MODFAQ

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ) FOR ALT.BINARIES.SOUNDS.MODS
official release v3.1 dated 3/3/99 (DDMMYY)

Read this before posting a question to a.b.s.mods, it might be answered here!

Maintained by Steve Gilmore (Rebel Riffs)
rebriffr@netcomuk.co.uk
			http://www.rebelriffs.co.uk	http://come.to/rockyou

Copyright notice:

The surviving sections of the original asbm FAQ are still copyright (c) 1994-1999 by jester (Tobias
Reckhard) jester@fmr.maschinenbau.tu-darmstadt.de  All rights reserved.  All respect to jester - without whom eh?…

Most new additions, link changes and additional text copyright 1998-1999 Steve Gilmore

Other sections are copyright by the respective authors as noted.

	This FAQ may be posted to any Usenet newsgroup, on-line service or BBS as 
	long as it is posted in its entirety, includes this copyright statement 
	and is the most recent version (reasonable effort to obtain this is 
	required). This FAQ may not be distributed for financial gain. It may not 
	be included in commercial collections or compilations without express 
	permission from the maintainer.

	Disclaimer: The information contained in this document is believed to be 
	correct at the time of updating, but the originators will not be held 
	responsible for any negative effects of its contents. 

==================================================================================

[0] Table of Contents

 [1] General
 [1.1] Motivation/Purpose of the FAQ
 [1.1.1] Submitting to the FAQ
 [1.2] Modules
 [1.3] Terminology Used in this FAQ
 [1.4] Commonly Used Abbreviations

 [2] Types of Modules

 [3] Playing Mods
 [3.1] Amiga
 [3.2] Atari ST
 [3.3] Mac
 [3.4] MS-DOS
 [3.5] OS/2
 [3.6] UNIX (Sun/Linux/NeXT)
 [3.7] Windows
 [3.8] Apple II GS

 [4] Creating Mods
 [4.1] Trackers
 [4.1.1] Amiga
 [4.1.2] Atari ST
 [4.1.3] Mac
 [4.1.4] MS-DOS
 [4.1.5] OS/2
 [4.1.6] UNIX (Sun/Linux/NeXT)
 [4.1.7] Windows
 [4.2] Converters
 [4.2.1] from MIDI
 [4.2.2] Mod Format Converters

 [5] Samples
 [5.1] Acquisition
 [5.1.1] Sampling
 [5.1.2] 'Ripping'
 [5.1.3] Conversion From Other Formats
 [5.2] Sample Editors and Converters
 [5.2.1] Amiga
 [5.2.2] Atari
 [5.2.3] Mac
 [5.2.4] MS-DOS
 [5.2.5] OS/2
 [5.2.6] UNIX (Sun/Linux/NeXT)
 [5.2.7] Windows
 [5.3] HTTP/FTP Sites with Samples

 [6] Obtaining MODs
 [6.1] FTP Servers
 [6.2] BBSs
 [6.3] Newgroup(s)
 [6.4] WWW in brief
 [6.5] CD-ROMs
 
 [7] Distributing Mods
 [7.0.1] Compression
 [7.1] Usenet Posting
 [7.2] FTP Uploads
 [7.3] BBS Uploads

 [8] Other MOD services
 [8.1] MOD Chat
 [8.2] News/E-zines

[9] Soft Synths/Tracking addons
[9.1]  Softsynths in General
[9.2] Tracker Softsynths
[9.3] Rebirth RB-338
[9.4] Softsynth/sequencers/others

  Appendix A: Contributors and Credits
  Appendix B: Common Properties of Module File Formats
  Appendix C: Table of Note Frequencies
  Appendix D: Overview of Effects Used in Digital Music Modules
  Appendix E: Using Archie
 Appendix F: Calculating Note Frequencies 

==============================================================================

[1] General

This is the official FAQ of the UseNet newsgroup alt.binaries.sounds.mods.

Should the date on this document be over a month old, you might want to check for a current version.  Last updated version issued 3/3/99.   Please contact  the maintainer at rebriffr@netcomuk.co.uk  to add or correct information in this FAQ.

Availability:

- It is posted to alt.binaries.sounds.mods monthly on the first Monday of every month. When this is not possible, the next possible day will be used.

- You can also obtain the most recent plain text version of the FAQ by email from Hussam Eassa at: eassa@execpc.com  or from Steve Gilmore at the address above.

- Most of the larger WWW MOD sites have at least a link back to the main absm FAQ/MODFAQ location.
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1.1] History and Purpose of the FAQ

What is the purpose of this FAQ?   Originally, it was centered around a.b.s.mods, of course, and dealt with the problems that are usually encountered there in posted questions.  It was originally started by jester to help new readers of the group find programs and modules, decode the posts, make contributions of their own and give pointers on where to find further information. 

Since its original inception, the scene has changed considerably, and absm along with it.  The questions, as ever, exactly the same. (although it now centres around the increasingly dominant windows trackers).  This was the reason why I attempted to update this FAQ, and why we are now looking at a fairly extensive update, including a short new section on the selection of soft synths trackers are using more and more.

This FAQ does NOT attempt to teach you how to make music, but there are sections on all aspects of MOD creation including pointers on various online tutorials.  Neither will the FAQ go into explanations of certain editors/trackers/players. There are pointers to both sites and information where you can learn all you have to learn about all these subjects *in* the FAQ.   Any opinion given on software/hardware options are personal views of the particular writer and should be taken with the regulation pinch of salt.   You should, as always, try to make your own judgements.

I work (like most of us) and keep up with tracking in my own spare (ha ha ha)  time.  Therefore, time is extremely precious.  To that end, I can't spend much time hunting down links and/or programs mentioned on absm.   I only know my own kit(MS-DOS/Windows/GUS/SB), so I depend on your feedback and your contributions.  If you have something you feel belongs here or any other form of constructive criticism, don't hesitate to email me with it.   You can reach me at:  rebriffr@netcomuk.co.uk

If you've contributed to the FAQ, your name and address (optional) will be listed.  If you have contributed previously and your name is not credited, please let me know.

Thank you.
Steve Gilmore 
March, 99
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[1.1.1] Submitting to the FAQ

As I already stated, the information included in this FAQ is believed to be correct. If you happen to find errors, inaccuracies or out-of-date information though, don't hesitate to inform me of it. The same applies to suggestions you may have concerning additions or omissions.   Do bear in mind the fast moving nature of the MOD scene however, and the time constraints on all the FAQ contributors…  We're only human too….

When submitting to the FAQ, be sure to include all information that is necessary. The easiest way for me is if you take the present FAQ as a guide-line. Pre-written and ready-to-use submissions are a lot less prone to errors I could make in editing and summarising your information, helping both of us.

Be sure to state which version of the FAQ and which section you are referring to.  This is version 3.1 and is the latest version, but there will probably be much earlier versions around for a while.  So if you think you have something to say, try to obtain the most recent version before going to the trouble of writing a submission.

Thanks once again

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[1.2] Modules (What are mods?)

Originally written for the absm FAQ by jester <jester@fmr.maschinenbau.tu-darmstadt.de>

Modules are digital music files, made up of a set of samples (the instruments) and sequencing information, telling a mod player when to play which sample on which track at what pitch, optionally performing an effect like vibrato, for example. Thus mods are different from pure sample files such as WAV or AU, which contain no sequencing information, and MIDI files, which do not include any custom samples/instruments. Mods are extremely popular in the demo world and offer a way of making music of an acceptable level of quality rather cheaply. With the advent of high-quality sound hardware, new generations of mods may even rise to a sound quality nearing that of professional equipment.

Mods' sequencing information is based on patterns and tracks. A pattern is a group of tracks with a certain length, usually 64 rows (see 1.3). The tracks are independent of each other, meaning that a four track mod can play four voices or notes simultaneously. The patterns can be sequenced in a playlist, so that repeating the same sequence of patterns doesn't require rewriting of them.

This makes mods a hybrid between pure sample data files such as WAV, VOC or IFF/8SVX and pure sequencing information files like MIDI. One of the most frequently asked questions is "how do I convert a WAV to MOD?". This can be done, but is rather senseless.  The other way around might be interesting for
people with enormous hard drives, so they could listen to what used to be a mod at higher quality than before at the cost of several megabytes of drive space (10 MB/min. at 16 bits, 44.1kHz, stereo), or for those who want to show off a mod to others who don't have a mod player (or worse, can only play 8kHz
AU files..

Numerous mods have been released that were basically huge samples off a CD (is there a connection to CD-ROM drives gaining increasing popularity?), the only parts actually sequenced were the chorus bits. Most of these mods were some form of top ten hit. These are, in effect, WAV to MOD conversions. I don't mind them floating around, but it is a widely acknowledged opinion that these kinds of mods defeat their own purpose. I therefore don't recommend their making (but this is my opinion). Note that this is NOT the same as using sampled drum loops or riffs in mods. While I don't like these myself either, these do require a lot more sequencing than huge 64KB chunks of a complete song.

Since jester wrote this section, things have changed enormously, so it seems only right to add a few words to bring us completely up to date.  While compiling Version 3.0 of this FAQ I was aware of the increasing role being played in MOD production by soft synths such as Hammerhead and Stomper (two of the most popular programs at that time (May 1998)) and sample editing programs such as Cool Edit and Sound Forge.  This was the predominant reason for their inclusion in the updated FAQ.

Ah, but what a difference a year makes :-)

Now we are faced with trackers with capabilities none of would have believed only a couple of years ago, and the ability to literally generate every single note of our MODs - still without the need for expensive keyboards, effects etc.    It goes without saying that you'll probably spend a wodge of hard earned cash on some carefully selected programs, but the original MOD premise can still hold true as much today as it did at the beginning of the scene.  The only real difference is in the massive strides in music production on most computer platforms - that and multi-channel trackers bring MOD production so close to 'real-world' music that it may prove the biggest change to the MOD scene yet.

There are a few losers in this story, and unfortunately judging by the results of this update, they do seem to be the older platforms (Apple II, Atari and even dear ol' DOS).  It may also be that I just don't have the time to do some really exhaustive searches on the 'net; mostly I use either the web search engines or (at a pinch) Archie.  Most information I gather though generally comes from YOU, the people I speak to on the 'scene' on a daily basis.  Keeping a FAQ up to date simply by word of mouth is not gonna do it, of course.  I am really keen on involving other platforms in the FAQ so if you use any platform OTHER than DOS/Windows, I'd be really interested in hearing from you.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1.3] Terminology used in this FAQ

-	Throughout this FAQ, modules will be referred to as 'mods'. This term will be used for all types of modules, be they M.K., 8CHN, ULT, S3M, XM, IT or anything else.

IMPORTANT: Note that the term MOD (i.e. capitalised) refers to the group of mods that have this filename extension as well as being a generic term for all tracked material

-	A 'track' is a module voice. The number of tracks denotes the number of  notes/instruments/voices that can play simultaneously. 

-	A 'pattern' is the largest sub-unit modules are composed of. Patterns are arranged in an order or sequencing list, so a pattern can be played several times within the same module. Patterns have a fixed length in most formats, but can also be of variable length in others. The standard M.K. pattern is 4 tracks by 64 rows, for example

-	A 'row' is the smallest unit of time measurement in which notes can be  placed on tracks. A M.K. pattern has 64 rows. OKT and FAR, for example, can have patterns of differing length in the same mod.  If you've ever used a spreadsheet program, this will be very familiar

-	A 'slot' is an element of a row, dedicated to hold a specific piece of information. These are notes, volume and effects, for example.  

-	A 'column' is an element of a track, such as the note column, the volume column and the effect column. A 'column' is a group of 'slots' of one type in a common track.

-	A 'sample' is a digitized sound included in the mod, which serves as an instrument. As mods don't use a fixed instrument set (as General MIDI does), anything can be used as an instrument, including noises or human voices.

-	A 'channel' is a source of emitted sound. Channel and track are often used interchangeably in the mod community. The more general understanding of channels is similar to recording parlance.  A record for example could be made in a 24 channel studio (where each of the 24 channels can be finally mixed to make a stereo (ie 2 channel) record.)

-	A 'player' is a program that decodes mods and outputs these on a sound device.

-	A 'tracker' is a program that enables creation of mods. Trackers usually feature a 'player' and are often referred to as MOD 'editors'

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[1.4] Commonly Used Abbreviations (see section 2 for mod type abbrevs)

AWE -	Used to describe the group of 'wavetable' soundcards produced by Creative Labs.   

BPM - Beats per minute. When used in mods, this usually refers to how many groups of four rows are played per minute at default tempo (i.e. ticks per row) settings. This default tempo is 6 in MOD and S3M. Setting the tempo to 3 means that as many groups of eight rows are played per minute as set by the BPM set command.

CxSpd - Sampling rate at which a sample is reproduced by a tracker/player when it encounters the note C in octave x.

DAC - Digital to Analogue Converter. Digital sound output medium used with the parallel port of a computer.

DMA - Direct Memory Access (method of transferring data quickly across the computer's bus, DMA channel is a sound card parameter)

DSP - Digital Signal Processors.  Used when describing software that changes or effects the original sound.

EWS -	Terratec sound card

FM  - Frequency Modulation sound synthesis (used by Adlib and SB in FM mode)

FT1 - Mr.H/Triton's FastTracker 1.xx, MS-DOS MOD tracker

FT2 - Triton's FastTracker II

GUS - Gravis Ultrasound (sound card)

Hz  - Hertz, metric unit. 1 Hz = 1/sec. Used to express frequencies.

IRQ - Interrupt (not only, but also a sound card parameter)

M4W -	MOD4Win player

MPP -	MODplug Player

MPT -	MODplug Tracker

MT - 	Mad Tracker
MT2-	Mad Tracker 2

PAS - Pro Audio Spectrum (sound card)

PT  - ProTracker (Amiga tracker)

SB  - SoundBlaster (sound card)

ST3 - PSI/Future Crew's Scream Tracker 3.2
==============================================================================

[2] Types of Mods

This is a brief summary of mod types. For further information, see the documentation of file formats and/or the associated trackers' documentation.

In this list, Name refers to the identifier string found in modules of this type or a term, which unambiguously identifies the module format type. The Default Extension is the filename extension typically given to the mod type.   Note that, even though they are often used, extensions do not clearly define formats. The No. of Tracks is pretty obviously the number of tracks mods stored in this format can have. The No. of Samples states how many instrument (sample) slots are available in the format. The Sample Properties denote the
no. of bits (i.e. the resolution) the format can store and whether the CxSpd is fixed or variable. The Associated Tracker entry is only meant as an example.

This section re-checked by Hugh Hulme <hugh.hulme@virgin.net>

Name    	Default    	No. of   No. of    	Sample           	Associated
Extension  	Tracks   Samples   	Properties       	Tracker

AMF     		AMF          	8       	31       		8 bits/fixed     	(none)

M.K.    		MOD          	4       	31       		8 bits/fixed     	ProTracker

xCHN    	MOD         	6/8      	31       		8 bits/fixed     	FastTracker 1

FLTx    		MOD         	4/8      	31       		8 bits/fixed     	StarTrekker

NST     		MOD          	4       	15       		8 bits/fixed     	Noise Tracker

669     		669          	8       	64       		8 bits/fixed     	Composer 669

UNIS    		669          	8       	64       		8 bits/fixed     	UNIS669

MTM     	MTM         	1-32     	31       		8 bits/fixed     	MultiModuleEdit 1.01b  
(63)***   (16 bits)***

MT2		MT2		1-32	???		8/16 bits/var	Mad Tracker 2	

STM     		STM          	4       	31       		8 bits/var       	ScreamTracker 2.xx

S3M     		S3M         	16+9**   99       		8 bits/var       	ScreamTracker 3.2
(32)*   (255)*    (16 bits)*

ULT     		ULT         	1-32     	64       		8/16 bits/var    	UltraTracker 1.6

XM      		XM          	2-32    	128       	8/16 bits/var    	FastTracker II

FAR     		FAR          	16      	64       		8/16 bits/fixed  	Farandole Composer 1.00

WOW     	WOW          	8       	31       		8 bits/fixed     	Grave Composer

OKT     		OKT         	4-8     	255       	7/8 bits/fixed   	Oktalyzer

DMF     		DMF          	32      	??       		??               	X-Tracker 0.3

MED     	MED         	4-8****  	32       		8 bits/fixed     	MED/OctaMED****

IT      		IT         		4-16***** 255      	8/16 bit/var     	Impulse Tracker

*     - The S3M format is capable of storing these, but there isn't a tracker there yet to implement them.
**    - S3M can store 9 FM-based channels (Adlib).
***   - MTM supports these, but the current version of MMEdit doesn't allow  for them.
****  - There are several versions of MED (MMD0, MMD1, MMD2 and MED). MED is the file format for OctaMED. All MEDs can be saved as so-called song files, i.e. w/o actual instrument sample data.  There is also a WINDOWS version of OctaMED called OctaMED SoundStudio currently in beta-production. See the Trackers section for more information
***** - Seems to have MIDI-style Note-on/Note-off commands; can play multiple instances of the same instrument in one channel.

==============================================================================

[3] Playing Mods

The most essential ingredient to the newcomer to MODs is probably the hardest  piece of kit to pin down - the player.  For generations now, absm and amm has rung to the shouts of 'your player sucks' and the like.  Simple fact is, like the music heard on this software, it's a personal choice.  A few years ago Cubic Player was the only player worth defending, but today the choice is nothing short of amazing.

A player usually has some kind of feature to show you pattern totals, sample information and song notes (Most trackers write short notes in the 'samples'  section of the MOD).  Some players even have 'scopes to show you the fancy, wavy soundwaves that captivated most early MOD listeners, although this is a practice not being followed in most Windows based trackers.  And consequently, it probably is the same for most other platforms.  Bit of shame, I know millions of people who are now suffering 'scope withdrawal :-)
 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[3.1] Amiga

The major work on this section was supplied by Steven Innell <spi@dcs.qmw.ac.uk>, Christian Stieber <stieber@informatik.tu-muenchen.de> and Heikki Kantola <hkantola@cc.helsinki.fi> and originally dates from 1994 -1997.   The 1998 updated information was completed by Steve Gilmore and Hugh Hulme. 1999 updated information from Steve Gilmore.

