.