OpenMPT: the basics, and how to use trackers

[@EricR971]

a tutorial that is not 6 years old, thank god

[@-throat-]

But it will be someday...

[@z-wire2609]

This comment is gonna be really funny in 5 years

[@SammySamSams]

@@z-wire2609 agreed

[@NeonLabsss]

halfway there now lol

[@guilhermeribeiro7733]

3 years to go 😂

[@theRiver_joan]

Honestly this is amazing. Might be my autism but this somehow feels more intuitive than a traditional DAW to me. Thanks so much for the tutorial and inspiration!

[@quadpad_music]

Autistic too and same, trackers just have such a smooth workflow that allows for detail hard to achieve in other programs.

[@flouro4782]

oh man trackers are so nice. i wish more modern daws used them. piano rolls and step sequencers are really hard for me but trackers just kinda work.

[@nippyouch]

I used FastTracker years ago and found it easy to use nd I could make complete songs. I've been trying for a few years to make something using FLStudio. I love it but find it hard to get any further than just making a cool 4 bar riff. My 15 year old son can make a whole song in a day that sounds awesome. So maybe it's an age thing. LOL

[@madmuffinz]

Now you too can be a bandcamp musician with a controversial background! All jokes aside this is a great introduction thanks!

[@arnoldpalmer2241]

sewerslvt? LMAO

[@flangel842005]

@@arnoldpalmer2241 goreshit

[@arnoldpalmer2241]

@@flangel842005 oh. whatd he do? some weird lolicore stuff again? LMAO

[@Zekno]

lmfao hahaha

[@sanjacobs6261]

@@CerealKiller He's controversial?

[@holben27]

jesus christ thank you, this tutorial is one of the best I've ever used period. You have a knack for it. please make this a series.

[@Vectif]

thank you! I'd love to at some point! I just have to find good things people would like to know or would find useful to then bunch them up into a video when I'm inspired haha :P I'm really glad it helped! Cheers

[@_w.w.w_3055]

this is the tutorial that I would of wanted when I started using OpenMPT

[@maldorthegreat]

This is such good luck. I downloaded this program less than a week ago, and was pouring over the wiki trying to learn. Then I check today on youtube and see a brand new video that's tells me exactly was I was looking for! Thank you

[@Vectif]

That's great to hear! I hope this will help you pick it up. Best of luck!!! It's an awesome program! :)

[@NMS2005]

@@Vectif I still haven't found an answer on why the Initial global vol. is greyed out in with a xm file and to make it available again

[@boland1]

Awesome, pedagogical tutorial how to get started. Really like how you describe what all the 4 columns in the channel strip works. Been scratching my head on trackers for a long time and really needed a tutorial like this to begin with. Thanks man

[@Vectif]

No problem! I'm glad it helped you. I had a hard time at first too since they're not very new-user friendly, but after you get the hang of it it becomes exponentially easier. I was lucky to have one of my favourite artists who used the program walk me through it, and I wanted to open up that same sort of opportunity for everyone. Hope you make some cool stuff with it! :)

[@Arkl1te]

This is definitively the best music tutorial I've ever seen. I was looking for tracker music tutorial, hoping to find copper, and I found gold. 💛

[@werc85music]

I started with Fast Tracker II (around late 90's/ early 00's), moved to Modplug tracker after FT2 and now im using OpenMPT.. the best!

[@saltedmutton7269]

Fortress Team 2nd

[@mungyodance3]

using k² and renard as examples of chiptune and breakcore respectively that's a win in my books

[@NeonLabsss]

same

[@mungyodance3]

@@NeonLabsss hell yeah

[@G.A.Z.F]

You can't talk about OpenMPT/trackers in general without mention any of the Em's musicworks, these are just the facts xd

[@mungyodance3]

@@G.A.Z.F hehe, indeed

[@tobiasmaler522]

GRACIAS REY, siempre quise aprender a usar el OpenMPT. Ahora puedo hacer canciones IDAS con este software y venderlas para poder alimentar a mis viejos y 16 hermanos, que estan viviendo en el interior. Gracias por siempre pensar en tus subscriptores, segui asi amigazo, crack, idolo, titan, bestia, toro, pantera, general, capitan de corbeta, maquina, rey, power ranger rojo. ESpero que tengas un buen dia.

