Replace a sound

Beginner

Replace one ability sound or music track with your own audio. You find the sound in Source 2 Viewer, compile your file with CSDK 12, and pack it as a mod. Set up your tools first with Set up your creator tools. New to mods? Read How Deadlock mods work first.

What you need

• Deadlock, installed and up to date.
• Source 2 Viewer and CSDK 12. Install them with Set up your creator tools.
• An audio editor. Audacity is free and works well.
• Your own audio. Use sounds you made or have permission to share.
• The hero's codename. Find it in Hero names and file paths.

What you can change

Mods only change your own game. Other players hear the normal sounds. But if you replace a hero's ability sound, you also hear your version when an enemy plays that hero.

• Change your hero's ability sounds, music, or menu sounds.
• Keep the new sound about as loud and as long as the original.
• For your first mod, pick a sound that plays once. Sounds that loop while an ability is active need extra steps.

Quick option: Sound Forge

Sound Forge on Deadlock Forge builds a sound mod in your browser. You do not need CSDK 12. It is good for one quick swap.

1. Open Sound Forge.
2. Filter by hero or category, then click the sound you want to replace.
3. Drop in your audio file. It accepts mp3, wav, ogg, and flac.
4. Trim the sound and set its volume. Keep it close to the original.
5. Click Forge VPK and download the file.
6. Rename the file to a name like pak05_dir.vpk. The naming rules are in Pack your mod into a VPK.
7. Install it with Deadlock Mod Manager or by hand.

For full control, use the CSDK 12 steps below.

Watch the walkthrough

This video by Pugzilla follows the same steps as this guide.

Find the sound

1. Open Source 2 Viewer.
2. Open Deadlock/game/citadel/pak01_dir.vpk.
3. Go to sounds/abilities/ and open your hero's folder. Folder names use codenames, not hero names. Music is in sounds/music/.
4. Double-click a sound to play it. Keep going until you find the one you want.
5. Write down the full path and file name. Copy them exactly, letter by letter.
6. Right-click the sound and choose Decompile & export. Save it somewhere outside your addon. You will use it to compare length and volume.

You can also find a sound in game. Start a private match and open the console. Test your mod in game shows how. Type snd_showstart 1, then use the ability. The console prints the path of each sound as it starts.

Start from the Billy Audio Template

CSDK 12 comes with a ready-made sound addon. Copy it instead of building the folders by hand.

1. Open the CSDK 12 launcher. Keep Steam running.
2. Right-click Billy Audio Template and choose Duplicate Addon.
3. Name the copy in lowercase with no spaces, for example mysound. The launcher hides names with capitals, spaces, or special characters.
4. Right-click your new addon and choose Explore Content Folder. You see a sounds folder and a soundevents folder.
5. Delete the Billy sound files inside sounds. If you keep them, your mod also changes one of Billy's sounds.

You do not need the soundevents folder for this guide. Leave it alone and do not pack it.

Add your audio

1. Inside the addon's sounds folder, rebuild the original folder path. For example: content/citadel_addons/mysound/sounds/abilities/<codename>/.
2. Open the original sound and your new audio in Audacity.
3. Trim your audio to about the same length as the original.
4. Match the volume. If yours is too quiet, use Effect > Volume and Compression > Amplify.
5. Export it as .wav or .mp3.
6. Name it exactly like the original, in lowercase. Only the ending changes. For example, example_sound.vsnd_c in the game becomes example_sound.wav in your addon.
7. Save it in the folder you made in step 1.

Compile

1. In the CSDK 12 launcher, select your addon and click Launch Tools. The Asset Browser opens.
2. Find your new sound in the Asset Browser.
3. Right-click it and choose Recompile > Full.
4. Right-click your addon in the launcher and choose Explore Game Folder.
5. Open the same path, such as sounds/abilities/<codename>/. Your compiled .vsnd_c file is there.

Take the compiled file from the game folder, not the content folder. The content folder only holds your source audio.

Pack and test

1. Make a new folder for your mod, for example mysound_pack.
2. Inside it, rebuild the same path: sounds/abilities/<codename>/.
3. Copy only your compiled .vsnd_c file into it.
4. Pack the folder into a VPK. Follow Pack your mod into a VPK.
5. Load the mod and check the sound. Follow Test your mod in game.

Common problems

• The game plays the old sound. Your path or file name is different from the original. Check every letter against Source 2 Viewer.
• Nothing changes at all. You copied the file from the content folder. Copy the .vsnd_c from the game folder.
• Another mod wins. Two mods change the same sound. The lower pak number wins. Give your mod a lower number or remove the other mod.
• The sound is cut off. The game decides how long a sound plays. A longer file gets cut off. Trim your audio to the original length.
• The sound is too quiet. Raise it with Amplify in Audacity. Keep it close to the original, not louder.
• The sound plays at a higher pitch. One creator reports that some hero sounds are pitched up when they play. This may differ by hero. Open the hero's file in soundevents/hero/ in Source 2 Viewer and look for a pitch value on that sound.
• It worked before an update. Game updates can move or change sounds. Find the sound again and check the path.

Next steps

• Pack your mod into a VPK
• Test your mod in game
• Replace voice lines (coming soon)

Credits

This guide is based on the work of these creators. Check out their original guides.

• Video: (Read Desc) Deadlock - Sound Replacement Tutorial by Pugzilla.
• Video: How to Make Custom Sound Mods in Deadlock | Random Audio & Sound Switches by Adamtheboss9.
• Guide: Replacing Sounds from Deadlock Modding Notes.
• Tool: Deadlock Forge by Sirsyorrz.
• Tool: Source 2 Viewer by the ValveResourceFormat team.

---