ModPlug Tracker - http://www.modplug.com
ModPlug Tracker is a freeware Windows tracker - a program used for making music using sampled sound.
ModPlug is both a tool for music creation and for enjoyment of music. As well as tracking your own music (or making loops to use in other programs), ModPlug is great for opening a wide variety of tracked music files. ModPlug can read the following file formats:
However, if you modify a file you've opened, or if you've created your own file from scratch, you can only save tracked files in one of four file formats:
- IT: Impulse Tracker modules.
- MOD: ProTracker modules (4-32 channels, 15/31 samples).
- S3M: ScreamTracker III modules.
- XM: FastTracker II modules.
If you're creating a new file, you must select which file format you're going to be working with before you start. Different formats have different levels of sophistication. The
MOD file format is the oldest - it originated on the
Amiga, and it's very limited. Four tracks of audio with a maximum of 31
8-bit, 128
Kb samples, and very little support for effects.
S3M files are essentially extended MODs, with more effects and features.
XM files are more powerful still, and
IT files are probably the most useful format ModPlug supports.
As well as outputting audio to the sound card, ModPlug can also generate .wav files of a song (at sample rates from 19,800 Hz to 48,000 Hz, sample depths from 8 bit to 32 bit, and in mono, stereo or four-channel surround.)
In ModPlug, music is made by playing back several samples The following sample formats are supported in the current version:
- *.WAV: Uncompressed Windows Wave File (PCM 816bit, monostereo).
- *.XI: Samples from XI instruments.
- *.PAT: UltraSound GF1 Patches (8/16-bit mono)
- *.S3I/*.SMP: ScreamTracker 3 / DigiTracker Samples
- *.ITS: Impulse Tracker Samples
- *.RAW: Support for importing any file as RAW sample data.
- *.AIF/*.AIFF/*.8SVX/*.8SV: Apple AIFF and 8SVX Audio Files
Modplug Tracker also supports the following sound bank formats:
*.DLS: Downloadable Sounds Banks
*.SF2: SoundFont 2.0 Sound Banks
ModPlug software also comes in player and plugin flavors. The player is a light version of the tracker without editing facilities, and with WinAmp-like skinning and visualisation built-in. The plugin has similarly limited functionality to the player, and is designed to allow mods to be played directly through Internet Explorer. There's also a linux port of ModPlug Player, designed as a plugin for xmms.
This isn't actually complete - I've got a ton of info to node on ModPlug - but I'm a very very slow noder, and it probably won't be done for a while. Check my homenode and email me if you need tips on using ModPlug, want to discuss weird things that happen when you do certain things, or want to hear about interesting techniques to use. Who knows, the info might actually make it into this node... *grins*