[@fonthene]

Wow!! Thanks so much for this introduction, I've just been meaning to try this program out!

[@rODIUMuk]

This program is still better than any saw on the market , hands down

[@logiclrd]

0:33 It took me a while to decipher, but the text in the top-right Chiptune image says Squaredance by Kitsune^2. 😛

[@ForestWhitakerTulpa]

oh man I looked for this like a year ago, keep it up it's really appreciated

[@MidoriMizuno]

My absolute favourite among trackers

[@d3villady111]

loved this thank you

[@AshnSilvercorp]

I'm feeling very odd about this. I've tried everything from writing with Finale to Pro Tools, and I've added Cakewalk as another alternative tool to my kit. Finale's only useful as an exporter, Pro Tools is way too bulky, Cakewalk opens fast, but a sequencer feels like a horrible place for me to write patterned music. I've tried to find sideways trackers like BoscaCeoil, but they often don't have support for keyboard or VST. After seeing how you put in notes fairly quickly with a keyboard, it makes modular trackers look a ton more attractive as a speedwriting tool.

[@Vectif]

it depends on how you use it, but this kind of tracker is definitely oriented towards keyboard users as opposed to most DAWs which are very mouse-oriented (time consuming precision!). Knowing the shortcuts and leaving the mouse ready on specific positions to press a key and click over and over and over definitely speeds up the process. It's mostly about learning the workflow and the keyboard shortcuts, this video doesn't even show my whole actual workflow haha. I definitely enjoy this program way more than everything else I've used, but this surely varies per person. I've used this with my PC keyboard, MIDI keyboard, and a plethora of VSTs just fine.

[@psychic_digit]

Thank you! This helped me!

[@kevynoliveira]

Awesome video

[@drunkthombzy1391]

thank you a lot for this tutorial! You're the reason why i contuinue practising in that kind of music

[@KolpoPirate]

0:31 almost choked laughing guilty as charged

[@Vectif]

glad you enjoyed that haha. That's just the way it is nowadays! Nonetheless there's a lot of stuff that can be done with trackers ^^

[@robthefriend8725]

Do you have to save each trim, then load the break again to save another trim? Or is there a better way to make multiple trims?

[@Cobalt985]

I've been off and on learning LMMS for the past few years, I'd say I'm okay with it, would there be any advantage to using OpenMPT if I'm mainly going to be making electronic music? Or should I stick with LMMS? Awesome tutorial btw.

[@Vectif]

Hey! It really depends if the workflow of a Tracker would be more benefitial or comfortable for you. I personally came from a background of using REAPER and different versions of FL Studio but the overall layout and workflow of Trackers just felt way more comfortable and familiar to me over time. I still use REAPER for my guitar/bass recording and more traditional work, but for anything electronic, I just can't go back from a Tracker - this of course differs with everyone, and albeit both types of music making software can be used for any genre, there's small nuances, little details and techniques that just make certain processes easier. I like to sample and sequence a lot breaks and program microcuts among other things, and I just preffer seeing the channels & commands over looking at piano rolls or the way songs are displayed & played back on usual DAWs, plus I also love being able to manually control effects rather than use automations - I can't really tell you, I think it's something you experience for yourself and it depends on whether the pros outweigh the cons for you. If you wanna hear the sort of stuff I make, you can find me as Vectif on SoundCloud.

[@morsik...]

If you planning to use sampling in your productions, OpenMPT beats LMMS in this aspect.