All of the following players can be found on aminet in mus/play/ (see 6.1).  

Because of the constant confusion surrounding Aminet at the time of updating, I checked the main Aminet site in Germany 

http://www.germany.aminet.org/aminet/

and that seems to be fine.   Lots and lots of players and peripherals here, but I noticed that the accent now seems to rest with MP3 players :-)    Nonetheless, there are still plenty of trackers/editors/players here so it's worth the browse.   Unfortunately, and as normal, no Amiga user wanted to assist us in the FAQ updating, so if you want to review and comment on the Amiga players in more depth, please contact me.  All of the following players can be found on aminet FTP in mus/play/ (see 6.1) or at the main website address at 

http://www.germany.aminet.org/aminet/dirs/aminet/mus/play/

All of the following players are proper applications, i.e. they use windows and don't hack the hardware (except for the sound hardware). All of the following players use external players to allow for an unlimited number of formats (provided that somebody writes a player). All of the following players support Pro/Noise/SoundTracker, ScreamTracker, FastTracker. I believe that most of the players support MultiTracker and TakeTracker as well (DeliTracker certainly does).

I can't vouch for the accuracy of the above statement, which was part of the original FAQ.  As I mentioned above, I do not use an Amiga so it's more than a little difficult for me to make any authorative comments.  I'd really love for an Amiga user to get involved (hint, hint)

* Delitracker 2.27 
 
	As with Eagleplayer, a majority of the program has been re-written to 
	speed it up, as well as adding several new players (Deli-AY being one), 
	and improved S3M support. There are also a host of new "Genies", such as 
	the Christmas Snow-Scene, and The Dr-Who genie. Fast Tracker II XM support 
	has been added in version 2.14.  This player is my personal favorite 
	(editor's note: Steven Innell speaking), having a better gui, and nicer 
	"feel". It too is a shareware production, costing around $20 (or 20 DM) 
	again to register for. All features are available in the demo version.

	Checking the readme on the Aminet site, I came across this blurb:

This politely (huh?) multitasking program will play all popular sound program modules available 
on the amiga. Currently it supports over 120 (!)  different module formats plus one special 
format for modules which contain their own player. ProTracker and PT-like players are 
internal; additional players are loaded from disk. That means you can very easily add/
update players by placing them into the DeliPlayers directory.

Shareware: the requested shareware fee is $US 20 or 20 DM. Registered users will be shipped a disk with the latest release version of DeliTracker.

http://www.germany.aminet.org/aminet/dirs/aminet/mus/play/DeliTracker227.lha

* EaglePlayer1.54c
  
	This player now has been re-written in areas, making it faster, and better
	looking. It also added several new "eagleplayers" which has increased the
	number of mod/music formats which it will play. It currently supports a
	majority of PC mod formats (S3M, MTM, FastTracker V1) and many Amiga style
	mods (too numerous to mention). You can also use some of the players from
	Delitracker, although some do not work, or are already included with the
	distribution archive. This is a Shareware production, and most features 
	are available (except saving of configs, and mods) in the demo version. 
	The registration fee is around $20.

http://www.germany.aminet.org/aminet/dirs/aminet/mus/play/Eagleplay1.54c.lha

While I was rooting around in this directory I also noticed what I presumed to be the next generation of this player 2.01.  This is what Aminet had to say on the subject:

- supports more than 150 music formats including most common sample formats (including CDDA, AIFF, WAV, Datatype, raw formats...)
- completely hardware-independent replay system, redirecting the sound  signal via custom 'amplifiers' to the audio hardware.
  	- supports toccata.library for Toccata, Melody and Prelude sound cards 
- extremely fast mixing routines
- currently supports 64 custom programs, e.g. amplifiers, user-interfaces, analyzers, scopes, external depackers, listviews,  managers etc.

  	FEATURES:

- carefully and extensively adapted playroutines. nearly all of them support volume and balance, and most common players support the modular amplifier system.
  	 - replays with 8, 14, and 16 bit resolution (depending on the hardware)
  	- supports free scalable mono, stereo and surround replay
  	- replay speed can be controlled easily, including pitch for several sound formats.
  	- music-fadein and fadeout
  	- plays from fastram system
- supports all common system features, such as ARexx, commodity, appwindow, iconify, asynchronous online help, font-sensivity, pubscreens, hotkey...
- supports xpk, xfd, powerpacker, imploder, crunchmania, lh.library, and more formats for decrunching, and any type of archive may be accessed like a directory.
  	- is highly system-compliant and uses heavy internal multitasking
- external programs (players, amplifiers, engines) are loaded when needed and removed automatically.
- CyberGraphX is directly supported by some scopes.
  	- configuration via configfile, tooltype and commandline arguments
  	- allows timer.device, CIA and VBlank playspeed timing
  	- does not interfere with modem use
 - easy and comfortable configuration that covers numerous details - window-positions, player and engine settings, current module, each internal and external option will be saved globally with a single action
- module info includes playtime calculation for soundformats like Protracker, Oktalyzer, SonicArranger, Jamcracker, DigiBooster and most sample formats
  
REQUIREMENTS:

- an Amiga with 68020 CPU
- OS 2.04
- 0.5 MB ChipRam and 1 MB Fastram
- around 2.5 MB Harddsik space

-	Shareware, USD $20

email:
tfa652@cks1.rz.uni-rostock.de       jb001@cks1.rz.uni-rostock.de

Snail Mail:

Henryk Richter                  	Jan Blumenthal
Stephan-Jantzen-Ring 47         	Erich-Muehsam-Str. 34
18106 Rostock                   	18069 Rostock
GERMANY                         	GERMANY

http://www.germany.aminet.org/aminet/dirs/aminet/mus/play/Eagleplayer201.lha

* D.A.S.ModulePlayer 3.5b
 
	Plays M.K., NST, 6CHN, 8CHN, MTM, S3M, Quadracomposer, MED, Future 
	Composer, SoundMon 2.0, FRED, MusicAssembler and David Whittaker mods. New
	formats may be added via external player libraries. Requires MUI for its
	GUI. Requires AmigaOS 2.0+. Crippled shareware 25 AUD, 70 FIM, $15.

There are several DAS Player peripheral files on Aminet, but the player itself seems to be absent.  I suggest you root around in there anyway, maybe you'll find something else.  Be aware though that the last files posted there on this subject are dated between 1994 and 1996.  I suspect the player is still active somewhere, but - short of dragging every Aminet directory - not for poor ol' me…

These players were found there...(yaaaaahhhh!)

* PS3M V3.12
 
	V3.12 of this player is now the first player to support the PC FastTacker2
	XM style mod. It also supports the other PC favorites (S3M - hence the 
	name, MTM and Fasttracker V1), as well as the standard Amiga MOD format, 
	and also PlaySid format, providing you have the playsid.library in your 
	LIBS: directory.

http://www.germany.aminet.org/aminet/dirs/aminet/mus/play/ps3m312.lha

* Hippoplayer V2.44
  
	This is the second player to support the FastTracker 2 XM mods. It is also
	one of the only players that will uncompress ZIPped files (as well as LHA 
	as do Eagle/Deli, and LZX'ed files) saving you the bother of having to do 
	it 8*). The sound quality from this player in most cases is IMO the best 
	for the higher channel numbered PC mods (8-16 Ch in XM and S3M formats). 
	It also supports the standard protracker format, and Playsid (providing 
	you have the Playsid.library as with PS3M). In fact, the XM support was 
	taken from PS3M, and so the player routines for the PC format mods are 
	nigh on identical to those from PS3M, the difference being Hippo has a 
	better front-end, making it nicer, and easier to use. Hippoplayer now 
	incorporates directory opus   Right Mouse Button selection boxes and 
	external "Scopes" such as the PT-Note  scope and various equalisers. 
	Several enhancements and additions have been made to the program in this 
	latest release.

http://www.germany.aminet.org/aminet/dirs/aminet/mus/play/hippoplayer.lha

Once again, sorry for the sparseness of the information but where are all the Amiga users?  As always with Aminet it's generally worth a major browse…    Exasperated with the search for Amiga users, I went looking for myself.  I've used the MushyPD site a couple of times because I had previously found some very good Amiga IFF/SVX samples there.  The MushyPD site is at 

http://www.mushy-pd.demon.co.uk

and it had these players available in Feb  1998:

* MEDPlay.lha - MED player for AMOS

* MMPl_CLI.Lha - 75K - Mod player written in AMOS Plays Sound/Pro/Noisetracker
  modules as well as Octamed module, AMOS .Abk modules and tracker banks.

* MusicMeister.lha - 248K - A .abk music player with some example mods

* TitV1_5.Lha - 63K - Mod player written in AMOS .

* TitV1_7.Lha - 58K - Titchyplay CLI Version 1.7 Written in AMOS Pro. 

Tobias Reckhard (jester) finally got so irritated by the lack of information on Amiga's that he was spurred into doing an Archie search, and this is what he found (Archie information can be found in Appendix E):

Archie server: archie.luth.se

Delitracker227:

ftp.bns.getronics.nl/pub/os/sinclair/music/players-amiga/DeliTracker227.lha
ftp.doc.ic.ac.uk/Mirrors/sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk/mods/adm/zip/DeliTracker227.lha
wuarchive.wustl.edu/pub/aminet/mus/play/DeliTracker227.lha
ftp.livewire.com.au/pub/aminet/mus/play/DeliTracker227.lha
ftp.luth.se/pub/amiga/mus/play/DeliTracker227.lha
ftp.uni-paderborn.de/aminet/pub/mus/play/DeliTracker227.lha
ftp.wustl.edu/systems/amiga/aminet/mus/play/DeliTracker227.lha

all verified 2 Mar 98 (there are several others (.it, .fr, .pl, .net, .se)

Eagleplay1.54c:

ftp.doc.ic.ac.uk:/Mirrors/wuarchive.wustl.edu/pub/aminet/mus/play/Eagleplay1.54c.lha
ftp.grolier.fr:/pub/aminet/mus/play/Eagleplay1.54c.lha
ftp.livewire.com.au:/pub/aminet/mus/play/Eagleplay1.54c.lha
ftp.mds.mdh.se:/pub/amiga/music/play/Eagleplay1.54c.lha
ftp.sunet.se:/pub3/amiga/aminet/mus/play/Eagleplay1.54c.lha
ftp.uni-paderborn.de:/ftp/aminet/pub/mus/play/Eagleplay1.54c.lha
ftp.unina.it:/pub/Amiga/aminet/mus/play/Eagleplay1.54c.lha
ftp.wustl.edu:/systems/amiga/aminet/mus/play/Eagleplay1.54c.lha

all verified 2 Mar 98

DMODP035b:

ftp.doc.ic.ac.uk:/Mirrors/wuarchive.wustl.edu/pub/aminet/mus/play/DMODP35b.lha
ftp.grolier.fr:/pub/aminet/mus/play/DMODP35b.lha
ftp.livewire.com.au:/pub/aminet/mus/play/DMODP35b.lha
ftp.sunet.se:/pub3/amiga/aminet/mus/play/DMODP35b.lha
ftp.uni-paderborn.de:/ftp/aminet/pub/mus/play/DMODP35b.lha
ftp.unina.it:/pub/Amiga/aminet/mus/play/DMODP35b.lha
ftp.wustl.edu:/systems/amiga/aminet/mus/play/DMODP35b.lha

none yet verified

PS3M312:

ftp.box.net.au:/pub/amiga/mus/play/ps3m312.lha
ftp.doc.ic.ac.uk:/Mirrors/wuarchive.wustl.edu/pub/aminet/mus/play/ps3m312.lha
ftp.grolier.fr:/pub/aminet/mus/play/ps3m312.lha
ftp.livewire.com.au:/pub/aminet/mus/play/ps3m312.lha
ftp.sunet.se:/pub3/amiga/aminet/mus/play/ps3m312.lha
ftp.uni-oldenburg.de:/pub/amiga/aminet/recent/ps3m312.lha
ftp.uni-paderborn.de:/ftp/aminet/pub/mus/play/ps3m312.lha
ftp.unina.it:/pub/Amiga/aminet/mus/play/ps3m312.lha
ftp.wustl.edu:/systems/amiga/aminet/mus/play/ps3m312.lha

So there ya go, obviously having an Amiga-head working on this section would yield some better results, but there is certainly enough references here for you to start finding some of the players mentioned.  Archie is still a good (if slightly obscure) search method, so by all means use it.   A complete tutorial by jester can be found in the appendices of this FAQ.   Any links you come up with could then be emailed to me for inclusion in this section.  With full marks to you of course!  Instant fame, what more could you want?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[3.2] Atari

Thanks to Dan <cs93dlh@dcs.ex.ac.uk> for this information which was written  between  1994-1997.  The updated information supplied by Steve Gilmore, who isn't an Atari user so *none* of the actual software has been checked or reviewed.    

The updated 1999 information was supplied by the wonderful efforts of frustrated Atari owner James Smith jimsmith@zetnet.co.uk who contacted me on absm complaining about the lack of Atari playable MODs.  Thought the best way to answer his question was to put him to work answering it for himself.  This is what he came up with:

The programs mentioned here can be still be downloaded via ftp from 

atari.archive.umich.edu/pub/atari/music
 
(the /sound directory looks useful too!) and its mirrors. The other previously mentioned site in the FAQ 
(micros.hensa.ac.uk) had this too say when I visited the page in January 1998:
 
	"In January, due to the lack of interest in Atari and Amiga software, 
	 we plan to remove these platforms from our site." :=(

Atari ST: This machine is very bad at playing MODs 'cause its sound basically
isn't up to it. However, a player does exist. It is called Paula and is
now at version 2.4. In order to run on the base ST you also need a driver
called Petra, which is distributed with Paula. This will handle 4 track PT
MOD format.

http://zaba.simplenet.com/mod/players/modplayatari.html

There are three programs featured on this site: MegaPlayer 1.5, Paula (version 2.4) and Ultimate Tracker 2.5.  Definitely worth a visit if you are an Atari user...

I suspect that this situation has only become worse.  As James found out, finding any halfway decent Atari site is getting to be a real hit and miss affair.  Just getting through to the two sites mentioned here take endless tries and as of this writing I am still not able to connect to the artari.archive.umich site.  The site mentioned above (zaba.simplenet) is still the official Paula Rzeczkowska Appreciation Society site familiar to older Atari users, however it would appear that all the software for download is now wholly Windows/DOS based.

Anyway, this following information was from the last version of the FAQ.  

Atari STE/TT/Mega STE: These Ataris have massively improved sound abilities,
roughly equivalent to the Amiga. You can use Paula (mentioned above) to
playback 4-track PT MODs at a very respectable quality. Other 4 track
    	players are DeskTracker and StarTracker.

Atari Falcon030: This latest of Atari's computers has a sound system as
standard which blows away all but the most expensive of PC soundcards. It
has 8-voice 16-bit stereo sound at 50kHz. This means it is very good at
mod playback. It also has a Motorola 56001 DSP chip installed as standard
this chip can mix voices very fast, making 32 track mod playback possible at 
unbelievable quality.  

There are literally hundreds of 4-track MOD players out there, ranging
from Paula through BSW, CPU_MOD and many more. There are fewer 8-track
players and only one 32-track player. The best players for sound quality are:

* CPU_MOD - Handles 4-track PT MODs only, but gives the best sound quality I've 
heard. Will run in the background but is expensive on CPU time.

* BOBTracker - Handles 4, 6 or 8-track mods in a variety of mod formats (not S3M or 
MTM though). Sound playback uses the DSP for mixing and quality is good and very 
little CPU time is used. The DSP is also used to improve the sound quality of the samples 
in realtime and boost the bass and/or treble if desired 

* MegaPlayer - Handles up to 32 tracks, virtually and mod format ever, including S3M and 
MTM. DSP is used for mixing, so little CPU time is used. 	Distributed with MegaTracker (see 4.1.2)

James Smith's efforts produced the following relevant information:

Development on the Atari platform has ceased and this player is now FREE and available from many sources on the Net and on Atari CDs.   I have not seen a version of the MegaTracker released for a number of years and suspect that it also is no longer under development.

The best 8-track player for the STE is Octalyser. Development on this has ceased on the Atari platform and it is now FREE and available from many sources on the Net and on Atari CDs.

* Graumf Tracker. 

Another one that handles up to 32 tracks in multiple formats. The home page
for this has not been updated in some time - I did hear that a new version is under development but have been unable to confirm this yet. (I suspect that the code has been released and another programmer may have taken over the work on it.)

http://sectorone.atari.org

Judging by James' input above, most of the player information probably still holds true, although I had immense difficulty getting through to the two sites he mentioned, so I've just left one I know does work..   James also added the following information on Accelerators and Clones as he thought it may be of interest to other frustrated Atari users:

Accelerators:
There are a number of accelerators available from limited outlets for most of the original Atari models.
- PAK -  for ST and STE.
- Turbo28 - for the Mega ST
- Veloce and Veloce+ - for STE only
- Nemesis, CenTurbo II, AfterBurner and Tempest - for Falcon.

Many of these not only increase the pure speed of the computer but also add the option of memory expansions.

Clones:
The four main entrants in this field are DirecT, Hades, Medusa and Milan.   All of these are 
much faster than the original Atari family of machines and are being heavily invested in by 
the manufacturers who recognise that there is still an interest in TOS based computers.
These come in various 'flavours' and the latest projects include 080 versions that will be give 300MHz performance and above.

It must be said at this point that accelerated machines and clones have compatibility problems with earlier ST software and some require dedicated versions. As this is a relatively new area, not all programmes have yet been updated to cope with the new hardware configurations.

