4ch Tracker tute, help.
category: general [glöplog]
this tutorial will assume that you know very little about either music theory or Amiga tracker software.
it's a much bigger project than I first anticipated. It is mainly focused on more "rhythmic" technique.
I am posting it here because it's more project than one man can handle. Another author or two could really help get this thing out and accurate.
note: all of these points will probably appear toward the end of the finished article. This is only the tip of the iceberg really, but all the other notes are indecipherable to anyone but myself.
This would also be accompanied by an introduction to ProTracker
I'm doing my best to keep my writing style "informal" and not "colloquial", in that I can refer to the reader(s) as "you" and "we" and also have a little more freedom with my grammar, but otherwise keeping with the standards of formal english. Due to the nature of the subject I must use a shitload of jargon. I try to put these in quotes, and include them in the glossary.
I know inconsistencies are here, I'd thank you to point them out to me. I know spelling mistakes are here also, and I'd like you to suck my balls.
Greeting goes to Adok. Hugi remix left me most entertained, informed and inspired. Cheers. Hope something here helps you with your rhythms.
additional greetings go to your collective anus from my middle finger. Enjoy.
it's a much bigger project than I first anticipated. It is mainly focused on more "rhythmic" technique.
I am posting it here because it's more project than one man can handle. Another author or two could really help get this thing out and accurate.
note: all of these points will probably appear toward the end of the finished article. This is only the tip of the iceberg really, but all the other notes are indecipherable to anyone but myself.
This would also be accompanied by an introduction to ProTracker
Code:
### Tracking 4ch MOD's for absolute beginners ###
0. Highest quality 8-bit samples.
Before you can start tracking, you are going to need some samples. You might like to make your own.
Especially because using other peoples samples is often considered to be "lame", and you don't want to be a "lamer" now do you?
Getting high quality 8-bit sounds is not impossible, it just takes some practice and a little knowledge of the "sample rates" used by protracker.
This table should save you a bit of time and frustration when it comes to preparing samples for protracker.
| RECOMMENDED SAMPLE RATES |
+--------------------------------------------------+
|Instruments Tuned to "C"-----------------16,726 Hz|
|-If you need to go much lower than the "C" in your|
| composition, then you should make a separate |
| sample for each "octave" you plan to use. |
|Vocals, loops and "noisy" sounds---------22,372 Hz|
|-F-3, in your tracker |
|Extreme high pitch sounds----------------28,185 Hz|
|-A-3, in your tracker. You cannot really go higher|
| than this on a PAL Amiga without loss of |
| "fidelity" |
+--------------------------------------------------+
| Thankyou to Tony Horgan of CU Amiga |
+--------------------------------------------------+
Remember that this is not the rules, indeed you may WANT "aliasing" in your samples to get that "oldschool" sound
1. Don't hesitate, Delay! (The Cxx, volume command)
This is the oldest trick in the book, and is a great way to add a little more "depth" to an otherwise "flat" sound.
It's basically a manual echo/"delay" effect. And it's particularly good for percussive sounds.
C-3 1 000
--- 0 000
C-3 1 C20
--- 0 000
C-3 1 C10
--- 0 000
C-3 1 C08
--- 0 000
C-3 1 C04
--- 0 000
C-3 1 C02
Assuming that the default volume is 64, we are reducing the volume by 50% each time.
although if you want to let your samples "ring out" you may want it to look more like.
C-3 1 000 --- 0 000 --- 0 000 --- 0 000
--- 0 000 --- 0 000 --- 0 000 --- 0 000
--- 0 000 C-3 1 C20 --- 0 000 --- 0 000
--- 0 000 --- 0 000 --- 0 000 --- 0 000
--- 0 000 --- 0 000 C-3 1 C10 --- 0 000
--- 0 000 --- 0 000 --- 0 000 --- 0 000
--- 0 000 --- 0 000 --- 0 000 C-3 1 C08
etc.
Shorter gaps between "retrig's" makes a "reverb" sound, and longer gaps make echo's and "delays".
Remember when the music is "going crazy" the echos with lesser volumes will be almost
unnoticable anyway, so you may want to prioritise and drop any "retrig's" which have values lower than C20.
2. Punch the beat. (The 2xx, 3xx, 5xx & Axx slide commands.)
Most percusive sounds drop in "pitch" as they "ring out" and you can add "accent" to your sound
by using the pitchbend down command like so..
C-3 1 208
--- 0 210
This is particularly good for "kick" sounds
You can also add another kind of "accent" by quickly dropping the volume...
C-3 1 A0F
This is good for "Hat" sounds.
