What do you miss from other trackers?

General Discussion
1

Hi, there seem to be a bunch of people coming in from MadTracker, ModPlugTracker, OctaMED etc.

But, what is it that you specifically miss from your other, non-Renoise trackers, in Renoise? I’d be interested in detailed descriptions of what you miss, as I’m observing features from ImpulseTracker, OctaMED, ModPlugTracker, MadTracker, PollyTracker/JohnPlayer/Quantum SoundTracker and PlayerPro and trying to make ported versions of these features.

But I don’t know all the trackers in the world. What are your power moves from other trackers, I’d be really interested in finding out.

2

for me,
i miss the ModPlugTracker “Note Interpolation”
i miss the ImpulseTracker “Double-Select ALT-D”
i miss the ImpulseTracker “Double-Select ALT-L”
I miss the ImpulseTracker “Expand Content in Selection ALT-G” / “Shrink Content in Selection ALT-F”
i miss the ImpulseTracker Home2 and End2
also strongly desire OctaMED Pick/Put for Ranges, not only for single row content.

1 Like
3

Most of the times it is the other way around, missing Renoise features in new trackers :sunglasses:

I’ve never used impulse tracker, but have seen videos of it where you have pattern commands that will playback the pattern in reverse (cursor goes up) and I think you can even make it loop x amount of times within set pattern lines using commands. I think this would be welcome additions in Renoise for quickly making variations of duplicated patterns. Have commands to set start and end patternlines for this pattern section to loop X amount of times before continuing on.

Other then that I have thought about having capped modes in Renoise as a feature suggestion. Certain template set-ups that emulate restrictions from the past. As Renoise is basically a super charged sampler, have different modes that emulate samplers/trackers of old. So you can’t load samples past a set maximum of sample & bitrate, max amount of possible channels/tracks, no dsp or limited amounts etc. On the less is more, restrictions breed creativity type idea :slight_smile: .

Asked chatgpt for the different possibilities on limits, some might be more potent then others to emulate;

1. ProTracker (Commodore Amiga)

  • Sample Rate: Max 28 kHz, typically 8-bit audio.
  • Max Channels: 4 channels.
  • Sample Size: Limited to 128 kB total, shared across channels.
  • Effects: Basic effects like pitch slide, arpeggio, and volume control.
  • DSP & FX Capabilities: None. Only native tracker effects.
  • Overall Feel: Simple, looping, and highly compressed sounds to fit within the limitations.

2. OctaMED (Amiga)

  • Sample Rate: Up to 22.5 kHz, 8-bit samples.
  • Max Channels: 4 to 8 channels (Amiga expansion or later OctaMED versions).
  • Sample Size: Shared memory with total around 256 kB.
  • Effects: Volume slides, vibrato, delay, basic arpeggios.
  • DSP & FX Capabilities: Limited to basic onboard effects or MIDI outboard FX.
  • Distinct Traits: Often used for complex MIDI integration, so a MIDI-out feature emulation could be interesting.

3. FastTracker II (DOS)

  • Sample Rate: Up to 44.1 kHz with 8-bit and 16-bit sample support.
  • Max Channels: 32 channels.
  • Sample Size: Limited by the PC’s RAM.
  • Effects: Extended effects like tremolo, panning, vibrato, and some filters.
  • DSP & FX Capabilities: Very limited. No native DSP beyond tracker effects.
  • Unique Style: Early computer music production with larger multi-sample capability.

4. Impulse Tracker (DOS)

  • Sample Rate: 8-bit and 16-bit samples, up to 48 kHz.
  • Max Channels: 64 channels.
  • Sample Size: Limited by available RAM (up to several MBs on high-end machines).
  • Effects: Expanded to include effects like filters, reverb, and echo (though processor-intensive).
  • DSP & FX Capabilities: Native reverb and filters on modern emulation but limited in the original.
  • Feel: Still “tracker-y” but expanded capability for rich, layered arrangements.

5. Scream Tracker 3 (DOS)

  • Sample Rate: 8-bit samples, max around 22 kHz.
  • Max Channels: 32 channels (often with “virtual” channels to simulate higher track counts).
  • Sample Size: Limited by RAM and DOS memory limits.
  • Effects: Basic effects like arpeggio, vibrato, and portamento.
  • DSP & FX Capabilities: None built-in. Sounded digital with short, limited samples.

