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{{Short description|Family of file formats}}▼
{{For|the quadraphonic sound system|UMX (quadraphonic sound)}}
{{Other uses|Module (disambiguation){{!}}Module}}
▲{{Short description|Family of file formats}}
{{demoscene}}
'''Module file''' ('''MOD music''', '''tracker music''') is a family of music [[file format]]s originating from the [[MOD (file format)|MOD]] file format on [[Amiga]] systems used in the late 1980s. Those who produce these files (using the software called [[music tracker]]s) and listen to them form the worldwide MOD scene,<ref name="music and technoculture"/> a part of the [[demoscene]] subculture.
The mass interchange of "MOD music" or "tracker music" (music stored in module files created with trackers) evolved from early [[FidoNet|FIDO]] networks. Many websites host large numbers of these files, the most comprehensive of them being the [[Mod Archive]].
Nowadays, most module files, including ones in
== Structure ==
Module files store digitally recorded samples and several "patterns" or "pages" of music data in a form similar to that of a [[spreadsheet]].<ref name="principles">{{cite book|author1=Ranjan Parekh|title=Principles of Multimedia|date=2006|publisher=[[Tata McGraw-Hill]]|isbn=978-0-070-58833-2|pages=727|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TaNmc2IdNVwC
A disadvantage of module files is that there is no real standard specification in how the modules should be played back properly, which may result in modules sounding
== Popular formats ==
Each module file format builds on concepts introduced in its predecessors.
; The MOD format (.MOD)
: The [[MOD (file format)|MOD format]] was the first file format for tracked music. A very basic version of this format (with only very few pattern commands and short samples supported) was introduced by Karsten Obarski’s [[Ultimate Soundtracker]] in 1987 for the [[
: Arguably one of the most widespread tracker formats (also due to its use in many computer games and demos), it is also one of the simplest to use, but also only provides few pattern commands to use.
; The Oktalyzer format (.OKT)
: This was an early effort to bring eight-channel sound to the Amiga. Later replayers have improved on the sound quality attainable from these modules by more demanding mixing technologies.
; The MultiTracker format (.MTM)
: Produced by American Demoscene group Renaissance, MultiTracker brought up to 32-channel sound to the PC tracker community. Songs that took full advantage of the 32 simultaneous channels were extremely taxing to typical computers of the era.
; The MED/OctaMED format (.MED)
: This format is very similar to sound/pro/noisetracker, but the way the data is stored is different. [[OctaMED|MED]] was not a direct clone of SoundTracker, and had different features and file formats. [[OctaMED]] was an eight-channel version of MED, which eventually evolved into OctaMED Soundstudio (which offers 128-channel sound, optional synth sounds, MIDI support and many other high-end features).<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1997_articles/may97/octamedstudio.html|title=RBF Software Octamed Soundstudio. The release of this tracker is welcome news for Amiga users, but it's also a glimpse of things to come on the PC platform. Amiga expert PAUL OVERAA puts the package through its paces|magazine=[[Sound on Sound]]|date=May 1997|
; The AHX format (.AHX)
: This format is a synth-tracker. There are no samples in the module file, rather descriptions of how to synthesize the required sound. This results in very small audio files (AHX modules are typically 1k–4k in size), and a very characteristic sound. AHX is designed for music with [[chiptune]] sound. The AHX tracker requires [[Kickstart (Amiga)|Kickstart]] 2.0 and 2
; The ScreamTracker 3 format (.S3M)
: The [[Scream Tracker 3]] [[S3M (file format)|S3M format]] added sample tuning (defining the exact frequency of the [[C (musical note)|middle C]] for samples), increased the number of playback channels, made use of an extra column specifically for volume control (which was extended by other trackers to handle panning commands as well), and compressed pattern data for smaller file sizes.<ref name="openmpt"/> It is also one of the few widespread formats that support both sample playback and realtime synthesis (through the [[Yamaha YM3812|OPL2]] chip) at the same time.
[[File:Elwood - Dead Lock (Open Cubic Player).webm|thumb|300px|Open Cubic on [[DOSBox]], playing a FastTracker 2 module called ''Dead Lock'', composed by tracker musician Elwood in 1995]]
; The FastTracker 2 format (.XM)
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== Scene ==
The process of composing module files, known as tracking, is a skillful activity that involves a much closer contact with musical sound than conventional composition, as every aspect of each sonic event is coded, from pitch and duration to exact volume, panning, and laying in numerous effects such as [[echo]], [[tremolo]] and [[Fade (audio engineering)|fades]].<ref name="music and technoculture">{{cite book|author1=Rene T. A. Lysloff|author2=Jr. Leslie C. Gay|author3=Andrew Ross|title=Music and Technoculture|date=29 October 2003|publisher=[[Wesleyan University Press]]|isbn=978-0819565143|pages=352|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x9xSAgAAQBAJ
Although [[Music tracker|trackers]] can be considered to have some technical limitations, they do not prevent a creative individual from producing music that is indiscernible from professionally created music. The demosceners were focused on pushing the limits of technology.<ref>{{cite book
