Terribly Naive File Surfer (No Longer) In Need Of Help

[YoungOldPrude]

Hopefully I am putting this on the right forum, if not, my apologies.

As the BBS junkies look so disproving upon removing or copying game content, I decided I'd ask here.
My dilemma is this: I am trying to extract some music from all of my TS2 games, to copy another folder, so I can listen to it and be on some other program besides TS2. (For my own personal use.)
Now, I am as foolish and new as they come to extracting and copying music. Just two months ago, I finally figured out how to open my Sims1 music folder.
I was hoping that things could be just as…easy with TS2.
Apparently not.
Yesterday, I have no idea how, but I somehow managed to copy the Housemix music onto the disk. I really didn't think it would work.
The problem is, the whole Housemix thing is mixed into one big track, I was hoping that the music tracks would separate and that I could choose which one I wanted to listen to, but no luck.  (Again, I have NO idea what I am doing. Maybe I'll end up blowing up my computer.) So, its one huge track and I don't really like the order that the music is in. Here is my wacky, bright idea of obliviously foolish hope: "I have Free Time! I can simply create my own custom radio station, and pick the songs and the order they play in. Then I can get off the game and check out my music folder! Then I can copy it to another folder, and then I can listen to it when I'm off the Sims2!''

Well done, YoungOldPrude! You are just fantastically naive when it comes to computers, aren't you? And you're supposed to be a millennial! Ha, ha, ha.
I don't even know how to work an ipod. 

Anywho, nothing exists, (to my knowledge) of my custom radio station, except a CustomStation XML document, which leads me to the internet, for some wacky reason.

So, how do I find the music that should be in the folder? (Oh, pardon me. There is no folder, just an XML document.) What the heck is an XML document? I should have been born in 1912; I would have fit in better.

If someone would be willing to spare some of their valuable time to help a fruit-loop like me, it would be greatly appreciated

Thanks in advance! I'll pop back later.

[witch]

Jordi did this a year or two back. Try searching on Jordi and sims 2 music on this site.

[YoungOldPrude]

Thank you, I shall try that! 


Edit: Not having much luck at the moment. Either the site is in maintenance mode, or AOL is being a pain. Probably AOL.
I shall return.

Edit Again. AOL! Slows everything down. Fixed it! Off to search....

[notovny]

Game music for each Expansion is found in the C:\Program Files\EA Games\[Name of Expansion]\TSData\Res\Sound folder.

Copy those files to elsewhere on your hardrive, rename the extension from .package to .mp3, and you'll be able to listen to the entire stations as single MP3s.

If you want individual .mp3 files for each song, you need to extract the .package files with SimPE. If you're working with the copies, rather than the originals, there's no chance of messing up your game, and the most difficult part isworking out which song is which to rename the resulting MP3 files.

Luckily, ID3 tag information is included in the resutingfiles for music that comes from University and every expansion thereafter, and the program Ant Renamer can be used to swiftly and easily rename files using that info. But with the base-game files, it's going to be a tedious process finding songs in the Sound Options, and comparing them to extracted mp3 files to figure out which song is which.

I do this pretty much every time I install an expansion or stuff pack. iTunes reports that it's 236 songs, 14.1 hours,  788.1 MB for everything from TS2 through Free Time. Which songs are you planning to get?

[YoungOldPrude]

Which songs?

From Nighlife:
Muenwana
Comansnala
Ishneticht
Lemon Jelly- Sims2 Theme
Hyper - Sim Time Sim Place
Hyper- Sim the Builder
Junkie -Sims UNI Theme
Adam Freeland - Makeover
Timo Mass- Sims2 Theme


From Bon Voyage:
Neo Swing
Old New York
Midnight Serenade
Ojos de Brujo - Sultanas de Merkaillo
Jef Scott - Funky Nawari
Cheb i Salbah - Tum Bin Shyam
Guitar Fiction

From Pets:
The Sims Are All Right

From University:
Funny Bone

From Glamour Life:
Hot Chip - Colours
Cut Copy - Future

Base Game:
Hero
Dance Down
Makeover

These are the only songs that I like from EAxis, except the TS1 music...The Makin' Magic music is beautiful…I should know, I've all ready created a CD dedicated to it.
Hell's bells! If I have to pay $19.99 - $39.99 for a game, then I should be allowed to enjoy the music whenever I please.

Anywho, thank you for replying !  I'm getting a lot of good advice...

Edit: I can never get SimPE to work. It loads, but when I open a folder of any kind, nothing ever appears! I've got no side options what so ever. I've got the latest version, and this always happens.

And this is going to sound kind of wacky, but you have to remember that I have no idea what I am doing, How do I rename the extension? 

Step-by-step instructions are welcome.

Thanks again...

[Orikes]

I look up the Jordi thread every time a new expansion comes out and I need to snag the music. CHeck in the Peasantry. It's probably a page or two back. I think it was originally put up after Pets came out.

If you extract it the way Jordi instructs, you should have individual files for each song that contain the data for the songs. I have everything loaded into iTunes and I get both the artist of the song as well as the expansion the song came from in the album category.

[YoungOldPrude]

Okay, big thanks to witch, notovny, and Orikes for replying!
I deeply appreciate your help, and I am happy to say I have what I need, and that my writer's block will be going away for sure. Swingin'!
I've got my thinking music! 

Thread is ready to be deleted; my dilemma has been terminated,

Big Thanks again!