6. Yamaha A3000/A5000 (Sampler)

  • Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz, 16-bit samples.
  • Max Sample Length: Depending on memory, could go into minutes per sample.
  • Max Channels: 64-note polyphony.
  • DSP & FX Capabilities: Equipped with a suite of onboard effects like reverb, chorus, and distortion.
  • Key Traits: DSP options but memory-restricted by modern standards, encouraging shorter samples and looping.

7. AKAI S900/S950 Sampler

  • Sample Rate: Up to 40 kHz, 12-bit resolution.
  • Max Sample Size: 750 kB.
  • Max Polyphony: 8 voices.
  • Effects: No internal DSP, but had looping and truncation for compact sampling.
  • Distinct Traits: Known for gritty, lofi sampling; popular for punchy drums and chopped loops.

8. Roland SP-1200 (Sampler)

  • Sample Rate: 26.04 kHz, 12-bit resolution.
  • Max Sample Length: 2.5 seconds per pad, with a total sample time of about 10 seconds.
  • Max Polyphony: 8 voices.
  • Effects: None onboard, but known for its punchy, gritty sound due to bit depth and rate.
  • Notable Traits: Known for hip-hop beats; limited sample time forced creative looping, chopping, and pitch manipulation.

9. Ensoniq ASR-10 (Sampler and Synthesizer)

  • Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz, 16-bit.
  • Max Sample Memory: Up to 2 MB, later expandable.
  • Max Polyphony: 32 voices.
  • Effects: High-quality onboard effects including reverb, chorus, and delay.
  • Uniqueness: Versatile for sound design, but with limited memory, so users often shortened or looped samples to fit.

10. Korg M1 (Workstation)

  • Sample Rate: 32 kHz, 12-bit internal samples.
  • Max Channels: 8 parts multitimbral.
  • Effects: Basic onboard effects like reverb and delay.
  • Traits: Known for “M1 Piano” and synthesized orchestral sounds, had limited memory, which led to iconic short, looped, and compressed samples.

11. E-mu Emulator II

  • Sample Rate: 27.7 kHz, 8-bit sampling.
  • Max Sample Size: Limited to 512 kB of memory.
  • Max Polyphony: 8 voices.
  • Effects: No internal effects, but known for filters that added warmth to samples.
  • Distinct Sound: Widely used in 80s pop due to its lush, “warm” digital character.

12. Elektron SidStation (Commodore 64 SID Chip Synth)

  • Sample Rate: Not sample-based, but a synthesizer using the SID chip for 8-bit synthesis.
  • Max Polyphony: 3 voices.
  • Effects: No traditional effects but can emulate vibrato, portamento, and filtering.
  • Notable Style: Limitations in polyphony and sound generation led to a unique chiptune sound, making it ideal for retro 8-bit emulations.

13. Yamaha TX16W Sampler

  • Sample Rate: Up to 33 kHz, 12-bit sampling.
  • Max Sample Memory: 1.5 MB.
  • Max Polyphony: 12 voices.
  • Effects: None onboard, required outboard processing.
  • Characteristics: Known for a cold, digital sound and limited sample size; had a unique workflow with the optional Typhoon OS.

14. Akai MPC60

  • Sample Rate: 40 kHz, 12-bit resolution.
  • Max Sample Length: Up to 13 seconds total memory.
  • Max Polyphony: 16 voices.
  • Effects: Basic on-board effects; external gear often used.
  • Feel: Renowned for groove-based sequencing, ideal for hip-hop and chopped samples.

15. Game Boy (LSDJ / Nanoloop)

  • Sound Channels: 4 mono channels: 2 pulse waves, 1 custom wave channel, and 1 noise channel.
  • Max Polyphony: 4 monophonic sounds.
  • Effects: None, but could mimic delay, vibrato, and portamento with sequencing tricks.
  • Notable Sound: Very distinct, chiptune-inspired, limited waveforms and polyphony required careful note and sequence planning.

