How to Learn Chiptune Trackers TUTORIAL

[@ArrowOnionbelly]

finally, a DAW tutorial that makes sense, uses freeware, and doesn't require me to own any physical instruments. You're a saint. Thank you.

[@_buttonmasher]

🫡

[@d1ssolv3r]

yep and you can do so much more with trackers than just chiptune, if you look at something like sunvox

[@BeachBear64]

Well there is the exception of a midi controller

[@dinsfire8489]

​@@BeachBear64 You can use your computer keyboard, it's just not ideal

[@BeachBear64]

@@dinsfire8489 yeah you can barely switch octaves

[@KnightSuperiority]

For someone who has been DYING to use a tracker for over 2 years now, this video is a godsend. Great work!

[@_buttonmasher]

Thank you!

[@marisakirisame867]

Note tracking aside, FM 4-op is really a headache

[@katachiaudio]

WOW the transcription method is so simple but so mind blowing useful. Thank you so much for sharing this knowledge.

[@branflakes325]

you're such a legend for making this

[@_buttonmasher]

Thank you king

[@Fourscythe]

Ahoy's video on Trackers is so, so good. Great to see this has gotten a mention - stoked to keep up with this series!

[@_buttonmasher]

❤❤❤

[@dantescanline]

i've been away from trackers for more than ten years (used milkytracker + renoise) and i wanted to jump back in. even knowing about all these basics this video got me so hyped to start playing with this stuff again, and Furnace specifically. thanks!!!

[@_buttonmasher]

So glad to hear it!!!!!

[@JacktheRacoon]

I’ve wanted to learn how to do this for a long time, but even as a Computer Science student, this looked way to complex for me (granted I have like next to no musical education at all). But this video might seriously change that! You did an IMMACULATE job of communicating these ideas in an easy to follow way. I wish more software tutorials were like this! Well done.

[@_buttonmasher]

I greatly appreciate this. Theres more on the way

[@Roebey]

incredible! this is the exact amount of in depth my brain needs without it getting to lengthy. please make more of these!

[@_buttonmasher]

More on the way! Stay tuned for “how to make snes music in 2023!”

[@makotroid108]

I never knew i needed a tracker in my life, but here i am. Great video, thx!

[@retroasobi]

Awesome tutorial covering Furnace and with a hand of talented people from the community! Looking forward to follow through the series!

[@_buttonmasher]

Welcome aboard!

[@balorprice]

God tier instructional - wait, this is your FIRST tutorial? Okay, subscribed, no hesitation. This is great stuff!

[@_buttonmasher]

Greatly appreciated! There is more instructional content on the way

[@nintendude794]

@@_buttonmashercan’t wait!

[@cfcefa09]

Awesome man! I've wanted to learn for so long and I haven't found anything as step by step and direction simple as this.

[@_buttonmasher]

Glad you liked it!

[@ben_burnes]

This is very comprehensive! Always glad to have see tracker tutorials out there :D

[@_buttonmasher]

I learned famitracker from your tutorials. Super grateful for them. Just trying to do my part for the community!

[@ben_burnes]

@@_buttonmasherAbsolutely agree! Aside from *just* Famitracker, the more people that get hooked into trackers and chiptune the better. Honestly, I want to give this Furnace tracker a try 👀 I think I commented a few times on Twitter when you were talking about making this. It came together great!

[@GuacaFlockaFLAME]

Thanks for taking the time to make this! Excited to learn and practice:)

[@_buttonmasher]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@RobertoVillegas-vincent404]

As someone who has wanted to learn trackers in general, especially in a chiptunes context, this has been super helpful just to understand the methodology way better. I’m looking forward to future episodes for sure and hoping that even though they’ll be Furnace specific in term of UI and such that they’ll stay general enough to use with any tracker. Great series and thank you for doing this.

