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How To Use a PinSound Board in Your Pinball Machine

Cary Hardy·video·26m 7s·analyzed·Jan 11, 2021
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claude-haiku-4-5-20251001 · $0.020

TL;DR

Tutorial: Installing and customizing PinSound audio boards with file management and music replacement.

Summary

Cary Hardy provides a comprehensive tutorial on installing and using PinSound boards—aftermarket audio replacement systems for pinball machines. The video covers hardware installation, USB drive preparation, downloading game files from PinSound.org, file organization, audio format conversion using Audacity, and live demonstration of swapping the main theme on a Judge Dredd machine. Hardy emphasizes the importance of knowing your game's original sounds, designing loopable music suitable for repeated listening, and leveraging PinSound's capability to support multiple custom mixes accessible mid-game.

Key Claims

  • PinSound boards are plug-and-play replacements for factory sound boards that connect via the same connectors

    high confidence · Direct demonstration of hardware installation showing connector compatibility

  • PinSound requires WAV format audio files, not MP3s, because MP3 is a compressed format the card cannot read

    high confidence · Explicit technical specification stated during file format discussion

  • Typical ROM files with original audio are several hundred megabytes; an 8GB USB drive is more than sufficient

    high confidence · Stated during USB drive selection and formatting discussion

  • Multiple audio files in a single game folder will be randomly selected by PinSound during gameplay

    high confidence · Described as a technique Hardy uses to vary the gameplay experience with multiple main themes

  • PinSound allows switching between multiple mixes mid-game by turning volume to zero through the coin door, which triggers a special tone

    high confidence · Demonstrated as a practical feature for testing different mixes without removing the USB drive

  • PinSound.org hosts downloadable original file packages for supported games, organized by category (voice, sound effects, music, jingles)

    high confidence · Website walkthrough showing Judge Dredd file structure and download options

  • Files must be named with a specific numeric prefix that identifies their function; this number cannot be changed

    high confidence · Technical requirement explained during file organization walkthrough

  • Cary Hardy is receiving equipment from PinSound and plans to conduct a giveaway for subscribers

    high confidence · Stated in closing remarks; equipment coming from France

Notable Quotes

  • “play your game a lot and learn the sounds... you're going to know where it's from... This is going to help you really deter what you're going to be changing”

    Cary Hardy @ Early in video — Core methodology: understanding original audio before customization

  • “a typical mistake that a lot of people do when it comes to making mixes for their machines is that they put in music that they like... you've got to remember that whenever they're creating music for these games, they're making music that is easily loopable, and it shouldn't be too annoying or aggravating when you hear it over and over again”

    Cary Hardy@ 4:38 — Design philosophy for sustainable audio loops in custom mixes

  • “The only thing that really matters is this number at the beginning of it. This number right here is essentially how the game knows where to look for a particular sound... Don't change this number right here. This number is key.”

    Cary Hardy@ 10:28 — Critical technical requirement for file naming

  • “If there's multiple files in a folder, then the card will randomly choose one... if you want different things for a certain category or whatever in your game then you could put multiple tracks in that folder and it will play it”

    Cary Hardy@ 16:20 — Explanation of randomization feature for variety

  • “This needs to be wave format of audio. The card does not read MP3s. That is a compressed format. It will not read it. So it needs to be raw WAV files.”

    Cary Hardy@ 16:31 — Technical specification for file format compatibility

Entities

Cary HardypersonPinSoundcompanyPinSound boardproductJudge DreddgameAudacityproductOzzy OsbournepersonLast Action Herogame

Signals

  • ?

    community_signal: PinSound.org provides comprehensive resource library with organized file downloads and multiple mix options for supported games, supporting community customization efforts

    high · Website walkthrough showing catalog, search function, and multiple available mixes (original, OST, updated stereo, legacy, community mixes) for Judge Dredd

  • ?