Anyone wishing to check out music from Atari games and  demos should have a look at The Dead Hackers Site where there is a page devoted to Atari music. The tracks are not 'hacked' but are provided by the   authors themselves.

http://wombat.ludvika.se/dhs/scene.html

Once there, go to the Module Archive.    (It has not been updated since September so must be due for another large influx any time now !!)

Just before I finished this FAQ update, I had another email from Jim, which I may as well print in full because it contains information on the current state of play…

"Just got a mail from Thomas of New Beat Developments about his 
new Atari Tracker:-

		> Flex Tracks will only support .MOD files, max 8 channels. The reason I 
started this project was to make the best player possible for this format for 
include in games, demos, etc, and .XM, .S3m, .DTM,  etc is too slow for 
games, so...

> The tracker will have some extras not found in ordinary trackers.
It will hopefully use DMA all the way, which means it will be very useful 
for games and demos (it will take about 5% 030-power to play)  The tracker 
and replay-sources will be freeware.

Although this was not quite what I was hoping for, at least it proves
that there are still some people supporting the Atari platform - you
may wish to mention that in the MODFAQ.......

I still have not been able to get the info on the .IT mod format for my
pal Denis, so he has not done any work on adding this option to DBE yet.

There is also no news yet on the future of Graumf, so I will just have to
wait and see what happens there.

Many thanks to Jim for all his help!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[3.3] Mac

Pleonist (currently offline) added a lot of new information to the later part of this section.  Most information, however is from the original FAQ.  Additional 1999 updating (and all further Mac info) from absm regular Glen Warner gdwarner@ricochet.net.  Please feel free to contact Glen directly if you have any further information or know of a program you think we should be mentioning.

For a description of Player Pro and Sound Tracker, the obviously most popular Mac programs, see section 4.1.3
Before we get into a very confusing area :-) Glen Warner offers a little simple advice:

For the most part, any Macintosh shareware application written will end up on the Info-Mac Archives. Hard drive space is finite, so some things get deleted. If you are looking for anything, try the Info-Mac Archive's search engine:

http://hyperarchive.lcs.mit.edu/HyperArchive/Abstracts/Recent-Summary.html

Simply type in what you are looking for and, if its there, it will be found.

If you really wish to play with some of the older programs mentioned here, try HitSquad: http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/mac

A very wise idea considering the oldness of the next few paragraphs.  However, with the help of Glen and other committed Mac users, the next update of the FAQ will see this entire section rewritten.  OK, so I’m dreaming but it’s a worthwhile goal eh?

Rich "Akira" Pizor <pizor@lclark.edu> noted this in the original FAQ:

* The Macintosh-tracker. This freeware program plays MODs compatible with the Mar Epsie's Tracker, Player-Pro and the Sound-Tracker. It also features  icons courtesy of Skaven and the Future Crew.

* Alpha-Tracker. This system extension is a tiny, faceless application that  automatically plays randomly selected MODs in the background while you work.  Slightly old, supports most 4-track formats.

* MusicBox XCMD. This XCMD for HyperCard adds a very functional MOD player to a HyperCard stack, allowing the more adventurous Mac owner to quickly and  easily design their own MOD player. Supports most 4-track formats.

* Mod Player 1.3.1. Newly added to the info-mac archives, this program is designed to play mods with as small a footprint in the system memory heap as possible.  There are no bells and whistles, but this little gem is great for anyone running a low-end system.  Compatible with most mods that work with Sound-Trecker.

Glen Warner reports no updates since November '98 (version 1.1.2)

Lyman Green <lymang@uswsay.glaxo.com> added this comment on 21 Dec 1994:

* SoundApp 1.5.1 by Norman Franke will play or convert sound files dropped onto it. Currently, it supports: SoundCap, SoundEdit, AIFF, AIFF-C, System 7 sound, Sun Audio AU, NeXT SND, Windows WAV, Creative VOC, Amiga MOD (including Oktalyzer, MED/OctaMED and some other variations with up to 32 tracks), Amiga IFF/8SVX, Sound Designer II, DVI ADPCM, Studio Session
Instruments and any 'snd' resource file. SoundApp can convert all of these formats to System 7 sound, sound suitcase, AIFF, WAV and NeXT formats.  SoundApp can also convert QuickTime soundtracks and audio CD tracks to AIFF, System 7 sound or suitcase formats. Mod playback is PowerPC-accelerated on Power Macs.

The following paragraph is from the SoundApp help file:

Amiga MOD: This is not really a sound format but a music format. it stores digitized instruments and contains a musical score which produces a lengthy  composition with a very small amount of data. There have been various extensions to this format, but SoundApp only supports those which Sound
Trecker 2.2 supports. These include Amiga SoundTracker, StarTracker, NoiseTracker, ProTracker (4-track), Amiga StarTracker (4- and 8-track), Oktalyzer (4-8 track), Amiga MED/OctaMED (4-16 track MMD0/1/2 formats), IBM FastTracker (4-, 6- and 8-track), IBM TakeTracker (1-32 track). SoundApp does not support MTM or S3M formats. Native code will be used for MOD playback on a Power Macintosh.

http://www-cs-students.stanford.edu/~franke/SoundApp/

Glen Warner did some digging and came up with this:

Most recent update: January '99. Current version is 2.51. This small program plays mods in all formats (IT coming in next version). Handles nearly all sound formats. Can extract sound tracks from QT movies. 

Minimum System requirements: ".... at least System 7.0, Apple's Sound Manager 3.1 or greater, the Drag Manager (aka Macintosh Drag-and-Drop, part of System 7.5) and at least a Macintosh with a 68020 or a Power Macintosh. QuickTime 2.0 or greater is required to manipulate QuickTime movies."

This program is a must-have if you do *anything* with sound.

New Japanese version available: http://www.naotaka.com/SoundApp/

New French version available: http://home.worldnet.fr/gazengel/

New Swedish version available: http://home3.swipnet.se/~w-32127/soundapp/

The URL discussed in the earlier FAQ is:    

ftp://mirrors.aol.com/pub/info-mac/gst/snd/

and I doubt it still exists…

Pleonist (m.j.hall@btinternet.com) did some research in this section and this is what he returned as of January 1998:

* MACMODPRO

	macmod-pro-501.hqx Made By: InDweller Productions Licence: Shareware
   
	Description:
	MacMod Pro is a MOD player and editor. It allows you to create 
	professional-quality songs that don't require extra hardware to play. With 
	the new easy-to-use interface and many new features,it is time to download 
	the program MacUser rated five mice! 

	New features since version 4.15: 
	* Staff editor lets you compose in music notation 
	* Print sheet music 
	* New player drivers 
	* New hypertext help system 
	* Enhanced interface and many bug fixes 
   
	Requirements: * System 7 * Color QuickDraw * 2 MB of hard drive space 
   
	Web Site: http://www.indweller.com/products/macmod/

Glen Warner checked out the latest news on MacMod Pro which has been updated to version 5.2. 

Testing in progress. Initial impressions: it has been updated to work with MacOS 8.5, and there have been a few bug-fixes. Scrolling in the (G-cleft) editor is as smooth as the previous version. Ships with the same songs, also. Definitely worth a look. US $25 shareware.

* MikIT
	MikIT.sit.hqx File Size:285 K Licence:Freeware
   
	Description:
	This is a Tracker that plays Impulse Tracker files only. It is written by 
	Jean - Paul Mikkers, and Ported to Mac by Nullsoft, (Dmitry Boldyrev) the 
	creator of Mac Mik Mod, DSM and others. It is 100% compatible with IT 
	among	other formats. 
   
	Web Site: http://www.stack.nl/~mikmak/mikit.htm

	NB. Mikit is also available for win95/nt and Linux at the same address

Glen Warner wrote this on the subject:

MikIT is no longer on the Info-Mac Archives, no longer at the author's homepage. An e-mail from a PC programmer (who shall remain nameless since I don't have his okay to name him) may shed a little light: In response to my inquiry about the availability of some sort of IT 2.14 converter:

"... The coder of MikIT already does have the decompression code working, but
there have been some political/commercial problems with the author of the
Mac port of it, hence I don't expect that there will be any future Mac versions of MikIT."

A couple years back, it was very difficult to find a mod player that supported the S3M format. As you can see, those days are over. The difficulty now is getting players/trackers which support the IT 2.14 format. Thus far, there is no mod player or tracker that supports the compression scheme used in IT 2.14.

Fortunately, there is MacAmp Lite: http://www.macamp.com/lite/lite.shtml#start
(shareware; US $5.00).

While primarily an MP3 player, MacAmp Lite also supports several sound formats:  CD Audio, .669, AMF, .DSM, .FAR, .M15, .MED, .MOD, .MP1, .MP2, .MP3, .MTM, .S3M, .STM, .ULT, .XM, and .IT
Interestingly, the same programmer that wrote MacMikMod and MikIT is primarily responsible for MacAmp Lite.  IT support (as is support for any format mentioned) is via Plug-ins. By now, all the programmers involved in creating trackers have a copy of MacAmp Lite and the IT plug-in; it's only a matter of time before they all support the new format.

One caveat: You have to allocate a *lot* of RAM to MacAmp Lite for it to play, say, "Dirty Walk" (from Necros' FM-System disk). If it quits when you try to get it to play something, give it more RAM.

* PlayerPRO 4.5.8

	PlayerPRO 4.5.8 (FAT).hqx File Size:1.3 M Made By:ROSSET Antoine 
	Licence:Shareware   

	Description:
	Runs on all Macintosh & PowerMacintosh PlayerPRO 4.5.3 (FAT). You can use 
	it with any Macs without any specific hardware. PlayerPRO can load and 
	play following formats: MOD, S3M, Midi, MTM, MADx, OKTA, snd, WAV, AIFF, 
	AIFC,	MED and XM. 
   
	Web Site: http://www.quadmation.com/pphome.htm

	NB. Player pro also available for win95/NT

Glen wrote this in 1999:

PlayerPRO 5.0x upgrade CD is now available ... but I found some troubling
upgrade 'requirements' and I am e-mailing an inquiry. Basically, they want
you to have purchased a copy of the PlayerPRO CD *after* August '98. The
problem here is that I ordered mine way back in '95 or so ... so naturally,
I am asking questions!

I believe the 'August '98' date is when Quadmation began distributing
PlayerPRO, and I purchased mine directly from the author.
   
* ModPlayer 2.12

	mod-player-212.hqx File Size:469.8 K Licence:Shareware    

	Description:
	ModPlayer is a simple music program. Supported file formats are: MOD, 
	MADx,	MED, S3M, MTM, XM, 669, OKTA and IT. 
   
	Requirements: System 7.xx, M68020 or higher, 1500 kb of free RAM, Color 
	monitor (256 colors or more) 

Glen Warner found this info on a new version:

ModPlayer 2.16 

Small player. Supports MOD, MADx, OKTA, MED, MTM, S3M, XM, 669 and IT (uncompressed). Good interface. System requirements same as last version. US $10.00 shareware. Plays for 15 minutes and quits. Shareware notice shows up each time you start the app.

http://www.utu.fi/~jariuppa/

and then he discovered a new player for us….

* The ZSS Player 

Supports MOD, MADF, MADG (PlayerPRO's format; support is somewhat spotty), MTM and S3Ms. 
Minimum requirements: 68020 processor, System 6.0.7.  There's a Beta available at the web page, version 1.0B (PowerMacs only). This version adds support for ITs (uncompressed). Unfortunately, it crashes after playing these after a few minutes (other formats work fine). The author is working on a fix. Development on the ZSS Player has slowed due to the programmer getting a Real Job(tm).

I am unable to check the functionality of the MADx translations; all the MADx files I have are MADH, which neither the new version nor the previous version supports.

	http://www.zerius.com/products_zsound.html

*Mac Mik Mod

	mac-mik-mod-30.hqx File Size:361 K  By:Dmitry Boldyrev Licence:Freeware
   
	Description:
	A Macintosh version of MikMod, well known mod player originally for IBM PC
	platform.   Latest version: MacMikMod2.15.PPC.sit.bin File Size:747 k  Made By:Jean-Paul Mikkers 
	Licence:Freeware
   
	Description:
	PowerMac only; reads STM, S3M, MOD, SM, ULT 

Glen Warner added this info:

MacMikMod: no updates since 3.0. Web page is still there, however: 

http://www.amub.org/~demos/MacMikMod/

... but the program itself isn't on the Info-Mac Archives.

* Sound Trecker

	soundtrecker2.2.sit.hqx File Size:254976 Licence:Shareware
   
	Description:
	Supports a variety of MOD derivatives with up to 32 voices. Nifty interface  
 	includes a display which shows an oscilloscope/ sound spectrum. Enhanced 
	for PowerPC Macs with a plug-in module. 

Glen Warner reports ST is no longer available on the Info-Mac Archives.
   
==============================================================================

[3.4] MS-DOS

Whenever I field a newsgroup question about how good is this player or that, I always refer the poster to Randy K Abel's <rabel1@dsp.com> massive work of love "IBM MOD Players Compared", is still the most complete listing of players seen so far.  As of the last update (Sept 98) however, DOS programs such as Sound Club, FT2, IT etc still do fine, obviously the top votes are being concentrated between Windows programs such as MODplug Player (top choice of voters) and MOD4Win.

The continuing decline of DOS players/editors is now a fact of life with most newbies on the newsgroups using some form of Windows.  Anyway, WWW users may wish to check out the "IBM MOD Players Compared!" www page at http://www.dsp.net/rabel1/top10.html    The listing can also be sent to you by email simply by contacting Randy direct. 

* Cubic Player
   
  	Description:
	Handles the following formats:- AMS, MOD, NST, WOW, XM, IT, S3M, DMF,
  	MTM, ULT, 669, OKT, PTM, MIDI, WAV(!) & CD Audio. Sound Cards that are
  	supported:- Gravis Ultrasound, Ultrasound MAX, Ultrasound Daughterboard,
  	Soundblaster 1.x, 2.x, Pro, 16, 16 ASP, AWE 32 & compatibles, WSS 
	compatibles cards, Pro Audio Spectrum Series & quiet mode. This Player 
	still lacks good IT support.
   
There has been a lot of speculation about the fate and/or whereabouts of Cubic and, at the time of writing the last update, I was still no wiser.   I found a site then at: 

http://home4.swipnet.se/~w-41420/cubic/mixer.html

At the time of this update (1999) the page is still there, although looking much the worse for wear and with a last update date of 01/05/1997.  Doing a little further digging, I came across 

http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Vista/4107/

which states it is the 'official Cubic site.  But then here's another:

http://www.cubic.org/player/

Yaaaahhh!!   Judging from the state of this site Cubic seem to moving right along, a new version (2.5.1) of the player is available as is what appears to be a Cubic SDK download.  My thanks to newsgroup mate wOOd (of Acid Demons) for that final piece of the puzzle.  They are obviously intending a pure Windows and Unix versions soon, as well as some interesting ideas about using Windows Direct Sound capabilities.  Funny, a couple of years ago Cubic seemed to be dead in the water.  Nice to see it refreshed and revived…Well worth checking out any of the following sites for Cubic schtuff:

http://www.thepentagon.com/cubic  
http://www.bg.univ.gda.pl/~wanted/en/cp.html
ftp://gawain.faw.uni-ulm.de/pub2/demoserv/music/utils/players/
ftp://ftp.luth.se/pub/msdos/demos/music/programs/players/
ftp://ftp.hornet.org/pub/demos/music/programms/players/

* Inertia Player

	Description:
	Supports- GUS,PAS16,WSS,SB16,SBPro,SB,Adlib,Covox,StereoOn1,PC
	Speaker and MIDI Plays- MOD,NST,STM,S3M,669,E669,MTM,WOW,INR,PSM,FAR & ULT
	Features- EMS,UMBs,Menu,DOS Shell,256x Oversampling,Volume Amplify, 
	PAL/NTSC Switch, VU-Meters, Graphical 

ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/music/programs/players/iplay122.zip

AFAIK, this player is still there but note that Hornet is disappearing shortly and almost all of these kinds of files will revert back to the cdrom FTP site.
  
* Dual Module Player 4.0

  	DMP plays MOD/NST, STM/S3M, 669, FAR, MTM and AMF on PAS16, SB16, SB Pro,
	GUS, GUS MAX, Windows Sound System. Has software filters (reverb/echo,
  	lowpass)and quality mode, supports both flavours of MOD and S3M stereo
  	panning, now has a 'handy module file selector'. Archiver support has been
  	removed in v4.00. The overall accuracy of DMP's playback seems to have
  	improved a great deal. Careware and/or cardware. By Otto Chrons.

ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/music/programs/players/dmp400.zip

Once again, note that the file is contained now on the cdrom FTP site, not Hornet.  Hornet is still in the process of shutting itself down forever but the site is still active as of Jan 1999.  More on this subject in section [6.4].   The following list of players are still available through the Hornet section of cdrom.com but who knows how much longer that will last.  None of these programs were checked as per playability etc, so make sure ya really want it…!

* Genmod v1.3 

	for DOS converts MOD, S3M, MTM, 669, FAR, MED, STM & ULT music files to 
the new .GDM format &  then plays elegant stereo music thru a variety of 
	sound cards (GUS, SB1x, SB2x, SBPro, and PAS) Includes setup and music 
	format conversion utilities. Register and get a 2 disk set with ZIP 
	support/more and free audio CD player. 

* Universal Module Player 

	By Terry Chatman aka void of i.TECH : Some consider this THE module 
	player. Supports XM, S3M, MOD, STM, 669, MTM, SB, SBPro, SB16, PAS, PAS 
	plus, PAS16, GUS. Has very nice graphical views and TONS of new features.  
	DOS although works under Win95.

==============================================================================

[3.5] OS/2

This section originally from David E. Wach <dave@gladstone.uoregon.edu> 
on 10 Nov 1994, DMPlayer part by Doug White <dwhite@gladstone.uoregon.edu> 
2 Sep 1995.