[@_buttonmasher]

Thanks so much! I will also be covering daws in some segments! The upcoming episode on making snes music in particular will be daw heavy

[@RobertoVillegas-vincent404]

@@_buttonmasher interesting. Now I’m really looking forward to the next video. I have a feeling what VST (if any) may pop up, but still curious how you’ll go about it. Should be good learning either way.

[@fm_am4n]

This is a brilliant tutorial series for those who want to step into the realm of trackers! Can't wait for the next episode!

[@_buttonmasher]

The next episode is gonna be on snes music!

[@RobbieNerve]

This is a nice jumpstart! I've used C64 trackers/composers and mod/s3m trackers back in the 90s. Looking to get back in some sort of tracker and furnace seems really cool. Thanks for this tutorial ;-)

[@baggonotes]

Great video, I really love the way you’ve broken down concepts and shared your method of learning to compose chiptune! Transcribing pieces is definitely a great way to learn the ins and outs of tracker software! It’s wonderful you were able to work with so many talented people to put this video together. The Chiptune community rocks!

[@_buttonmasher]

Thank you for this! I am indeed very grateful to my very talented peers who were and are eager to help me with these projects.

[@vitorrossini5454]

Alright alright, after a tutorial as good as this one, I have no excuses anymore. Time to get it started :D Thanks for the video!

[@_buttonmasher]

You got this!

[@mattsephton]

Subscribed for this series. Thank you!

[@_buttonmasher]

Welcome aboard!

[@corel7966]

im so glad there's a tutorial for this...and furnace specifically! i want to make music too, so this is real helpful!

[@TheXtremeBoltGuy]

I desperately needed this, thanks

[@_buttonmasher]

Happy to help

[@ChaosColaStudios]

Hey I just wanted to thank you for making this tutorial! I got a comment asking me to teach them how to make chiptunes, so I recommended them this tutorial :).

[@boltinthevoid5299]

That's extremely valuable information, and your tracks are bonkers !!!! Thanks so much for that

[@TakuikaNinja]

Thanks, now I don't have to awkwardly explain my chiptune workflow to my friends every time!

[@_buttonmasher]

Yup!!!

[@ChrisLeeW00]

Wow I just heard about furnace, it really has a lot of great features.

[@husrev_vv]

epic demonstration, thanks a lot man.

[@EvanMarien]

This is an incredible video! Great insights and guidance here. Looking forward to more videos, and can't wait to make more music with you!

[@_buttonmasher]

Same bro!!! So stoked for our next track! And thank you for watching!

[@jgurtz]

Fantastic introduction and tutorial. I am am inspired, thank you!

[@_buttonmasher]

You're very welcome!

[@mattschaeferdesign]

Your graphics are just as good as your music! It all comes together so well. Been a fan for a long time.

[@_buttonmasher]

thank you!

[@the777th]

This is the best can’t wait to try the tracker😮

[@sozellicus]

Thank you very much for this. I’ve been wanting to get into tracking for a while now but have been intimidated by it. This video was a very well-made introduction to it and may be the push I needed.

[@_buttonmasher]

You got this!!!!!!

[@kenkune55]

This is a great introduction! I've been learning music for a few years and have been looking to branch into arranging and trackers soon. I'd be super interested in a future video with any tips or guidance on making chiptune arrangements of non-chiptune songs. Looking forward to the rest of the series!

[@_buttonmasher]

That is a GREAT idea

[@PaozBeats]

Thanks a lot ! Great video

[@retrostarultra]

i'm looking forward to the rest of this series! :D as for chiptune related topics, i've always absolutely LOVED learning more and more about the history of certain sound chips, and the composers who've used them. while this topic may not exactly fit in a "tutorial" series, it's a topic that i personally find very interesting, and love hearing people document. it's always nice to have a proper chiptune tutorial series that's easy to follow and go back to, it's something i struggled finding and following along with when i first started making music in famitracker haha. keep up the good work man!

[@_buttonmasher]

Thank you!

