Impulse Tracker
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Impulse Tracker is a multi-track digital sound tracker (music sequencer) which proliferated on the DOS platform. It was authored by Jeffrey "Pulse" Lim, and demo music was done by Jeffrey Lim and Chris Jarvis.
The software was distributed as freeware, though the author supplied extra features, like saving stereo WAV files and the possibility to use an IPX network mode, in exchange for some cash (on the order of US$30). Once the stereo WAV writer plugin was publicly pirated, the author announced that he would discontinue it after version 2.14. There were some patches released, and 2.15 is by outside contributors. Impulse Tracker's interface was very similar to and could be considered the continuation of ScreamTracker 3. It was comparable to its rival FastTracker.
Like in most MOD editors, music is arranged into a grid of channels, each channel containing key-on and optional key-off instructions not unlike MIDI. Impulse Tracker modules have an extension of .IT.
One of the features which set this MOD editor apart was NNAs, New Note Actions. If a new key-on command is received in the same channel as another instrument which is still being played, NNAs allow the user to customize the action that next occurs:
- Cut: New instrument sound replaces current playing instrument.
- Continue: Old instrument continues to play following its defined ADSR curve.
- Off: Old instrument instructed to begin release section of its ADSR curve.
- Fade: Old instrument fades out to 0 volume at a designated rate overriding any ADSR information.
Impulse Tracker clones
CheeseTracker
CheeseTracker is a free IT-style tracker running on Mac OS X, GNU/Linux and some other Unix-like operating systems. It is based on the Qt graphical toolkit and is licensed under the GNU General Public License.
Schism Tracker
Schism Tracker is intended to match the look and feel of Impulse Tracker as closely as possible. The user interface is built on Simple DirectMedia Layer, which makes it highly portable: Schism Tracker can be run on GNU/Linux, Mac OS X, FreeBSD, MorphOS, YellowTAB ZETA and Microsoft Windows, for example. The LibModPlug library is used for player features. Supported formats include IT, S3M, MOD and XM. WAV saving and MIDI are also supported. It is free software available under the GNU General Public License.
External links
- [Former Schism Tracker homepage]
- [Current Developer Schism Tracker homepage]
- [Official CVS Builds homepage (Builds for Linux, MAC OSX and Windows)]
- [The official forums of Schsim Tracker]
- [Schism Tracker at sourceforge.net]
- [Schism Tracker for ZETA]
BeRoTracker
BeRoTracker is a closed source freeware modular tracker which not only supports the loading and saving of MOD, XM, S3M and IT files, but also its own native format BRT. It supports VST/VSTi and various MIDI-related operations (MIDI in, out, import and export), plus it supports the extensions to legacy formats introduced in ModPlug Tracker. Now it also comes with an experimental interface which mimics that of Impulse Tracker. BeRoTracker is only available for the Microsoft Windows.
External links
ReViSiT
ReViSiT is a non-free Virtual Studio Technology instrument, developed by Chris Nash, which has an interface like Impulse Tracker. ReViSiT sends MIDI out, receives MIDI in, and plays samples.
External link
Software that plays .IT files
- XMPlay (Win32) supporting many modular formats (MOD, STM, XM, IT) as well as MP3 & OGG.
- WinAMP (Win32) A popular MP3 player that also supports modular formats.
- XMMS A X11 (Linux/Unix/BSD) MP3 and modular music player modeled after WinAMP.
- [Psycle] is a tracker capable of loading .IT files, and playing them with its Impulse Tracker-compatible sampler
- [MODPlug Tracker], a tracker with support for VST Effect plugins, DLS and SF2 sound banks and Dolby ProLogic Surround
- [SoundPlay]. MP3 and modular music player for BeOS and YellowTAB_Zeta systems.
See also
Sound examples
External links
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