Fasttracker 2 - Tutorial 1: Basics

[@CreamPolo]

Can't wait for Part 2. All the best

[@appakling]

its been 13 years :(

[@CreamPolo]

@@appakling I'm very patient man.

[@appakling]

@@CreamPolo LMAOOOO this is so funny to me

[@OnlyLiarGameFan]

😔

[@CreamPolo]

@@OnlyLiarGameFan We can wait some more. All is well.

[@RealXorlz]

wheres part 2, it's been 12 years

[@Filbo_Fraggins]

im still waiting

[@visualkickz]

I’ve been using this gem 30 years ago extensively. Thanks for bringing back the memories ;)

[@jefftheworld]

I think there are a lot of people who just prefer the tracker sequencer. There are modern DAWs that use tracker sequencers, such as Renoise, and VSTs like reVISIT that allow you to use the tracker style sequencer in any given DAW. Hardware controllers like Maschine are great but they're not for everyone and they don't bring anything to your production quality, they're there purely for the convenience of the user. I have several midi controllers but they are keyboard oriented, generally.

[@anime_6915]

dude, your style of tutoring is great..... i need part2 very much so

[@calinputiciu]

Damn it, i was a professional at FT2 years ago. Even put out a metal album 13 songs with just two vocal tracks.Was really good. Sadly the drive with all Darthept music was gone, but still 100% every song in my head , since i composed and arranged all songs. I'd like to know how can i get FT2 on my hands, so that i can recreate that whole album.

[@jefftheworld]

Just go to 16-bits.org/ft2.php and grab the modern clone.

[@yanbili390]

@@jefftheworld ay yo but where can i get samples for this version right here?

[@jefftheworld]

@@yanbili390 Any WAV samples at or below 16bit, 44,1kHz will work just fine with the OG software and the remake.

[@Male_Parent]

You can also download it from the internet archive site. archive.org/download/demoscene_Fasttracker2-Triton/ft209.zip I've tested this file on DOSBox and had it work perfectly. Disclaimer: this will not run on modern 64 bit systems you'll need DOSBox. The file I linked above comes from this site archive.org/details/demoscene_Fasttracker2-Triton if you want to find the download yourself or try it out before downloading it. I guess I should also tell you how to mount directories so you can file share between DOSBox and your computer. In DOSBox you want to type "mount C (directory of fast tracker like D:/DOSBox/FT2)" I don't recommend mounting from your main hard drive or in large directory's just for security reasons. from there you can type "C:" and you'll be in your mounted folder and from there you can just type FT2.EXE and it'll run. Also also if you have an original floppy disk you can copy it from there using a floppy disk reader. Then use DOSBox to run it :) I personally just recommend going with the clone but there's always the "og" option available.

[@newellslab]

How do I put a sample into a new channel. everything just goes into lane 1. how do I fix this?

[@jefftheworld]

I use a DOS laptop with SB, not GUS. Looking at the changelog, here is what 2.09 adds: -GUS-interwave support -WAV-support bugfix -SB-settings made non-editabe -copy/paste/resize pattern bugs fixed It sounds like GUS support is more fully supported and some key bugfixes are applied.

[@ReinOwader]

Thank You very much. This was really helpful. I remember when I first tried Fast Tracker II in 90s on my PC with Pentium 100 processor and 16 Mb of memory, I couldn't get any sounds out of it. My English was much worse than it is now and I didn't understand help file much. So I played only some default tracks that came with it and fiddled with the interface a bit and usually messed default songs up, but I was never able to import my own samples and create new sounds with it. I was really frustrated, that I didn't know how to use it because I liked its design and look very much. So now, 20 years later, thanks to your simple and good tutorial I finally got some sounds on emulated version on my Win10. I would be very hapy if you would do more tutorials about FastTracker2. I am kinda fan of those old looking softwares and I am afraid that if someone doesn't do any tutorials of them, then they just die, and nobody else bothers to learn them anymore. Thanks again, it was helpful and you got me hooked.