    product_strategy: PinSound enables significant audio quality upgrades and customization beyond factory sound boards, particularly beneficial for licensed games with technological or licensing audio limitations

    high · Demonstration of swapping main theme and discussion of upgrading gunfire effects on Last Action Hero; examples of replacing licensed music with preferred tracks on Lethal Weapon 3 and The Getaway

  • ?

    technology_signal: Aftermarket audio replacement boards like PinSound represent growing ecosystem of post-purchase hardware customization enabling personalization of older and newer pinball machines

    high · Video premise that 'a lot of you out there still don't know how to use this card to its full potential' indicates established market presence; Hardy's upcoming equipment from PinSound suggests continued innovation and community engagement

Transcript

youtube_groq_whisper · $0.078

0:00
So, Pen Sound has been out for years now, but it would seem that a lot of you out there still don't know how to use this card to its full potential, or even how to use it in general. I'm going to try to solve that problem in this episode.
0:21
Now, for those that don't know what a Pen Sound is, and where it goes, and how it works, here you go. this board right here is your pin sound board. Now normally the card that would go there is the factory stock sound board. As you can see it replaces that entire board and it's plug and play. You essentially take the connectors off of your old board put in your pin sound board and put the connectors in just like you did your old board and you have these knobs right here for volume control for your cabinet back box there's much more options for this board and you could have your original music on here if you so wished you're just going to have the ability to have better quality of sound so you can change your speakers and everything and and then hook it all up to this because this thing can do that type of audio format so what we're going to be showing you mainly had to do today is just change a mix. Now this cable right here is not standard in your order. This is just a USB extender that I use to feed out to right here. You're asking why is that? Because I don't want to have to keep getting in my back box and pulling out my USB drive over and over again, which I personally do when developing a mix because it's a lot of trial and error. So I use this to extend out and when I'm done with the mix and I know I'm done, then I'll just put this cord into the game and be done with it. But while I'm working on it, I just have the cord fed and have it to where I can access it easily from right here. Because I also just don't want to wear out my USB drive slot from use over and over again. So that's just me thinking longevity wise right there. Otherwise, this is what your pen sound board looks like and how it functions and interacts with your game just the same way, only better as your original card. So one of the first things that I think that you're going to need to do in order to really understand how this card is going to work is know your game. Play it so you have the original sounds memorized and where things are when it comes to what sound goes there. When you hear it again on your computer, you're going to know where it's from. So play your game extensively to learn it well just by audio cues. This is going to help you really deter what you're going to be changing and what you think it could be whenever you are trying to upgrade it. Now, if you're just going for the original sounds, then this is going to pay you no regards at all to this. But play your game a lot and learn the sounds. So, we're currently dealing with a Judge Dredd machine and I've already got a new mix for this game developed. But I'm going to show you some of the things that I did and some of the things that you could potentially do with your machine, not necessarily this game. So a lot of the things that I listen for when making a mix is particularly one starting out where your ball is in the ball shooter lane, just sitting there. You can see you've got one particular musical background that is on a loop. And once you launch the ball, it'll segue immediately into the actual background theme.
Lethal Weapon 3
game
The Getawaygame
4:09
Now in the main theme, this is the song that you're going to hear most often. Okay, so typically when it comes to developing or putting music into your card, you need to really have the mindset of, is this something I want to hear over and over and over again when I play this machine? I think a typical mistake that a lot of people do when it comes to making mixes for their machines is that they put in music that they like, and that's their right, they can do what they want, but you've got to remember that whenever they're creating music for these games, they're making music that is easily loopable, and it shouldn't be too annoying or aggravating when you hear it over and over again. so keep that in mind whenever you're trying to decide what song to put into your game. Alright, we're going to end this game so I can show you how to start editing sounds via the computer.
5:25
Alright, first thing you're going to need is a USB drive. Now, honestly, I want to say you could even use a hard drive, but that's a little bit overkill. You don't need that much room. You really just need a little bitty drive like this. And I want to say a typical ROM file that has everything for original files, at least, is maybe a couple hundred megabytes.