[@Cobalt985]

@@Vectif Thank you so much! LMMS makes a lot of sense to me right now but I wanna dip into using trackers too. Especially since my favourite electronic music artist uses OpenMPT (Emma Essex). She brought me here because she said that she uses OpenMPT to make music. I feel that the "visual" piano roll like in LMMS is not the fastest way I could be making music -- but I'm not sure which way I prefer yet. I really like doing things in a "basic" way from a software standpoint -- I like writing in basic text files, I like to use the smallest program possible to do a job, so trackers are still alluring to me in that sense.

[@Cobalt985]

@@morsik... Not so much, I've heard that's why Emma uses it though

[@Vectif]

@@Cobalt985 Neat! I hope you'll find what works best for you. Emma Essex is also my favourite electronic musician, infact they're the reason I picked up OpenMPT, and I was lucky to have them walk me through the basics a few months back. That's why I made this tutorial so more people could have access to the program. Cheers and wish you best of luck!

[@kqzo]

as a famitracker user and before watching this i dont understand a single thing beyond the notes and volume

[@saviskywalker4136]

Hi! How to use macros for plugins/how to automate parameters of plugins? I was reading the manual and I figured it's suppose to be possible. Thanks!

[@CoolGuyJammer]

This is Interesting to learn

[@HarrisonBorbarrison]

I have no idea how to musics!

[@Hyperboid]

Making music without knowledge of music theory is very much possible, but it's a lot easier with piano roll.

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

My usual DAW software is LMMS, but I have been experimenting with ModPlug Tracker. Haven't yet created any full patterns or storyboarded together a song like I did in LMMS, only tweaked a module slightly.

[@francesco5061]

Thank you a lot!! Super clear

[@SlyHikari03]

Cool, Now I can make breakcore and Chiptune.

[@AmaroqStarwind]

Unreal uses tracker music. Specifically, ScreamTracker 3 and ImpulseTracker. If your game's playback engine supports selectively muting channels, then you could use this for dynamic music which gets more complex with additional layers.

[@Nicole-pt4bx]

Hey! For the first time in years, I sat down and wrote down as much information as I could from this video in a way I understand! Thank you for this awesome awesome starter guide ;v; I think i'll go into your discord and leave a picture of it in case it helps someone

[@Vectif]

That's awesome! Glad it helped you, and yeah feel free! That's the same reason I made the video, who knows who it may help! Cheers!

[@JeLeff.]

3:42 sounds like the sparta remix

[@mostbirnen4030]

Quick, Clear & Easy!

[@G3E007]

how do you put soundfonts? i want pc98 sounds

[@Kamitsu010]

I really got Moonshot Rocket jumpscared didn't I, also A LAPFOX FAN????????? WOOF???

[@TraceGaming2006]

how do i make the song loop to an earlier part?

[@johnfreeman7444]

is middle C shown as C4 or C5 in the tracker?

[@alexoctobrg]

this is great

[@IPODsify]

Aight but how do you actually use VST effects? how do I "adjust its properties" so it actually does something? I cant seem to figure out how to automate any of it

[@Vectif]

1:35, 1:50, 2:24

[@rodrigoarguetaalba2526]

I’m tryna learn how to use a tracker (NitroTracker DS) but I had a problem with long notes. Say, I wanna add a piano instrumental track, but the sample doesn’t make long enough notes. Is there a way to just prolong the sample? Or should I just look for another one?

[@Vectif]

there's ways you can make a sample seamlessly loop in order to make it sustain itself and seem longer, however depending on the sample and the way you go about achieving this effect will greatly vary the results, you can always try to disguise the transients / beginning & end or just cut it in a way you can play the tail end of the sample over and over until you want it to start again, there's always the option of some reverb and such to cover up the silence of a sudden cut in a sample if it's not too much either, or depending on the style of music you could cover it up aswell, it really just depends. OpenMPT has a feature for setting a 'sustain loop' so other Trackers may aswell. It's a mix of both the sample and the way you go about it.

[@DominicJacksonFilm]

I still have no idea couldn't see anything 😂or understand anything you said 😂

[@IdaeChop]

How do I make triplet rhythm tho?

