The nsf format is a specific format of music created on the '[[2a03 (soundchip)[2a03] '[b]only'[/b], available in '[[NES Famicom (console)[NES/Famicom] consoles. See '[[nsfplus (format)] on the nsf extended format and '[[nsf_classic (format)] for the more limited format.

NSF stands for '[o]NES'[/o] Sound Format, but this is frequently mistaken as Nintendo Sound Format.

'[#[Tools]
- '[[FamiTracker] - now abandonware, most current users are on one of its forks
‎- '[[0CC-FamiTracker] a FamiTracker fork by '[[BotBr] '[l[https://battleofthebits.com/barracks/Profile/HertzDevil/[HertzDevil], last updated in 2018
- '[l[https://github.com/Dn-Programming-Core-Management/Dn-FamiTracker[Dn-FamiTracker] - the most popular, stable, and recently updated FamiTracker fork*
- '[[PPMCK]
- '[[it2nsf]
- '[[DefleMask Tracker]
- '[[NerdTracker II]
- '[[NTRQ]
- '[[NesTracker]
- '[[s3m2nsf]
- '[[FamiStudio]

'[o]'[b]*Note:'[/b] If using Dn-FamiTracker, it is recommended to stick with the older version '[l[https://github.com/Dn-Programming-Core-Management/Dn-FamiTracker/releases/tag/Dn0.4.0.1[0.4.0.1] as newer versions' nsf exports may have discrepancies in the sound compared to the tracker. (There are also issues with exporting multi-expansion .nsfs, but those aren't allowed in this particular format.) Backwards compatibility with '[[famitracker (format)[.ftm] and '[[0cc (format)[.0cc] (both of which are also BotB formats) also breaks beyond this version. If you used a newer version to write the entry already and are stuck, try exporting text via the File menu and importing that into the older version - or paste all your patterns into a new 0.4.0.1 module and load the instruments in the same order.'[/o]

'[#[Restrictions on submit]
The nsf format is '[b]for '[[2A03 (soundchip)[2a03] only'[/b]; expansions are accepted in the '[[nsfplus (format)[nsfplus] format. 

'[#[Accepted file format]
.nsf

A common beginner's mistake is to submit a FTM (FamiTracker Module) to a NSF compo instead of an NSF file ('[o]please don't do this'[/o]).

'[#[Playback (for voting)]
Examples of tools that can play .NSF files include:
- '[[NSFPlay]
- '[[VirtuaNSF] (version 1.0.8.2 is recommended)  
There is a more comprehensive list with compatibility info '[l[http://famitracker.com/wiki/index.php?title=List_of_NSF_players[here]. 

For playback on actual hardware, both the '[l[https://www.retrousb.com/product_info.php?products_id=34[PowerPak] and the '[l[https://krikzz.com/our-products/cartridges/everdrive-n8-pro-72pin.html[EverDrive N8 PRO] (but not the original EverDrive N8!) have built-in NSF players. There is also '[l[https://github.com/bbbradsmith/eznsf[EZNSF] to convert NSF file(s) into a .nes ROM.

'[#[Render to MP3]
Both '[[NSFPlay] and '[[VirtuaNSF] can render .wav files from .nsf files; note that in some cases, such as when a song is longer than five minutes or loops forever, the output length will need to be specified and/or the resulting file will need to be trimmed. After rendering to .wav, a sound editing tool such as Audacity can be used to normalize the sound file, add a fade out to a looping track, and convert the (minimally) edited song to an .mp3. 

'[#[See also]
All related Lyceum articles:
referencing to: 
- '[[2a03 (soundchip)] 
- '[[NES Famicom (console)]
- '[[nsfplus (format)]
- '[[FamiTracker]
- '[[0CC-FamiTracker] 
- '[[Dn-FamiTracker]
- '[[PPMCK]
- '[[it2nsf]
- '[[DefleMask Tracker]
- '[[NerdTracker II]
- '[[NTRQ]
- '[[NesTracker]
- '[[s3m2nsf]
- '[[I Am New To NSF]

referenced from:
- '[[Format]
- '[[NES Famicom (console)]
- '[[nsfplus (format)]
- '[[nsf_classic (format)]

Want to listen music ripped from the console’s games? check out the ripped chiptune repository!;

- '[[Complete list of ripped chiptunes repositories]