[@PeaceDub]

Always come back to this when opening up FT2 after some years

[@jefftheworld]

Glad it's been helpful! I've been meaning to do an updated version covering the awesome PT2 clone.

[@kidrorororo]

@@jefftheworld bro you have to mane

[@kijetesantakaluSokete]

any update?@@jefftheworld

[@djdeluxe76]

"it's like the holding down the u key when you type fuuuuuuuuuu" LOL XD best explanation :) Thanks for the tutorial, enjoyed it.

[@transmutationdotse]

Thank you! I started out making music with FT2, so great to think back to playing piano on the computer keyboard :D

[@jefftheworld]

I really want to do more, life just got in the way.

[@uhh12131]

do now

[@delq]

@@uhh12131 lol

[@agit5270]

I'm still waiting

[@eyeliketwoskate]

release part 2. its time. the world needs you

[@KarsonNow]

Great tutorial, I enjoyed it...and Fast Tracker II is also my favorite Musik software. Btw... I used 8Bit samples... The reason was, high amount of samples in one file and problem of 1,4MB Floppy disk... I used at first Amiga and then PC for making Musik... My buddies had used also Atari and so on... It was the case of compatibility. I used really rare XM format becouse of compatibility. MOD was very common.

[@wardbl001]

I love to see this. When I started producing EDM music FT2 was my weapon of choice. I own a DAW and Maschine now so there's no way I would even consider going back to it. If anyone wants to know some free production software out there give me a message and I'll point you in the direction of freebies. Good nostalgia, but like I said, with what I own these days I could never go back.

[@Maven333]

i mean. im a little late but....

[@brendanhansen3915]

well to be honest for fast tracker 2 a lot of the effects can be confusing.maybe a quick sample of the most used effects, some instrument addition, and a tip or two on how to compose a song. That would be an amazing tutorial I think... a lot of people get stuck on how to compose a song... as well as how to use the program to the fullest

[@lordkufu]

I learned hexadecimal and soooo many shortcuts from trackers loved the mid late 90s

[@Lance3015]

cant figure out how to paste the samples into the playlist. when i press the keyboard letters nothing happens, i cant use it as a "midi" keyboard, idk why. it only plays in the sample editor when i click on wave/range/display. is there no optional way to paste notes with the mouse?

[@darrylmd1]

@ArkBlitz There are basically four columns. Note, Instrument, Volume, Effect. The effect is split into two 'fields', the first being the effect, the next two being the value of the effect. You can find a list in the manual and the parameters for each, an example might be vibrato on a note, the effect number would be 482, 4 being the effect (vibrato), 8 the speed, and 2 the depth.

[@akinderreality]

Thank you for this - very helpful!

[@brendanhansen3915]

I would love to see more of these to be honest... I have made it so that it runs on my windows 7 PC and cannot find a tutorial anywhere .... except for yours. If you would I think that would be great :)

[@leelayne4742]

How do you download fasttracker? I found the clone by 8bitbusy but which one do you use? Also where do I get the same Samples that you used in this video?

[@reneablackheart9563]

nah im going back to garageband this is scary

[@jefftheworld]

@xXandrewman1020Xx Make sure you use 16-bit waves at 44.1khz or lower.

[@s00774]

12 years, part 2 should be coming soon... right...?

[@jefftheworld]

@DontCloudMe Can't say I've experienced that. I think a virtual machine might be more prone to that if it's eating up a lot of CPU, but I can't say for certain. It could be your DosBox settings, at what point does the issue occur? If it only happens after you start to play a song I'd be inclined to think it's a soundblaster setting that needs changing.

[@Drogenpsychose]

how can i delete notes???

[@e__egg]

PLEASE COME BACK I MISS YOU

[@TheSpingus]

this tutorial is a godsend, thank you

[@flower-ld5id]

i just loaded a sample and if i hold the key it plays for a moment but then returns to the start of the sample and stutters. are my sample files too large or bitrate or sample rate too high or whatever.