This section was updated in January 1998 by Carsten Stiller <carsten.stiller@rz.tu-ilmenau.de>.  

* Digital Music Player 1.3 

Keith Murray dodger@peak.org Digital Music Player is a native, 
multithreaded OS/2 Presentation Manager application that plays 
MODs, MIDs, WAVs, AVIs, and any other format that multimedia 
Presentation Manager/2 (MMPM/2) supports. Supports any soundcard 
that works with OS/2 (which is most). DMPlayer can play sounds 
	at a maximum of 16-bit 44.1kHz stereo output. Output is placed in a 
buffer to keep the music playing during high system activity, and contains 
	priority management to increase priority when the buffer drops below a 
		specified point, and drop it down when the buffer is increased. DMPlayer 
	plays from a songlist, which supports drag-n-drop and saveable songlists 
	with a variety of sort and display options. The songlist can contain any 
		playable format, as well as archived files. DMPlayer comes set up for gzip 
	and zip files, but any archiver that can extract files to standard output 
		is supported.

	DMPlayer's main screen looks like a CD player, with a songlist, buffer 
		size, current and total tracks, and song title. DMPlayer contains a sub-
		panel for adjusting the volume, balance, bass and treble for drivers that 
		support it.   An info panel displays the sample names/message, module 
		format and source filename.

		DMPlayer supports 4 track, 31 and 15 instrument Protracker/Noisetracker
	modules, 4 and 8 track Startrekker modules and 6 and 8 track Fasttracker
		modules.

	The shareware version can't save the settings or playlists, registration 
		is $25 and the key is sent back via EMail.

	Eric Lowe <ericl@erinet.com> wrote on 18 April 95:

		DMP v4 (see section 3.4) runs correctly under OS/2. I use DMP32.EXE,though
		DMP will run too, just not as well. The catch is that you can't run 
		DMP32.EXE from an icon directly, for some reason OS/2 doesn't recognize it 
		as a valid executable, so I created a dummy batch file DMP32S.BAT that I 
		put in an icon that just shells and runs DMP32. In fact, DMP32 runs better 
		under OS/2 in a VDM than the native Presentation-Manager DMPlayer and 
		supports a heck of a lot more formats.

And finally Snowman (Christopher G. Mann) r3cgm@cdrom.com wrote in March 	1998: "I use it under FreeBSD all the time too so you might want to mention that.  :)"

Ftp to hobbes.nmsu.edu/pub/os2/apps/mmedia/music/mod for more info on these OS/2 proggies.  This is their index at the time of writing... 

Well, what was that index is now, or so it appears, no more.  Once again finding almost anything music related in OS2 is a very disheartening task, MikMOD being almost the only real contender. (See next section for more..).  While trying to gain information, I visited several highly touted OS2 sites (all of which were at least 6 months or more likely, 2 years out of date).  I'm sure there is more OS2 stuff than this, but I don't use that OS - you guys do!  Maybe you'd like to tell me?.  

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[3.6] UNIX (and Sun, NeXt, Linux)

Thanks to Aaron J. Luz <ajl8039@ultb.isc.rit.edu>, Mike Muuss <mike@arl.mil> and Andrew Robinson <robinson@cnj.digex.net> for the original information in this section.   Most of the newer (ie FAQ version 3.x) Linux information was supplied by Carsten Stiller <carsten.stiller@rz.tu-ilmenau.de>

For playing different music formats on a linux machine take a look at the
Sound-HOWTO and the Sound-Playing-HOWTO.

ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO/Sound-HOWTO
 
ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/docs/HOWTO/Sound-Playing-HOWTO

*GMODplay

A new mod player for Linux based on the sound engine from ModPlug.  Formats supported are: 
669, ams, dbm, far, it, mdl, mod, mtm, okt, s3m, stm, ult, xm and wav. Features: Sound effects: megabass, reverb, surround, oversampling and noise reduction,  visual spectrometer,  text mode interface using slang, GUI interface with skins support using GTK.

http://magic.metawire.com/~rani/

* GMOD 3.1
  
	GMOD is a music player for Linux, with support for the Gravis Ultrasound 
  	card and AWE cards. Supported formats are: MOD, 669, MultiTracker, 
  	Ultratracker, S3M and XM. Xgmods adds an X interface.
  
ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/sound/players/gmod-3.1.tar.gz

* S3MOD 1.09
  
	This is a tracked music player. It is capable of playing S3M files in
  	addition to 4,6 and 8 track MOD files. It supports dsp output on Linux/
   	Dec/SGI/Sun and the Gravis Ultrasound on Linux and it should work on any 
	VoxWare platform.
  
ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/sound/players/s3mod-v1.09.tar.gz

* MIKMOD 3.03 (latest version - 1999) 
  
	This portable module player plays XM, ULT, STM, S3M, MTM, MOD and UNI
  	formats. (The UNI format is an internal format used by MikMod.) It has 
	support for zipped module files. It uses 16 bit stereo for the sound 
	output. MikMod is shareware which had to be registered for commercial use.

http://www.freenet.tlh.fl.us/~amstpi/mikmod-3.0.3.tar.gz

ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/sound/players/mikmod-3.1.2.tar.gz

Runs under Linux and Irix without problems. On Irix it is necessary to run mikmod with the -d1 option.

* MIKIT 0.91

	 MikIt plays IT (also IT2.14 files), XM, S3M, MOD. Playlist support 
	 and more.

MikIT and MikMOD have to be two of the most ported (multi-platform) MOD players around.  In almost every format know to computers geeks, so you should find one version to fit your system.  Here's a very good MikMak information page:

http://www.freenet.tlh.fl.us/~amstpi/mikmod.html
 
and a very good MikIT selection for all platforms…

 http://www.stack.nl/~mikmak/mikit.htm

* MOD4X 0.2.0 BETA
 
	Mod4X is a neat XForms based module player build around MikMod engine. The 
	modules are played via /dev/dsp. It supports the following types of 
	modules : MOD, MTM, S3M, XM, ULT, UNI, STM. It supports playlist 
	management. It has a user interface very similar to a CD Player.   
	
	ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/sound/players/Mod4X.0.2.0.BETA.tar.gz

This is a very good site for Linux audio apps, well worthy of a browse.  You may even pick up a program you were not aware of…

* Tracker 4.31

  	This is a fully-fledged protracker/soundtracker module player that is 
	mostly portable. It now runs successfully on the Amiga, Silicon Graphics, 
	Sparc, Linux...

  	ftp://wuarchive.wustl.edu/pub/aminet/misc/unix/tracker-4.31.tar.Z

With the current upsurge of interest in Linux, I have fond hopes of its adopting large parts of the MOD scene.  An anarchic interface in an anarchic musical environment.  Grreeeaaatttt!   So?  What about it Linux'ers?  Where's the beef?  And that new tracker… :-)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[3.7] Windows

The biggest change in player availability has to have taken place in Bill Gates favorite cash cow.  Please understand that this is NOT a complete list of 'doze players - that would take waay to long….  Just what I believe to be the better (ie less likely to crash ones).  If I've missed out your player, why not send me insulting email to tell me what a dick I am :-)  In other words, show me that great player you made!!

* Mod4win 

	Plays MOD/STM/S3M/669/FAR/MTM/UNIS/OKT/WOW/XM on a Windows asynchronous 
	wave driver (no PC speaker) or GF1- (GUS/MAX/ACE) or OPL4-based card 
	(direct support). Direct to Disk Recording is also available (WAV 
	recording of a mod). Up to 16 bits, 48kHz. Features surround sound (also 
	with GF1 for mods with up to 8 tracks), IDO2, panning, integrated file 
	selection, playlists, file management and archiver support. Perhaps the 
	most accurate player for PC's. A 'light' archive is available, which 
	contains only the English help file and only one example mod to save 
	download time.By Kay Bruns, Uwe Zaenker and Jens Puchert. Shareware $30 
	(new user fee, update prices range from free to $15), runs for 30 days.

http://www.mod4win.com/
  
This is the *official* M4W website so they should have any or all of the versions available.  While checking out this link I pulled this information off that site: 

Current available Beta versions: (Page last updated 12/11/98)
*	MOD4WIN 2.40 beta 32
*	MOD4WIN 2.40 beta 32 (With new color 'skin' like WinAmp!)
*	MOD4WIN 2.40 MCI device driver 

You can also get it at these FTP sites:

ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/music/programs/players/m4w230sx.zip
ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/music/programs/players/m4w230sl.zip
ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/music/programs/players/m4w240bd.zip

You will not be able to get these for very much longer on the Hornet site, which is why I list the cdrom addresses.

Some information below supplied by Hugh Hulme hugh.hulme@virgin.net in 1998:

* MIDAS PLAYER For Win '95,nt V1.0

 	Plays 4-track MOD and (up to) 16-track S3M files using the Windows WAV
  	device for output to any Windows compatible sound card. Supports the GUS
  	directly. Supports 16 bit mixing and stereo. Supports mixing rates of
  	11.025, 22.05 and 44.1 kHz. Supports Dolby (TM) surround sound panning for
  	S3M files. Supports Microsoft Windows Media Control Interface (MCI). 
  	Midas'95 is a module player based on the Midas Sound System (by Sahara
  	Surfers), By Petteri Kangaslampi, Jarno Pannanen and Benjamin Cooley. 
	Freeware for non-commercial applications.

  	ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/music/misc/midas95.zip

* MODPlug Player

	Arguably the favourite player for Windows right now.  This free player 
	will play many different types of MODs, and also comes as a Plugin for 
	Netscape or Microsoft Internet Explorer.  The latest version is 1.39.02 but 
	the version changes (it seems) almost by the day.  Oliver Lapicque (the 
	maker) also has a www  site http://www.jps.net/olivierl/ where information 
	on all his projects can be found.

	The MODPlug Player supports the following file formats: *.669: UNIS 669, 
  	669 Composer modules, *.FAR: Farandole Composer modules (beta),*.IT: 
	Impulse Tracker modules, *.MED: OctaMed modules, *.MDL: DigiTracker 1.x 
	modules, *.MOD: ProTracker modules (4-32 channels,15/31 samples), *.MOL: 
	Module lists, compatible with MOD4WIN, *.MTM: MultiTracker modules, *.NST: 
	NoiseTracker modules, *.OKT: OktaLyser modules, *.S3M: ScreamTracker III 
	modules, *.STM: ScreamTracker II modules, *.ULT: UltraTracker modules (in 
	alpha), *.WOW: Grave Composer modules, *.XM: FastTracker modules, *.WAV: 
	Wave Files (smaller than 16MB), All the above when zipped (*.MDZ, *.S3Z, 
	*.XMZ,*.ITZ, *.ZIP). 

	The MODPlug Player offers you many options, including: Customizable Sound 
	Card Setup (Mixing Quality, Stereo/Mono, 8/16 bit, Sound buffer length and 
	Number of buffers, Stereo Separation, Maximum Mixing Channels, Function 
	Callback and Real-Time Priority); Player Setup (Spectrum analyzer, Stereo 
	Spectrum, Reverb, Pro-Logic Delayed Surround, Noise Reduction, Bass 
	Expansion, Multi-Point oversampling, Volume Ramping, Automatic Gain 
	Control and IntroScan); MOD Packing (To reduce the size of the MOD by 
	~45%); Customizable Display and much more! All for free!

	http://www.castlex.com/modplug/playerdl.html or 
http://www.castlex.com/modplug/ for Tracker, Player and Plugin!
http://www.jps.net/olivierl/ Oliver Lapicque

And, as of the last update at MODplug Central in January 1999:

                           Improved a lot handling of IT filter envelopes.
                           Fixed UMX loader for IT modules.
                           Loads mod4win playlists with multiple directories.
                           Snap to viewport doesn't hide the player under
                           the taskbar anymore.
                           Fixed setup dialog: wasn't showing with Win95
                           versions older than OSR1 or NT 3.51
                           Fixed channels VU-Meters in the mixer window
                           Added beta AMS 2.2 loader
                           Fixed some special cases where pattern loops
                           were ignored in the initial 1.39

* MikIT (0.01b 0.02b and 0.03b and 1.00 Alpha) for Win95

	One of the smallest (and only!) Windows based IT players. 

	MikIt features: Accurate playback of IT, XM, S3M and MOD modules, 
	Has an easy to use GUI, Works for most common OS platforms, 	Configurable output supports multiple soundcards, sampling rates Load & Save Playlist, sample / instrument / message information dialog super high quality noclick option 

	http://www.stack.nl/~mikmak/mikit.htm

* Yamp 3.2 (Yet Another Mod Player)

	Windows Mod Player by Andre' Karwath aka AKA This very decent and good 
	looking player supports WAVs in all formats, even compressed , MIDs, RMIs, 
	MODs, S3Ms, XMs,ITs and CDs, ZIP support, excellent play lists, Drag'n' 
	Drop for songs, play lists, folders and best of all...loadable and editable designs!  
Even non-rectangular windows are possible with this feature (TIP: Try the corner 
or triangular shapes!), hundreds of  designs in great glowing colour are included.  
Yamp is freeware.

	http://www.tu-chemnitz.de/~aka

XM-Play 1.4

	" XMPlay is a Windows 9x/NT music module player, supporting the XM / IT / MOD / S3M /
MTM formats. Initially, only XM files were supported hence the name "XMPlay".
Or at least, that's what Ian Luck says of his player.  He goes on to add.. " "So, what's so 
good about XMPlay then?", you ask. It's got the best (most accurate to FT2) XM reproduction 
to be heard from any player. All features/effects (including several FT2 quirks) are 100% 
supported. The IT reproduction is also practically balls-on, with full support for all effects/NNA/DCA/filters/etc...

	Ya know what?  Can't find a fault in this brilliant little player yet.  It's certainly the most accurate
XM player I've ever heard, and I would believe the same to be true of it's IT emulation. Sample interpolation, built in EQ, Surround Sound, Volume/Pan ramping, writes WAV's, loads track lists and so on.  The display can be a bit awkward to get to grips with but XM-Play is worth the write up.
	From the makers of XM-Exe, another very useful XM based product.  All products are freeware

http://www.icl.ndirect.co.uk/music/

==============================================================================

[3.8] Apple II GS

This section initially supplied by Peter F. Handel (Zelix)<handel@stolaf.edu>, with special thanks to Ian Schmidt (IRSMan) <irsman@drift.winternet.com>, Kris Olsen <olsenk@stolaf.edu> and Frank M. Lin (PoTTy) <fmlin@ccnet.com>.  

This section was read through and updated by Carsten Stiller <carsten.stiller@rz.tu-ilmenau.de> who found that the programs hadn't changed but most of the URLS had...the version numbers can consequently not be relied upon.  Check out ftp://ground.isca.uiowa.edu/apple2/apple16/Music/Applics for the latest news.  Once again, if there is an Apple user out there who wants to set the record straight, get in touch: rebriffr@netcomuk.co.uk

Like a lot of the smaller OS's the Apple seems to suffering under the Windows onslaught too.  Finding reliable up-to-date information is an increasingly frustrating exercise.  There's a little ray of hope insofar as the iMac being able to emulate an Apple when necessary - but that's probably still a feverish gleam in some programmers eye…  The above link has now been changed to:

ftp://ground.icaen.uiowa.edu

This archive bears the following message, which should hold out some hope for all you Apple users:

"This Apple// archive exists because people all across the internet raised the funds to buy the 1.7gig disk this archive uses".   

Kewl eh?  The site looks quite full, although being a 'Doze user, I have no idea whether any of the files may be of use to an Apple MOD fan.  Although there doesn't appear to be a /music directory on the main site you can find one in each of the /Apple8 and /Apple16 directories.  Just a quick browse through those directories shows /demos, /songs and /utils and a further search brought up Noise Tracker, Synth Lab and Sound Smith in the /songs directory…

The Apple IIGS is equipped with the Ensoniq 5503 chip, the 8-bit predecessor to the GF-1 and 5506 chips found in modern PC soundcards like the Gravis Ultrasound and Ensoniq Soundscape.

* MODZap v00.90b3 

	One of the best mod players available for the Apple IIGS. It boasts such 
	features as a half screen oscilloscope, full screen oscilloscope (for 
	people with a Zip Chip accelerator), and a 4-Channel "QuadraScope". Also 
	has option for a graphic-less display, good for multitasking. Arguably the 
	best sounding mod player, supporting nearly all effects. By Ian Schmidt 
	<irsman@drift.winternet.com>.
  
ftp://ground.icaen.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple16/Music/Applics/Modzap.v090b3/mz90b3.shk

* NoiseTracker
	
	One of the more interesting mod players. Originally by Oliver Goguel and 
	the FTA (Free Tools Association), 1WSW has released further "updates" 
	(1.3, 1.4, 2.0). Many programmers have disassembled these so-called 
	"updates" and have found little to no  modification to the actual code, 
	often changes actually harming sound quality.  Most people recommend 
	sticking with v1.10.  	This program runs under 8-bit mode, is written 
	completely without tools, and therefore does not adhere to the Apple Human 
	Interface. This program has a lot of Easter Eggs! By Oliver Goguel.

ftp://ground.icaen.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple16/Music/Applics/Noisetracker.v140/

* ShellPlay v0.71
	
	Approximately equal to MODZap in sound quality.  As the name implies, this 
	player runs from any shell (like the Apple IIGS's UNIX flavor- Gno, or 
	ORCA/M) and works well in the background (even with a high-speed modem 
	connection). By Brian Bening.

ftp://ground.icaen.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple16/Music/Applics/Shellplay.v071/shellplay0.71

* soniqTracker v0.6.3 

	The only desktop program that comes close to ModZAP Features include a 
	soniqAlarm, that plays a mod or list of mods at a selected time.  Display 
	is similar to MODZap's full screen oscilloscope.  The source for 
	soniqTracker was recently released to the public. By Tim Meekins 
	<meekins@crl.com>.

ftp://ground.icaen.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple16/Music/Applics/Soniqtracker.v063/

* Sonobox 

	A new mod player based roughly on shellPlay, but with a NDA (New Desk 
	Accessory) interface, making mod music available to just about any GS/OS 
	application that adheres to the "Apple Human Interface". By Tony Morales.

ftp://ground.icaen.uiowa.edu/2/apple2/apple16/Music/Applics/

I include just the main music directory here because it is definitely worth the browse, there's even a WaveLab v10 in there!  I doubt, however, whether is has anything to do with the WaveLab recently issued by Steinberg.   Because Carsten (in the 1998 update) uses a linux system, none of the software mentioned was tested and we accordingly have to go by the original reviews.  Once again, any Apple help here would be most appreciated

==============================================================================

[4] Creating Mods

If you've skidded here from the index, let me make one thing clear.  To get  a real understanding of the subject, you really *should* read all the relevant parts of this FAQ before suffering online by asking a 'dumb' question.  Like all of us, I'd rather dive straight in than read any manual but most everything I finally learned about MODs and tracking actually did come from a good dose of  RTFM's!   There any many good - if not extraordinary - tutorial sites on the web that really help to close the distance between learning and doing.  Most people who started tracking when I did (ie 1992 or so) had to gain that knowledge by massive amounts of trial and error - it's nice to see that doesn't hold true anymore.