You can make a kick sound using a small (<256b) "sine wave" loop like this.
C-3 1 220 - pitchbend down
C-1 1 340 - begin slide to C-1
--- 0 504 - continue to slide the pitch..
--- 0 50F - ...as you fade the volume out
4. Break up the break (The 9xx, Sample offset command)
The sample offset command is intervals of 256b, so if you make the filesize of your
"breakbeats" conform to this pattern: 64Kb, 32Kb, 16Kb, 8Kb, etc. it is really easy
to accuratley calculate which point in the "breakbeat" sample you are
For example, if your "breakbeat" is one bar of "unsyncopated", "two-step" "4/4 timing" which it most
likley is, and is exactly 64Kb [65536b] long then..
C-3 1 920 = first "1/2 beat".
C-3 1 940 = Beat no.2. 1/4 way through the sample, in this case it would probably be the first "backbeat".
C-3 1 980 = Beat no.3. 1/2 way through the sample.
C-3 1 9A0 = third "1/2 beat". probably a "fill"
C-3 1 9C0 = fourth and final beat.
### APPENDICES ####
W.Table of sample rates and periods in Amiga tracker software
NOTE PERIOD RATE(Hz)
C-1 856 4181
C#1 808 4430
D-1 760 4709
D#1 720 4971
E-1 680 5264
F-1 640 5593
F#1 600 5965
G-1 568 6302
G#1 538 6678
A-1 508 7046
A#1 480 7457
B-1 452 7919
C-2 428 8363
C#2 404 8860
D-2 380 9419
D#2 360 9943
E-2 340 10528
F-2 320 11186
F#2 300 11931
G-2 284 12604
G#2 268 13356
A-2 254 14092
A#2 240 14914
B-2 226 15838
C-3 214 16726
C#3 202 17720
D-3 190 18839
D#3 180 19886
E-3 170 21056
F-3 160 22372
F#3 150 23863
G-3 142 25208
G#3 134 26713
A-3 127 28185
A#3 120 29829 (note: on a PAL Amiga these last two notes
B-3 113 31677 will be lacking in "fidelity")
X.Glossary
"Sample" - A digital representation of a sound
"Sample Rate" - The rate which the sample data is being read
"C" - The first note in the "Octave"
"Octave" - The language of modern western music, 8 notes with and 4 half-notes
"beat" - The basic unit of measurment used for the rhythm of a piece of music.
"bar" -
"1/2 beat" - Half-way between beats (duh!-)
"fidelity" - Synonymous with the word quality, however do not confuse "low fidelity" with "low quality" because that's often not true.
"fill" -
"triplet" -
"kick" - Sounds like a kick or bass drum, often just a "Sinus" slide
"pitch" - the frequency of the sound.
"accent" - In music, it refers to placing emphasis on a sound or beat. Often used to mark the beginning of a "Bar"
"percussive" - An amelodic or rhythmic sound. Like a drum for example.
"hexdecimal" - Base 16 (decimal is base 10). So 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,a,b,c,d,e,f,10,11,.. I.E. hex.10=dec.16 and hex.40=dec.64
"4/4 timing" - four beats over four bars. Almost ALL popular music uses this time signature.
"sinus" - pi calculated across time
"sine wave" - A sinusoidal wave, a single "harmonic". Very smooth sound.
"Aliasing" - loss of quality due to
"flat" - erm.. dull, lifeless, boring, etc.
"depth" - ahh.. full, rich, exiting, etc.
"harmonic" -
"ring out" -
"reverb" - Short for Reverberation. A short echo, usually emulating the acoustics of a small room.
"delay" - An unnaturally long echo.
"backbeat" - This is what makes the listener want to thust their pelvis. Usually a noisy sound like a snare drum.
"breakbeat" - A rhythmic loop, the term "breakbeat" was coined by Jamaican DJ/Producer Kool Herc
"retrig" - Short for Re-Trigger, repeating a sound quickly.
"two-step" - Two "backbeats" in each bar, made popular blues/rock musicians. Not to be confused with the hip-hop sub-genre.
"syncopated" - Unexpected, but correct timing. For example the backbeat may be placed on a "1/2 beat" instead of the "beat"
"oldschool" -
"going crazy" - Loud and probably fast. Much like the author of this article often is.
Y.About the author
Anaki Rob has always had a keen interest in "popular music". Although if you ask him about it he'll probably tell you that it "mostly sucks, and seems to be getting worse every day".
He has been tracking music mostly for fun since 1995. He has applied his skills in a semi-pro setting with the group "DEAD PUNX" and has produced a number of limited-release albums. If you are looking in the most obscure second-hand record stores around Hobart and Melbourne (AU), you might even find one. And he LOVES refering to himself in the third-person!