[@jefftheworld]

What happens if you just tap the key?

[@flower-ld5id]

@@jefftheworld this isnt a problem anymore but im a complete beginner to trackers so i need to go through and learn from scratch. thanks for making this

[@yaroslavzazhigatel]

The Fast Tracker is very similar to the Milky Tracer, but the last one allows to make own samples in the sample editor by drawing and generating simple waveforms. Can I do the same things in the FT2 and how? Thanks for attention)

[@BlueGuitarMusic]

More tutorials on FT2!

[@llamathenerd1672]

How do I begin to look for a piano keyboard for a dos machine?

[@jefftheworld]

If your DOS machine already has a MIDI input then essentially any MIDI keyboard would work.

[@llamathenerd1672]

@@jefftheworld I have a sb16 with a joystick port, would FT2 recognize that input with an adapter?

[@jefftheworld]

@@llamathenerd1672 I don't believe so, unfortunately.

[@Drogenpsychose]

ok no more problem. this tracker is awesome!

[@DONBRETX]

i dont get it I did like in the video.. i can hear samples but when I press shift its like it doesnt recognize the sample is there idk

[@adam-ub5fe]

Where did you get the piano sample?

[@whynotanyting]

"One click can overwrite the stuff you haven't saved." Yikes. Let's not do that.

[@TheRobyGamer]

Where I can find the kick and the melodies for create music (like hardcore) in Fasttracker 2? Are in the program or I need to download?

[@jefftheworld]

The kick sounds you can find in all sorts of different free or paid sample libraries. Just google for something like "free hardcore kick samples". As for melodies, you just pick a sample sound you like and sequence it in like I show in this video.

[@TheRobyGamer]

​​​@@jefftheworld if i put the soundblaster in the options the computer make weird noise from speakers and the pattern doesnt start why???

[@freeridergod]

glad you are making tutorials :)

[@lordkufu]

"people give me some weird looks" I can only like once... If I was on the bus Id be listenling to a yellow walkman, see you, you see me...we both nod and know...

[@taz012090]

I’m using NitroTracker for the Nintendo DS which is based on this software. Is it possible to create lofi beats that uses 808s?

[@jefftheworld]

Absolutely! The most important thing in all of music production is to ignore what other people say about the correct gear and the correct process and do what works best for you. That said, for my tastes NitroTracker would not be my favourite way to make lofi 808 type tracks. I'm not personally very effective working purely with samples, and I need some synth parameters to play with. Workflow is a big thing to experiment with and a purely sample-based workflow is how tons of the best artists work. Definitely stick with it if you feel it works well for you, but if you are new and don't feel inspired with that, I'd recommend trying some alternatives.

[@taz012090]

@@jefftheworld bro thats amazing, thank you soo much I’m going to do some research and experimenting. Would it be possible to keep in touch about things I may work on in the future?

[@jefftheworld]

@@taz012090 Absolutely, best place to reach me is email jeff at jefftheworld dot com.

[@Splozy]

Delete and backspace are not deleting the note for me, any ideas? It's just shifting the selection up or down.

[@jefftheworld]

Are you using an emulator or real hardware?

[@Splozy]

@@jefftheworld As in old school hardware? No its a modern 64bit build on my modern pc. Maybe it is emulated? I have no idea.

[@jefftheworld]

@@Splozy Are you using the "Fasttracker II clone" by Olav Sorensen?

[@voiceoftreason1760]

i am kind of diving in the deep here but i am planning on building a system which can run this program. Does it only run under dos? no windows 3.1/95? i already have two kinds of soundblaster cards and some agp graphic cards, also i have a pentium 4 and a celeron socket 478 processors, what motherboard/cpu are best? do i need a floppy drive to run dos? Do i need another floppy drive to run programs? i got a pata harddisk and one floppy drive. I never used dos before but i did some cmd tutorials so i can find my way around with the filesystem now. Any help on this would be appreciated.

