Miniature Saturn Sound Format

The SSF format is a variant of the much-used Portable Sound Format ( .PSF ). Many video game consoles use their own, proprietary version of the PSF format.

Gamers have created various utilities that allow them to extract SSF audio from Sega Saturn video games, in both the SSF and MINISSF formats. Unlike standard SSF files, which contain a complete song, MINISSF files store only part of a song's data. The remainder of the song's data, which is duplicate data needed by every song, is stored in a single corresponding SSFLIB file, to reduce the songs' overall file size.

To play back the song a MINISSF file contains, a program requires both the data from the MINISSF file and its corresponding SSFLIB file. This is why audio players that can play SSF files, like Audio Overload, cannot play MINISSF files, unless you also possess the related SSFLIB file (and have stored it in the same directory as the MINISSF file).

You can use various Python scripts available on kingshriek's SSF/DSF page to examine and manipulate the data a MINISSF file contains. For example, you can use the ssfinfo script to view a variety of SSF file metadata .

While you can use Audio Overload and other audio players that support the SSF format to play MINISSF files, remember that you must possess the corresponding SSFLIB file, and have stored it in the same directory as the MINISSF file, to do so.

Programs that open MINISSF files

Updated: May 23, 2023