So, you're all fired up by hearing a couple of tracks that drive you wild, and  you want to compose a couple of your own miesterwerks?   This is where the essential tracking ingredient comes in - the MOD tracker (or MOD editor as it's sometimes known).

MODs come in a bewildering array of formats and styles.  The bigger the scene  gets, the more kit there seems to be that goes with it.  The most important  thing with all the trackers we are about to cover is to understand that you really should *read* the manuals.  Yeah, yeah, I know... Banging on about that 
again, ain't I?  Well, there really is no other way...

Actually, there *is* another way, and it's almost as effective as RTFM's.  

Download as many different MODs as your harddrive/modem can stand and *study* them.  What made a composer use this effect, or that pan.  What made them choose particular types of samples?  You can learn a lot by studying and duplicating moves you've seen other trackers do.

Before all this, you'll need the tracker...and here they are…

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[4.1] Trackers
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[4.1.1] Amiga

This section originally supplied by Steven Innell <spi@dcs.qmw.ac.uk> on Thu, 24 Nov 94, updated/corrected by Sir Fitz <sirfitz@kaiwan.com> on Fri, 10 Feb 95: and comments from jester (Tobias
Reckhard) jester@fmr.maschinenbau.tu-darmstadt.de between 1994-1996.

This section was checked for changes and new information by Steve Gilmore rebriffr@netcomuk.co.uk in April 1998 and Jan 1999.  The Amiga scene staggers on, with the invaluable help of the Aminet network.  And, like all the smaller OS's, there is a distinct lessening of sites catering to this machine.  On this update, this is what I found…

* Protracker V3.15 ( / V3.10b - see the note below)

	Probably the most used tracker until recently (ie 1994) (with people using versions 
	of Octamed in preference). This tracker is the most up-to-date mod creator 
	for the amiga, based on the original Soundtracker interface (although 
	highly upgraded). This version was re-written by Cryptoburners, and has 
	plenty of editing options including simple sample manipulation (sampling, 
	reverb, reverse, cut/paste etc.), but, as of yet, does not have a midi 
	option, nor does it support any form of synthetic sound generation. It 
	does however have an option for using 14-bit samples, although these are 
	few and far between.

	It is a daunting program to use at first, especially if you have never had 
	the experience of using any tracker on the amiga (e.g. Soundtracker/
	Noisetracker/Protracker V1-2.3), since this version uses the sample effect 
	commands found in those older version...and unlike the older versions, 
	this does not have on-line help listing the effects, and what they do.

	Protracker is Freeware, with no form of registration/shareware fees to be
	paid. A new version (3.20) was supposed to be out, but as of yet I have 
	been unable to find it. 

http://www.germany.aminet.org/aminet/dirs/aminet/mus/edit/Protracker3.61.lha

	NOTE: On Wed, 17 May 1994, Markus Weichselbaum contacted jester, saying
	(excerpt):

	"The last official version was PT3.10b, available on ftp.funet.fi. PT315 
	is an internal version never meant to be released (...). PT3.15 has been 
	removed from Aminet, however there is a PT2.3 available. There are simply 
	no '14-bit' samples released. The so-called 'DYN 14bit' system was working 
	to some extent, but since the 'DYN' system was entirely rewritten, the 
	development of PT315 was stopped. Only 2 or 3 test mods have been 
	released, but no samples or documentation (...). I recommend use of PT310b 
	which essentially has the same features as PT315. PT310 is indeed 
	freeware, but PT3.15 is NOT."

	When I (jester) asked Steven Innell about this, he replied (excerpt):
 	"I've had the program for 2 years. (...) I know U4IA, who once was a 
	member of Cryptoburners, and also tested a lot of the original trackers 
	out, and he has never said that PT3.15 was a leaked version never intended 
	for release...in fact, a while back he told me they were working away on a 
	commercial V4."

	Finally, on 28 Sep 1995, Steven Innell mentioned the subject again, saying
	(excerpt): ".. and I can now confirm that the release of most of the V3 
	series were not intended to be available as soon as they were (the 
	exception being V3.00).  However the programmer of V3.15 didn't seem to be 
	worried (...) that PT was available, ... BTW, V3.10 is very unstable and 
	unusable on accelerated machines but if you (or anyone else) feel that V3 
	should not be available,  then the next best valid release that works is 
	V2.3b AGA, which was fixed to run on AGA machines."

	Now, all I (jester) have to say is that I don't mind anyone using 
	whichever version they wish and I hope the above, especially the last 
	note, clears up any confusion that may have been created.

All of the above has been in this FAQ since (it seems) its inception, I've spoken to jester about it.  But, as usual, I came away no wiser.  I think jester and I talked about deleting it but then I thought, what the hey…  It's all grist to someone's mill somewhere..  In the meantime, I'm still looking for that elusive Amiga user who can make this section a hell of a lot clearer to us all…

http://www.germany.aminet.org/aminet/dirs/mus_edit.html has all of the following:

ProTracker		and 4beta2 repair
ProTracker.lzh   	ProTracker1.3 Works under 2.04!
Protracker3.61.lha   	Protracker 3.61, music composing programm
pt23d.lha          		PT 2.3d A1200 keypad fix ... read the readme file 
pt315.lha          		Protracker 3.15
PT362-fix.lha 		ProTracker3.62 XPK fix
PT4_Beta2.lha 		Protracker V4.0 Beta 2 (music composing tool)
ptsupp.lha     		ProTracker support archive

* OctaMed 

	Several changes have been made to the program, the first and most notable
	being that OctaMed now opens its screen on the WorkBench screen, using
	whatever ScreenMode was being used by the WB. Amongst the many features 
	added are better/or new SoundCard support (Aura/Tocatta) improved 8 
	channel handling, completely new interface (as mentioned above - sortof)

	The New features are numerous, and if you are a med fan, you are advised 
	To download the demo of Version 6 from Aminet, and read the large text 
	documentation that comes with it. Note that OctaMed is a Commercial 
	program, and can be purchased from Ray Burt-Frost software at:

		RBF Software
		169 Dale Valley Road
		HollyBrook
		Southampton
		SO1 6QX
		England

		(01703) 785680  - Voice/Answerphone
		(01703) 703446  - Fax

		Email: rbfsoft@cix.compulink.co.uk

I received this information from Ray Burt Frost in February 1998:

*	OctaMED Soundstudio V1.03c
 
	This is the 1996/7 release version of this series of Trackers by Teijo 
	Kinnunen.

	Several changes have been made to the program, the first and most notable 
	being that OctaMED now opens its screen on the Workbench screen, using 
	whatever Screen Mode was being used by the WB. Amongst the many features 
	added are better/or new Soundcard support improved 8 channel handling, no 
	sample size limits, plus a *lot* more!

	The New features are numerous, and if you are a med fan using the Amiga,
 	(requires WB 2.04 or higher ), you are advised to Download V1.03c from the
 	OctaMED Web Site and read the large  documentation  that comes with it.

 	Note that although "OctaMED Soundstudio" is a Commercial Program, V1.03c
	has now been designated as Freeware and the full version is available 
	from:

 	http://www.octamed.co.uk/

OctaMED Soundstudio V2 Beta and OctaMED Soundstudio V1.03c Freeware version are both available at this site as is the 1.03c's online manual.  Some FAQ`s about the program can be found on the sites AMIGA  pages.   The earlier "OctaMED" V4 can also be downloaded for those with older 0/S as well as at Aminet's OctaMED archive as of 1/16/99:

Octa5.lha 		A demo of Octamed5 
OctaMED.lzh 		Music editor, can handle 8 voices
OctaMEDv4.lha 	Music editing software, 8 voices
OctaMEDv4_dev.lha 	Music editor programming kit
OctaScripts.lha 		ARexx scripts for OctaMED SoundStudio
OMED_PT1423.lha 	OctaMED SS1 PT cuts upgrade (1.423)
omed_pt15.lha 		OctaMED SS1 PT cuts upgrade (1.5)

* StarTrekker 1.2

	This is a mod editor in the same vein as Octamed. It has a layout the same 
	as the old sound/noisetrackers, but also has the ability to use 8
	channels...however 8 channel mode sounds really bad, and you are better 
	off using octamed, or protracker.

StarTrekker.lha 134K Version 1.2 of StarTrekker can now be found at 

http://www.germany.aminet.org/aminet/dirs/mus_edit.html
http://www.germany.aminet.org/aminet/dirs/aminet/mus/edit/StarTrekker.lha
or by FTP at: 
ftp://ftp.aminet.org/

* Future Composer 

	This is a wholly synthetic mod editor (saying that..it does allow the use 
	of samples). It does not import/export tracker mods though. This program 
	is very old (1989 ish) and is very fiddly to use..even with the manual 
	printed out and in front of me. The tunes this "tracker" generates sound a 
	lot like the 8-bit machines tunes (eg C64 music).  Some of the tunes are 
	however very nice sounding, its just a shame the program is so damn hard to use ;-)

FutureComposer.lha 210K Editor for BSI Future Composer mods can now be found at 

http://www.germany.aminet.org/aminet/dirs/aminet/mus/edit/FutureComposer.lha
or 
ftp://ftp.aminet.org/

* Art Of Noise

This is a recent mod Editor for the Amiga. It is a shareware demo of the program, the full version costing 79 DM (available only from the author). First of all, it is 100% protracker compatible (load-format !) That means, that you don't have to get used to new shortcuts to old (protracker)  functions! But that doesn't mean, that this tracker is just another  protracker clone!  You might already have noticed, that AON has got dozens of new functions. If you load AON for the first time, you might be slayed by all these new functions, but it's worth taking a look at them. I think  it would be the best to list up a few of them:

		- OS-2 graphical environment !  Reqtools-Requester !
		- Supports euro-72 monitors !!
		- 8 channels! But in contrary to startrekker/octamed/oktalyzer this 
		time REAL 8 channels, that means free volume/pitch-settings on EVERY 
channel, loops of course also possible (achieved by real-time Mixing of 
channels)
		- maximum number of instruments increased to 61 !
		- maximum number of patterns increased to 128 !
		- maximum number of positions increased to 256, including restart 
		position !!
		- wavetable & sampleinstruments.
		- 'macro' instruments possible: E.g. 10 instruments can share the 
same waveform, but the samplestart (for example, there is certainly a greater number of possibilities offered by this feature!) can vary from instrument to instrument ! Wavetable instruments can be used to create 64er-like sounds, but they are also great for big resonance-pads etc. !!
		- number of player-commands increased from 28 (protracker) to 45 ! 
		And there are of course a lot to come in future versions !
		- Supports powerpacker and STONECRACKER (the best cruncher around!)
		- Arpeggio (maximal 7 notes!) + any other effect, arpeggio speed changeable
		- Remark (normal textfile/ansi) linkable to module !!
		- FM-Synthesis !
		- Drumsequencer! Make your own drumlines with up to 16 tracks !!
		- Big sampleeditor ! Features samples>128k, multisampling, sample-
		trigger digital-filter with selectable depth, flanger, phase-	  
	  	distortion, direct 'freestyle' sample editing: paint your own waves!
		- supports external-synchronizing, e.g. for demos or other 
		presentations
		- Player is easy to build in in own programs.
		- Turbo-Player available, takes about 1-2 rasterlines (faster than 
		any other player!)

The whole handling has been changed of course, so just check out the preview If you like this program, please don't copy it. A program worth using is a program worth buying ! Contact me at the following address:
	
		BASTIAN SPIEGEL
		TRUPERMOORER LANDSTRASSE 17A
		28865 LILIENTHAL
		GERMANY
	or call: 04298-30731 or 04298-4873 (16h-22h) (if other line is busy or nobody picks up)

The full-version will cost 79DM and features a very nice printed manual plus 4 disks (program/workshop/instruments/demomods) !

	The preview version lacks of save-routines, but all effects and functions are useable!

ArtOfNoise.lha can be found at 

http://www.germany.aminet.org/aminet/dirs/aminet/mus/edit/ArtOfNoise.lha
 
Be warned, however, that this file doesn’t seem to have received an update since Feb '95  That obviously doesn't bode well for the program, let alone all the blurb above.  Anyone have any further info on this tracker, please contact me.  I also received this information from Patrick Meng <pmeng@vtx.ch> as I was 
compiling the 1998 version of this FAQ:

* Symphonie 

	Is an Amiga only tracker which is planned for all other platforms within 
	short time...

	It features 256 channels, realtime declicking,
	256 resonant filters, dsp plug in system.
	Up to 500 kHz mixrate, Digital Output to HD.
	and much more...

	the home page is at:

Well, not anymore it ain't.  So much for that, vapourware is all it's tawdry glory :-)  NEXT!!

And lastly this in fresh from DigiBooster <digi@kki.net.pl>

* DIGI Booster Pro

	supports following formats: XM, S3M, MMD0-MMD3 (Octamed/SS), MOD (4-32 
	CHN) OKTALYZER and DIGI(Digi Booster 1.x); mixer  (HD  rendering) option 
	included which allow to render your module to AIFF or AIFC sample then you 
	are able to convert these formats e.g. to CDDA or MPEG audio formats; real 
	time DSP effects: echo, cross echo, delay, cross delay, hall and works on 
	defined channels; it means that you are able to active DSP with selected 
	tracks; optional 32 bit HIFI mixing with linear interpolation in real 
	time; 100% assembler code; Export *.XM files (4-32 channels) *.MOD MOD.* files  
(4-32 channels) - but neither in unregistered versions; up  to 128 
	channels (4/6/8/10/..../128); up to 7 octaves; unlimited sample size; AHI 
	support (at this moment there's support for following sound card: Tocatta, 
	Delfina,Wavetools,Prelude,Melody,Maestro,Concierto and of course for 
	Paula); DeliTracker, EaglePlayer and Hippo player support; source code of player 
included; two  different commands in one line and in same time.  It means that you 
can use for example:  sample offset command 9xx and vibrato 4xx; 8 and 16 bit audio 
modes (so you can load to Digi Booster 16 bit samples)  Formats  supported: IFF8SVX ; 
IFF16SV ; RIFFWAV 8BIT;RIFFWAV 16BIT; AIFF 8/16BIT / STEREO/MONO: max. 
256 samples (only in editor, but File format (DBM) supports max 65535); max.1024 
patterns; max. 1024 positions; almost all key shorcuts and commands are Pro Tracker 
compatible; ping pong loop and command E3x - backward play; realtime instrument effects:  
volume envelope; boost envelope; filter envelope; offsets; panning envelope and much more. 

The website http://www.amigaworld.com/support/digibooster/ is about the only site I can locate for this...and even that says it's shutting down.  Yet another vapourware tracker anyone?

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[4.1.2] Atari ST

Thanks to Dan <cs93dlh@dcs.ex.ac.uk> for this original information.  Note: To the best of Dan's knowledge, the programs mentioned here can be downloaded via ftp from ftp://atari.archive.umich.edu/ and its mirrors. Using the same address in any browser should also allow you access.

Atari ST: There is a port of ProTracker from the Amiga. This will allow you to create 4-track MODs.

Atari STE/TT/Mega STE: To create mods on these machines, you basically have a choice of two programs - ProtrackerSTE or Octalyser

    	ProtrackerSTE is an upgraded port of ProTracker from the Amiga. It handles
	only 4 tracks, but has the full PT command set and gives good quality
    	playback. (Note there are also a bundle of PT clones for these machines,
    	such as Esion)

    	Octalyser is an 8-track tracker. You need a fast STE or a TT to playback
    	all 8 tracks though. Octalyser will let you create or play back 4, 6 or 8
    	track mods. It will load many different mod formats, but not S3M or MTM.
    	Sound quality is quite good.

Atari Falcon030: For creating mods on this machine, there are basically three main choices:

    	Octalyser (mentioned above) has drivers for the enhanced sound system,
    	thus giving good quality playback, but only 4, 6 and 8 track mod formats,
    	not S3M or MTM.

    	MegaTracker - 32 track tracker. All tracker commands and practically all
    	mod formats are supported including S3M and MTM. Unbelievable speed and quality 
are produced by the DSP mixing. Unfortunately, the instructions have not yet been 
translated from french, but it is only a matter of time.

    	Digital Tracker - 32 track tracker. Supports almost all tracker commands
      	and formats, although it hangs on some S3Ms. this is commercial
      	software and only a demo is available, which has certain restrictions.

This updated 1999 information was supplied by the wonderful efforts of frustrated Atari owner James Smith jimsmith@zetnet.co.uk who contacted me on absm complaining about the lack of Atari playable MODs.  He found this tracker, and few other bits and pieces (see players)….

