0 of 0
About this mod
A framework that allows users to customize the music that plays throughout their Skyrim experience. Some assembly required. Music not included.
- Permissions and credits
- Changelogs
If you like my mods, you can support me via Ko-Fi, or come hang out with me on Twitch where I play Skyrim SE/VR and many other moddable and sandboxy games almost every day!
Michiko's Personalized Music
This mod is a framework that allows users to customize the music that plays in various places and certain situations in Skyrim. This gets rid of the vanilla music in exchange for the player's own selections of music. The user will need to supply their own music, copy and rename the files into the appropriate folders (provided by this mod). For example, Whiterun can have its own music that's different from other towns. There's different playlists (music type records) for night and day, and playlists for when the player is mounted vs. on foot.It's highly compatible with mods provided they use vanilla playlists. However, patches can be made to use some of the new custom playlists if needed.
This is loosely based on (but does not directly copy from) the classic Personalized Music mod by No_Aardvarks_Allowed.
Instructions
Please read these instructions carefully. The steps are pretty simple but can be a little overwhelming if you've never done this kind of thing before.
1. Use your mod manager and run the FOMOD installer.
2. Gather the music you want to use and convert it into .xwm files using a program like Skyrim Audio Converter (yes it works fine for SE/AE/VR). Any program that can convert your audio into .xwm format will work, really.
3. Decide on what situations/folders you want the music to play in, and copy them there. For example, if you have a track that you want to potentially hear in all dungeons, you can copy it into the Data\Music\Dungeon - All folder.
4. Rename the files to fit the correct format in the folders, as noted by the empty .txt files in each folder. For example, the text file is named DungeonXX (01-30).txt, you can rename each file in the Dungeon - All folder to Dungeon01.xwm, Dungeon02.xwm, and so on until Dungeon30.xwm. You can use a program like Bulk Rename Utility to rename all the files more quickly. Just be careful of typos as the music will not play if the filename is not recognized (pay attention to the number of digits, for example).
If you've done it correctly, your selected music should play in the relevant locations and situations. Any empty folders are ignored by the game and you will hear silence. The game will only play tracks that exist and will not cause errors or crashes if tracks are missing.
Load Order
This needs to be loaded fairly late in your load order. It won't cause crashes or serious issues, but if any mod overwrites the changes made to the music, it might not play the correct music. My recommended load order would be:
- Official Skyrim plugins
- unofficial patches
- all other mods
- Bashed Patch (if you use it)
- Michiko's Personalized Music
- Michiko's Personalized Music Other Optional Patches
- Flat World Map Framework (or other mods that change the map)
- Personalized Music - FWMF Patch.esp
- Synthesis patches or other mass patcher patches
Compatibility
This mod should be compatible with most mods, including mods that add new dungeons, towns and other locations, as long as they use the vanilla music types (for example: MUSDungeon). Mods that don't use the same music types would need to be patched, but they're pretty rare.
Feel free to make your own patches for other mods to use the music types from this mod. Or you could ask nicely for a patch and I might be able to include it in the FOMOD installer if it's not too much trouble to make a patch for.
Currently there are 2 optional patches included in the FOMOD for the following mods:
Spoiler:
Helgen Rebuilt - Set the music type for the whole area to use village music.
Shadowstar Castle - Set the music type for the area to use the castle music, the dining hall to use tavern music, and the bedrooms to use Breezehome music.
Show
Helgen Rebuilt - Set the music type for the whole area to use village music.
Shadowstar Castle - Set the music type for the area to use the castle music, the dining hall to use tavern music, and the bedrooms to use Breezehome music.
This can be expanded as needed. So far these are the mods that I use that I felt needed patches.
Differences Between This and Similar Mods
Spoiler:
- Compared to Personalized Music, this mod has slightly more music tracks in general (most "explore" tracks go up to 30, "Dungeon - All" has up to 50 tracks, etc.) as well as music types, such as music that only plays when you're mounted.
The file names are also a little bit more consistent so you can simply copy some files from folder to folder without having to rename them (like if you want Dungeon20.xwm to play in more than just one dungeon type).