Some of his recent tracked material can be found on www.systemofsound.org, a site for the Melbourne Microart Movement which is updated monthly. With the first monthly update happening on the 15th JAN 2009 (Yeah, I know. It's the future!-).
If you want to have a conversation with him then you can often find him on irc.amigaworld.net
Z.Index
-haha
### (c) An4kiR 2008 - Beta version for Pouet. Not for further public distribution. ###
I'm doing my best to keep my writing style "informal" and not "colloquial", in that I can refer to the reader(s) as "you" and "we" and also have a little more freedom with my grammar, but otherwise keeping with the standards of formal english. Due to the nature of the subject I must use a shitload of jargon. I try to put these in quotes, and include them in the glossary.
I know inconsistencies are here, I'd thank you to point them out to me. I know spelling mistakes are here also, and I'd like you to suck my balls.
Greeting goes to Adok. Hugi remix left me most entertained, informed and inspired. Cheers. Hope something here helps you with your rhythms.
additional greetings go to your collective anus from my middle finger. Enjoy.
keep your "hand im eigenen arsch" !
should look more like this:
I must've saved a new file and loaded the old one by mistake!
and I should probably put sequential numbers to the left, so it looks more like PT and is easier to follow. so all the examples would look more like this
Code:
You can also add another kind of "accent" by quickly dropping the volume at different rates like so...
C-3 1 A04
C-3 1 A0F
C-3 1 A0F
C-3 1 A0F
C-3 1 A0F
C-3 1 A08
C-3 1 A0F
This is good for rapid "Hat" sounds.
I must've saved a new file and loaded the old one by mistake!
and I should probably put sequential numbers to the left, so it looks more like PT and is easier to follow. so all the examples would look more like this
Code:
You can also add another kind of "accent" by quickly dropping the volume at different rates like so...
00 C-3 1 A04
01 C-3 1 A0F
02 C-3 1 A0F
03 C-3 1 A0F
04 C-3 1 A0F
05 C-3 1 A08
06 C-3 1 A0F
This is good for rapid "Hat" sounds.
learning to track is part of the fun/process ;)
no need to tutify just everything !
no need to tutify just everything !
the number of times people have asked me about this shit (mostly in the real world). I am just saving myself the trouble of having to explain it another 100 times.
So next time I can just say, "read the tute I wrote".
So next time I can just say, "read the tute I wrote".
its self-explanatory tho.
just install madtracker and open the interface/keyboard-tab !
there are original helpfiles for protracker aswell !
as said: 50% of the fun at tracking is the learning-process !
once you´ve mastered it ( no1 can do so ! ) its just routine....
just install madtracker and open the interface/keyboard-tab !
there are original helpfiles for protracker aswell !
as said: 50% of the fun at tracking is the learning-process !
once you´ve mastered it ( no1 can do so ! ) its just routine....
more inconsistencies...
if this were the case then there's no probably about it!
unless you're anakirob, and then you'd delight in it.
not in the glossary!
also a couple of grammatical errors in the glossary! Now I have to suck my own balls!
maybe I missed all this the first time 'coz I was reading a san-serif font (2.0 topaz), and now it's a serif font (courier). I remember my GD teacher telling me it's easier to read serif typefaces.
Code:
For example, if your "breakbeat" is one bar of "unsyncopated", "two-step" "4/4 timing" which it most
likley is, and is exactly 64Kb [65536b] long then..
C-3 1 920 = first "1/2 beat".
C-3 1 940 = Beat no.2. 1/4 way through the sample, in this case it would probably be the first "backbeat".
if this were the case then there's no probably about it!
Code:
and you don't want to be a "lamer" now do you?
unless you're anakirob, and then you'd delight in it.
Code:
"Hat" sounds.
not in the glossary!
also a couple of grammatical errors in the glossary! Now I have to suck my own balls!
maybe I missed all this the first time 'coz I was reading a san-serif font (2.0 topaz), and now it's a serif font (courier). I remember my GD teacher telling me it's easier to read serif typefaces.
Ho look, a three headed monkey!
I wonder why noone mentioned the ST-XX samples yet!
sending greetings to adok surely made the credibility of this tutorial drop half an octave!
Quote:
the number of times people have asked me about this shit (mostly in the real world). I am just saving myself the trouble of having to explain it another 100 times.
you, sir, are living in the past. the people you refer to also live in the past. that's why you need to be gassed fast, i won't save you for last when i begin to blast. i got style and i got class, you got a foot a mile up your ass. when i start to properly harass, you'll need a tutorial for keyjazz.