5:52
After you're done with your mix, it's going to be a little bit more, more than likely, depending on what quality of sounds that you're using and of course how many. This is a 32 gigabyte drive, way overkill for how much space I'm going to need. I mean, it's hard to find drives that are less than 8 gigs these days, so it shouldn't be a difficult task, nor even an expensive task to find you a little 8 gigabyte drive. So we're going to hook this up. After you connect it to your computer, you're going to be able to right click on the drive, go to format and then we going to format it to the available option of fat 32 i think x fat will work as well but if we can do FAT32 that would be best And just hit start Yes.
6:41
Bam. Format is complete. This drive is now ready to use. So you have your USB drive and now you have it formatted, ready to take the data that you give it. Where do you get this data from, though? that's when you're going to go to the Pinsound website. Alright we are now on the Pinsound.org website. Now since there are definitely a lot of machines in the Rolodex for what this card is capable of supporting I mean you can see right here you can go through their entire catalog to figure out if the game you have is compatible. Now as you can see this game is on the list but you can also use the search engine so i'm just going to use a search engine for judge and then there it is judge dread so let's click on that now right here at the top you'll see available downloads for judge dread you have the judge dread original judge dread ost then you have judge dread updated stereo then you have the judge dread legacy files and then you have what people have done and posted on their website, Drudge Dread Outrun and a Dread Metallica mix. Now, what I typically do, if I'm going to be making my own mix, I will be downloading the original files. So I'm going to click on this and you can see that the Dread mix is from their direct website, the old files you can get right here. And it's only 117 megabytes so let's download that now when you click on this is going to retire it's going to require you to send an email address so that way they can send you the download link so I'll do that now and hit download once you click download it'll say processing and then download links sent to your email I clicked on the link in the email they just sent me and I'm downloading it now download is now complete once it's done downloading go to where the zip file is been downloaded to that's going to vary depending on what your computer settings are usually it's your downloads folder so I'm going to double click on this and you should have the program winrar winrar if you don't you can get it for free there's a free version of it and that's what you're going to need in order to actually open these zip files so now that I've got the original mix right here I'm going to click and drag it out just to the same place where my zip file was at now inside this original folder you're gonna find all the files that you need this thought this folder right here judge straight original if I wanted to I'm gonna go ahead and actually just go ahead and do this I'm going to do a copy I'm not going to cut and I'm going to paste it to my jet my USB drive that I just formatted now that I've got the judge dread original file folder right here on the root directory of my USB you can see going into all of these there are subfolders and inside those subfolders are files these are all the audio files for this game they have gone through at pin sound and directed and organized these things into voice sound effects music jingle stuff like that just to help out a little bit because the only thing that really matters is this number at the beginning of it. This number right here is essentially how the game knows where to look for a particular sound. So you don't want to change this number right here. This number is what it needs, but you can change anything after the dash right here. So if you didn't like the way it's named, then you can change that, but don't change the number. The number is key. So we wanted to right now, we could hook up this USB drive and we would have the original game. So let's actually do that real quick. So here's the USB drive that I just copied the original files to. I'm going to insert this into my USB and then I'm going to power the game on. Now something to note guys, when you have your pin sound board installed, your game's not just going to boot immediately up. Well the game will and you can play it, but your sound board needs a little bit more time. You can hear the click, beep and sound. That
11:35
is the board accessing all the files on the USB drive. Once it's done getting everything in order, you'll hear that sound effect right there. After that sound effect is done, your game is ready to rock and roll. Well, if it knows where all the balls are at. Stop! Goodness
11:57
gracious. Alright, now that all the balls are in the trough, let's try it now. So, there we go. Use fire button to launch bomb.
12:18
