MOD Trackers and Sceners Unite!

Guybrush · 05-23-2009, 12:26 PM

Back in the days - late 80s and 90s - computer nerds sometimes liked to show off their skills in programming / design and, of course, music. If you were a member of a demo crew, you were part of the demo scene or just the scene.

Music was usually made with software music sequencer programs called trackers. The songfiles were called mods, short for "modules". Me and my friends had our own demo group in the 90s called illithid and I was the most productive crew musician. I've spent countless hours with good old fasttracker 2 first released in 1993, developed by the demo group Triton, which was my program of choice.

Behold Fasttracker 2 in all it's old-school glory!

I've pretty much given up on tracking since those days, but modern trackers like Rebirth are still being developed and I thought maybe someone else on these forums are into this as well - or used to be? If so, reveal yourself and give us a sample of some of the music you've made

As I wrote, I've pretty much given it up, but my latest song is only a couple of years old. Using DOSBox, I could emulate Fasttracker 2 and made then a tiny chiptune at ~23kb and those who have winamp should be able to play it (although files played in Winamp don't always sound right). If it ends abruptly, it's because it was made to loop forever when played in FT2, but this might not be supported by other players.

Song : Dirty Computer!

So .. Although not likely, are there anyone else?

Alfred · 05-23-2009, 01:07 PM

I have never heard of this, but I really like your song. Awesome videogame-type sound!

Guybrush · 05-23-2009, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alfred

I have never heard of this, but I really like your song. Awesome videogame-type sound!

Thanks

Chiptunes wasn't what I did most of (it was usually something more ambitious), but it's fun in that it's very quick and that it's a minimalist challenge, f.ex here to make a song with a kick, hat, bassdrum and a single sine wave. And of course you gotta love the old-school sound. About video game sound, I have a lot of training with making game music for our own game project at the time which never really got anywhere .. that might add to the game-ish feel.

If anyone out there doesn't know what a demo is, here's Future Crew's (who went on to make the Max Payne games) classic demo Second Reality which was made for the Assembly 93 demo party.

It was perhaps cooler back in the days though.

Guybrush · 03-01-2010, 07:56 AM

I had a pang of mod nostalgia and thought I'd make an attempt at reviving this thread

Back in 2001 when I was still a teenager, we were asked if we wanted to play at a local festival. However, our band had not exactly disbanded but was inactive at that time, but instead of declining the invitation, we just made a new band - an industrial techno project. After a week of casual tracking in ye olde Fasttracker II, I'd made enough material for a concert on a smaller stage at the back of the event. We named our project Mette Marit because it was a popular name at the moment (new crown princess) and we thought it would generate some interest.

I made a bunch of songs, all tracked from the ground up although I did "borrow" a few sounds and samples here and there.

(Flammenes Regent means Regent of the Flames. Titles were a bit random.)

Those who think they know me might think this kind of music is not my cup of tea .. and they'd be right

I had more appreciation for this kind of stuff back then.

TDK · 12-13-2012, 07:14 AM

Bump on this thread

I was/am TDK from the demoscene back in the 1990's

Many a candle burnt writing chiptunes for cracktro's etc instead of revising for exams

Back in those days, we had 4 sound channels to use, and as little memory as possible. The smallest tracker mod I made was 2.8kb, using samples!

05-23-2009, 12:26 PM	#1 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	MOD Trackers and Sceners Unite! Back in the days - late 80s and 90s - computer nerds sometimes liked to show off their skills in programming / design and, of course, music. If you were a member of a demo crew, you were part of the demo scene or just the scene. Music was usually made with software music sequencer programs called trackers. The songfiles were called mods, short for "modules". Me and my friends had our own demo group in the 90s called illithid and I was the most productive crew musician. I've spent countless hours with good old fasttracker 2 first released in 1993, developed by the demo group Triton, which was my program of choice. Behold Fasttracker 2 in all it's old-school glory! I've pretty much given up on tracking since those days, but modern trackers like Rebirth are still being developed and I thought maybe someone else on these forums are into this as well - or used to be? If so, reveal yourself and give us a sample of some of the music you've made As I wrote, I've pretty much given it up, but my latest song is only a couple of years old. Using DOSBox, I could emulate Fasttracker 2 and made then a tiny chiptune at ~23kb and those who have winamp should be able to play it (although files played in Winamp don't always sound right). If it ends abruptly, it's because it was made to loop forever when played in FT2, but this might not be supported by other players. Song : Dirty Computer! So .. Although not likely, are there anyone else? __________________ Something Completely Different

05-23-2009, 01:07 PM	#2 (permalink)
Alfred one big soul Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Canada Posts: 5,096	I have never heard of this, but I really like your song. Awesome videogame-type sound! __________________ LAST.FM / VINYL COLLECTION / RYM

03-01-2010, 07:56 AM	#4 (permalink)
Guybrush Juicious Maximus III Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Scabb Island Posts: 6,525	I had a pang of mod nostalgia and thought I'd make an attempt at reviving this thread Back in 2001 when I was still a teenager, we were asked if we wanted to play at a local festival. However, our band had not exactly disbanded but was inactive at that time, but instead of declining the invitation, we just made a new band - an industrial techno project. After a week of casual tracking in ye olde Fasttracker II, I'd made enough material for a concert on a smaller stage at the back of the event. We named our project Mette Marit because it was a popular name at the moment (new crown princess) and we thought it would generate some interest. I made a bunch of songs, all tracked from the ground up although I did "borrow" a few sounds and samples here and there. (Flammenes Regent means Regent of the Flames. Titles were a bit random.) Those who think they know me might think this kind of music is not my cup of tea .. and they'd be right I had more appreciation for this kind of stuff back then. __________________ Something Completely Different

12-13-2012, 07:14 AM	#5 (permalink)
TDK Groupie Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: Harbury, UK Posts: 19	Bump on this thread I was/am TDK from the demoscene back in the 1990's Many a candle burnt writing chiptunes for cracktro's etc instead of revising for exams Back in those days, we had 4 sound channels to use, and as little memory as possible. The smallest tracker mod I made was 2.8kb, using samples!