ST-01:MonoBass
Quote:
"Sample Rate" - The rate which the sample data is being read
No. See, you really need to get the basics right first, before "teaching" people. There are some other very weird definitions (sinus? "pi calculated across time?" wtf? please read this stuff up if you don't know, instead of making stuff up).
Also, reed is a poet and a scholar. =)
@anakirob
Ok... constructive feedback time. Coz I know you've put some work into this while you've been on holiday.
Much along the lines of what cOcOOn said earlier. There are already beginners guides to tracking out there which are very comprehensive. The tracking scene doesn't need another.
I personally wouldn't consider this for "absolute beginners" at all. Maybe a "Tips from anakiRob" guide would be more suited. The most handy info here is the sample rate tables for getting any imported samples to tune to middle C and the tips on max sample rate. The delay trick and tips about pitch bending to make a BD is good nfo - but that's personal taste/style. You can make a perfectly good tune without using either. For instance, the Bass Drum pitch trick is great for a chip sounding bassdrum (your style) but personally I'd be sampling one because I prefer a more complex bassdrum sound. Besides, I would mix a hi-hat in with the BD sample and save on polyphony as the two normally play together in my tunes - but again - personal preference / style.
We all track in our own way using our own tricks - most of which can be learnt from opening up other peoples files. This is the true beauty of the MOD format to begin with : we can all learn from each others tracking style. Tracking a MOD is not rocket science as long as people understand the basics of samples, patterns, pattern syntax & sequence. So I would recommend calling this "anakiRobs hints and tips" and THEN it has some value for people who have dabbled in tracking and want to get more info & ideas.
ALso, no offence on the self promo - but if someone wants to know who you are, they will look you up. I usually look up the ppl who's guides I've read for coding / mixing. So leave the autobiography off, put it on your personal webpage (on SoS) and just provide a link to whatever website you are affiliated with.
And as for the Copyright notice... come on man. This is the tracking scene! What we write / do / think / release is free for the scene comunity to share. Wouldn't you agree? So if you still need an introduction explaining the logic of Protracker feel free to use any of the words or ideas from http://syntaxparty.org/tguide.html (an unpublished guide I wrote to send to friends & ppl that already get MIDI music)
Finally (with out sounding rude - as I'm just trying to be constructive here) while I know you are keen to promo systemofsound.org - wait until there is actually a wide range of content on the site before you go promo-ing it to all corners of the earth. People are not going to return to the site if it only has a tunes from two artists. Maybe in March time (or so) when there will be the TTT music, the Syntax Party / BeachParty enteries and some new works from various local Melb artists... ALIH, Vectrex, me, etc. Then it is worth putting some subtle words out to the community. But let's get the content up first yeah?
Just trying to be contructive.... Over and out & Happy New Year.
ctrix: Where exactly can I find beginners' tutorials to tracking music?
Thankyou tomaes.
Danke.
The trackers handbook is the only book.
Sweet, i just apt-got milkytracker and ran dowhackado and frameskools music.
But didint now the tail from the ass.
Now i can.
But didint now the tail from the ass.
Now i can.
Ye olde trackers handbook is pretty cool, I was exited that someone had already gotten this out. Thanks tomaes for the link.
However, almost all of the technique (and none of the tables about sample rates etc.) I have written are in it! The author requests this information to be contributed from anyone who can provide it. BUT both mail addresses are dead! So I guess so is the project!
So therefore, I guess I'll have to keep writing the guide anyway.
I guess this means no adding to it without permission, hmmm. I guess I could 'quote' it with all the appropriate citations. It'd be great to see it finished. And I obviously gotta lose my glossary!
But it is a pretty cool poem, and I'm flattered that someone would write a piece of poetry for me. cheers.
However, almost all of the technique (and none of the tables about sample rates etc.) I have written are in it! The author requests this information to be contributed from anyone who can provide it. BUT both mail addresses are dead! So I guess so is the project!
So therefore, I guess I'll have to keep writing the guide anyway.
Quote:
so it's NOT GNU then!? Damn!The Tracker's Handbook is Freeware. This means that you can distribute it freely, as long as it stays unmodified.
I guess this means no adding to it without permission, hmmm. I guess I could 'quote' it with all the appropriate citations. It'd be great to see it finished. And I obviously gotta lose my glossary!
Quote:
Yeah, but they do live and still talk to me on a daily basis, asking me 'how do I?'.you, sir, are living in the past. the people you refer to also live in the past
But it is a pretty cool poem, and I'm flattered that someone would write a piece of poetry for me. cheers.