[@burgerbeatz6293]

very accessible tutorial, also those chiptunes are fire, subbed

[@_buttonmasher]

Thanks!

[@mattanimation]

dude, amazing work! I know this must have taken quite a bit to put together. thanks for sharing.

[@_buttonmasher]

Thank YOU!

[@nicks5898]

Mr. Masher, this was such a joy to watch. My big question here that you touched on earlier in the video is this: if I’m not intending to export my work to be played on the console, is there a reason I couldn’t somehow just use the samples as a VST in my DAW of choice? I suspect the answer is that using the tracking software forces me to create in the confines of what is technically possible on that specific chipset. Is that the case?

[@_buttonmasher]

There are many consoles that a vst will not be able to replicate. But more importantly, there are certain automation techniques that are possible in a tracker that are NOT possible in a daw. I have 2 examples i want you to listen to. My cover of “Ryus Theme” and my cover of “Those who Fight” from final fantasy 7. The former was made in a daw and the latter was made in a tracker. I think the difference that it makes FOR THE SOUND will be immediately obvious.

[@user-yv6xw7ns3o]

This is amazing, thank you!

[@_buttonmasher]

You're very welcome!

[@MrRarestlizard039]

Amazing tutorial !! I can't wait to see what incredible talent will come from this

[@huberjonathan]

great video dude!!

[@_buttonmasher]

thanks bro. my life would be complete if i ever got you to make music with furnace!!!!

[@huberjonathan]

I may just have to download it and try it out sometime haha@@_buttonmasher

[@mistery8363]

another cool thing to learn could be something akin to Furnace shortcuts and general tracking "best practices" if any.

[@_buttonmasher]

Good idea!

[@mistery8363]

A more in-depth Furnace tutorial would be great, given the overall lack of 3rd party resources, but I'd also personally appreciate general tracking tips or just bite-sized videos on how to achieve specific sounds from videogames (or even meatspace instruments!).

[@_buttonmasher]

Coming soon. But i cant stress enough how much the transcription method will help you. Everything ive learned about tracking came from transcribing modules. Its the greatest tip anyone will ever give you.

[@TheChuck59]

Neat video! I really like it!

[@_buttonmasher]

Thanks chuck. Love your work btw.

[@BillyReginald]

Can't wait for this

[@kqlolll2618]

im deciding to use this as beepbox seems very limiting, yet i also know im managing to make decent songs without knowing anything about music. of course i eventually want to learn how to compose any music as a whole, because theres so many things i want to create. i felt like ive been listening to music long enough, now i want to make music like my favorite songs i know as a whole.

[@shortriver7451]

Thank you very much!! This video is really helpful

[@Sector_VII]

This is great!!! I’ve been waiting for a series like this for years! Thanks for putting these together👾

[@_buttonmasher]

More to come!

[@VGMCollective]

This video is awesome 🎉❤

[@_buttonmasher]

Hold up….. you mean to tell me vgm is makin a come back???? Well sign me up brother.

[@Grugface]

thanks so much for helping me. Now I can make some music.

[@iwanttocomplain]

I did not know the DPCM channel could pitch shift. Very impressive even if the games were a bit small to fit samples often.

[@_buttonmasher]

It actually cant. Furnace allows you to do it but to really use a bass sample in the channel you would need to make samples of every note that you want

[@iwanttocomplain]

@@_buttonmasher oh ok thanks for confirming that for me. :)

[@zednox5178]

Thank you SO much for this tutorial, I really needed a comprehensive guide for this, ESPECIALLY the initial learning phase at the end! But I really do have to ask... are the example songs at 12:04 made specifically for the video? I can't find pedipanol's arrangement of Idol anywhere.

[@_buttonmasher]

Hey thanks so much! Pedipanol and Damifortune were both kind enough to share their work with me for the purposes of this video but i dont think they had any plans to share those modules outside of this project.

[@mRahman92]

Awesome. Now I just need to know how to make sound effects.

[@_buttonmasher]

@@mRahman92 for which soundchip?