[@jefftheworld]

It should work on a computer running windows 95 or 98, assuming you've got a compatible soundblaster or GUS card.

[@voiceoftreason1760]

jefftheworld so i just need to find a motherboard with isa slots?

[@jefftheworld]

Yeah, that'll probably do it. Personally I run a laptop setup since old laptops with soundblaster cards are easy to find and insanely cheap and they're more portable if you ever plan on doing live performances.

[@voiceoftreason1760]

jefftheworld that would be an option considering there are usb to ps/2 converters for an external keyboard. i'll look into that.

[@antifizikus]

When I want to delete something,I cant because the del button dont works

[@LanceJordan]

I'm having the same problem on MacOS. Did anyone figure this out?

[@LanceJordan]

Not sure if it s a MacOS bug but if I hit space bar to go into edit mode, and select an empty slot after an existing note, delete seems to work. I opened an issue on the github repo github.com/8bitbubsy/ft2-clone/issues/1

[@Topsiekku]

I have mod song in cd but how i can get instrument voices from this song an use them to make new music? So long time when i last time use fasstracker that i have forgotten.

[@jefftheworld]

Fasttracker will open mod files natively! You can simply open any mod.xm song in Fasttracker 2, select samples/instruments and then save them to disk to be added to other songs later.

[@Topsiekku]

@@jefftheworld I have cd from 1996 World of Sound volume 2. And in cd are 2100 mod files , 1000 voc files, 1200 wav files and 2600 midi files, maybe that help to make new music. But need so much help =D I find yet fasttracker what act with windows 10 an that is good start :D And i can open this mod song from that cd and listen them but i can not do anything else.

[@Topsiekku]

I dont even know how to select instruments and how to save and how to add them to own new song:D

[@Topsiekku]

Disk op is only button what i know that what happen if i press it:D

[@Topsiekku]

now i find that first i select mod song from cd and then i click zap button and then i choose song and then song is deleted and i have left only instrument. Maybe now i can make music! And space button is that whitch i can add new voice to track.

[@D322MWUNITED]

I’m planning on being a DnB music tracker artist, but would FT2 work for win 98 because of the build in ms dos?

[@jefftheworld]

The original FT2 should run on versions up to Windows 98, but you won't see the overscan, so it'll be difficult to know when you're in edit mode or not. I'd recommend the the modern win32 clone build for actually writing tunes, since that's been fixed in that version and is fully compatible with the original.

[@Stevie2049]

Hi there, hopefully you’re still active. I’m having an issue where I want to export my song in wav with a loop, but I can’t figure out how to get it to export with a loop, it always stops at the end of the song. Is there an easy fix to this or should I expand the song to playback twice?

[@jefftheworld]

You're talking about the modern FT2 clone, yeah? I don't believe that the WAV export will do anything with infinite loops aside from play them through once.

[@Stevie2049]

@@jefftheworld Yeah that's the one. I'm super new to it but I figured out how to extend the songs and fade them out. I'm slowly uploading them to youtube now so all of that is resolved, thanks for the quick reply though!

[@georgeespley9177]

Hi mate thanks for the tutorial I’m having trouble arranging the track I have a 4 bar loop that I wanna start arranging but can’t figure it out lol

[@jefftheworld]

Do you have the loop written in some other notation that I could look at?

[@andrezp79]

hey man, I'm having an incredibly hard time to find out the mute/solo channels shortcurt keys... can you help me out? :P

[@AozoraOrigami]

Where can I get samples? :/

[@D322MWUNITED]

BlueBit Well one answer I would recommend is trying to search for free wav samples

[@xenaretos]

So, why didn't this series get any momentum?

[@DontCloudMe]

I'm getting lag and freezes in both VMWare DOS 7.1 and DosBox. The app starts out strong but it eventually lags out. Anyone encounter and solve this problem?

[@DONBRETX]

the grid seems in triplets how do I change it?

