Extract text from Nintendo 3DS audio files (IDSP)
To convert IDSP audio files to another format, you need vgmstream or other Audio software.
To convert other file formats to the "Game Audio Stream" file type, you need software like vgmstream or a similar tool.
The .IDSP file extension denotes a proprietary audio stream format primarily used by Nintendo for handheld consoles like the 3DS and occasionally the Wii or Switch. Unlike standard audio files, an .IDSP file contains raw ADPCM audio data paired with specific header information defining loop points, sample rates, and channel interleaving tailored for hardware decoding on Nintendo's digital signal processors.
Because these files are engineered for efficient runtime playback in video games rather than general consumption, they are effectively "locked" to the development environment. You cannot simply double-click an .IDSP file to open it in Windows Media Player or iTunes. Attempting to import them into standard audio editors often results in static or error messages because the software does not recognize the proprietary header or the specific ADPCM encoding. For listening to game soundtracks (OSTs) or using the sound effects in video projects, the pragmatic solution is converting the file to a widely supported format. Convert to WAV if you need lossless quality for editing, or MP3 for easy playback on mobile devices and web browsers.
Convert.Guru analyzes your IDSP file, detects the exact format, and lets you read the text inside.
Users also converted NUS3AUDIO, WAV, M4A and 8SVX files.
If you want to convert IDSP file to WAV, you can use vgmstream or similar software from the "Nintendo Game Audio" category. In the File menu, look for Save As… or Export….
To convert files to IDSP, try vgmstream or another comparable tool in the "Nintendo Game Audio" category.
The history of Convert.Guru began over 25 years ago in California with Tom Simondi’s file-format database. A former contributor to Space Shuttle development and a software pioneer of the 1980s, Simondi established a trusted resource for file type analysis that was even referenced by Microsoft Windows XP. Today, we use modern technology to process and convert thousands of file formats while continually improving our IDSP converter.