[@FelixSandwichez]

Hey, awesome video!! Just one question. When trying to connect a MIDI keyboard, no sound plays in the program compared to when I just use my typing keyboard. 😅 Other then that problem, the program has been a blast! I've been wanting to create chip tunes for a really long time, but never found a software that clicked. This introduction video and furnace as a software, everything just clicked. I'm so pumped to learn more about composing in this new way, and I have you to thank for this. I (together with many others), seriously appreciate the effort you put in here! :3

[@_buttonmasher]

Look in the furnace settings to configure your midi controller

[@FelixSandwichez]

@@_buttonmasher Hmmm, the thing is, I can record notes into the tracker with the midi controller, but no sound plays. I would like to have it like when I play notes with my typing keyboard, w(here sound plays, and it can record into the tracker) ^^

[@_buttonmasher]

@@FelixSandwichezthats strange. I havent encountered this problem and unfortunately am not sure how to help. I suggest joining the furnace discord and asking around

[@FelixSandwichez]

@@_buttonmasher Thanks for responding! I'll do just that ^^

[@somafulop]

My God, I had the same problem! Change the MIDI Channel on your controller!

[@fog8008]

I already know how to use trackers but this was entertaining anyways tbh.

[@DudeGPT]

Dude thanks for this! Always wanted to do chiptune production but never looked into it. Heads up! You're Furnace Tracker Demo Modules URL is borked. Looks like it pasted twice and it 404s

[@_buttonmasher]

Ah thanks for that! Ill get it fixed right away!

[@gdplayer1035]

didn't know you had a yt

[@cendygaming1234]

How do I find that furnace APK file on Furnace Discord?

[@TheLordPytar]

Brother you are so amazing I just found you on IG and I had to subscribe ima learn that praise break you did

[@BlackbeltHitoshi]

How do I loop a song at a certain column? And where can I find the effect list in furnace tracker mobile?

[@mkiemkie]

Thanks for this very informative video! Just one question to get started: If I just want to make tracker music for the fun of it (not to be played with on a specific platform) - which "system" would you suggest to use when starting a new project? In other words: Which one is the most versatile?

[@_buttonmasher]

@@mkiemkie i think the sample based systems like capcom q sound and sega arcade are the most versatile because you can use audio samples rather than specific types of synths

[@mkiemkie]

@@_buttonmasher Thanks for your answer. Will try that. As I'm a bit familiar with old-school trackers using samples looks like the way to go for me.

[@mybachhertzbaud3074]

Love to play with these but hate the process.🤔🎶🎹🎶Play On

[@_buttonmasher]

@@mybachhertzbaud3074 anything worth learning takes time and practice. Stick with it!

[@GBAT3n]

Hey I have an issue. The track I made can only reach 01:04 minutes before looping. Is there to way extend this to add more? Does it have to do with the pattern length?

[@GBAT3n]

Fixed it! 😭

[@monsia202]

T- T- T- TILDEARROW!?!?!

[@TheGreatestAdventurer2007]

Is this on tablet?

[@NegaNova]

I have a question that I'm having trouble finding a definitive answer to. If someone makes a track using the chiptunes from certain SNES games, are those sounds copyrighted? Can your new song be used in a new video game or sold as a track, or is it illegal to sell music using these chiptunes?

[@_buttonmasher]

Its not illegal. Ive released dozens of albums with snes sounds and have had no problems. Be sure to watch my video on how to make snes music

[@NegaNova]

Thank you so much dude, you are always incredibly helpful. I'm getting my first midi-keyboard soon and can't wait to study your tutorials!@@_buttonmasher

[@anthonygomes8960]

I'm not familiar with github and I am having trouble downloading furnace tracker and then being able to open it. I am on windows. Can you please give me some advice.