[@jefftheworld]

The grid is not in triplets. Each row in the grid will be played back in an equal amount of time. The entire 64 rows will play back in 16 beats. The simple answer: You can think of a phrease as 4 bars of 4/4 & you can think of each row as a 16th note. The more correct answer: The time signature and speed and both things that you can alter through compositional techniques and tracker effects. If you have the speed value set to the default - which is 6 - then the length of each row can be calculated by finding the length of a beat in ms and dividing it by 4. Since there are 60,000ms in a minute and the default tempo is 125 BPM: (60,000ms / 125 ) / 4 = 120ms. However, if you want to "swing" the notes or utilize a more complex time signature, you may use the Fxx command to provide emphasis to different beats in the bar. This will change the length of the rows based on the values you choose. A common triplet would be three notes within the space of 2 quarter notes. If your base speed is 6, the 3 quarter notes would normally be taking 48 ticks (8 * 6) then you want your triplets to last 16 ticks each in order to take up the same amount of time.

[@AlfredoAntonioMartinez]

Hey! I used to use this amazing piece of software art when I was 17 < 18 (in the 98 I guess ) Today I have installed in Dosbox and works excellent, but the only thing that I cannot do it is to record samples from mic, someone knows if is possible to do it? any tip should be really appreciated.

[@llamathenerd1672]

Have you checked that you're recording 16 bit 44.1 kHz .wav files? I think most recording programs default to 24 bit audio.

[@kiethveseyofficial]

I would record samples in an external editor either Wavepad, or Audacity, chop them into one shot, and import your chopped samples into the tracker.

[@julienchrist]

How to record voices directly in the tracker ?

[@jefftheworld]

You don't.

[@Drogenpsychose]

oh i get it. but how can i export the song??

[@teamsnigel3504]

when i type the name of the sample, it does not appear in the list

[@jefftheworld]

+Team snigel Are you naming the sample or the subsample?

[@teamsnigel3504]

Nvm i fixed it

[@funy0n583]

ever gonna make the second one?

[@jefftheworld]

Theoretically I should, eh?

[@funy0n583]

@@jefftheworld wow you actually replied

[@Drogenpsychose]

and is there another way to add notes?

[@BirdOfBlueJays]

Yo so wheres part 2

[@Krokussify]

Why don't i hear anything when i play a module?

[@jefftheworld]

Don't mean to be rude but how could I possibly know? Are you running it in an emulator or on a real DOS-compatible machine? Is your soundcard compatible? Are your IRQs set correctly? Are your speakers turned on?

[@Krokussify]

jefftheworld I'm running it in an emulator called DOSbox (www.dosbox.com/) i bought this PC last year, there shouldn't be any problem with the audio.

[@jefftheworld]

Krokussify Make sure your DOSbox configuration is correct. A lot of the time the sound isn't enabled correctly by default.

[@SomeHeavensStation]

Bro's got epic avoidant / long game

[@kawonsss]

yo bro, how i can reverse sample?

[@jefftheworld]

There's no real reverse in Fasttracker 2. For certain sounds you can get a reverse-like effect by using a series of "sample offset" commands (9xx) to roll backwards through the sample.

[@jefftheworld]

Another technique would be to set the sample to ping-ping mode and use the sample offset command to jump far enough it that the sound begins immediately before ping-ponging.

[@shadowrage2593]

How do you add tracks?

[@jefftheworld]

Shadow Rage The buttons that say "add" and "sub".

[@shadowrage2593]

Thx, man)

[@broncojonnes]

can i use this on a macbook pro ?

[@jefftheworld]

This runs on old DOS computers. You could run it on a modern computer in emulation. Dosbox is a good option for running this on most modern operating systems, including macOS.

[@AmelSalibasic]

there is a cloned version made for mac 16-bits.org/ft2.php

[@MemoryLaneCinema]

so can you not use this on windows home 10?

[@DONBRETX]

i press shift but its not playing?

[@jefftheworld]

Are you using a non-standard keyboard layout? Are your sound settings working?