[@cassette_elk]

Hey, having a bit of trouble doing something I don't think anyone's tried before. Trying to get my Launchpad S (8x8 midi keyboard thingy) to work, but it seems that OpenMPT thinks that it's an 8x10 or 12 board, so I can't actually play around 1/3 of available notes. Is there a way to map individual notes to keys manually? Been through the wiki and forums, and I can't find anything.

[@MaxerV19]

I was using this until my "order list" disappeared out of nowhere and i didn't know how to bring it back. I ended up installing a new one lmao

[@andrer4508]

i used mod tracker on my amiga back in the day.

[@StarcolliderYT]

2:19 Artist like Dubmood and Mark Knight has their own chorus sample which only uses for 1 channel

[@Vectif]

I'm not sure about the way they do it, but yeah, you could for example output two samples played on two channels as one audio file, and then load that back into the program to play both sounds together into one channel. It might help with things such as space, organization, manipulation, or just making it look pretty. I sometimes use that resource aswell but very rarely! Though sampling and re-sampling your own samples and recordings is not uncommon! It infact brings you to a lot of interesting results. Thanks for the recommendation on those artists! I will be checking them out.

[@egoalter1276]

Isnt a channel supposed to be monophonic? Or do you just get the interference pattern from the two components as the merged new one? Would that sound the same? Are speakers even capable of producing real polyphonic sound? I wish I understood audio engineering better.

[@Wewantjusticeandpeace]

Bad software program (not so bad). It can't permanently save tempo range while I was saving my music. Anybody help me?

[@muhammadjuhlan]

What did you do, and what format did you use

[@jellydiablo8573]

thanks for the help

[@zookkkk]

Argentina too?

[@Vectif]

yes, I am from Argentina

[@zookkkk]

nice, how unfortunate I’m sorry for you

[@christopherbryant7255]

ty four sharing

[@Jerricoking]

How do I do a 3/4 signature?

[@peterpiper0815]

Yes, thats a late aswer and you probaly already know but other might want to know it too. First decide how many rows you want to have for 1 beat (1 quarternote). Lets say 6 rows for a beat. A 4/4 measure would now have 24 rows cause: 6 rows times 4 beats = 24 rows A 3/4 measure will have 18 rows cause 6 rows times 3 beats = 18 rows 5/4 = 30 etc now change the number of rows in the pattern as described in the video: hit the #0 in the pattern-view (beside the channel 1) for a better visualisation of the quarterbeats and measures (if your pattern are 2 or more measures long) you can go to the SongProperties (in the General Tab behind the Name field or under the menu VIEW -> Song Properties) and change the settings 'rows per beat' and 'rows per measure' . This will change which rows are highlited. OpenMPT is completly flexible on tempo / signatures. You can change it in every pattern, slow down or speed up witthin a pattern with the 'T-command' or have weird measures (think about what happen to your 3/4 pattern when it doesn't have 18 but only 17 or 16 rows 😁)

[@PSR-DJ]

Hey that was helpful ! Can you make another video explaining more in depth (?) I am beginner at OpenMTP and I wish I could learn how to make my own chiptune .but actually I don't know how to make a single sound . Thanks in advance !

[@Vectif]

Hello! You likely need to draw the soundwaves (3:34) or find some samples online (or chop them yourself!) to load into the program and use to start making sounds just like I explain on that part! ^^

[@mutee333]

Or you can load and study modules downloaded from somewhere, that feature music that you want to create. I also learned MPT this way.

[@Ryrynz2000]

Where's the seekbar?

[@magnuswootton6181]

i think its important to mention all trackers support synths these days.

[@HazyJ28]

This is really really cool and I could find myself getting super in depth about learning the history of Tracker software, like with SoundTracker for the Amiga. But you will NEVER convince me that OpenMPT is more powerful than FL or Studio One. You will NEVER convince me the Polyend Tracker is more powerful than an MPC or Maschine. There's a reason non-linear DAWs overtook tracking software in popularity, and it's not JUST because of workflow.

[@kisho2679]

does it process MIDI?

