Sound File Formats

The Polaris Anima EVO uses a sound format that’s different from the one used by the majority of lightsaber boards on the market. Most Sound Fonts that you’ll find have their files in .wav format, but the Polaris requires .RAW files. Don’t worry, though! Converting from .wav to .RAW is a little tricky, but not too difficult.

Polaris Audio Format Specifications

For those audiophiles who are already familiar with audio files (see what I did there?), below are the detailed file requirements for Polaris sounds. Also refer to the Sound File Names section for the proper naming scheme.

^d318ef

If the above means nothing to you, don’t worry! You’ll see how to do the magic step-by-step below.

Sound File Names

In order for the Anima to recognize which file is which, they need to have specific filenames.

In the steps below, we’ll (optionally) be using some batch scripts to convert all the sounds at once. For these to work correctly, you’ll need to name your .wav files according to the “Input Filename” columns below. There are two conversion scripts–one for CFX-formatted sound fonts, one for Proffie–and each require slightly different filenames. You can use either one, just make sure you name your files according to the appropriate column.

If you’re not using the scripts or manually converting your files, just make sure that the final .RAW filenames match the “Output Filename” column.

Notes on Filenames

Here are some notes and gotchas regarding file naming.

^431156

^96a336

^64849a

^ecf238

Windows Conversion Instructions

Since most of you are using Windows, let’s start there!

Preparing for Conversion (Win)

Before we begin, we need to get everything set up properly to make the conversion as smooth as possible.

1. Download SoX for Windows from the Polaris-Opencore Github Repository. Extract the .zip file somewhere handy, for example your Downloads folder. It should look something like this:

2. Download your preferred sound font and extract the files to a convenient folder.
3. Locate the .wav sound files.

4. Copy all the .wav files you want to convert to the folder where you extracted SoX. Make sure they are in the same folder as the .cmd files (e.g., convert_from_CFX_to_Polaris_EVO.cmd).

Batch Conversion of All Files at Once (Win)

Follow these steps to use the batch conversion scripts supplied with SoX for Windows. This will convert all the files at once. If you prefer to convert the files individually, or if the batch conversion script doesn’t work for you, see Manually Converting Files (Win) below.

1. Make sure you have completed all the steps under Preparing for Conversion (Win) above.
2. Rename the .wav sound files to the input filenames listed above. You can use either the CFX or Proffie naming schemes; just be consistent.
3. Double-click on either convert_from_CFX_to_Polaris_EVO.cmd or convert_from_ProffieOS_to_Polaris_EVO.cmd, depending on how you have named your files.

A window will appear similar to the one below. After a few seconds, you should see a line saying “Press any key to continue…”

4. Press any key. The window will close.
5. In your SoX folder, you should now also see a bunch of files ending in .RAW. Congratulations! These are now ready to be uploaded to your saber!

Manually Converting Files (Win)

If the batch script above doesn’t work for you, or if you want to convert additional files, you can use the steps below to manually convert each file.

Install SoX and Add to Your Path

You only need to follow these steps once to install and configure SoX for system-wide use.

1. Download and install SoX for Windows.
2. Open the Windows Command Prompt. Click on the search box and type command. Click on the “Command Prompt” icon. ^1da978

3. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter:

setx path "%path%;C:\Program Files (x86)\sox-14-4-2"

You should see a message similar to the one below.

4. Close the Command Prompt. This is important, because the changes to the Path variable won’t be recognized until the next time you open a new Command Prompt.

To test that SoX is installed properly, you ccan do the following:

1. Open a new Command Prompt.
2. Type sox and press Enter.

You should see a bunch of text appear in the Command Prompt similar to what’s show below. This means SoX is ready to go!

Convert Files via Command Line

Once SoX is installed, converting from the command line is pretty straightforward.

1. Open a Command Prompt window.
2. In the Command Prompt window, use the cd command to change to the folder where your .wav files are located.
   • For example, if you saved them to your Downloads folder, you should be able to type cd Downloads and press Enter.
   • If you’re having trouble finding the folder, see this article for more help.
3. For each file you want to convert, type the following command and press Enter:

sox --clobber filename.wav -t raw -b 16 -c 1 -r 44100 OUTPUT.RAW

After a very short pause, you should get a new command prompt line, like this:

