MilkyTracker

{{Short description|Free software music tracker}}

{{Infobox software

| name = MilkyTracker

| logo = MilkyTracker logo.png

| logo size = 50px

| screenshot = Image:MilkytrackerScreenshot.jpg

| caption = MilkyTracker running on Windows XP

| author =

| developer =

| released = 2005[https://milkytracker.org/docs/ChangeLog.html ChangeLog]

| latest release version = 1.05

| latest release date = {{start date and age|2024|11|25}}{{cite web|url=https://milkytracker.org/news/2024/11/25/version-1.05/|title=1.05 Release Notes}}

| latest preview version =

| latest preview date =

| programming language = C++

| operating system = Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, FreeBSD, OpenBSD, MorphOS, AmigaOS, PocketPC, SerenityOS and HaikuOS

| platform =

| language =

| status =

| genre = Music tracker

| license = GPL-3.0-or-later
MilkyPlay: BSD-3-Clause

| website = {{URL|https://milkytracker.org}}

}}

MilkyTracker is a free software{{cite web|url=http://createdigitalmusic.com/2008/04/milkytracker-pan-platform-tracker-now-open-source-with-new-features/|title=MilkyTracker Pan-Platform Tracker Now Open Source, with New Features |last=Kirn |first=Peter |website=Create Digital Music|date=14 April 2008 |access-date=2 September 2014}}{{Cite web |url=https://milkytracker.org/news/2018/02/24/version-1.02/ |title=MilkyTracker v1.02 + AmigaPorts fork |last=Deltafire |date=24 February 2018 |website=MilkyTracker}} multi-platform music tracker for composing music in the MOD and XM module file formats.{{cite web|title=Downloads-Multimedia? Multimedia!|date=4 April 2008|access-date=2 September 2014|url=http://punto-informatico.it/2244803_3/Download/News/download-multimedia-multimedia.aspx|website=Punto Informatico|first=Luca|last=Annunziata}}

It is a clone that attempts to recreate the module replay and user experience of the popular DOS program FastTracker 2,{{cite web|url=http://www.gulli.com/news/9246-netlabels-die-geheime-revolution-2006-07-07|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130127085040/http://www.gulli.com/news/9246-netlabels-die-geheime-revolution-2006-07-07|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 27, 2013|date=7 July 2006|title=Netlabels - die geheime Revolution|website=Gulli.com|access-date=2 September 2014}}{{cite journal|url=http://www.mobilemusicworkshop.org/docs/Elsdon_mmw07.pdf|title=Mobile Music Creation using PDAs and Smartphones|date=2007|journal=Proceedings of the Mobile Music Workshop (MMW-07), Amsterdam, Netherlands|last=Elsdon|first=Ashley|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903085705/http://www.mobilemusicworkshop.org/docs/Elsdon_mmw07.pdf|archive-date=2014-09-03}}{{cite news |url=http://www.idi.ntnu.no/emner/tdt4290/Rapporter/gruppe2-2007.pdf |title=TDT4290 at IDI/NTNU Group 2 - Norwegian University of Science and Technology |last1=Sandholtbraten |first1=Frode |last2=Gogstad |first2=Jostein |last3=Stokes |first3=Michael |last4=Jensen |first4=Remy |last5=Nielsen |first5=Espen |last6=Beiske |first6=Konrad G |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203172644/http://www.idi.ntnu.no/emner/tdt4290/Rapporter/gruppe2-2007.pdf |archive-date=2015-02-03 }} with special playback modes available for improved Amiga Protracker 2/3 compatibility.{{cite web|url=http://modarchive.org/index.php?article-trackers|title=Tracker Software Overview|website=The Mod Archive|access-date=2 September 2014}}

Module tracking

Module composition or "tracking" is done through the control of multichannel sample playback. An instrument is created by arranging one or more audio samples across a keyboard range. The instrument is then sequenced on a monophonic track that contains note, volume and effect data. A pattern is a series of tracks that are played back simultaneously. A song is then created by arranging the patterns.

Features

MilkyTracker is able to open several legacy music module formats and is able to save in .xm and .mod formats.

Like FastTracker, MilkyTracker contains a sample editor and an instrument editor. The envelope editor of the instrument editor allows the creation of many envelope points and user definable envelope loop points.

MilkyTracker also supports basic (velocity sensitive) note input via MIDI.

Platform support

MilkyTracker supports several operating systems and hardware platforms. These include:

History

MilkyTracker is not based on any existing module replay engine. Its core, MilkyPlay, has been in development since the mid-90s, originally as a Digitrakker .MDL player. MilkyTracker development started a decade later for the Pocket PC and it still fully operates on rather humble PDAs. MilkyTracker is and will stay a 2nd generation tracker. There are no plans to add modern tracker features that would break compatibility with FastTracker.

See also

References

{{reflist|30em}}