How to add custom songs to Clone Hero
Find the Clone Hero Songs folder on Windows, macOS and Linux, copy a song in, scan, and fix songs that do not appear.
Updated
Clone Hero is a free game in the style of Guitar Hero for Windows, macOS, Linux and Android. It has no song store. Everything you play beyond the default tracks comes from song folders you put on your computer yourself, so this is the first thing most new players need to figure out.
Where the Songs folder is
The quickest way to find it is from inside the game: open Settings, go to General and click Open Default Songs Folder. For a normal install, it is here:
| System | Songs folder |
|---|---|
| Windows | Documents\Clone Hero\Songs |
| Windows (portable install) | PlayerData\Songs inside the game folder |
| macOS | ~/Clone Hero/Songs |
| Linux | ~/.clonehero/Songs |
You can also keep songs somewhere else, on a second drive for example, and add that location under Manage Song Paths in the same settings menu.
Adding a song, step by step
- Extract the download if it is a zip, rar or 7z file.
- Copy the extracted song folder into the Songs folder. Each song needs its own folder; the usual name is
Artist - Title. - In Clone Hero, open Settings and choose Scan Songs at the top.
- Go back to Quickplay. The song is now in the list.
You can sort songs into subfolders (by artist, by pack, by whatever you like). Clone Hero scans folders inside folders, so the grouping is only for you. Rescan every time you add or remove songs.
Which files a song needs
- A chart:
notes.chartornotes.mid. Clone Hero reads both formats. - Audio, usually as
.oggor.opus. Charts made for Rock Band often split it into tracks likedrums.oggandguitar.ogg. - A
song.iniwith the title, artist and other details.
If song.ini is missing, you can copy one from another song and edit the title and artist in a text editor. Do not change the details inside a notes.chart file, though. The Clone Hero wiki warns that this causes problems with leaderboards and online play.
Songs that do not appear after a scan
- The song is still inside its archive.
- The folder has audio but no chart file.
- The song folder sits outside the Songs folder or any path listed under Manage Song Paths.
- You forgot to scan again after copying.
Charts for songs nobody has charted
The community has charted a huge number of songs, but not everything. If you want a song that has no chart, or one of your own recordings, AutoChart.eu creates the folder from the audio file. Upload an MP3 or FLAC, and you get a zip with notes.mid, the audio split into instrument tracks, a song.ini and the cover art. Unzip it into your Songs folder and scan.
Guitar, bass and drums (including pro drums with cymbals) work in Clone Hero right away. The folder also has a vocal part with lyrics. Clone Hero has no singing mode, but YARG plays the same folder with vocals.