.mod editor

Just thought I'd ask everyone what's the best program for editing .mod/.med files on the PC (preferably free)

I'm looking for a program that's as near as possible to good old Amiga ProTracker. Any ideas? :)

modplug

Ah, modplug. I was just looking at that, but the name modplug suggested to me mod plug(in)
Downloading now :)

[edit]
Cheers, works a treat. :)

modplug is popular, but I still think you can't beat FastTracker 2 for protracker-esque-ishness. Also, the only PC editor for .med files I know of is MED SoundStudio...

problem with Fast TRacker is it's really only a DOS app. It has real trouble on XP and with most modern soundcards, shame as it was wicked.

If you like Fast Tracker try:

http://www.milkytracker.net/

TGD posted about it a while back.

yeah, milkytracker looks great. Once I used Impulse Tracker in DOS mode and the hotkeys workflow was very quick. Now Modplug, it's sequel is very powerful, but for some reason the windows surface killed the creativity IMHO.

There's an IT clone being worked on (well sorta):
Here


also there's a program called cheese tracker which was based on IT, but Im not sure if the windows version is available as exe. Here it is.

There's also a new project for advancing the work originaly done on Modplug tracker but I cant remember where that was.

I've been looking for a tracker that plays Amiga modules "correctly" as in two channels on the left speaker and two on the right speaker. I made loads of modules "back in the day" that made use of the natural stero effect of having two channels per speaker. Problem is all modern trackers just play them back on both speakers. You can make a track play on a certain speaker by using Pan effects but I'd have to edit all my old modules.

Fast Tracker, Mad Tracker, Milky Tracker all play back without proper Amiga stereo channel separation BUT mod Plug Player AND Tracker actually plays them properly. (Actually I think Fast Tracker may have had a Mono/Stereo option but I can't remember) These are .mod files I'm talking about. Shame that ModPlugTracker's interface seems a bit rubbish, the scrolling pattern window is all jerky and I rely on seeing that smooth! Sigh. Wish these other "cool" trackers took the Amiga Stereo thing into account. Anyone know any nice settings in the about trackers to make them do this?

I like Modplug. Seems moer accurate in playback than other trackers.... Not sure about the Amiga MOD sterio thing :P

Modplug is the best playback for sure.

Honestly I dont like modplug very much at all. It's a highly limited tracker in comparison to other good trackers out atm.

Check out http://www.buzzmachines.com

Modplay tracker look poop, but the player seems to support everything and accurately too.

BuzzMaxhines looks to complicated to me, it probably isn't, but it looks it.

Here`s OctaMED for Windows, not quite as nice as the PC version though.
http://www.medsoundstudio.com/index2.htm

GreyAlien, have you tried DeliPlayer for module playback? It was originally an Amiga program so I`m sure it plays Amiga mods properly and it supports a staggering 230 different formats. It`s not a tracker though just a player.

Here`s the link,
http://www.deliplayer.com/

Jason.

the greatest thing about buzzmachines is you don't have to download samples to make your songs. You can use the VST Generators and make your own samples with ease!

Really I use fruity loops for my music but I'm trying to get into tracking as I would think that FMOD or something like it will be out for bmax someday and I'd love to save disk space.

I do love samples, heh, I own 10's of thousands of them, but generators are just too cool.

I love Frootypoops. The name Fruityhoops is just too easy to mangle. LoopyFruits, FruityShcloops ... okay, I'm bored :)

buzz is great but it probably helps to have used a normal tracker first. Andy Sega of Iris uses Buzz Tracker and produces some amazing stuff.

Impulse Tracker was always the best IMO :D

Never really liked Modplug, but thats just me.

I played with IT back in the day, and Scream Tracker 3 too. Honestly Impulse Tracker and Scream Tracker were the EXACT same programs but different colors (if I remember correctly)

Back in the DOS days I did a lot with IT.. but never did anything near as good as I did with FL. Still, I think I'll give Buzz a try.. but I've never liked modplug, It's free but it isn't near as good as OTHER free programs out there ;)

ModPlug seems pretty decent. But I'm not like doing heavy musical work anyway. I hate looking for and installing things at the best of times, does seem a bit of a shame that it doesn't look like Protracker but of course that's windows for you.

@Grey : Winamp gives you full control over stereo seperation.

I love ModPlug, but saying it is accurate is just wrong.


ModPlug can handle that, though - look under the setup/soundcard tab for the stereo separation options.

Impulse Tracker was a pretty big step above Scream Tracker.

They looked and worked the same way except Impulse Tracker now included 16bit samples, Instruments, NNA's (invaluable!), 64 channels (ST only had 16).

Its just a shame that, although sound quality seems to have improved a lot over the last few years, music quality hasnt (imo anyway). That was the great thing about trackers, you could see how people did things and learn from them.

That's because music quality in games these days take a lowly last place in gaming priority.

I mean I like cdaudio/.ogg and .mp3 music in games, but they take up so much space. Mod music will always be better due to the infinitely small spaces.

I'd go as far as saying that 'mod is to mp3' is like 'realtime gfx is to avi'. Mp3 is basically pre rendered music and takes up far too much space.
avi movie eventually get outdated by realtime gfx, but why isn't this the game with music?

Of the blitz games I've created 80-90% of the game size is audio. And the lowest possible quality of .ogg too. :(

Sledge: Luckily that link doesn't reveal too many errors. I know mod plug does the stereo seperation properly, I tested it.

I refuse to convert my CD collection to ogg or mp3, it's on the PC as wav at the moment (well some of it is, otherwise I need a few new hard drives!)

Grey, that's just crazy. You may as well just rip your isos and store THEM on your harddrive.