zBassMusic

zBassMusic is a modern music system for Gothic games built on the BASS audio library. It replaces the engine's native DirectMusic playback with a custom implementation, allowing modders to use standard audio formats instead of the legacy .SGT/.STY/.DLS files.

The plugin is developed by the Silver Ore Team (tehe) and requires Union.

tip

zBassMusic is the recommended way to add custom music to new mods - you can use standard .mp3, .ogg or .wav files without needing to learn DirectMusic Producer.

Features

• Standard audio formats - play music from .mp3, .ogg, .wav, .flac and other common formats instead of DirectMusic's proprietary .sgt files.
• VDF/MOD archive support - music files can be packed into .vdf/.mod archives. Native DirectMusic files must be placed as loose files in the Data/Music/ directory.
• Smooth cross-fades - alternative scheduling and transition systems that support smooth cross-fades between themes.
• Scriptable - provides a Daedalus script interface for controlling the music system.
• Backward compatible - original .sgt music still works. When a theme references an .sgt file, zBassMusic redirects playback to the original DirectMusic system.
• Drop-in replacement - existing C_MUSICTHEME definitions work out of the box. Just change the file field to point to your audio file.

Installation

1. Install Union if you haven't already.
2. Download the latest release from the zBassMusic GitHub releases.
3. Place the plugin DLL in <Gothic>/System/Autorun/.

Basic Usage

Replace the file field in your C_MUSICTHEME instances to point to a standard audio file instead of an .sgt file:

instance OWD_Day_Std(C_MUSICTHEME_DEF)
{
    file        = "OWD_DayStd.mp3";   // was: "OWD_DayStd.sgt"
    transType   = TRANSITION_TYPE_FILL;
    transSubType = TRANSITION_SUB_TYPE_MEASURE;
    reverbMix   = -8;
    reverbTime  = 9000;
};

Place your audio file in <Gothic>/Data/Music/ or inside a .vdf/.mod archive.

info

For a complete setup guide, transitions configuration, and advanced features, see the official zBassMusic User Guide.

Comparison with DirectMusic

Feature	DirectMusic (native)	zBassMusic
Audio formats	.SGT, .STY, .DLS	.mp3, .ogg, .wav, .flac
Authoring tool	DirectMusic Producer (legacy)	Any audio editor / DAW
VDF/MOD archive support	No (loose files only)	Yes
Cross-fade transitions	Engine-managed	Custom, smooth cross-fades
Dynamic music (patterns)	Yes (native)	Custom scheduling system
Script interface	C_MUSICTHEME only	C_MUSICTHEME + extended Daedalus
Requires Union	No	Yes

External Links

• zBassMusic Documentation - Full official documentation and user guide.
• zBassMusic GitHub - Source code and releases.
• GMC - zBassMusic - Gothic Modding Community page.
• BASS Library - The underlying audio library by un4seen.