16. Roland MT-32 (Sound Module)

  • Sample Rate: Approximately 32 kHz, 8-bit samples.
  • Max Channels: 9-part multitimbral, 32-voice polyphony.
  • Effects: Limited reverb, chorus, and “partial” synthesis effects.
  • Legacy: Classic for DOS gaming music; its lo-fi, FM-like sound had a nostalgic character that could inspire retro-inspired game music.

17. C-Lab Notator/Creator on Atari ST

  • Sample-Based: MIDI sequencing only (no audio samples).
  • Max Channels: 16 MIDI channels.
  • Effects: Depended on external hardware (e.g., synths, samplers).
  • Typical Setup: Known for early 90s electronic music; very basic by today’s standards, with no internal sound generation but revered for rock-solid MIDI timing.

18. Casio SK-1 (Sampling Keyboard)

  • Sample Rate: Very low fidelity, approximately 9.38 kHz, 8-bit sampling.
  • Max Sample Length: About 1.4 seconds.
  • Max Polyphony: 4 voices (with very short looping time).
  • Effects: None, but could adjust playback speed.
  • Charm: Often used for quirky, lo-fi sounds, forced creative looping due to very short sample length.

19. Ensoniq Mirage (Sampler)

  • Sample Rate: 8 kHz to 32 kHz, 8-bit.
  • Max Sample Size: Around 128 kB per sample.
  • Max Polyphony: 8 voices.
  • Effects: No DSP, but had analog filters that warmed up samples.
  • Distinctive Style: Limited sampling made it gritty; Mirage’s low-bit sound became a character in early electronic music.

20. Tracker Software: MilkyTracker (Modern but Emulates Amiga)

  • Sample Rate: 8-bit, up to 44.1 kHz (can emulate low rates).
  • Max Channels: 4 to 32 (depending on setup).
  • Effects: Tracker effects like vibrato, arpeggio, and portamento.
  • Special Use: Ideal for Amiga-style compositions with a modern interface; restrictive channel count encourages compact compositions.
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4

yep, the SBx command is amazing. especially that you set SB0 somewhere, and then SBx somewhere else and it’ll jump back to SB0 until the amount of times of jumping back to SB0 SBx times has been exhausted and then it continues. this is also the hardest one to script since you can’t really properly do it as long as the API doesn’t allow for creating brand new effect commands. if it did, oh yes, Paketti would have SBx in seconds or minutes.

btw the protracker “128kb total shared across channels” is heavily inaccurate. the maximum size of a sample is 64kb for 4ch mods and there’s no stereo samples, just mono samples. and even this allowed for the creation of around 1mb tracks.

2 Likes
5

I miss how easy it was to organise the patterns in the song pattern list in Octamed (V5 and onwards).

For some reason, i have found it quite awkward in Renoise, in that trying to reorganise/insert patterns is fiddly.

Other than that, really like the sample manipulation/automation (although octamed too had a rudimentary form of it) :slight_smile:

6

You can input your own custom characters sequence though, for example a made-up RZ00;
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This will give an error message in the status notice part in the bottom of the gui;

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But can it still be read by a tool to trigger a certain (programmed) behavior?

If RZ00 go back to line 00 blah blah…

I can see a problem if Renoise will ever natively introduce exactly the same pattern command as scripted, it will break compatibility. Perhaps worth exploring?

1 Like
7

yes, but @taktik pretty much said it’s not reliable… if i understood him correctly. so yeah, looking at how unreliable it is, is on my list of things to do, but it’s a bit low on the list :slight_smile:

1 Like
8

Chat gpt , is wrong about lot’s of things
Polyphony on the a5000 is 128 voices and can cample from 8khz to 44Khz
Secondly , the yamaha tx16w can sample up to 50khz ( still 12 bit and mono though )
Get Sonic charge cyclone it’s a 1:1 copy of the tx16 w and sounds amazing , I 've created hundreds of libraries .

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2 Likes
9

The SP-1200 is from E-mu. E-mu SP-1200 - Wikipedia
GPT may have confused it with the context of SP-404, etc.

10

Excellent plugin and an absolute steal for free!

No, that’s just the fake intelligence at work.