- Compared to DCS, this mod is much simpler and significantly less granular, but if you feel like you don't need the granularity of DCS, this will work just fine. DCS does offer more fine-tuned control however, as well as significantly more tracks, so go check it out if you're interested. I used it for a while but found myself not actually using many of the features due to not even having that many tracks that I wanted to use for the game, which is what led me to make my own mod.
Lastly there's options to change some other special tracks, which technically could've been changed with the classic Personalized Music as well, but they're implicitly included here with instructions written in a text file in the Music\Special folder. These include the following:
mus_maintheme.xwm
AlduinDeath.xwm
MUS_Special_CartIntro_01.xwm
MUS_Intro.xwm
Solstheim Boat Arrival\Arrival01.xwm
Solstheim Boat Arrival\Arrival02.xwm
Solstheim Boat Arrival\Arrival03.xwm
These tracks are not called using the Music Type but rather through special events in the game using scripts, quests or other methods, so we couldn't simply add a new playlist for them.
Show
- Compared to Personalized Music, this mod has slightly more music tracks in general (most "explore" tracks go up to 30, "Dungeon - All" has up to 50 tracks, etc.) as well as music types, such as music that only plays when you're mounted.
The file names are also a little bit more consistent so you can simply copy some files from folder to folder without having to rename them (like if you want Dungeon20.xwm to play in more than just one dungeon type).
- Compared to DCS, this mod is much simpler and significantly less granular, but if you feel like you don't need the granularity of DCS, this will work just fine. DCS does offer more fine-tuned control however, as well as significantly more tracks, so go check it out if you're interested. I used it for a while but found myself not actually using many of the features due to not even having that many tracks that I wanted to use for the game, which is what led me to make my own mod.
Lastly there's options to change some other special tracks, which technically could've been changed with the classic Personalized Music as well, but they're implicitly included here with instructions written in a text file in the Music\Special folder. These include the following:
mus_maintheme.xwm
AlduinDeath.xwm
MUS_Special_CartIntro_01.xwm
MUS_Intro.xwm
Solstheim Boat Arrival\Arrival01.xwm
Solstheim Boat Arrival\Arrival02.xwm
Solstheim Boat Arrival\Arrival03.xwm
These tracks are not called using the Music Type but rather through special events in the game using scripts, quests or other methods, so we couldn't simply add a new playlist for them.
Q&A
Spoiler:
> What version of Skyrim is this compatible with? Is it compatible with 1.5.97/AE/VR?
This program does not use .dll files or even SKSE and is compatible with any version, including the latest AE and even VR. Updates to Skyrim are unlikely to break this mod.
> Is this mod safe to install/update/uninstall mid-save?
Yes, you can install, uninstall or update this at any time. The data is not stored in your save file and is only read when the game loads.
> Why doesn't my music play?
Make sure this is at or near the bottom of your load order. Specifically this needs to load after all mods that make changes to maps, locations, dungeons, etc., including lighting mods, weather mods, fixes to terrain, etc. The only mods that should load after this are Flat World Map Framework (or other mods that change the way the world map looks) and autopatchers like Synthesis, as they should take any changes made by this mod into their patches if needed.
Make sure you converted it into the .xwm file format and renamed it properly according to the folder it's in. There should be no spaces at all in the file name. Also double-check that your music volume in-game isn't turned off or set too low.
> Can I use .mp3/.ogg/.wav or other file formats?
Skyrim doesn't know how to use .mp3 or .ogg files, or most other audio formats, but .wav files are technically compatible. However, I don't recommend using .wav files as the file sizes are very large and will affect performance especially when loading into new zone. It can also introduce instability and maybe even audio glitches.
> What do the .txt files in each folder mean?
They are a guide to the file names expected by each folder. For example, DungeonXX (01-30) means that you should replace the XX with a number between 01 to 30 (note the number zero before the 1). So you can have Dungeon01, Dungeon02, Dungeon10, etc.
