Lip Synching The Easy Way

[TimBob12 5]

Lip Syncing

 

(the easy way)

 

This tutorial will show you how to make custom Lip Synching with custom Voice Overs without the need for complicated Mod Prefixes etc.

 

I advise you read through the installation of the CSLU Toolkit below before visiting the site.

 

Tools you will need

-Microphone / Voice Actor

-Audacity - http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

-Lip Synch Editor - http://www.starwarsknights.com/tools.php#de

-CSLU Toolkit - DropBox Link

-DLGEditor - http://www.starwarsknights.com/tools.php#de

-Notepad

 

Installations

 

Download the Audacity Installer and install

 

Download the ZIP file containing the LipSynchEditor and unzip it.

 

The CSLU Toolkit provides some extra work to install. Visit the above link and enter your email and you will be sent a download link. Download the installer and run it. Select Typical Install and accept the default options. Then go and get a cup of tea while you wait for it to download and extract.

 

Download the ZIP file containing the DLGEditor and unzip it.

 

Notepad comes with windows.

 

Writing Dialogue

 

For writing dialogue here is an excellent tutorial

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20150925104635/http://www.lucasforums.com/showthread.php?t=180845

 

Although we will be focussing on two specific things which will be covered later.

 

Make sure you have all of your dialogue written out and then take each individual line and put it in a text file. You can name it whatever you like but I normally use the NPC tag and then a 2 digit number e.g.

 

Hello, How are you today? - commoner01.txt

I'm fine thank you - commoner02.txt

 

It just helps distinguish between files.

 

Recording

 

Now plug in your microphone and start up Audacity.

 

Hold the microphone to your mouth and then press the record button and say the first line.

 

 

You may find it is too quiet and that you need to use the Amplify Effect in the Effects Menu.

 

 

Then use the drop down menu on the audio channel and select Mono.

 

 

Then select File, Export and save it as the same name as the corresponding line in the text file for example commoner01.wav would be the sound file for

 

Hello, How are you today? - commoner01.txt

 

Record every line individually and put them in a folder with the .txt files.

 

Make sure that there is no punctuation other than full stops, commas, question marks and exclamation marks as this is all it supports.

 

 

Lip Synching

 

To acheive custom lip synching you need to use the CSLU Toolkit to create a .phn file that can be read by the LipSynchEditor.

 

To do this open Notepad and type the name of your wav file, followed by a space and the name of your text file. Continue this on the next line for each sound and text file. For example

 

commoner01.wav commoner01.txt

commoner02.wav commoner02.txt

commoner03.wav commoner03.txt

 

and this can be continued on. Save this as list.txt

 

Next go into the LipSynchEditor folder you extracted earlier, then into Extras and then into Importing. There should be a file named makephn.tcl in there. This will need to be in the same folder as your voice overs, your text files with the words and your list file

 

The next step is slightly different depending on your operating system.

 

Windows XP:

 

Click on Start -> Run and type "cmd" (minus the quotes) and hit enter.

 

 

Vista/7:

 

Click on the Windows Logo and run a search for "cmd"(minus the quotes) and click on the result that says either cmd or command. (I can't remember which it is as I have XP)

 

You will now need to use some commands to navigate to the directory in which you saved all your files and the makephn.tcl script.

 

 

The three commands are:

 

dir - lists the contents of the current directory.

cd *name of directory* - moves into the *name of directory*

cd.. - Moves to the previous directory.

 

For example I made the directory on my desktop and my default start location is C:\Documents and Settings\Tim

 

So I would need to use the command

 

dir

cd Desktop

cd Voice Overs

 

The dir command is not necessary it just helps to find the names of some folders.

 

You will then need to run the script makephn.tcl that you put in that folder and put list.txt after it. For example:

 

makephn.tcl list.txt

 

would be all you need to type.

 

It will then think about for a bit and then if it is successful it will pop up with a little box that has nothing in. This means it is done and you can close it. If it comes up with an error double check that your sound file is MONO and that there is no excess punctuation in your text files.

 

If you now check your folder there should be a lot of .phn files which are what we need hurrah.

 

Now start up the Lip Synch Editor and click File, Import Phn.

 

Hold down Control and select all of your phn files.

 

This should come up

 

 

Then click File, Save All and save your .lip files.

 

 

Now open DLGEditor and click on one of your lines and find the VO_ResRef field. In here type the name of your .lip file without the .lip bit.

 

Then tick the box that says sound exists.

 

 

You will now need to put the .lip file in the .MOD for the module or in a seperate .MOD for voice overs it doesn't really matter.

 

Then the .WAV needs to go into the StreamWaves Folder for K1 or StreamVoice for K2, NOT INSIDE ANY FOLDERS.

 

 

 

HUZZAH you are done. It will work.

 

 

Hope this works.

 

Any questions, I will endeavour to answer them.

 

If I missed anything or it doesn't make sense then please tell me and i will correct it.

 

Thanks for reading.

 

TB12