There you go. So you still have a pen sound board with your original sounds that a lot of people would like to still remain and keep having. So if you want a pen sound board with the ability to have better sound quality, but still want your original sounds, then technically you can be done right now. But if you want to crank it up an extra notch, that's what we're going to go into now. Let's take this USB card out and let's get started.
12:56
All right so once you connect your USB drive back to your computer again you gonna notice that on the root of your USB you no longer have the original file folder on the root they have migrated it into audio and this is where you can actually have multiple different mixes you can have the original as well as your mix so that is a good way to go about doing this is that you can copy this and then paste it so now it says copy now what we can do this is what I typically do judge dread and then you can just put like you know remix you can just put remix or whatever Metallica mix whatever you want to call it so you have your original so that you know that this is what you're gonna be taking from or altering and this is what you're gonna be basically putting it into and if you want to switch between Between mixes, actually, even in the middle of the game, you don't need to remove the card or anything. The only thing you need to do is open your coin door and turn the volume down to zero. You're going to turn the volume down to zero. You'll hear a special little tone. And that basically switches over to the next mix that is on the USB drive, whether it be your remix or the original. And then you can turn the volume back up and you can hear the different sounds if you've changed all of them, that is. So that's another easy way to go about changing the mixes from original to your remix on the fly. So let's get started on showing you how to go about changing your sounds. So let's say you want to change the background theme to your game, which is the typical thing that a lot of people do. So let's just do the easy one and the main theme is what we're going to change. So we're going to go into our original mix folder. Let me transition here. Into our original mix, you'll see a folder called music. inside music you'll see a folder called main theme now this is where coming into what I talked about earlier takes place knowing your game so when I double click on this and it boots up my audio player so I know by my game that that is in fact the main theme to the game it's one minute 59 seconds long now that I know where my main theme is located all I have to do is change this file to whatever I want it to actually be it doesn't matter if it's named the same way what matters is what file is in the corresponding folder because that's what pen sound is looking for is that number of the folder and whatever's in that folder that's what the game is going to play so you may be asking what if there are multiple songs in that folder? It's a very good question. This is also how I make my games a little bit better is that I don't typically tend to have just one main theme. I try to mix it up a little bit and I'll have multiple themes. That way the experience is a little more variant. So if there's multiple files in a folder, then the card will randomly choose one. so there may be times where it may play the same one consecutively over and over again but there's also the chance that it's going to be a different one next time around so if you want different things for a certain category or whatever in your game then you could put multiple tracks in that folder and it will play it the only caveat is that it needs to be a wave format of audio The card does not read MP3s. That is a compressed format. It will not read it. So it needs to be raw WAV files. Now typically whenever you obtain your files, however manner you choose to do so, the typical format is going to be MP3s. So I'm going to show you a way to change those MP3s to the correct format. So once you have obtained whatever audio track that you want to utilize as the file for your game, you're going to want to boot up a program called Audacity. The program is free, so that is nothing too bad right there. You're just going to have to learn some software more than likely, but if you're not even too savvy on using software, I think you're still going to be able to accomplish the end game goal, which is to change the audio format. So once you launch Audacity, you're going to want to open, like go to file, and then open and find the mp3 track or audio that you're wanting to edit. This is Ozzy Osbourne's Crazy Train. I just chose this song to just use for this game. just as a just this is just for the video I don't actually have this in the mix but this just gives you an idea that so so that track is right there now if I wanted to I could easily just change this format to wave throw it on the USB drive and be done but I go a little bit of the extra mile by trimming some of the fat off that doesn't need to be there so I'll usually highlight all this delete it so now the game
18:23
it'll go right into that so it's a less build up and it'll go directly into that now so let's just say for you know shits and giggles this is where I want it to be I'm going to go to file export audio now I'm going to export this to my USB drive to the remix into the folder where main theme is located and you could keep it as Ozzy Osbourne's crazy train what you need to remember is this type of file needs to be wave wav not mp3 nothing like that not WMA whatever it needs to be wave format and then I'm going to save and then it's gonna give you these little options right here just hit OK
