NES Sound Format
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.
Contents |
Files
Examples of NSF files can be found at:
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:
Playback - Hardware
There have been a number of projects developing hardware NSF players
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.
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
Standalone
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)
Mac
Linux
Cross-platform / Other
- 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.
Composition Software
- DefleMask
- FamiTracker
- Musetracker
- NerdTracker II
- NTRQ - a native NES tracker
- mck