* DBE Tracker

It is worth noting that this is the newest multichannel tracker for the ST. Unlike Mega 
and Graumf Trackers, DBE will run on ALL Atari machines and will attempt to play up 
to 32 channels on any of them. Obviously there is a serious loss of quality on lower spec machines...... A demo of the programme is available from many Atari sources and it can 
be registered with the author (Denis Huget) for about 6 UK pounds. Updates are provided 
on a regular basis to registered users.

http://sectorone.atari.org

Please Note.   One mod format not supported by any Atari trackers/players is .IT - I have asked Denis to add it to DBE !!

I checked that the original links still worked but I couldn't connect to ftp://atari.archive.umich.edu/atari/Music/ so I wasn't able to verify any Atari information. Any further Atari help would be most appreciated...but I nosed around a bit more so try..

http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/atari/Popular_Formats
http://www.bassment.demon.nl/atari_music.html
ftp://ftp.funet.fi/pub/atari
http://www.incontrolinternet.co.uk/atariwebring/ - Atari Music Webring of 160+ sites!

Proving that there is still life in the ol' dears yet!  

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[4.1.3] Mac

This section was originally written by Barry Nathan <barryn@netcom.com> 
and Rich "Akira" Pizor <pizor@lclark.edu>. The updated information was compiled from Glen Warner’s efforts…and checked by Steve Gilmore <rebriffr@netcomuk.co.uk>

	Barry Nathan <barryn@netcom.com> wrote on Thu, 17 Nov 1994:

* Player Pro

Player Pro 4.5: Can access the sound chip directly, so it takes less processor time than SoundTrecker. It'll still work when new Macs with new sound chips come out, because it can also use the regular Sound Manager 	3.0 if necessary, like when the PowerMacs came out and Player Pro didn't support their sound chip. Only edits its own format, MADF, but it can import and export MOD, S3M, MIDI, XM, 669, OKTA and MED (as of version 4.5 the S3M import filter is out of beta stage). Version 4.5 also supports multiple samples in one instrument.   PlayerPro has a very mixed track record for some of its more obscure import and tracking options, but reportedly plays many of the basic mod formats better than the other Mac heavyweight, Sound-Trecker 2.2. PlayerPro is shareware and until you pay the $20 registration fee, most tracking/editing features are turned off 
(including import and save) and it will automatically quit after having been open for 20 minutes.  A CD-ROM version is also available for $40, which comes with a library of mods and instrument samples. Upgrades are 	free, except for the upgrade from the disk to the CD-ROM version,which 
will cost $20 for an upgrade. Unlike Sound-Trecker, it is fully PowerMac-native, which means it FLIES by on a PowerMac.

http://www.quadmation.com/pphome.htm

Barry Nathan <barryn@netcom.com> added:  "partially, but not fully, PMac native, but it can do simulated surround sound for headphones or (I think...) Dolby Surround decoders. However, with the Surround option, the fact that it's not fully native really shows, as you hear clicks when you 
try to do other stuff. However, the slowdown isn't that severe on normal Macs. The two other advantages are that it can play (Okta)MEDs, which Player Pro can't handle, and some MODs play better with it than Player Pro. 	Keep in mind that with the extra features and bug fixes with Player Pro 4.2, most MODs play -much- better with Player Pro, though, and PP is cheaper."

Rich "Akira" Pizor adds: Sound-Tracker is a shell program which plays formats based on plug-ins, providing for maximum flexibility, since plug-ins can easily be written whenever a new format is introduced. Currently, most of the standard 4- and 8-track MOD formats are supported. Also 
available is a plug-in that makes it PowerPC native. It is also known for having one of the better interfaces of Mac MOD players. The resources for creating/editing MODs are present, yet the appropriate menu items are dimmed. I've not met anyone who could explain this anomaly to me. The two theories I've heard are that you get editing capabilities if you register the program (German ReadMe not too well understood) or that the resources are simply sitting there while the author learns how to integrate the corresponding features into a later release of the program.
 
Glen Warner then stirs that mystery soup into the following (more relevant) info:

* PlayerPRO 5.02 

Major changes include --

- Optimized for G3 processors and System 8.5
- 'Find and Replace' implemented (as in 'Find' all notes on This track with That sample')
- Documentation updated (.pdf format) <-- read it!
- New QuickTime-based (optional) file format
- Consolidated audio controls into one window ("Mixer")
- Supports 255 instruments
- Supports up to 254 tracks ("limited to 99 for GUI reasons")
- Two separate versions:
          (1) a 'freeware' version
          (2) a 'full' version

The full version is not available as of 9FEB99, but you can submit your order at the web page.
The 'freeware' version is intended for universal distribution (web sites, BBSes, CD-ROMs, etc.) and will only play .MOD and .MADx formatted files. You can never upgrade it to the full version. The version I tested quit after 20 minutes of playing (I complained to the programmer about this, and suspect it is fixed in the current version).

The 'full' version will not be downloadable anywhere; you must buy the CD ... and yes, there *has* been a price drop: it is no longer US $100, but US $69. There should be an even cheaper upgrade price, according to the documentation that comes with the freeware version.

Supports .MOD, S3M, MIDI, MTM, MADx, OKTA, XM, XI, MED, 669, IT, and ULT. For samples, supports System 7 sounds,  .WAV and AIFF formats (use SoundApp to convert from other formats to one of the above sound formats).

Now, for the bad news ....

- Still no IT 2.14 ('compressed') support (but he's working on it)
- The freeware version opens rather slowly on my PowerBook 1400cs/166. Have not downloaded and tested on an iMac as yet (soon, though), but I suspect it will fly.
- New minimum system specs: PowerMac running System 8.0 or higher
- Still somewhat pricey, but on the other hand, it's cheaper than it used to be.
- The freeware version will overwrite your original PlayerPRO prefs file; keep your registration number handy!
- If you don't upgrade to the full version, don't throw out 4.59; you can't compose in the freeware version.
 	- There will be no port to Windows (beyond the simple player available now).

Bottom Line:

Looks good, runs a little slow (on my system, anyway; G3's should be fine). If you are a registered user, aren't using a PowerMac and actually use PlayerPRO to produce your own music, keep version 4.5.9 handy since you can't compose with the freeware version.

* MacMod Pro

Barry Nathan <barryn@netcom.com> wrote: "is now in version 4.15 and has received a MAJOR overhaul. The staff editor works and it works pretty well, though it takes a little getting used to. One nice feature is the ability to record in realtime from the soft keyboard, a feature which isn't (to the best of my [editor's note: this is Akira's] knowledge) supported by any other Mac tracker. It supports anywhere from 4-32 channels and up to 39 instruments. It also allows you to set preferences linking it to specific directories for various files, so when you try to load a new instrument or mod or file, it goes straight to the appropriate 	directory, rather than having the user navigate to the right place. S3M support has been promised since version 3.0.1, but the format is unsupported as of version 4.15.

jester then notes: There is no confirmed information about MacMod Pro's native file format yet (I suppose Akira simply forgot to mention it). I also *assume* the program marketing status hasn't changed, so here's the information from the last FAQ revision:] MacMod Pro is shareware.  A $25 
registration fee is required to unlock the Save option, but all other functions work off the shelf, so you can get a good feel for how the program works and for what it takes to make a mod.

This was the newest (January 30, 1998) posted at the MacMod site:

MacMod Pro 5.11 is now available. Version 5.11 fixes a few problems that sneaked int the 5.1 release. MacMod Pro now comes packaged in a convenient installer. This installer can copy your registration from an older copy of MacMod Pro. 

Glen Warner writes in 1999:

MacMod Pro has been updated to version 5.2. Testing in progress. Initial impressions: it has been updated to work with MacOS 8.5, and there have been a few bug-fixes. Scrolling in the (G-cleft) editor is as smooth as the previous version. Ships with the same songs, also. Definitely worth a look. US $25 shareware.

	http://www.quadmation.com/pphome.htm

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[4.1.4] MS-DOS

jester <jester@fmr.maschinenbau.tu-darmstadt.de> wrote in an earlier FAQ: 

	"MS-DOS users have quite a few trackers available to them nowadays, with 
	capabilities superior to first-generation mods".  

Obviously that has continued apace although judging by the proliferation of Windows based trackers, these existing progs are gonna have a really hard time surviving.  Microsloth seems bound and determined to rid the world of DOS forever, to be replaced by paving of a Windoze variety.  Surprises still though, as Cubic makes a welcome re-appearance - apparently rejuvenated!  

The descriptions and URLs of these programs was compiled and checked by M. Linus Larsen linus.larsen@mbox200.swipnet.se for the 1998 update.  His notes follow most descriptions.

* Scream Tracker 3.21 

Programmed by PSI of Future Crew. Supports GUS, SB, SB Pro. Edits up to 32 digital tracks (but plays only up to 16), 99 instruments (S3M format supports 255), features a superset of 
the ProTracker command set (but some effects are handled a little different), 8 bit samples with adjustable C4Spd (S3M format allows for 16 bit ADPCM packed stereo samples), 9 Adlib FM channels (only playable on SB or SB Pro) and 8 octaves. Features separate volume column (and track panning available in most players). Extensive block commands and editing capabilities make this one of the best trackers around nowadays. Version 3.2 is extensively bugfixed over the previous release. Writes in S3M and MOD formats (but S3M to MOD conversion is NOT recommended!). Reads S3M, STM (perfect), M.K., 6CHN, 8CHN, Oktalyzer MOD, 5 to 10 track MOD (pretty
good MOD loader) and a proprietary import format. Has an own sample format, which it shares with Advanced Digiplayer, but ST3 can also read raw 8-bit samples (signed and unsigned). MOD samples (signed 8-bit) can be imported by loading a MOD that uses them into ST3 (all information is
  	retained). Freeware.

Linus reported a new URL:

ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/music/programs/trackers/scrmt321.zip

Obviously ST has been superseded by Impulse Tracker but it's still a venerable piece of tracking kit and S3Ms are still being made and distributed, although in lesser quantities.

* FastTracker II 

Programmed by Mr H and Vogue of Triton. 

Supports GUS, SB and SB Pro. Edits up to 32 tracks, 128 instruments,multi-sampled instruments (up to 16 samples per instrument), volume and panning envelopes for instruments, instrument panning, 4 GB maximum sample size,bidirectional looping, variable pattern length, built-in sample editor, sampler and CD dumper, 256 patterns, separate volume/panning/vibrato column, 
claims full MIDI support. Imports MOD, STM, S3M type mods, GUS patches, raw samples (signed and unsigned) and IFF samples and WAVs.  Samples can be 8 or 16 bits. Sample tuning by finetune and relative note value.  Shareware $20.
 	
Fasttracker comes in many varieties; 2.06, 2.08 and now (1999) the new version, 2.09. The 2.06 version is still available in lots of sites, as is 2.08 which can be found here: 

http://www.starbreeze.com/down/ft208.zip Main Developer these days….

ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/.27/sac/sound/ft208.zip  

http://sorry.vse.cz/maz/archives/ft209.zip  and a link to Maz's site for 2.09.  This is basically an update/bugfix by Andreas Viklund with some new additions.  Just be aware that this is not an official Star Breeze version so it should be treated with some care.  I haven't had a problem with it so far, but ya never know.  Best to install it as a new version first - don't overwrite your original until you are sure it works on your system.  This is not too say that it's a bad version - far from it.  Just be careful, I've seen lots of people having problems with FT installation (usually with SB clones)… A note of further caution for GUS & GUS PnP users: it's probably best you stick to 2.08 because 2.09 does not appear to work with GUS PnP cards(?!?)

The Fasttracker II Resource Page has changed address and is now at:

http://www.relaypoint.net/~emillan/ft2/

You should also try the official FT page: 

http://www.starbreeze.com/ft2.htm

* Impulse Tracker 

Programmed by Pulse (Jeffrey Lim). 

IT Patch #4 (122 K) allows to use DirectX for sound output, DirectX6 is Required.  Supports SB16, GUS, SB Pro, SB and PC Speaker. Features a Scream-Tracker-3'ish interface.  Edits up to 64 tracks, 99 instruments, multi-sampled instruments,  volume,panning and pitch envelopes, bidirectional looping, 8/16 bit samples with variable C5Spd (higher tuning range than ST3). Uses a (slightly altered) superset  of the S3M commands. IT created the New Note Actions format, now being implimented by almost every new tracker.  Imports S3M, MTM, MOD and IT type mods, ST3 and IT type samples /instruments (anything else is interpreted as raw data). Mod files can be used as instrument libraries. Writes IT and S3M files (S3M with restrictions). Non-crippled non-obliging shareware.

Impulse Tracker information can be found at the only surviving official Web site HQ:; 

http://www.citenet.net/noise/it

The latest version (2.14) can also be found at the following site:

ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/music/programs/trackers/it214.zip

* Farandole Composer 1.00 

Programmed by Daniel Potter of Digital Infinity.

	Supports GUS only. Edits 16 tracks, 64 instruments, an own command set
	(does not claim to be PT-compliant), 8 and 16 bit sample support, sample
	size up to 1 Meg, imports MOD, 669, GUD PAT and ST3/Digiplayer samples.
  	Features separate volume column and track panning. Loads MOD, 669, ULT
  	(buggy) mods. Uses SVGA to display all tracks on screen simultaneously in
  	132x50 mode. Has a built-in sample editor. Shareware $15. The FAR format
  	is not very well supported (outside this tracker).

ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/music/programs/trackers/far100.zip

* UltraTracker v1.6 

Programmed by MAS of Prophecy. 

	Supports GUS. Edits up to 32 tracks, 8 and 16 bit instruments, variable 
	C2Spd with finetune, bidirectional looping, instrument panning, 255 
	patterns, subset of the PT commands, two effect slots per note. Built-in 
	sample editor. Imports S3M, MOD, 669, FAR and MTM mods. Imports IFF, PAT, 
	WAV, FSM, SND and raw sample types. Mouse driven. Shareware $20. The ULT 
	format is not very well supported (outside this tracker).

ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/music/programs/trackers/ultra160.zip

* ModEdit 

(current version reported to be v3.01) - programmed by Norman Lin.

	Supports SB, DAC and the internal speaker using Mark J. Cox's playing
	routine (it runs even on 286 PC's). Edits only M.K. format. Mouse-driven
  	menu interface. This editor's main quality is its sort-of-musical
  	notation. Whereas almost all other trackers display the tracks vertically
  	and notes are only discernible by their key character, ModEdit displays
  	the current pattern horizontally and the notes on a vertical spread. This
  	editor is old but could suit some people to get started on. It has a very
  	good documentation, which can unfortunately be a bit misleading at times,
  	however. Shareware $??

Definitely showing it's age but still hanging in there Modedit is available at these FTP sites:

ftp.micros.hensa.ac.uk/local/msdos/music/modedit.zip
ftp.oce.nl/pub/Internet/audio+video/MIDI/PROGRAMS/MSDOS/modedit.zip
ftp.cs.uu.nl/pub/MIDI/PROGRAMS/MSDOS/modedit.zip
ftp.unina.it/pub/Other/music/midi/PROGRAMS/MSDOS/modedit.zip
ftp.monash.edu.au/pub/midi/PROGRAMS/MSDOS/modedit.zip
ftp.riken.go.jp/pub/misc/MIDI/PROGRAMS/MSDOS/modedit.zip
ftp.u-aizu.ac.jp/pub/misc/music/midi/ruu.nl/PROGRAMS/MSDOS/modedit.zip
ftp.uni-wuppertal.de/pub/mmedia/midi/PROGRAMS/MSDOS/modedit.zip
ftp.tu-dresden.de/pub/soft/midi/PROGRAMS/MSDOS/modedit.zip

Here are some other trackers well worth checking out:

* Velvet Studio http://hem.passagen.se/vicious/

* Digitrakker - Version 3.2.  Jan 1997 

http://www.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de/~bexxx/productions.html 

and at these FTP sites:

ftp.bse.bg/../pub/demos/peoples/stereoman/music/stuff/digitr32.zip
ftp.gui.uva.es/.1/pc/sound/digitr32.zip
ftp.cdrom.com/.3/dresden/sound/modplay/digitr32.zip
ftp.cdrom.com/.3/sac/sound/digitr32.zip
ftp.vse.cz/pub/.ccd5c/ftp.elf.stuba.sk/pc/sound/digitr32.zip
ftp.cert.unisa.it/pub/PC/SAC/sound/digitr32.zip
ftp.bajaobs.hu/pub/astrobase/music/digitr32.zip
ftp.uakom.sk/pub/mirrors/sac/sound/digitr32.zip
ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de/pub/msdos/mirrors/stuba/pc/sound/digitr32.zip
ftp.ee.auth.gr/pub/music/trackers/digitr32.zip
ftp.sonic.net/pub/users/jamesr/digitr32.zip
 
* Real Tracker 2.23

Loads:  Real Tracker Modules (RTM), Standard modules (MOD, NST)
Scream Tracker 3 modules (S3M)  FastTracker I modules (MOD) 
FastTracker II modules (XM) 

Saves:  Real Tracker Modules (RTM), Standard modules (MOD) 
FastTracker I modules (MOD), FastTracker II modules (XM) 
	Instrument Formats: Real Tracker Instruments (RTI), Real Tracker 
Samples (RTS), Windows Wave (WAV), Scream Tracker 3 
instruments (S3I), FastTracker II instruments (XI), FastTracker II 
samples (IFF), Raw samples (RAW, SMP, SND) 
Supports: Sound Blaster, Sound Blaster Pro, Sound Blaster 16, Gravis Ultrasound 
  	AMD InterWave based soundcards (eg : GUS PnP)
	Features: 32 tracks, surround mode for each track, up to 255 instruments,
	up to 999 patterns, up to 999 positions, 8 and 16 bits samples, 10 octaves.
Volume and panning envelopes support, Support of all Protracker, Scream 
Tracker and FastTracker effects, Automatic and intelligent GUS memory 
resampling (according to the quality of the samples), 32 bits mixing routine 
with interpolation and volume ramping, MIDI input and output support

http://www.utbm.fr/les.personnes/arnaud.hasenfratz/rt

You may be wondering why Buzz and other similar kit is not being shown here.  That is because I feel these devices (and I include AXS 2.x) better belong in the Softsynth section [9.1].  Wanna argue with that decision?  Email rebriffr@netcomuk.co.uk 

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[4.1.5] OS/2

There probably ARE trackers for this OS but we didn't find any either :-(

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[4.1.6] UNIX (Sun/Linux/NeXt)

Thanks to Andreas Schiffler <andreas@karlsberg.usask.ca> for the following information: 

With the new version of DOSEMU (ver. 0.60.4), quite a number of trackers work under Linux. As of this version, DOSEMU supports Soundblaster emulation and basic DMA, which should get most trackers working with it. It is available at

ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/system/emulators/
ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/ALPHA/

Carsten Stiller <carsten.stiller@rz.tu-ilmenau.de> supplied this 1998 update on a new Linux tracker:

* Funktracker Gold 1.0

	A textbased tracker for Unix. It only supports .mod format and the internal .fnk 
format. Plays music over /dev/dsp - no GUS support yet.

ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/apps/sound/players/FunktrackerGOLD-1.0.tgz

Note this was the ORIGINAL link and it no longer appears to be valid.  So unless you like staring at 404 messages, best not to click on it.  The Sunsite Linux Sound libraries seem to be quite full (to my eyes it seemed to be mostly sound editing stuff).  I know that Funktracker is out there somewhere because I've seen discussions on it.  Anyone shed some light on their present whereabouts?

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[4.1.7] Windows

"By far the most active area in tracking software these days is in Windows.  It's strange 
then, that there are still so few Windows trackers".  

That's what I wrote in the 1998 version of this FAQ and what a difference a year makes, because here we are up to our eyeballs in new Windows based trackers.  The best thing about this is that they are not all vapourware!  They actually exist!! :-)

Yep, finally, at last, Windows can be said to contain some very decent trackers indeed.  Really has to be said that the MODPlug Tracker has improved beyond all recognition to the early stuff we saw in absm only a couple of short years ago.  MPT is now a very mature, stable Windows tracker and although it was arguably first on the scene, it's been joined by MadTracker, Versa Tracker, et al….  There's still plenty of vapourware out there too with projected versions of IT3 for Windows, ReTrack (a Windows FT type) and still another FT3 for Windows!  Whether any of these ever see the light of day, we'll have to see.  On that front, IT3 looks very promising - at least judging by the screenshots doing the rounds.

The long awaited PC version of the Amiga favourite OctaMED Sound Studio is still not known. Alpha 
(or test ) versions of this tracker are downloadable from the OctaMED site.  At the time of writing, release is set for 3rd Quarter of 1999.

* Modplug Tracker 

(see site for current version)

The ModPlug Tracker is ModPlug Tracker is a 32-bit Windows 95/NT application,
featuring a lot of options to create the best possible output (Up to 48KHz, 16-bit, 
stereo): 
32-bit internal precision for mixing, dithered to 16-bit
MultiPoint cubic and quadratic spline resampling when High Quality 
resampling is selected
Support for MMX acceleration
Volume Ramping option, to suppress pops and clicks due to sample 
offsets, and big volume changes (Also creates more realistic volume
slides)
Digital Bass Expansion digital low-pass filter (filter range and depth 
customizable in Advanced Player Options)
Dolby Pro-Logic Surround support with custom delay and 100Hz-7KHz 
filter depth
4-delay lines Reverb Option with cross feedback, simulated early reflections, 
with customizable depth and delay
Noise Reduction: attenuation of the background noise by filtering very high frequencies in the sound Stereo Separation option (25%-400%), useful for headphones
5-bands Graphic Equalizer (requires fast floating point support)
DirectSound support for low-latency mixing on hardware-accelerated soundcards
Up to 64 channels supported for editing (up to 80 virtual channels) 

		The following formats are supported for import:  .669: UNIS 669, 	669 Composer modules. 
.FAR: Farandole Composer modules,.IT: Impulse Tracker modules,.MDL: DigiTracker 1.x 
modules .MOD: ProTracker modules (4-32 channels, 15/31 samples),.MTM: MultiTracker 
modules,.NST: NoiseTracker modules,.OKT: Oktalyzer Modules,.S3M: ScreamTracker III 
modules,.STM: ScreamTracker II modules,.ULT: UltraTracker modules,.WOW: Grave Composer modules,.XM: FastTracker II modules 
		 All the above when zipped (*.MDZ, *.S3Z, *.XMZ, *.ITZ, *.ZIP). 
		
		ModPlug Tracker can save in the following formats: IT: Impulse Tracker modules. MOD: 
ProTracker modules (4-32 channels, 15/31 samples). S3M: ScreamTracker III modules. XM: FastTracker II modules. WAV: Wave Files (Direct-to-disk recording) There are two display modes, to respect FT2/IT notation: MOD/XM (commands are displayed from 0 to X) and S3M/IT (commands are displayed from A to Z) You can edit multiple songs at the same time.  

		The following sample formats are supported in the current version: 
.WAV: Uncompressed Windows Wave File (PCM 8/16bit, mono/stereo),XI: Samples from XI instruments. .PAT: UltraSound GF1 Patches (8/16-bit mono) .S3I/.SMP: ScreamTracker 3 / DigiTracker Samples .RAW: Support for importing any file as RAW sample data. FastTracker II XI instruments are supported for import/export. 

http://www.castlex.com/modplug/

* MadTracker 2.02 

Programmed by Yannick Delwiche

NEW in 2.02: volume slide effects in volume column, delay effect for stereo samples, pattern expand/shrink functions, improved pattern copy/paste function, better FastTracker effects support, better S3M support, some small bugs fixes, nice new font

Features: Bilingual: English and Francais, runs under Windows NT4 and Windows 95 (or above), intuitive-customizable-windowed interface, ProTracker & FastTracker shortcuts, 32 tracks - 4 polyphony channels per track, 32-bit internal mixing with 16-bit interpolation, very accurate pitches (40-bit precision), volume ramping (48-bit precision), advanced click removal (the old note is cut while the other one begins), New Note Actions, 1 volume column and 1 panning column, FastTracker effects + New effects, 2-bytes effect parameters, drum pattern editor, uses stereo samples, track effects (delay, stereo delay, filter, flange), automation (envelopes for tracks volume & effects), wave file export (upon 'professional' registration)

File Formats Supported: 

Modules: MadTracker 2 Module (*.MT2), Extended Module (*.XM), Impulse Tracker Module (*.IT) (import only), Scream Tracker Module (*.S3M) (import only), ProTracker Module (*.MOD) (import only), 

Instrument Formats: MadTracker 2 Instrument (*.MTI), FastTracker 2 Instrument (*.XI),      Sample Formats: MadTracker 2 Sample (*.MTS), Microsoft Wave (*.WAV), Macintosh AIFF (*.AIF), Amiga IFF (*.IFF), 

MadTracker also supports Mad Tracker Extensions (*.MTX) where add-on routines will be added for extra effects, moves etc.  Look out for some exciting innovations with this tracker!

Mad Tracker is shareware with two levels of registration: normal ($20) or 'professional' ($40).  The 'professional' registration allows the use of an MT 'Wav' writer and specialised ugrades.

http://users.skynet.be/madhouse/madtracker/

* VersaTracker 1.0 

Programmed by Khaled Agrama

VersaTracker has a wonderfully easy interface, anyone familiar with MODplug Tracker will recognise Versa Tracker!   This currently supports the loading and playing of XM's, S3M's, MOD's, and IT's (versions 2.12 and earlier).  However, please take note, editing anything other than XM's will not work properly. Full MOD, S3M, and IT support are planned for the final release.

Currently, the tracker downloads with an html file which mentions some of the shortcut keys and commands.  This is the only help currently available, but hopefully it should be enough to get you going.  The tracker has two main sections: the instrument editor and the pattern editor, and is easily one of the most intuitive Windows tracker currently available.

http://www-inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~kagrama/vst/  Web Site
http://www-inst.eecs.berkeley.edu/~kagrama/vst/vst.exe  Program

And finally, the continuing campaign to get OctaMED onto the pc...

* OctaMED Soundstudio V1.00 
Octamed beta 12 by RBF Software

If you want to try out a Demo version then you can download it via the Windows pages of the OctaMED Web Site at:  

http://www.octamed.co.uk/

Some early FAQ details about the program can be found on the PC pages at the above site...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[4.2] Converters

Jester<jester@fmr.maschinenbau.tu-darmstadt.de> wrote this for the last update:

Conversion between mod formats and especially conversion from/to non-mod music file formats is pretty sure to lose some information of the original piece.

In most of the cases, there is no way around this. You can't, for example, convert a 16-track S3M using Qxy and excessive volume commands to a 4-track M.K.. The M.K. just can't hold the information. It is possible, on the other hand, to convert a M.K. to S3M very accurately. There are a few minor incompatibilities, but these would hardly be noticeable by many.  Conversions to and from MIDI are also very difficult to get done right with today's mod formats. MIDI files, while seemingly similar, have a very different command set from mods. Only one of the differences is that the MIDI output device 'knows' how to process its sounds when it receives commands from the MIDI file/player, for example how fast to decay a piano waveform. 

This information is not stored in the MIDI file itself, but a mod would have it included. A converter has no means of asking the MIDI device how it would handle a certain situation (this is not completely correct, at least when using a GUS, the patches could be parsed), so it has to assume certain things. I suppose, however, that better converters could do the trick if they were programmed for certain situations (I think a converter that creates mod instruments by itself from a GUS' patches, for example, could accurately
convert from MIDI to an advanced mod format such as S3M, XM or ULT).

But did you want to know any of this?

Once again M. Linus Larsen <linus.larsen@mbox200.swipnet.se> helped to track down some links and information in this section.

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[4.2.1] from MIDI

First, 2 programs from the maker of XMPlay, Ian Luck.

* 2MIDI

The first 2MIDI beta-release has "expired" and is currently off-line, an updated
version will be available in early 1999.  (Ed: OK, where is it then?)
This is what the website had to say about 2MIDI:

2MIDI is a balls-on accurate MOD to MIDI file converter, it doesn't 
just stick the notes into a MIDI file. It also converts the effects and instrument info (volume/pan envelopes etc...) to make an exact MIDI copy of the MOD (assuming 
there are enough MIDI channels). It currently supports XM and MOD files, but other 
formats are a possibility in the future, hence the name "2MIDI" rather than "XM2MIDI".

* MID2XM

MID2XM is a MS-Windows program that, as the title suggests, converts MIDI files into
XM digital music modules (FastTracker 2 modules).  The purpose of MID2XM is to make it easier 
to create quality music for demos, games or whatever. By using a MIDI sequencer and instrument 
to record and edit the music before converting it with MID2XM to a XM module. Rather than starting from scratch using a tracker.  Integrated WAV to XI converter, XM playback in Windows.

Both programs can be obtained from Ian Luck's page at:

http://www.icl.ndirect.co.uk/music/

* PTMID 0.3  

converts General MIDI files to MOD (i.e. M.K., 6CHN and 8CHN) and MTM files. To do this, it relies on a configuration file which specifies the samples to be used, the number of tracks to generate and the resolution to use. A careful setup is therefore absolutely necessary if anything good   is going to emerge. The resulting mods will generally still require some re-editing in a mod editor. Seems like it's freeware.  By Andrew Scott (ascott@tartarus.uwa.edu.au)

ftp://x2ftp.oulu.fi:/pub/msdos/programming/convert/ptmid3.zip     MS-DOS
  	ftp://ftp.mm.se/playerpro/ptmid_0.3_folder.sit.bin	                      Mac

Linus writes: The MS-DOS link checks out OK, but I can't log in to get the Mac version  (ftp://ftp.mm.se/playerpro/ptmid_0.3_folder.sit.bin). I'll try again  later.   The reason Linus couldn't get to this file is because it's not an anonymous FTP site.  Therefore, any information on the Mac version would be a real help...

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[4.2.2] Module Format Converters

Amiga 

This section was initially supplied by Heikki Kantola<hkantola@cc.helsinki.fi>) All further updated information was provided by M. Linus Larsen <linus.larsen@mbox200.swipnet.se>.  

Heikki writes: There's several "exotic" mod formats for Amiga which are usually just differently packed ProTracker variants and therefore pretty easy to convert to normal PT format. There are at least the following mod converters on Aminet (see section 6.1; unless a path is given, the files mentioned below reside in */):

* Perverter-V1.41.lha - Converts exotic mods to MOD

There was no link to Perverter in the original FAQ. Here's several courtesy of the excellent Lycos FTP Fast Search page at http://ftpsearch.lycos.com/cgi-bin/search?

ftp://sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk/Mirrors/wuarchive.wustl.edu/pub/aminet/mus/misc/PerverterV1.41.lha
ftp.in-chemnitz.de/afs/aminet/mus/misc/PerverterV1.41.lha
ftp.uni-paderborn.de/ftp/aminet/pub/mus/misc/PerverterV1.41.lha
ftp.unina.it/pub/Amiga/aminet/mus/misc/PerverterV1.41.lha
ftp.grolier.fr/pub/aminet/mus/misc/PerverterV1.41.lha
ftp.livewire.com.au/pub/aminet/mus/misc/PerverterV1.41.lha
ftp.tu-chemnitz.de/pub/aminet/mus/misc/PerverterV1.41.lha
ftp.demon.net/pub/mirrors/aminet/mus/misc/PerverterV1.41.lha
ftp.sunet.se/pub6/amiga/aminet/mus/misc/PerverterV1.41.lha
ftp.wustl.edu/systems/amiga/aminet/mus/misc/PerverterV1.41.lha

* Pro-Wizard.lha - Convert many music formats to PT

Linus writes: Latest version of Pro-Wiz was probably 2.20:

Once again, some FTP listing for this program:

ftp.sunsite.doc.ic.ac.uk/Mirrors/wuarchive.wustl.edu/pub/aminet/mus/misc/Pro-Wizard_220.lha
ftp.in-chemnitz.de/afs/aminet/mus/misc/Pro-Wizard_220.lha
ftp.uni-paderborn.de/ftp/aminet/pub/mus/misc/Pro-Wizard_220.lha
ftp.unina.it/pub/Amiga/aminet/mus/misc/Pro-Wizard_220.lha
ftp.grolier.fr/pub/aminet/mus/misc/Pro-Wizard_220.lha
ftp.livewire.com.au/pub/aminet/mus/misc/Pro-Wizard_220.lha
ftp.tu-chemnitz.de/pub/aminet/mus/misc/Pro-Wizard_220.lha
ftp.demon.net/pub/mirrors/aminet/mus/misc/Pro-Wizard_220.lha
ftp.sunet.se/pub6/amiga/aminet/mus/misc/Pro-Wizard_220.lha
ftp.wustl.edu/systems/amiga/aminet/mus/misc/Pro-Wizard_220.lha

At the time of writing (1998), these files of interest were in the Aminet site at: 

http://www.germany.aminet.org/aminet/dirs/aminet/*

AIFF2Studio.lha  	Convert AIFF (mono/st/8/16) to Studio 16
ASdemo.lha         	Demo of Powerful Synth, renders samples.
MDEXCH112.lha      	Converts Maud samples to Aiff v1.12
med2xm.lha         	Converts OctaMED SS mods to XM's, V1.25
mid2mid.lha        	MIDI converter. Play GM-files with GM NO
mod2midi3.lha      	Mod2Midi3,conv .mods to midi files 100%
Noiseconverter.lha 	Multi-Converter for 4ch Tracker Style Mo
P6102.lha          	Converter and replay for PT modules
PcSID2PlaySID.lha  	SID player format sids to Playsid conv
PerverterV1.41.lha 	Converts exotic mods to MOD
RAW3MAUD.lha       	Convert raw audio to IFF MAUD
SoundBox.lha       	Soundfile multi-format converter. V2.9b
tp2pt.lha          		TrackerPacker to ProTracker converter

MS-DOS/WINDOWS:

At the time of writing, http://www.hornet.org/music/programs/convert/ has a great number of converters but (being Hornet) it will not be around for long.  Obviously, try ftp.cdrom.com if the site is down before the next FAQ update.  This is what it featured in Jan 1999:

669 to 8-channel MOD converter v1.0 		
AMF2MOD v1.0 
AMF2S3M v0.001f by Jinas 
Awave V4.2 by F.M.J. 
Chop Mod! v1.6 
Chronos Module Conv. 1.01 by Chronos 
Convert v1.3B 
Xtracker's .DSF to ST3's .SMP sample converter by ZAB 
Easy Xmid V1.0 by Stefano Maini 
It2xm V1.01 by Phoenix of Hornet 
IT2XM module converter v1.01 
MIDIMOD v0.2 Convert MOD to MID 
Midimix 1.1 by Zvika Ben-Haim 
Mod15 v1.2 
MOD to 669 converter 
Mod2XM v1.0 
MOD/S3M to XM 
MOD to ASCII converter 
MODREN v1.0 by Populus 
MTM to MOD v1.1 by Renaissance 
PTMID v0.1 by Andrew Scott 
MID files to MOD (source) 
IFF to RAW converter by Surprise Productions 
Ultimate Sound Converter v1.1 by Carlo Vogelsang 
ToAmiga Music Module Converter v1.00 
STM to MOD 
Convert STX (from STMIK 0.2) back to STM 
MTM to S3M converter by Zab 
VOC to SAM Converter 
Wav To Xi Converter 1.2 by MAZ 
WavConv v1.0 by James M. Curran 
Xm2Mid Package by brekeke of brekekek 
Xm2wav 1.06 by Digisnap 
Yamaha Tx16w Wavefile To Iff Converter V1.2 by PiCoder of Seaber Designs  

Should be enough to please just about everybody there, but remember Hornet will close soon…

All of the MS-DOS programs mentioned in the earlier FAQ could not be found. As you may have noticed, the files are a mixture of DOS and/or Windows based.   Besides, what is this fascination with ruining a perfectly good (if not GREAT) MOD by turning it into a MIDI file?  This is a weird world, folks....