Although [[Music tracker|trackers]] can be considered to have some technical limitations, they do not prevent a creative individual from producing music that is indiscernible from professionally created music. Many tracker musicians gained international prominence within MOD software users and some of them went on to work for high-profile video game studios, or began to appear on large record labels.<ref name="ashgate"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/4/10/2937700/watch-demoscene-commodore-jack-tramiel|title=A brief video history of the demoscene in memory of Commodore boss Jack Tramiel|work=[[The Verge]]|publisher=[[Vox Media]]|date=10 April 2012|accessdate=21 August 2014|first=Janus|last=Kopfstein|url-status=live|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903071946/http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/10/2937700/watch-demoscene-commodore-jack-tramiel|archivedate=3 September 2014}}</ref> Notable artists include [[Andrew Sega]], [[Jonne Valtonen|Purple Motion]], [[Darude]], [[Alexander Brandon]], [[Peter Hajba]], [[Axwell]], [[Venetian Snares]], [[Jesper Kyd]], [[Mark Knight (sound designer)|TDK]], [[Thomas J. Bergersen]], [[Markus Kaarlonen]], [[Michiel van den Bos]] and [[Dan Gardopée]]. It is also widely known that many of [[Aphrodite (musician)|Aphrodite's]] early releases were made on two synchronized [[Amiga]]s running [[OctaMED]], and that [[James Holden (producer)|James Holden]] made majority of his early material in [[Jeskola Buzz]]. [[Deadmau5]] and Erez Eisen of [[Infected Mushroom]] have both used [[Impulse Tracker]] in their early career.<ref name="Resident">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?972 | title=Deadmau5: It's complicated | magazine=[[Resident Advisor]] | date=September 30, 2008 | accessdate=September 17, 2014 | author=Burns, Todd L. | url-status=live | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007010942/http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?972 | archivedate=October 7, 2014 }}</ref><ref name="Emusician">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.emusician.com/artists/1333/geeking-out-with-infected-mushroom/41649 | title=Geeking Out With Infected Mushroom | magazine=[[Electronic Musician]] | date=September 1, 2009 | accessdate=September 17, 2014 | author=Levine, Mike | url-status=live | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140917160756/http://www.emusician.com/artists/1333/geeking-out-with-infected-mushroom/41649 | archivedate=September 17, 2014 }}</ref>▼
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MUg4DwAAQBAJ
|title=From Pac-Man to Pop Music
|author=Karen Collins
|pages=153–162
|year=2017
|publisher=[[Routledge]]
|isbn=978-1-351-21772-9
▲
== Music disk ==
{{redirect-distinguish|Music disk|Compact Disc Digital Audio}}
Music disk, or musicdisk, is a term used by the demoscene to describe a collection of songs made on a computer. They are essentially the computer equivalent of an [[album]]. A music disk is typically packaged in the form of a program with a custom [[user interface]], so the listener does not need other software to play the songs.<ref>{{cite
[[Amiga]] music disks usually consist of [[MOD (file format)|MOD]] files, while [[IBM PC|PC]] music disks often contain multichannel formats such as [[Fast Tracker|XM]] or [[Impulse Tracker|IT]]. Music disks are also common on the [[Commodore 64]] and [[Atari ST]], where they use their own native formats.
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== Software module file players and converters ==
=== Players ===
* [[Xmplay|XMPlay]] (Windows), from Un4seen Developments, which also created the [[MO3|MO3 format]]
*
* [[Winamp]] (Windows)
* [[AIMP]]
*
*
*
* [[foobar2000]] (Windows) (with foo_dumb or foo_openmpt plugin)
*
* [[K-Multimedia Player]] (Windows)
* [[Audacious (software)|Audacious]] (Linux, Windows)
* [[XMMS]] and
* [[Music Player Daemon]] (Linux)
* [[
*
* DeliPlayer (Windows)
▲* Modo Computer Music Player ([[Android OS]])
* JavaMod (Linux, macOS, Windows)
* VLC
▲* [http://amigaamp.de/ Amigaamp] (Amiga)
{{see also|list of Amiga music format players}}
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* [[Audacious Media Player|Audacious]] (Linux)
* [[OpenMPT]] (Windows)
* SunVox (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS)
* [[MilkyTracker]] (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android)
* Schism Tracker (Windows, macOS, Linux)
* [[
* [[OctaMED]] (Amiga)
* [[Renoise]] (Windows, macOS, Linux)
* Unix Amiga Delitracker Emulator (Linux)
* HoustonTracker (TI-82/83/84)
* Radium (Windows, macOS, Linux)
=== Libraries ===
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* libopenmpt - maintained in OpenMPT project
* libBASS - developed by Un4seen Developments and used in XMPlay
* libxmp
* [[uFMOD]]
== See also ==
*[[Music tracker|Tracker]]
*[[MOD (file format)]]
*[[:Category:Tracker musicians]]
*[[Demoscene]]
*''[[TraxWeekly]]''
== References ==
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== Further reading ==
*{{cite web|last1=Leonard|first1=Andrew|title=Mod love — With their ears, their computers and a little code, "mod trackers" build their own worlds of sound|url=http://www.salon.com/1999/04/29/mod_trackers/|website=[[Salon (website)|Salon]]|publisher=Salon Media Group|date=29 April 1999}}
*{{cite book|author1=Rene T. A. Lysloff|author2=Jr. Leslie C. Gay|author3=Andrew Ross|title=Music and Technoculture|date=29 October 2003|publisher=[[Wesleyan University Press]]|isbn=978-0819565143|pages=352|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x9xSAgAAQBAJ
*{{cite web|last1=Brandon|first1=Alexander|title=From The Expert - MODs and the Demoscene|url=http://www.originalsoundversion.com/from-the-expert-mods-and-the-demoscene/|publisher=Original Sound Version|date=9 May 2015|access-date=10 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904191840/http://www.originalsoundversion.com/from-the-expert-mods-and-the-demoscene/|archive-date=4 September 2017|url-status=dead}}
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{{Independent production}}
{{Chiptune-footer}}
{{Nerd music}}
[[Category:Demoscene]]
[[Category:Chiptune]]
[[Category:Module file formats| ]]
[[Category:Video game culture]]
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