> Do I need to fill up all of the numbers? What happens if I skip a number? What happens if I add more files than the folder suggests, like going up to Dungeon999 for example?
You can skip numbers and the game will work fine, so you don't need to fill all of the file numbers. Even if there's gaps in the file names (like Town01 then Town07), it'll be fine. The game simply skips any tracks that are missing. Going too high will not do anything harmful but is a waste of time. The game needs to be told what to do with those files, and will otherwise not load them at all.
> Can you add more tracks to a playlist?
It's possible to do it but it's very tedious. While there are some automated scripts that help with a lot of things in xEdit, some things like manually incrementing the file names per music track need to be done by hand. If there's enough demand for it, I might consider adding more tracks to specific playlists. But for the most part the current setup should be enough for most users.
> My music's volume is inconsistent. Some tracks are louder and some are quieter. Can you fix that?
Unfortunately no. You will need to normalize the volume yourself using a free tool like Audacity or other similar programs.
> Why did you get rid of the vanilla music? How can I bring vanilla music back?
The problem with vanilla music is that it's naturally much quieter than most music tracks, since it was mixed with the idea that it'll be playing constantly in the background, so it'll be jarring if you used your own music mixed in with vanilla music. In fact it's quieter than most video game BGMs for some reason.
If you really want to bring vanilla music back you're gonna need to extract the relevant tracks from the Skyrim - Sounds.bsa file using a program like BAE or similar. Copy the specific files into the folders you want like the rest of the music you want to add to this game. But yeah, be forewarned about the volume difference and maybe boost its volume up in Audacity or something before mixing them together.
> Will/can this cause crashes?
The mod itself can't cause crashes. We simply add new music tracks for the game to read. If your game is crashing and you're sure it only happens when this mod is loaded, it's possible that some of your music did not convert properly, or potentially some audio driver issues could be at fault as well. I can only offer limited support with such crashes, unfortunately. I recommend using a crash logger mod of your choice to try to decipher what's causing it.
If you do find an area that's crashing though, let me know! I might've made a typo or something in one of the file paths.
> I've found a bug!
Let me know in the comments or use the bug report. Typically though, the only things I can fix are if the wrong kind of music is playing in a location, or if you find a location that crashes and you're sure it's my mod.
> A village or other location in <mod> doesn't play the appropriate music. Can you add compatibility for it?
If you ask nicely, I could take a look. If it's not too tedious to install and check it in xEdit (it usually isn't) I can probably make a patch for it and add that to the FOMOD. Though it's pretty easy to make a patch for it yourself too. Might be a good opportunity to learn to use xEdit. :)
> Any future plans for this mod?
I was initially intending to add a script/event system that would change the music based on what was happening in game, mostly because of certain quests playing chill Town music despite a quest being pretty dark or nasty (like the College of Winterhold questline), but I figured it might not be something people necessarily want since it does introduce scripts. I may still do it as an optional add-on in the future. I also wanted to instantly change the music when the player gets on or off a mount, but you really need a script for that.
Show
> What version of Skyrim is this compatible with? Is it compatible with 1.5.97/AE/VR?
This program does not use .dll files or even SKSE and is compatible with any version, including the latest AE and even VR. Updates to Skyrim are unlikely to break this mod.
> Is this mod safe to install/update/uninstall mid-save?
Yes, you can install, uninstall or update this at any time. The data is not stored in your save file and is only read when the game loads.
> Why doesn't my music play?
Make sure this is at or near the bottom of your load order. Specifically this needs to load after all mods that make changes to maps, locations, dungeons, etc., including lighting mods, weather mods, fixes to terrain, etc. The only mods that should load after this are Flat World Map Framework (or other mods that change the way the world map looks) and autopatchers like Synthesis, as they should take any changes made by this mod into their patches if needed.
Make sure you converted it into the .xwm file format and renamed it properly according to the folder it's in. There should be no spaces at all in the file name. Also double-check that your music volume in-game isn't turned off or set too low.
> Can I use .mp3/.ogg/.wav or other file formats?