[@Vectif]

yes, I've plugged in my MIDI controller to jam on it before

[@MyEconomics101]

Ahoy.

[@inactive8514]

how about chiptune breakcore

[@Vectif]

it's a thing!

[@nathanielguggenheim5522]

Nice! When set to playback speed of 0.75, this is actually useful. Thanks.

[@persona83]

Very good tutorial, altough a little too fast for the average joe.

[@player1playforfun]

I want to say that I understood, but I haven't, it's just a bit too confusing for my smooth brain. I'll try though.

[@presauced]

man, this guy is insanely based. thanks for the video!

[@bastereon6609]

Vengo del FL y siento que entré a otro universo 💀

[@Gainn]

Coming from a Polyend Tracker to this is PAINFUL. Nothing in this program is even vaguely obvious.

[@ghsu]

can I have that amen break?

[@Vectif]

hey, it's pretty much a standard clean amen break from "Amen Brother" by The Winstons. It's usually around the 1:26 mark on most uploads. You can sample it from there!

[@krow1551]

O sweet thanks

[@ВторойкиборгЧеловек-Сидр]

Ththththanks yoyo)

[@ILoveSweetWaterMelon-ti2sq]

Is it safe? I have the fear of PC hardware damage. If it is not safe, I will never install or run this software again.

[@Sanyaous]

as long you download it from the official site it's safe

[@SASTSimon]

Trackers are too hard for me imo. Its just confusing. I wish i could make modules without one

[@idx64]

OpenMPT está para w7 y deberían actualizar a w10 ya, quizá haya muerto el proyecto, pero creo que es la manera más rápida de crear melodias midi. Actualmente crear en piano roll es un cáncer para los que no tenemos teclado midi. Saludos.-

[@Vectif]

Hola, yo uso Windows 10 y me anda perfecto el programa. De hecho el programa sigue recibiendo actualizaciones. Y ojo con lo del MIDI, no hace falta tener un controlador/teclado MIDI para componer en un DAW o con piano roll; no tengo la mas minima idea de tocar teclado y me manejo igual con el piano roll, aun asi es cuestión de preferencia, no lo suelo usar, prefiero un Tracker sobre un DAW cualquier dia. Saludos!

[@idx64]

@@Vectif Gracias por responder, lo acabo de bajar a ver las mejoras y veo que hubo bastante trabajo con el soporte vst también, anda mejor de lo que esperaba, además de aceptar Asio cosa que LMMS no tiene, Ahora mi consulta es como entrar acordes directamente de tres notas, una en cada canal, para evitar poner de a una, que depende el tema se hace pesado. Saludos crack.-

[@Vectif]

@@idx64 Asi funcionan los trackers con los acordes. De otra manera podes renderizar dichos acordes a 1 solo sonido y utilizarlos asi para 1 solo canal, solo que para editarlos posteriormente se va a hacer mas tedioso el proceso.

[@Otto500206]

Renoise exists.

[@rODIUMuk]

I find realise less flexible

[@goddanmith2237]

Openmpt is free

[@Otto500206]

@@goddanmith2237 And not a DAW

[@expploe]

this is probably the least unintuitive tracker I have used in my life just use milky tracker

[@ендермєш]

the least unintuitive would mean it's super easy to understand

[@expploe]

i am sorry i wrote this at 2 am i meant most

[@rODIUMuk]

It’s the best of the best

[@momsaccount4033]

This tutorial is too confusing. I may just be an idiot, but I cannot make any kind of association with what you are saying with what is happening on screen, or what any of it is supposed to mean for making music. How do I get instruments and samples? Are they already in OpenMPT or do I have to download a soundfont or something? You don't mention that. What the hell am I supposed to do with the first screen? Do I have to worry about it to get started immediately? You fiddle with sliders and numbers and various buttons without actually clarifying their importance, you just say what they do and then assume I'll just figure the rest out by myself. Maybe I'm just dumb, maybe I'm not the kind of person who can use technical stuff like this, but as a person who wants to make music this is just stressful. I also have FLStudio and that software looks way too fucking complicated. I probably don't need to worry about 75% of all the buttons I see, but I cannot tell what any of the important buttons are. Do you know about any simple software I can use? This is too much...