[@_buttonmasher]

When on the furnace tracker github, on the right side of the window there should be a thing that says “releases”. Click the button that says latest. Scroll down and click the appropriate download link for you

[@anthonygomes8960]

@@_buttonmasher how do I get the demo modules into my furnace tracker? I'm trying to figure out how to add drum sounds so I'm thinking I should reference the demo's and compare.

[@_buttonmasher]

just open the demo modules with the file open button@@anthonygomes8960

[@expploe]

a protracker user here

[@internautaanonimo]

I'm not finding the instrument editor window :/

[@_buttonmasher]

Go to the window pull down and look in the assets category

[@_buttonmasher]

Then create an instrument by hitting the plus button

[@internautaanonimo]

@@_buttonmasher Oh, ok.

[@DixieChix]

Yeah, tbh, while I do think Furnace's additions and overall capabilities are cool and all, I still don't know whether or not I want to use trackers again since I'd have to go through the whole process of relearning them all over again ever since transitioning from using SNESGSS to AMK a couple of years ago, not to mention something that still pisses me off about a lot of the overall culture of trackers is how most people seem to be completely averse to the idea of importing MIDI note data for some reason; like I get it, people don't want lazy MIDI slaps being done or anything, but speaking from experience it's just annoying to me cuz like, to me MIDIs are just plain convenient and makes it much better for me to just focus on the music instead of dealing with all the boring work like you would if you had to type everything by hand... oh well, guess I'll wait to get a MIDI keyboard if I want said convenience I suppose ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ (btw, this isn't me saying anything bad about your video or anything, cuz I do think it's very useful and will help out a lot when I do get to using Furnace myself at one point, I just don't really get why some trackers - like OpenMPT and SNESGSS - have full MIDI support, while others just refuse to add it; maybe it's also the fact features like this are simply harder to add in than I think they would, fuck if I know, but I can say that the culture overall still has a big part in why things like that don't get added at least, mainly speaking from my own experience here anyway since I had to deal with a fair amount of prejudice simply because I use MIDIs a lot of the time to make my music, even when I make it very clear I mainly use MIDIs as a way to help the creative flow and not as a way to be lazy or anything like that)

[@_buttonmasher]

Thanks for your feedback. Ive never used premade midis to make music. I always make it from scratch.

[@nintendude794]

@@_buttonmashergood answer

[@mistery8363]

why does the BPM only show when the track is playing?

[@Otto500206]

Renoise exists.

[@_buttonmasher]

What about it?

[@Otto500206]

@@_buttonmasher It's DAW with a tracker interface and abilites. Why anyone should use a tracker when there is a DAW with all of the good features of trackers?

[@CerealKiller]

@@Otto500206 Renoise user here! I do not recommend it for chiptune music, as furnace tracker has already everything you need. Renoise is more for Breakcore/Jungle and breakbeat oriented productions, not something I'd recommend to anyone looking to make chiptune.

[@CC-fi3pp]

Trackers are awesome, but instead do Jungle.

[@_buttonmasher]

cool man

[@64Abstract]

a wonderful resource for anyone wanting to make chiptune magnificent video right here man !!

[@InnerMotionMusic]

This video is an excellent crash course on the basics of using trackers. Looking forward to the next episode!

[@_buttonmasher]

thank you!

[@TotallyRadical]

Dude you're so awesome for making these how-to videos. As a guy in my mid 40s, I've always wanted to get into making this type of music but high cost and lack of time and knowing where to start always held me back. Now that the tech is more readily available and affordable I'm going to dip my toes in the water!

[@_buttonmasher]

Glad I could help!

[@TotallyRadical]

@@_buttonmasher I look forward to watching future videos in the series! 👍

[@Retrogamingmaverick]

I’m currently working on a c64 cover of The Model by Kraftwerk and this helped a ton! Thanks ^^

[@_buttonmasher]

🙏

[@retrokid104]

Button Masher coming in clutch as usual. Thanks! Now I won't get confused by furnace.

[@_buttonmasher]

Glad to help!

