Forza Horizon 4 How to Customize Your Own Music for In Game Radio

Forza Horizon 4 How to Customize Your Own Music for In Game Radio

Ever dreamed of racing through the beautiful British countryside in Forza Horizon 4 while jamming to your own playlist? Well, buckle up, because I’m about to show you how to make that dream a reality! As a long-time Forza fan, I’ve always wanted to personalize my driving experience, and customizing the in-game radio was a game-changer for me. Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of how you can add your favorite tunes to your virtual road trips!

Quick Answer

To customize your own music for in-game radio in Forza Horizon 4, you’ll need to use Fmod Bank Tools to replace the existing audio files with your own .wav format songs. This process involves extracting the game’s bank files, replacing the audio content, and rebuilding the files before placing them back in the game folder.

What You’ll Need

• Fmod Bank Tools (grab it from forum.bigant.com)
• Your favorite music tracks in .wav format
• A sprinkle of patience and a dash of common sense

Before We Hit the Gas

Hey, I gotta cover my bases here. I don’t own the tools we’re using (big thanks to the creator!), and I’m not responsible for any of the stuff in this guide. Always back up your original files before you start tinkering. If something goes sideways, it’s on you, not me. As far as I know, this mod isn’t breaking any rules since it’s not giving you an unfair advantage (unless killer beats make you drive faster!).

A Few Speed Bumps to Watch Out For

1. I’ve managed to swap out tunes for one radio channel, but the game’s got some fancy DJ feature that might make parts of your songs repeat until they’re done. It’s not perfect, but it’s still pretty cool.
2. You can change the text for song names, but I haven’t cracked the code on changing the display image yet. If I figure it out, I’ll update this guide faster than you can say “checkered flag”.

Let’s Get This Show on the Road: Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Get Your Tools Ready

Unzip that Fmod Bank Tools file you downloaded. You’ll see two key folders: “bank” and “wav”. These are where the magic happens when you fire up the Fmod Bank Tools.

Step 2: Hunt Down Your Game Files

Find where Forza Horizon 4 is hiding on your PC. If you didn’t mess with the default settings, it should be chilling here:
C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\ForzaHorizon4
Now, follow this path: “media” → “audio” → “fmodopus” → “x64”. This is the treasure trove where all the game sounds are stashed in bank files.

Step 3: Spot the Radio Stations

Head back to the audio folder and crack open the RadioInfo_EN.xml file with notepad. Scroll until you see something like this:

<RadioStation Name="Horizon Pulse" Number="1">
<MediaTrackRestrictions />
<Banks>
<Bank Name="R1_Tracks" />
<Bank Name="R1_LFE" />
<Bank Name="R1_Stingers_EN" />
<Bank Name="R1_Stingers_LFE" />
<Bank Name="VO_DJ_01_EN" />
<Bank Name="VO_PDLC1_DJ_01_EN" />
<Bank Name="VO_PDLC2_DJ_01_EN" />
</Banks>

See that R1_Tracks.bank file? That’s where Horizon Pulse keeps its tunes. Other channels follow the same pattern.

Step 4: Crack Open the Bank File

Copy your chosen .bank file (like R1_Tracks.bank) to the Fmod Bank Tools “bank” folder. Fire up Fmod Bank Tools.exe and hit extract. The goodies will pop up in the “wav” folder.

Step 5: Set Up Your Playlist

You’ll find a nameless wav file and a txt file with a list of the extracted songs. The names in the txt file will be blank. Go ahead and add your own names before the .wav extensions (like 1.wav, 2.wav, etc.). Don’t forget to save the file after you’re done.

Step 6: Bring in Your Custom Tracks

Drop your custom .wav songs into the “wav” folder of the Fmod Bank Tools. You might want to turn down the volume a bit – they can be ear-splittingly loud in-game. Make sure you’ve got the same number of songs as the txt file lists. Rename your custom songs to match the txt file. Then, kick out the old in-game song.

Step 7: Put the Bank File Back Together

Open up the Fmod Bank Tools and click rebuild. A CMD screen will pop up to show you how it’s going. If the CMD screen’s just staring at you blankly, double-check your work.

Step 8: Swap Out the Original Bank File

Copy your shiny new bank file and paste it over the old one in the game folder.

Step 9: Tweak the Song Names (If You Want)

Want to change what shows up on screen when your songs play? Head back to the RadioInfo_EN.xml file and find the channel you messed with. Look for something like this:

<SampleList Type="Track" Event="/Master/Radio/Track">
<Sample SoundName="HZ4_R1_Beck_Colors" SampleLength="12422787" SampleRate="48000" DisplayName="Colors" Artist="Beck" TrackStart="0" DJDrop="791552" TrackDrop="768107" TrackBreakDown="10751744" TrackLoopStart="3072046" TrackLoopEnd="11134944" DJSegment="4607052" PostRaceLoopStart="11087794" PostRaceLoopEnd="12239741" StingerStart="12306816" DJStart="12307816" End="12422786" />

Change the name inside the quotes of the DisplayName attribute. You’ll have to play detective to match the right song, since we couldn’t see the original song names.

Extra Tricks for Music Lovers

Spotify to the Rescue

If messing with game files isn’t your thing, Spotify’s got your back. Whip up a playlist, download the Spotify app on your Xbox, and let it rip while you’re playing. Just remember to mute the game’s music for the full effect. It’s not as slick as having it built into the game, but it gets the job done!

Keep an Eye on the Mod Scene

While Forza Horizon 4 doesn’t have official mod support, the modding community is always cooking up new tricks. Check out places like Nexus Mods now and then – you never know what cool stuff people might come up with to enhance your racing experience.

My Forza Horizon 4 Music Mod Adventure

Let me tell you, the first time I got this working, it was like Christmas morning. I loaded up some of my favorite driving tunes – a mix of classic rock and electronic beats. Cruising through those winding country roads with my own soundtrack blasting was incredible. It totally changed the game for me.

There was this one time I was in an intense off-road race, and right as I hit a massive jump, my custom playlist kicked in with the perfect drop. I felt like I was in my own action movie! Sure, it took some trial and error to get the volume just right (pro tip: err on the quieter side), but man, was it worth it.

Oh, and prepare for some hilarious moments when the in-game DJ tries to intro your personal tracks. Hearing them hype up my obscure indie bands like they were chart-toppers had me in stitches!

The Finish Line

Customizing your in-game radio in Forza Horizon 4 is like adding a turbo boost to your gaming experience. It takes a bit of elbow grease, but trust me, it’s worth it. Just remember to keep it legal and use this for your own enjoyment. Now get out there and make those virtual roads your personal concert venue!

Have you tried jazzing up your Forza soundtrack? Got any cool playlists to share? Hit me up in the comments – I’d love to hear about your musical adventures on the virtual roads of Britain!