[@Vectif]

Hello - that is all mentioned in the tutorial. (1:33 loading plugins / 2:56 reading pattern rows / 3:18 loading samples and drawing soundwaves / 6:25 loading plugins/effects again / 4:47 inputting notes) You need to import instruments and samples into the program. Trackers were mainly sample-based programs, but modern trackers also allow to use VSTi (virtual instruments/plugins), and/or they also allow you to draw soundwaves aswell. It is all mentioned in the tutorial. I made this mostly to explain the program layout and the absolute basics to get started - just like with anything else, you'll need to have patience to learn the programs. Both FL Studio and OpenMPT aren't overly conplicated programs, and depending on what you want to do, you may never need to use "all of the buttons". The key difference is that FL Studio is a DAW (like many modern music-making programs today) and OpenMPT is a Tracker, the main difference between the two is explained in the first minute of the video, and all it is is merely a matter of prefference. If my tutorial wasn't useful to you, you can always check out the OpenMPT wiki in the video description, or see other tutorials for this or other programs (6:34!). You don't need to be a specific kind of person to use any of these programs, you just gotta take your time, patience, and be willing to learn! Cheers!

[@momsaccount4033]

@@Vectif Wow, I... did not expect a full reply from you. I don't have any words except for, thank you... sorry if my original comment was made out to be harsh, I just really don't know what to do or where to go. I'm just a very impatient person. When I have a dream or an idea that I absolutely want, I have the desire to make a mad dash for it. I do need time and patience if I want to learn how to make music with either FL Studio or OpenMPT (I'm thinking about using either one interchangeably). Thank you so much for the response, cheers.

[@Vectif]

@@momsaccount4033 That inspiration, desire, dream, or "mad dash" you have, of wanting to achieve things, is the right attitude for it! That's one of the best periods to get into something, learn, practise, and power through to create and invent what you dream of! It's all hard to get into at first, but once you learn you'll see it's pretty easy! I hope you'll get to create that you dream of! :)

[@momsaccount4033]

@@Vectif I suppose I just need a lot of practice and experience to get to where I want to go... Thank you so much for your words.

[@BennyboyTruth]

Why is everyone always in so much of a rush to get their point across these days? Sometimes I wish folk would just chill out a little and speak more like Jon Levi or Osho!

[@Vectif]

if you don't like this one, there's already plenty of other longer OpenMPT videos out there. Most of the ones I watched at the time just rambled a lot instead of going straight to the point. This is more for people who just want to get started on the mere basics right away, as per the title. There's always other videos and the manuals to get more in-depth. though, there's a bit of irony from a funny story there. I once had a guitar teacher who told me he felt like I was in too much of a rush constantly, and that that way, one would just run past and not enjoy the sights of life. He purposefully made me play Études Simples 2 by Leo Brouwer on the exact timing from the sheet for a final :)

[@egoalter1276]

Trackers are bloody weird. They are basically midi without the UI to make it comperhensible without knowing the hexadecimal code for everything offhand. Which makes sense for a compuiter that cannot handle such an interface, but tady they seem to be just a stripped down DAW. Which us fine, minimalism has place, but I doubt it could do anything you couldnt with a DAW abd it certainly wont be faster in doing it.

[@rODIUMuk]

I find it much much faster. It can do anything you tell it- modern daws are more clunky and automated. A lot more difficult to do exactly what you want

[@4mir4real]

I'm a music illiterate. This looks like witchcraft to me.

[@Vectif]

@@4mir4real Everyone starts somewhere! I didn't know anything myself for a while, and even today I keep finding more to learn! Cheers :)

[@digitalbeat666]

what a piece of crap just use Renoise tracker. Even 90´s Fast tracker 2 on Atari st is better

[@rODIUMuk]

Modplug is better and much more versatile in my opinion - and I’ve used all three