[@AngelicDirt]

I was sold at the title, but then you show Furnace just as I was starting to puzzle it out to see if I can use it the other day? THANK YOU~ X3

[@_buttonmasher]

❤❤❤❤

[@AlambradasMusic]

I've always admired the fact that chiptuners help each other on their sound discoveries; it's nice to see different approaches on music and Furnace itself. thanks for taking the time to present all of this to us!

[@_buttonmasher]

Couldn't agree more!

[@AlambradasMusic]

also, @pedipanol é do Brasil e eu já amo!

[@lumena-tan]

You're doing god's work. Looking forward to seeing this whole series realized!

[@_buttonmasher]

Lets GO!!!!!

[@RetroRic79]

Can anyone help with getting samples to play on the mega drive/genesis with Furnace? I've tried exporting with different options, added the 1701 switch on the FM6 channel and made sure my samples are 8bit 22khz but they just don't play on an emulator or real hardware.

[@_buttonmasher]

Join my discord server and ask around there.

[@thatonecaster6501]

this was..really digestible

[@TheCreepypro]

gotta love a man willing to share the precious secrets of his art!

[@empcat1254]

I always wondered how there was so much control in old video game soundtracks

[@_buttonmasher]

Most them werent written with trackers though. Many were programmed in assembly

[@carstenstengel7495]

Nice one! I am quite familiar with Trackermechanism but Furnace is new to me. Looks interesting. Thank you

[@RoninJoegenji0085]

Subbed. This is legendary my God respect 🙏

[@TheDuccinator]

Very excellent and well executed for explaining how trackers work!

[@_buttonmasher]

Thanks!

[@HeatleyBros]

You are the MAN! thank you for this🤘

[@thecolorcomputer]

Your instrumental prowess is on another level. And now I've been introduced to your technical understanding 🙌 Great stuff, getting all of us out here happy and informed🎵

[@Hifitracker]

Nice oldshool ❤😊❤😊

[@lazyful3961]

hell yeah! been excited for this since it was announced. great video, looking forward to learning more!

[@_buttonmasher]

More to come!

[@reyhanpanci]

can't wait for more episodes of this series, i love this! :D

[@GregzillaGT]

I've only ever dabbled casually in making chiptune-y music in FL Studio with soundfonts, and I wanted to finally dive into a tracker instead. This vid made it a lot less daunting. Thanks for the great overview!

[@_buttonmasher]

Thanks for watching! Cant wait to see what you make!

[@abdullahajeebi]

‏‪8:39‬‏ Small correction, the DPCM channel uses a NES instrument OR a generic sample instrument, with the latter used for PCM playback.

[@_buttonmasher]

Thanks for this!

[@tsht]

Super great ! Thanks ^^ I wonder if using trackers is a good way to switch from playing or composing "analog" music to synth music, when you want to make some tunes on computer. I was always afraid of classic synths like Nord etc. whereas trackers seems more understandable, as you don't necessarily have to make your own presets or effects

[@_buttonmasher]

I cant speak to the utility of trackers for ALL music but for most styles of chiptune its definitely the best choice

[@HANGINGOUTWITHAUDIOPHILES]

Loved this :)

[@DEFENSEMECHANISM]

this is so cool! now i can start making chiptunes in my own style like i always wanted to!!!!

[@_buttonmasher]

Sir this is a wendys.

[@n1k-o]

Insanely beautiful sample tracks, I hope this doesn't cause a "How to draw an owl" effect for beginners :)

[@_buttonmasher]

I hope so too!

[@raysyndrome7209]

Man this seem alot more fun than trying to use a piano roll but i'm trying to use the keyboard cause i don't have a midi controller and i can't figure it out ;-;. wish i wasn't on such a tight budget or else i'd just buy a midi controller outright..if it goes well enough that is. edit: so for someone who wanna make music for fun but never really messed with a music program other than vocaloid, would this be a better place to start? i tried famistudio but i feel like starting with furnance is better...