diff --git a/stepmania/src/NoteData.cpp b/stepmania/src/NoteData.cpp
index a756d4ff75..e0c66d0710 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/NoteData.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/NoteData.cpp
@@ -570,3 +570,33 @@ void NoteData::EliminateAllButOneTap(int row)
 	}
 }
 
+// MD 10/29/03 - This is necessary, for whatever reason.
+void NoteData::CombineTracks( int iTrackTo, int iTrackFrom )
+{
+	LOG->Trace("NoteData::CombineTracks( %i , %i )", iTrackTo, iTrackFrom);
+	if(iTrackFrom < 0 || iTrackTo < 0) return;
+	int iLastRow = GetMaxRow();
+	LOG->Trace("NoteData::CombineTracks - %i rows", iLastRow);
+
+	for (int row = 0; row < iLastRow; ++row)
+	{
+		LOG->Trace("NoteData::CombineTracks - row %i", row);
+		int iStepFrom = m_TapNotes[iTrackFrom][row];
+		int iStepTo = m_TapNotes[iTrackTo][row];
+
+		if( iStepFrom == iStepTo )
+		{
+			// no reason to combine same steps
+			continue;
+		}
+		if( iStepTo != TAP_EMPTY ) 
+		{
+			// Mines from "from" track will not knock out any steps in
+			// the "to" track, but this behavior is fine, I think...
+			continue;
+		}
+		m_TapNotes[iTrackTo][row] = iStepFrom;
+	}
+
+	return;
+}
diff --git a/stepmania/src/NoteData.h b/stepmania/src/NoteData.h
index d7987ac781..37faf76ccc 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/NoteData.h
+++ b/stepmania/src/NoteData.h
@@ -139,6 +139,9 @@ public:
 	void From4s( const NoteData &out );
 
 	void EliminateAllButOneTap( int row ); 
+
+	// MD 10/29/03 - Join two tracks together.
+	void CombineTracks( int iTrackTo, int iTrackFrom );
 };
 
 
diff --git a/stepmania/src/Steps.cpp b/stepmania/src/Steps.cpp
index 13e0d22db2..9214cdf1a3 100644
--- a/stepmania/src/Steps.cpp
+++ b/stepmania/src/Steps.cpp
@@ -159,16 +159,42 @@ void Steps::Decompress() const
 		parent->GetNoteData(&pdata);
 
 		notes = new NoteData;
+		// MD 10/29/03 - add track-combining logic
+		int iNewTracks = GameManager::NotesTypeToNumTracks(m_StepsType);
+		// ...if we don't set it to SOMETHING, we get no steps.
+		// This breaks autogen dead. :->
+		notes->SetNumTracks( pdata.GetNumTracks() );
+		notes->CopyRange( &pdata, 0, pdata.GetLastRow(), 0 );
+		if( pdata.GetNumTracks() > iNewTracks)
+		{
+			int iOriginalTracks = pdata.GetNumTracks();
+			int iUnevenTracks = iOriginalTracks % iNewTracks;
+			int iTracksToOverlap = iOriginalTracks / iNewTracks;
+			if( iTracksToOverlap ) {
+				// if we have at least as many tracks in the old mode
+				// as we do in the mode we're going to
+				for (int ix = 0; ix < iNewTracks; ix++)
+				{
+					for (int iy = 0; iy < iTracksToOverlap; iy++)
+					{
+						notes->CombineTracks(ix, (ix + iy * iNewTracks));
+					}
+				}
+				if( iUnevenTracks ) {
+					for (int ix = iOriginalTracks - iUnevenTracks;
+						 ix < iOriginalTracks;
+						 ix++)
+						 {
+							 // spread out the remaining tracks evenly
+							 notes->CombineTracks((ix * iOriginalTracks) % iNewTracks, ix);
+						 }
+				}
+			}
+		} else
+			notes->LoadTransformedSlidingWindow( &pdata, iNewTracks );
 		notes->SetNumTracks( GameManager::NotesTypeToNumTracks(m_StepsType) );
-		if(pdata.GetNumTracks() == notes->GetNumTracks())
-		{
-			notes->CopyRange( &pdata, 0, pdata.GetLastRow(), 0 );
-		}
-		else
-		{
-			notes->LoadTransformedSlidingWindow( &pdata, notes->GetNumTracks() );
-			NoteDataUtil::FixImpossibleRows( *notes, m_StepsType );
-		}
+		// end MD 10/29/03
+		NoteDataUtil::FixImpossibleRows( *notes, m_StepsType );
 	}
 	else if(!notes_comp)
 	{