sox –clobber filename.wav -t raw -b 16 -c 1 -r 44100 OUTPUT.RAW

```

The first word on the line is the command name. This tells the computer which command to run (in this case, sox). You can think of it as being the name of magic spell you want to cast. The rest of the line is called arguments; these are extra pieces of information that tell the command exactly what you want to do–sort of like setting the target, duration, and other options of the magic spell.

Here’s what each of the specified arguments mean:
- --clobber : Overwrite (replace) the output file if it already exists
- filename.wav : The input filename; the file you want to convert from
- -t raw : Make the output file a .RAW type
- -b 16 : Give the output a 16-bit bit depth
- -c 1 : Set the output to have only one channel (i.e., mono not stereo)
- -r 44100 : Use a 44.1kHz sample rate
- OUTPUT.RAW : The filename you want the output to have; the file you want to convert to

You should now have a new .RAW file in the same folder as your .wav file, with the output filename you specified. Congratulations! Now repeat step 3 for each additional file you want to convert.

Now you’re ready to upload the new .RAW files to your saber!

macOS Conversion Instructions

If you’re using a Mac, the process is mostly similar to the Windows one above. However, in some ways it’s actually a little easier!

Preparing for Conversion (Mac)

Before we begin, we need to get everything set up properly to make the conversion as smooth as possible.

Install SoX

First, download and install SoX. The easist way to do this is using Homebrew for Mac:

1. Open the Terminal app from the App Launcher (it may be in a group called “Other” or “Utilities”), or from Spotlight Search.
2. In the Terminal window, copy and paste the following command and press Enter:
   

   /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
   

3. Wait for brew to finish installing. This may take a few minutes, but should be automatic.
4. Type or copy/paste the following command into Terminal and press Enter:
   

   brew install sox
   

This will download and install SoX as well as other programs it needs to run. You should see something like the following:

To test that it was installed, type sox in the Terminal and press Enter. You should see a bunch of text similar to the following:

Prepare Sound Files

Next, let’s get the actual sound files set up!

1. Download your preferred sound font and extract the files to a convenient folder.
2. Locate the .wav sound files.

3. Copy all the .wav files you want to convert to a new folder. This is optional, but will make organization easier.

Batch Conversion of All Files at Once (Mac)

Follow these steps to use the batch conversion scripts. This will convert all the files at once. If you prefer to convert the files individually, or if the batch conversion script doesn’t work for you, see Manually Converting Files (Mac) below.

1. Make sure you have completed all the steps under Preparing for Conversion (Mac) above.
2. Download the macOS conversion scripts and extract the .zip file.
3. Copy the extracted files to the folder containing your .wav files.
4. Rename the .wav sound files to the input filenames listed above. You can use either the CFX or Proffie naming schemes; just be consistent.

5. Right-click on either convert_from_CFX_to_Polaris_EVO or convert_from_ProffieOS_to_Polaris_EVO (depending on how you have named your files) and click “Open”. A message will appear similar to the one below:
   

6. Click “Open”.

A window will appear similar to the one below. After a few seconds, you should see a line saying “Press any key to continue…”

4. Press any key. The window will close.
5. In your sound file folder, you should now also see a bunch of files ending in .RAW. Congratulations! These are now ready to be uploaded to your saber!

Manually Converting Files (Mac)

If the batch script above doesn’t work for you, or if you want to convert additional files, you can use the steps below to manually convert each file.

1. Open the Terminal app from the App Launcher (it may be in a group called “Other” or “Utilities”), or from Spotlight Search.
2. 2. In the Terminal window, use the cd command to change to the folder where your .wav files are located.
   3. For example, if you saved them to your Downloads folder, you should be able to type cd Downloads and press Enter.
   4. If you’re having trouble finding the folder, see this article for more help.
3. For each file you want to convert, type the following command and press Enter:

sox --clobber filename.wav -t raw -b 16 -c 1 -r 44100 OUTPUT.RAW

After a very short pause, you should get a new command prompt line, like this:

sox –clobber filename.wav -t raw -b 16 -c 1 -r 44100 OUTPUT.RAW

```

The first word on the line is the command name. This tells the computer which command to run (in this case, sox). You can think of it as being the name of magic spell you want to cast. The rest of the line is called arguments; these are extra pieces of information that tell the command exactly what you want to do–sort of like setting the target, duration, and other options of the magic spell.

Here’s what each of the specified arguments mean:
- --clobber : Overwrite (replace) the output file if it already exists
- filename.wav : The input filename; the file you want to convert from
- -t raw : Make the output file a .RAW type
- -b 16 : Give the output a 16-bit bit depth
- -c 1 : Set the output to have only one channel (i.e., mono not stereo)
- -r 44100 : Use a 44.1kHz sample rate
- OUTPUT.RAW : The filename you want the output to have; the file you want to convert to

You should now have a new .RAW file in the same folder as your .wav file, with the output filename you specified. Congratulations! Now repeat step 3 for each additional file you want to convert.

Now you’re ready to upload the new .RAW files to your saber!

Linux Conversion Instructions

Look, I’m gonna level with you. If you’re using Linux, you can probably figure out what I’m going to tell you all on your own, especially if you’ve skimmed the info above. But I’m not going to let my penguin-loving friends be forgotten! So here’s some instructions for you, too.

For the sake of expediency, I’m going to assume you already know how to get to a command line and how to use it to navigate the directory structure. Just in case you need a refresher, you can peek here.

Preparing for Conversion (Linux)

Just a few quick steps to get you started!

1. Install SoX, either by building from source or using your distro’s package manager (e.g., apt-get install sox or yum install sox).
2. Download your preferred sound font and extract the files to a convenient directory.
3. Locate the .wav sound files.

4. Copy all the .wav files you want to convert to a new folder. This is optional, but will make organization easier.

Batch Conversion of All Files at Once (Linux)

Follow these steps to use the batch conversion scripts. This will convert all the files at once. If you prefer to convert the files individually, or if the batch conversion script doesn’t work for you, see Manually Converting Files (Linux) below.

1. Make sure you have completed all the steps under Preparing for Conversion (Linux) above.
2. Download the Linux conversion scripts and extract the .zip file.
3. Copy the extracted files to the folder containing your .wav files.
4. Rename the .wav sound files to the input filenames listed above. You can use either the CFX or Proffie naming schemes; just be consistent.
5. Run either ./convert_from_CFX_to_Polaris_EVO or ./convert_from_ProffieOS_to_Polaris_EVO, depending on how you have named your files.
6. You should now have a bunch of .RAW files in the same directory. Congratulations! These are ready to upload to your saber!

Manually Converting Files (Linux)

If the batch script above doesn’t work for you, or if you want to convert additional files, you can use the steps below to manually convert each file.

For each file you wish to convert, use this command:

sox --clobber filename.wav -t raw -b 16 -c 1 -r 44100 OUTPUT.RAW

You should now have a new .RAW file in the same folder as your .wav file, with the output filename you specified. Congratulations! Now repeat the command for each additional file you want to convert.

Now you’re ready to upload the new .RAW files to your saber!