NES Sound Format

Latest revision as of 01:56, 31 March 2025

NES Sound Format (NSF) is an audio file format invented by Kevin Horton, to provide a way to transfer Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) music data. NSF files consist of the original music / sound code from a NES game and some header data.

While the original intention was to allow storage, transfer and playback of music / sounds ripped from NES games, the format has become popular with composers of chiptunes and many original compositions are now available.

[edit] Files

Examples of NSF files can be found at:

• Akumu's NSF Archive
• Famicompo Mini
• NES Music Archive
• Zophar's Domain - Nintendo NSF Music

[edit] Information

Information on the NSF format can be found at:

• 2A03 - The NES Music Archive
• NesDev wiki - NSF
• NES Music Format Spec (.txt file)
• Wikipedia - NES Sound Format
• NesDev forum discussion about the NSF 2.0 featureset

Other information that might be of use:

• NES APU Sound Hardware Reference
• NesDev
• NesDev NES Music forum

[edit] Playback - Hardware

There have been a number of projects developing hardware NSF players

• CopyNES NSF Cart
• HardNES
• NES PowerPak
• TNS-HFC (japanese)

[edit] Playback - Software

There are a number of options for playing back NSF files, including both standalone players and plugins for popular media players such as Winamp.

[edit] Plugins

• Festalon is an open-source xmms and Winamp plugin, as well as a standalone command-line NSF player.
• Game Emu Player is a foobar2000 plugin supporting multiple formats, including NSF. Source is available here.
• NEZplug is a plugin for Winamp 2.x, kbMediaPlayer (japanese), Netscape and Internet Explorer 3.x - 5.x. Both binary and source are available, and the SVN can be browsed here.
• NEZplug++ (japanese) is a Winamp plugin.
• NotSo Fatso is a Winamp plugin. Both binary and source are available.
• NSFplug is a plugin for Winamp 2.x, Winamp 5.x and kbMediaPlayer 2.28 (japanese) or later. Both binary and source are available.
• NSFten is a plugin for Winamp 2.x

[edit] Standalone

[edit] DOS / Windows

• Bleep! plays NSF and GBS files. It also offers a Winamp plugin.
• BNSF (zip archive)
• DeliPlayer supports a huge number of formats, including NSF.
• G-NSF (japanese)
• NSFLive (zip file)
• NSFplay original version by Brezza.
• NSFPlay a fork of the original by Brad Smith.
• SlickNSF
• VirtuaNSF (japanese)

[edit] Mac

[edit] Linux

[edit] Cross-platform / Other

• Mesen-X - an accurate NES emulator, supports NSF, NSFE and EPSM in those.
• Audio Overload plays back damn near everything (including NSF) and is available for Linux, Mac and Windows.
• FlashNSF is, as the name suggests, an NSF player implemented in Flash. Also plays NSFE files.
• Modizer is a module player app for iOS which supports NSF.
• NoiseES is an iOS app supporting NSF, NSFE, GBS, VGM and SPC.
• Nosefart offers two Linux versions, a DOS version, an XMMS plugin, a Winamp plugin and a CL-amp plugin.
• tgxnsf is an NSF player for the PC-Engine / TurboGrafx 16. Binary and source available.

[edit] Composition Software

• FamiStudio
• FamiTracker
• Dn-Famitracker - Dn-Famitracker is a fork of 0CC-FamiTracker that incorporates numerous fixes and features.
• Furnace
• DefleMask
• Musetracker
• NerdTracker II
• NTRQ - a native NES tracker
• mck

[edit] Conversion Software

[edit] NSF to X

• nsf2midi NSF to MIDI.
• NSF2WAV NSF to WAV.

[edit] X to NSF

• IT2NSF IT to NSF.
• S3M2NSF info, download S3M to NSF.

[edit] Sample files

• dexvert samples — music/nsf