Convert MPG to VOC — Free Online Tool
Convert MPG video files to VOC audio format, extracting the audio stream and encoding it as uncompressed PCM 8-bit unsigned audio compatible with Creative Labs Sound Blaster hardware and DOS-era applications. This tool strips the MPEG-2 video and MP2 audio from the MPG container and outputs a raw PCM VOC file ready for retro gaming engines, DOS emulators, or legacy multimedia software.
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FFmpeg Command
Copy this command to run the same conversion locally with FFmpeg on your desktop. Download FFmpeg
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Note: Browser-based encoding uses approximate quality targets. For precise CRF compression, copy the FFmpeg command above and run it on your desktop.
Estimated output:
Conversion Complete!
DownloadHow It Works
MPG files typically carry MPEG-2 video and MP2 (MPEG Layer 2) compressed audio. During this conversion, FFmpeg discards the video stream entirely and decodes the compressed MP2 audio to raw PCM samples. Those samples are then re-encoded as 8-bit unsigned PCM (pcm_u8) and written into a VOC container. The VOC format uses a simple block-based structure with a header that stores sample rate and bit depth — there is no further compression. Because the source MP2 audio is lossy and the output PCM is lossless at 8-bit depth, the conversion involves one decode pass (introducing no additional lossy compression artifacts) but does reduce dynamic range compared to 16-bit PCM, since 8-bit audio has a theoretical dynamic range of only ~48 dB.
What Each Flag Does
| Flag | What it does |
|---|---|
ffmpeg
|
Invokes the FFmpeg multimedia processing tool. In this browser-based tool, this is FFmpeg compiled to WebAssembly (FFmpeg.wasm), running entirely in your browser without any server involvement. The same command can be run identically on a desktop FFmpeg installation. |
-i input.mpg
|
Specifies the input file — an MPG container holding MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 video alongside MP2 compressed audio. FFmpeg reads and demuxes both streams from this file, making each available for processing or discard in the next stages. |
-c:a pcm_u8
|
Selects the audio codec for the output: 8-bit unsigned PCM, which is the native and most broadly compatible audio encoding for the VOC format. FFmpeg decodes the source MP2 audio from the MPG file and re-encodes the raw samples as 8-bit unsigned integers, producing uncompressed audio suitable for Sound Blaster hardware and DOS applications. |
output.voc
|
Defines the output filename and — through the .voc extension — tells FFmpeg to write a Creative Labs VOC container. FFmpeg automatically determines the container format from this extension and discards the MPEG-2 video stream since VOC has no video support, writing only the PCM audio data into the block-structured VOC file. |
Common Use Cases
- Extracting dialogue or sound effects from MPEG-2 broadcast recordings to use as VOC sound assets in a DOS game mod or total conversion project
- Preparing audio content from VCD or DVD MPEG sources for playback inside DOSBox or other DOS emulators that natively support the VOC format
- Archiving audio tracks from legacy MPG multimedia CD-ROMs into the VOC format expected by the original software player
- Supplying sound clips to demoscene projects or retro demos that require Sound Blaster-compatible VOC files as their audio assets
- Converting an MPEG-2 video's audio commentary or narration into a VOC file for integration into a custom DOS-based interactive kiosk or exhibit
- Generating test audio fixtures in VOC format from existing MPG source material when developing or debugging software that parses Creative Labs VOC files
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but not through additional compression — VOC stores raw PCM, which is lossless at its bit depth. The quality reduction comes from the fact that the output uses 8-bit unsigned PCM (pcm_u8), which can only represent 256 discrete amplitude levels and has a dynamic range of roughly 48 dB. The original MP2 audio in the MPG file is decoded cleanly with no second-generation lossy compression, but the downward quantisation to 8-bit introduces audible noise on quiet passages. If fidelity is important, consider using the pcm_s16le codec instead, which gives 16-bit depth and ~96 dB dynamic range.
Yes. The VOC format supports 16-bit signed little-endian PCM (pcm_s16le) in addition to 8-bit unsigned. To use it, change the audio codec flag in the FFmpeg command to '-c:a pcm_s16le'. This produces a larger file but preserves significantly more of the original audio detail from the MP2 source, making it preferable for any use case where audio fidelity matters more than strict vintage hardware compatibility.
FFmpeg will carry the source sample rate through to the VOC file by default. MPEG-2 / MP2 audio in MPG files is most commonly encoded at 44100 Hz or 48000 Hz. However, classic Sound Blaster hardware and early DOS software often expected VOC files at lower rates such as 8000 Hz, 11025 Hz, or 22050 Hz. If your target application requires a specific rate, add '-ar 22050' (or your desired rate) to the FFmpeg command before the output filename to resample the audio accordingly.
The video stream is silently discarded. FFmpeg automatically omits video when writing to a format like VOC that has no video codec support. You do not need to add a '-vn' flag explicitly, though doing so makes the intent explicit. The resulting VOC file contains only the audio content from the MPG source.
On Linux or macOS you can use a shell loop: 'for f in *.mpg; do ffmpeg -i "$f" -c:a pcm_u8 "${f%.mpg}.voc"; done'. On Windows Command Prompt use: 'for %f in (*.mpg) do ffmpeg -i "%f" -c:a pcm_u8 "%~nf.voc"'. Each MPG file will produce a corresponding VOC file with the same base name. This is especially useful when extracting audio from a large collection of VCD or broadcast MPEG archives.
MPG files contain both a video stream and a compressed audio stream; the video data typically accounts for 90–95% of the file size. This conversion discards all video and retains only the audio, which immediately accounts for most of the size reduction. Additionally, the MP2 audio in the source is a compressed lossy format, but when decoded to 8-bit PCM the raw audio is actually quite compact — 8-bit mono audio at 22050 Hz uses only about 1.3 MB per minute, making VOC files very small by modern standards.
Technical Notes
The VOC format was designed by Creative Labs in the early 1990s for Sound Blaster cards and uses a block-based structure where each block carries a type identifier, size, and payload. FFmpeg supports writing VOC files with pcm_u8 (8-bit unsigned, the historically standard encoding) and pcm_s16le (16-bit signed little-endian, supported by later Sound Blaster Pro and SB16 hardware). VOC does not support stereo audio in its original block type 1 — stereo requires block type 9, which some older software may not recognise. If strict mono compatibility is needed, add '-ac 1' to downmix to mono. The format has no concept of metadata tags, chapters, or subtitle streams, so none of the ancillary data from the MPG source is preserved. Because MPG itself does not support transparency or multiple audio tracks, there are no multi-track decisions to make during this conversion — FFmpeg will select the first (and typically only) audio stream by default. Files converted in this browser tool use FFmpeg.wasm and are processed entirely locally; for large MPG files exceeding 1 GB, the desktop FFmpeg command shown on this page is the recommended approach.