[@DONBRETX]

@@jefftheworld sounds settings is working but there is not option for keyboard layout in the miscellaneous config I probably downloaded a newer version

[@jefftheworld]

@@DONBRETX No, there isn't a keyboard layout setting, I'm asking about your physical keyboard.

[@DONBRETX]

@@jefftheworld nop:( the problem is when I press shift.. it plays like the sequence but without sound

[@jefftheworld]

@@DONBRETX When you enter the notes you hear them play, though, right?

[@bubuzita5544]

mid 90s laptop , spacepigs ftw , that made me laugh

[@prettypointlessvideo]

can you use it on windows 7 if so how?

[@jefftheworld]

Fasttracker runs perfectly fine under Dosbox, a DOS emulator, except the ovescan drawing is not supported. For fasttracker this means that you can never tell when you are armed to edit or not. This can be annoying but it doesn't affect anything else.

[@prettypointlessvideo]

ok thanks

[@isaact.j.d.2380]

Awesome

[@ant0ine217]

waiting for the part 2

[@jefftheworld]

I'm halfway done part 2, should only be another 10 years or so. ;p

[@DONBRETX]

ok I have to click on the first box in the upper mid corner to make it work

[@jefftheworld]

Are you trying to use the left or right shift? On many computers the left shift will not work. Here's a video showing every keypress required to get a phrase to play back. videos.rights.ninja/videos/watch/edaf3e77-d516-4318-8066-d716ef7c0144

[@faefdsedf]

Can you upload some samples for me? Please.

[@presauced]

is life still going bad for you? dude, please do a second one. :)

[@1vite]

Why do I hear just noise and not the actual sample?

[@jefftheworld]

***** Make sure you're using 16 or 8 bit samples.

[@1vite]

jefftheworld Thanks but... how do I recognize it?

[@jefftheworld]

***** I'm sorry, how do you recognize what?

[@1vite]

How do I recognize how much that sample has bits

[@jefftheworld]

***** Depends on your operating system, you'll need to get the file info.

[@csolisr]

@MegaTomahawk99 And you haven't tried the Vim text editor yet!

[@brendan9734]

"Like when you hold down the U key when you type FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU"

[@jefftheworld]

That's exactly what I thought.

[@The_D26]

Hey I know this tutorial is super old but do you happen to know what base drum you used here? I love how punchy it is and I haven't been able to download or make one that sounds as good.

[@officialphoqus]

I don't have any samples!

[@jefftheworld]

You can check out my video on creating your own single cycle waveforms in audacity and make your own. Otherwise, there are a lot of ways to acquire samples.

[@officialphoqus]

jefftheworld Alright, thanks!

[@BrancoArgenta]

How cool it would have been if instead of Panning Envelope it had Filter envelope! Please Milky Tracker people!!!

[@jefftheworld]

Heh, you're right. It's half of that.

[@csolisr]

@darrylmd1 Thanks so much! Curiously enough, I had found zero tutorials that explained this one. Perhaps you should post one yourself.

[@titouangouhier3492]

Still waiting

[@yetanothertubeuser]

Try GoatTracker next :>

[@yetanothertubeuser]

Literally everywhere.

[@Unirule]

"when you type fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu" Oh right, this video was recorded in 2011

[@jefftheworld]

@Bloodcurse13 Anywhere, really. All over the internet you can find free samples. There are more free samples on the internet than free porn.

[@Topsiekku]

Vuosia sitten tuli jotakin musaa tällä ohjelmalla tehtyä, tai yritettyä.

[@jefftheworld]

Yritä uudelleen nyt.

[@MegaTomahawk99]

This thing is the most confusing and frustrating program I have ever encountered.

[@Drogenpsychose]

oh i get it xD

[@Greyshirk]

Soundblaster kek

[@Darkest_matter]

bruh ALT + F4 is copy and paste lol

[@khatmusique9162]

Eres un poco friki eh

[@jefftheworld]

¿Qué te avisó, Einstein? ;p

[@ttolsty]

По русски пажалста

[@jefftheworld]

Я не говорю по-русски