Skyrim doesn't know how to use .mp3 or .ogg files, or most other audio formats, but .wav files are technically compatible. However, I don't recommend using .wav files as the file sizes are very large and will affect performance especially when loading into new zone. It can also introduce instability and maybe even audio glitches.
> What do the .txt files in each folder mean?
They are a guide to the file names expected by each folder. For example, DungeonXX (01-30) means that you should replace the XX with a number between 01 to 30 (note the number zero before the 1). So you can have Dungeon01, Dungeon02, Dungeon10, etc.
> Do I need to fill up all of the numbers? What happens if I skip a number? What happens if I add more files than the folder suggests, like going up to Dungeon999 for example?
You can skip numbers and the game will work fine, so you don't need to fill all of the file numbers. Even if there's gaps in the file names (like Town01 then Town07), it'll be fine. The game simply skips any tracks that are missing. Going too high will not do anything harmful but is a waste of time. The game needs to be told what to do with those files, and will otherwise not load them at all.
> Can you add more tracks to a playlist?
It's possible to do it but it's very tedious. While there are some automated scripts that help with a lot of things in xEdit, some things like manually incrementing the file names per music track need to be done by hand. If there's enough demand for it, I might consider adding more tracks to specific playlists. But for the most part the current setup should be enough for most users.
> My music's volume is inconsistent. Some tracks are louder and some are quieter. Can you fix that?
Unfortunately no. You will need to normalize the volume yourself using a free tool like Audacity or other similar programs.
> Why did you get rid of the vanilla music? How can I bring vanilla music back?
The problem with vanilla music is that it's naturally much quieter than most music tracks, since it was mixed with the idea that it'll be playing constantly in the background, so it'll be jarring if you used your own music mixed in with vanilla music. In fact it's quieter than most video game BGMs for some reason.
If you really want to bring vanilla music back you're gonna need to extract the relevant tracks from the Skyrim - Sounds.bsa file using a program like BAE or similar. Copy the specific files into the folders you want like the rest of the music you want to add to this game. But yeah, be forewarned about the volume difference and maybe boost its volume up in Audacity or something before mixing them together.
> Will/can this cause crashes?
The mod itself can't cause crashes. We simply add new music tracks for the game to read. If your game is crashing and you're sure it only happens when this mod is loaded, it's possible that some of your music did not convert properly, or potentially some audio driver issues could be at fault as well. I can only offer limited support with such crashes, unfortunately. I recommend using a crash logger mod of your choice to try to decipher what's causing it.
If you do find an area that's crashing though, let me know! I might've made a typo or something in one of the file paths.
> I've found a bug!
Let me know in the comments or use the bug report. Typically though, the only things I can fix are if the wrong kind of music is playing in a location, or if you find a location that crashes and you're sure it's my mod.
> A village or other location in <mod> doesn't play the appropriate music. Can you add compatibility for it?
If you ask nicely, I could take a look. If it's not too tedious to install and check it in xEdit (it usually isn't) I can probably make a patch for it and add that to the FOMOD. Though it's pretty easy to make a patch for it yourself too. Might be a good opportunity to learn to use xEdit. :)
> Any future plans for this mod?
I was initially intending to add a script/event system that would change the music based on what was happening in game, mostly because of certain quests playing chill Town music despite a quest being pretty dark or nasty (like the College of Winterhold questline), but I figured it might not be something people necessarily want since it does introduce scripts. I may still do it as an optional add-on in the future. I also wanted to instantly change the music when the player gets on or off a mount, but you really need a script for that.
Credits
xEdit
This mod was entirely made in xEdit using scripts and manual editing. It wouldn't have been possible without it.
Personalized Music
The inspiration for this mod. I reverse engineered it to figure out how to do my own version. (Originally I just wanted to make an extension mod but it proved to be more effort than just remaking the thing from scratch due to how the scripts worked.)
Multi Increment Tool
This was the automation script I used for generating new Music Track entries. This cut the development time of this mod down significantly.
xEdit - FULL Batch Renamer
Used in some instances. I edited this script so that it could change some other fields instead of FULL.