19:15
and there you go so I've got my USB Drive now go to music go to main theme I have Ozzy Osbourne's crazy train right there now you're gonna notice the file size difference is larger that why I say that your file size is gonna vary depending on what kind of mix you decide to use I used an entire audio track I don typically do that I'll usually just use a couple of minutes because a lot of games for people don't tend to be a full song. But it's to each their own on this. That's the glorious thing about this is if you want a full track on there, you can have it. If you wanted, you know, in a God of the Vitas 20 minute long track, you could do it. And all I'm going to do now in my remix folder is that I'm going to delete the original. So that way there's no chance of it accidentally playing that. So now I'm going to show you just by adding the Ozzy Osbourne's Wave into the main theme folder.
20:15
And just for this, I'm going to delete the original mix off of this drive. So that way I know that I'm only going to get the remix that's going to load on the first go. there we go so I've got main theme Ozzy Osbourne's crazy train so that's it that's all we've got to do right there so now I'm going to remove this USB and put it into the game and you're going to see how it changes all right we're going to plug in the USB drive turn this game on The card is going to load up all the tracks. Alright, the card is ready to go. Now, you're going to notice that immediately it's going to be looping the original track, but once I launch the ball, it's going to play Crazy Train. Let me get this camera set up better. Okay, so let's start a game.
21:31
Long after computer online. Turn this volume up all the way. Use fire button to launch ball. Now, you've got to remember also that once I launch this ball, Chances are that Ozzy Osbourne track is going to be a lot louder than what you're currently hearing the original track has right now. I didn't do any further editing to make sure that my decibels are all correct like I would normally do with my mix. This was a quick cut and edit just to show you the basics on how to go about doing this. So let's launch the ball. Now remember, this is without editing. So the amplitude of this track is a lot louder than what I would like it to be normally whenever it comes to my personal mix. And that is why I would be lowering the decibel range down quite a bit so that way it's not just blaring. It needs to mesh well with the rest of the game. But that's me. You can do what you please. There you go. That's it right there. and that is all it is when it comes to pensound guys it's just replacing the original files with what you would rather it be and if you want to go into more details on making sure everything is tweaked just right audio wise and stuff like that like I typically do then by all means do so but if you just want a quick cut and paste of certain music files to match the game then that's all you've got to do And there it is. That is how you use a pin sound car on the basic level. There is a lot more that you can do with this card. Like typically with my mixes, I go through every single file on there and will adjust the audio a little bit, whether it may make it louder or actually swap out the audio entirely with something with better quality. So particularly with my Last Action Hero as well as Judge Dredd, there are gunfire sound effects that at the time was all that they had. So I have installed actual better quality realistic sounding weapons that will fire to get the game a little more pizzazz I've got more stuff coming when it comes to Pensound guys I've got actually equipment coming from Pensound on its way to me right now Which is going to take some time because they are located in France So when I get it I will be doing another video related to Pensound And they have also agreed guys to do something special for one of you special members of my subscription base And that is going to be doing a giveaway It's going to be in the upcoming videos So if you are not subscribed then you may want to hit the subscribe button right now And that video will be coming in the future to a special subscriber for a special Pinsound giveaway I will put a Pinsound link in the description down below if a pen sound card is something that you would like to add to one of your machines or maybe even all of them i know there are plenty of you out there that have movie-based games that are limited due to licensing issues or technology at the time so if you've got that lethal weapon 3 for instance and you want the actual cnc music factory song then you can have it if you've got a getaway and you want the actual ZZ Top going in there, you can have it. That's gonna wrap up this video. I'm hoping it was informative and educational for those of you out there that are wanting to know more about this product. If you like what you've seen here, give me a thumbs up. And if you haven't already, subscribe button down below. Until next time guys, peace out.
25:44
If you like what you've seen here, give me the thumbs up. And if you haven't already, don't forget to hit that subscribe button down the... Damn it. I never fucked that up.