==============================================================================

[5] Samples

Jester <jester@fmr.maschinenbau.tu-darmstadt.de> wrote: Samples are of crucial importance in mods. Good samples make the difference between a quite-good and a great mod. And since custom samples are one of mods' greatest advantages, a lot of attention should be paid to a wise choice in samples.

It is important to know the main two qualities a sample has, the resolution, i.e. number of bits, and its sampling rate. The number of bits in a sample denote its ability to distinguish between levels of amplitude, a higher number of bits can grasp a sound more accurately than a low one. The sampling rate is directly related to the highest frequency that can be reproduced by the sample. A sample with a sampling rate of 40kHz, for example (kHz means 1000Hz, 1Hz is one oscillation per second), can reproduce sounds of up to 20kHz. This means that low sampling rates can be used to reproduce low sounds, but reproduction of high frequencies (cymbals, but also pianos) require higher sampling rates. The theory behind this is known as the Nyquist theorem.

Another aspect of mods is the maximum size a sample is allowed to have. This varies in the file formats from 64 Kilobytes to virtually unlimited size. Note that some trackers impose harsher limits on sample length than the formats they output. The solution offered to the sample size problem is sample looping. Well placed loop points make quite a difference in sustained instruments, so spend enough time here.

Sample formats seem to be a very confusing subject in the mod community. Especially SAM and SMP don't seem to be at all well understood. Keep in mind that filename extensions can be arbitrarily chosen and changed in most operating systems, so they lose any identifier quality. Thus I consider sample formats those files which can be identified by some sort of header. SAM and SMP, when meaning MOD (i.e. M.K., xCHN, FLTx, NST, etc.) samples, do not have any header. They are simply data assembled in a file. A tracker using them decodes them to 8-bit raw signed sample data. But it assumes a playback rate to be used. Normally, finetune and loop values can not be stored in MOD samples (Fasttracker 1 circumvents this problem by abusing the file's date and time stamp). The only safe method to exchange MOD samples is to use these in MOD files and exchange these (if there are other safe ways on the Amiga or another platform, please correct me). See section 5.1.3 on how to convert to "SAM format".

Additional information can be found (and is strongly recommended) in:

The Audio File Formats FAQ by Guido van Rossum <guido@cwi.nl>, posted to alt.binaries.sounds.{misc,d} and comp.dsp once a fortnight, and available at:

http://home.sprynet.com/sprynet/cbagwell/audio.html

Also, if you do any decent web search you'll come up with lots of links.  I found this a good site for more specialised (ie MOD) formats: 

The Cross-Platform Page: Audio Formats at:

http://www.arrakis.com.au/~xplat/xplat.aud.html

a very useful information site if you want to extend the file formats into such areas as Real Audio and MP3 Compression

Hugh Hulme <hugh.hulme@virgin.net> also added: Wotsit's collection of File Formats, which includes EVERYTHING on EARTH is at.. 

http://www.wotsit.org/

At first I thought Hugh was kidding but this site really does have EVERYTHING you ever needed to know about the innards of this machine we all spend so much time with…

PATREF24.ZIP - Windows Help file describing how to convert a variety of samples to GUS-usable patches. Most of the information supplied is very handy in any type of instrument sample conversion. 2PAT is also supplied, a Windows sample conversion utility (great!). This file is available at the GUS sites, see section 6.1.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[5.1] Acquisition
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[5.1.1] Sampling

This section initially supplied by Andy Church <achurch@goober.mbhs.edu> in 1994.

Andy writes: Although the specific methods used for sampling vary from platform to platform and program to program, the general procedure is the same. The first thing you need to do is connect your sound source, such as an electronic keyboard, to the input of your sampler. Then you should start up your sampling program (if you haven't done so already). Many programs have a "monitoring mode" where you can listen to what you will be recording before you actually record. If possible, take advantage of this so that you can adjust the sampler's input level and your sound source's volume before sampling to avoid problems with
volume (see below).

When you have adjusted the volume, or if you do not have a monitoring mode, you can actually sample the sound. Usually this just involves clicking on a "Start" button, playing the sound on the sound source, and clicking on "Stop".  Then you will probably be taken to an editor screen where you can see what you have recorded. You may discover one of two problems with your sample at this point (especially if you couldn't monitor the signal ahead of time):

- If the overall volume is too low, you lose resolution and clarity in the sample. Generally, if the maximum amplitude of your sample (on a typical waveform display, represented by vertical distance from a central axis) is less than three-quarters of the total window height, your sample is too
soft. For sounds that you want to be soft, you can adjust the volume later inside the module.

- If the volume is too high, you get "clipping" when the input sound exceeds the limits of the sampler. If you see flat lines at the top and/or bottom of your sample display, or if you hear a lot of distortion, your sample is being clipped; you should reduce the volume or the sampler's input level and sample again.

Once you have successfully sampled a sound, what you do next depends on what kind of sound you have sampled. If it is a "one-shot" sound - a sound that only plays once and does not repeat, such as a drum - you are done, and you can save the sample to disk, ready to be loaded into your module. However, if
the sample is a continuous or repeating sound, like a flute, you will need to determine where to place the looping section of the sample.

Determining the loop start and end points is usually a matter of careful listening and a lot of trial and error. Sometimes you will be able to look at the sample or a part of it and determine what part of the sample is repeating; often, however, you will just have to make a guess and play with the begin and end points until the sample sounds good. One thing to note when adjusting the loop points: since the sample right before the end point is immediately followed by the sample at the start point, those two samples should be very
close if not equal in amplitude. Usually, this can be done by looking for "zero points" - places where the sample's waveform crosses the zero-axis - but any value will do. If the two samples are very different in amplitude, the result will be an audible "click" when the sample reaches the end of the loop.

This is one easy way to tell whether your loop points are well-placed or not: if you hear a click while the sample is playing back which was not in the original sound, you need to move your loop points.

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[5.1.2] 'Ripping'

Using samples made by other people by saving samples out of their mods is generally known as ripping. There are a million conversations about the ethics of this practice, and still no end in sight to the endless debate about it. 

However, as you will find out, there are more than enough sample sites out there (with decent samples) that ripping shouldn't be necessary. Just about any tracker enables you to save the samples in a mod. So all you've got to do is load the song you want a sample from into a compatible tracker and save it. There are other programs that enable you to rip samples from mods too, one of them being DMPC, Dual Module Player Companion by Brad Meier of Psychic Software, a mod player shell for MS-DOS. While most trackers save samples in their own proprietary format or as raw MOD-compatible samples, DMPC saves to WAV/VOC/RAW.

ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/music/programs/frontend/dmpc260.zip

jester wrote in 1998: If you don't have a tracker or a ripper, you can still obtain the samples in mods by loading the file into a sample editor capable of loading raw sample data. You will have to set the number of bits and style (signed or unsigned) according to the format you're loading (MOD is signed 8 bit, S3M is unsigned 8 bit, for example). You will be presented with some static, which is the header and pattern data, followed by the samples in the mod. Any decent sample editor should enable you to cut out the individual samples. The next step would be to get the sampling rate right, otherwise the samples will sound off key when used. MOD samples generally use a sampling rate of 8363Hz for a C in the second octave, so try this for starters (or an integer multiple). The more advanced formats with variable CxSpds pose more of a problem, you're basically left with your ears and perhaps a musical instrument to get them right. Note
that a lot of MOD samples are not tuned to C. Quite often, an A is played instead when a C should be. 

See appendix H for a table of note frequencies to help you calculate the appropriate sampling rate for transposing wrongly tuned instruments.

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[5.1.3] Conversion From Other Formats

jester wrote in 1998: Generally, most trackers read at least some form of raw sample data. If they output to some form of MOD format, they most probably read 8-bit signed data, while some PC trackers (most notably ST3) prefer unsigned samples. 

The more modern trackers which read 16-bit samples will most probably read some standard headered sample format, which makes conversion (with SOX, for example) pretty easy, so I won't elaborate on it. See your sample editor's or converter's documentation. To convert a sample from one filetype so that you can use it in a tracker for which only raw 8-bit data is suitable, you need:

	- an input file (yeah, why else would you be reading this, but you do need it)
	- a sample converter or editor that can write raw 8-bit data.
	- if this program can't read your input file you need another program to convert it to an
interchangeable format type, such as WAV, IFF/S8VX or VOC, which are readable by 
most converters and editors.

Go about it this way:

If necessary, convert the input file to the interchange format, leaving its attributes untouched, if possible (which are the number of bits, channels and sampling rate).

Now check to see if the sample will be suitable for the tracker. The main things to look for are sample size in converted state and the sampling rate.  A lot of formats still impose limits on the sample size they are willing to deal with. Let's assume you have a limit of 64 KB, i.e. 65536 bytes. And that the tracker (or rather the format) uses 8-bit sample data. Assuming further that you have an input file that is a 16-bit stereo sample, you must divide that sample's size by four to estimate its size when converted so that it suits your tracker ('s format). Four because you divide by two when converting 16 to 8 bits, and by two again because your tracker can only use mono samples (sorry for having forgotten about this before). If the resulting approximate filesize (which is approximate because you haven't accounted for the file header in the calculation) is larger than your limit, write down your result and look at the sampling rate of the input file and the note that it plays at that sampling rate.

It could well be that your tracker ('s format) uses a fixed sampling rate to reproduce a C in a certain octave and calculates the sampling rates to use for other notes with reference to this "master C playback sampling rate" (also known as CxSpd). So, if you have a sample with a different sampling rate than this CxSpd, the sample will sound off tune. Remember that the C is THE reference point in the tracker. This is getting too complicated, so I'll give an example.

Say I want to convert this great Kurzweil 2000 patch for use in a M.K. tracker, in my case FastTracker 1 (as it imposes even harsher limits than PT).   I know that FT1 only uses up to 64KB of a sample and that it uses raw 8-bit signed mono data. I also know that M.K.'s root C is the C-2 and that the playback sampling rate used for that note is 8287Hz for PAL Amiga systems (and I'm in Europe and NTSC Amigas are far too rare for me to care about). That's all I need to know about the target.

I know that my source KRZ file is a multi-sample with five 16-bit signed mono samples in it. I use 2PAT (which has been renamed to AWAVE) or another program to tell me the KRZ file's information, which gives me the number of individual samples in the file, their note range, playback sampling rate and the note this rate represents.  I then use 2PAT to extract the individual samples to WAV files (actually I already did that and looked up the information in the description file that was generated simultaneously). I like the third of the five samples and want to convert this one. The description reveals that it is 16-bit, mono and plays an A at a sampling rate of 32kHz. I want to tune my sample to C, so I look up appendix I in the MOD-FAQ and find that an A is associated to 440Hz and a C to 261.7Hz. From this I gather that I have to play the sample at ( 32000 * 261.7 / 440 = 19033 )Hz so it sounds like a C. So that's the first thing I do, I change the sample's playback rate to 19033Hz (NOTE: only changing the SPEED of the sample, no resampling involved).

In my specific case, the sample I'm converting is not well suited to be played at more than one octave (this is the case with a lot of real-instrument samples). So I allow myself to use only the top M.K. octave (from C-3 to B-3) and resample from 19033Hz to 16574Hz (2 * 8287Hz), which represents a C-3 in M.K.. I do this while still in the 16 bit domain because of the larger precision (aliasing faults are less severe and interpolation is more exact).

Then I convert the sample from 16-bit to 8-bit. If the input sample was pretty quiet, I'd probably maximize its volume first, thereby taking advantage of the 16 bits of resolution and reducing rounding errors.

If my sample is now still larger than 64KB, I have four choices. I can resample the sample to 8287Hz (no aliasing errors induced, as this is downsampling by an integer) and halve the sample's size at the cost of losing high frequencies. I can also resample to a different note somewhere in between the C-2 and C-3, at the cost of having to transpose the instrument in the M.K. later (i.e. pitch shifting, as the note shown by the tracker isn't correct). My third choice is to crop the sample and find a good loop. My final choice is to apply a volume envelope to the sample and have it fade out fast enough to fit into the limit. Which method I choose depends on the sound I am converting. Quite often a  combination of several processes will yield the best results.

When I've finished the sample editing process, I either save it in an interchange format (if the editor doesn't support output in raw signed 8-bit mono data) which my converter understands, or I write the sample data to disk in raw signed 8-bit mono style. In the first case, I ask my converter to perform the just described conversion. Assuming I have written a WAV file and want to convert it to FT1-usable, I'd use SOX in the following manner: sox -V infile.WAV -ts8 outfile.SMP  <- issued on the command line I could then load outfile.SMP into FastTracker 1.

Hope this helps.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[5.2] Sample Editors and Converters
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[5.2.1] Amiga

MING of DiSC <mattias.inghe@mailbox.swipnet.se> said this in the 1998 update:

Amiga, the mother of all mod-hood as we know it today, is still
going strong as a producer of moddies. And there are plenty of 
different trackers, players and so forth to choose from. Strange then 
that I can only find one sample editor. Anyway, the little darling is 
called Samplitude, and is by many of it's users regarded as being 
God's gift to mankind. And maybe it is. If mankind was an Amiga. 

It does a lot of assorted conversion, recording, effect adding, amplifying 
and mixing, and seems to be the best choice for the Amiga musician of today.

http://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/pub/aminet/biz/demo/SamplOpus.lha

I wandered around and found this dedicated Samplitude website:

http://www.act-net.com/Samplitude/

And they have this to say:

There is a mailing list available for Samplitude (Amiga) users that is run 
by the developers actually involved in Samplitude's programming. The 
future enhancements of this software depends heavily on what you, the 
user, need and want - so tell us what the power application should look like 
- to make it an application reason enough to buy an Amiga! 

Take a look at the screen shots.  Gotta admit it does look tasty…

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[5.2.2] Atari

Once again, MING of DiSC  <mattias.inghe@mailbox.swipnet.se> tracked down the following for the 1998 update:

The LAPD site is dedicated to software for the Atari, but not 
much is on-line so far. It's worth a try anyway to peek at the 
music section.

http://www.lapd.demon.co.uk/music.htm

I'd still say that was true but be prepared to sift around for something good.

The previously mentioned archive at: 

ftp://atari.archive.umich.edu/atari/Music/

is also well worth a visit.   

I wrote the above in 1998, and I've been trying to get through to this site now for the best part of a week, 404's galore.  I haven't been able to confirm it but it may mean that this site has now gone bye byes too.  Poor ol' Atari really seems to be suffering these days

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[5.2.3] Mac

This section initially by Matthew E Centurion <mashoe+@cmu.edu>. This section has been added to by MING of DiSC <mattias.inghe@mailbox.swipnet.se>.

Matthew writes: Sound Samplers/Editors for the Mac aren't too easy to find.. but the best Sound Editor for the Mac is "Macromind SoundEdit" (Versions include: SoundEdit, SoundEdit Pro, SoundEdit 16" etc..) This has to be one of the best sound recorders and editors for mac.. it has most if not all the options from all the other programs listed for other platforms and it can do more stuff.. It has tons of effects and other options: reverb, bending, speed, pitch, flanger, noise, equalizer, mixer, backwards, tone generator, FM Synthesis, precision mapping, spectrum/waveform/dots, up to 44kHz sampling rate 8/16 (and even 24 methinks) bit recording, notes/tags on specific sections of samples, variety of formats AIFF, System 7 Sound, Resources, WAVS, Instrument, au, etc.. etc..)

I still think that SoundEdit WITH SoundApp is a good combination because SoundApp let's you save in more formats than SE can...

Ming adds: By an extensive websearch I finally came up with some hopefully useful hints on proggies to use for sampling on the Apple thingamabob. There are actually quite a few, but I'll keep it short, and focus on the better ones:

* SoundEffects 

a commercial wave editing program that can import all of the more common formats. I found no list of features, but from the info texts I could detect that it did all kinds of echoing, amplifying, flanger, equalizing, noise reduction and so on. Latest info (and downloads) can be found at:

	http://www.riccisoft.com/soundeffects/

Another useful site should be this:

	http://macware.erehwon.org/Audio-Midi.html

It is said to be a great list with a number of sample editors, MOD players and Trackers (or rather, Tracker - Player Pro) for the Mac. But so far I haven't been able to connect. And last but not least, those are editors and converters listed at the Shareware Music Machine at www.hitsquad.com.

http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/Mac2Win/

Convert Mac Sounds into the Microsoft Windows WAVE Format and back.

	http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/ConvertMachine/

A batch processing utility to convert sound format files to a desired type.

	http://www.hitsquad.com/smm/programs/SoundApp/

A multi-format sound player/converter. This one is probably the best shareware editor out there. Definitely worth a try.

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[5.2.4] MS-DOS

Once again, loads of link changes in this section, some programs disappeared probably forever, and not many new programs to replace them, if any.  DOS is being ignored by programmers these days, but there are still some decent/worthwhile programs around that'll do the trick..

* Advanced Digiplayer 3.0 by PSI/Future Crew

SB & MS-DOS only sample editor, reads mono raw 8-bit and ST3-compatible samples and writes ST3 samples: features filters (hi- and low-pass), resampling, volume commands (maximize, set, slide and smooth ends), DC shift, reverse, reverb, echo, cross fade, robotize, flange, chord making, two waveform editing windows, unofficial freeware

ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/music/programs/samplers/dp30.zip

 is now the correct address for this file.  This site can now ONLY be accessed by FTP, the www.cdrom.com server is used for web pages ONLY.  Anyway, while I was there, I found these other sampler proggies, but this is in the soon to be extinct Hornet archive so it may change at anytime.

awe-dump.zip   		Dump AWE32 Samples to file : (DOS) (source included)
awetub17.zip    		Awetube 1.17 by Milosz Tylenda : Simple realtime vocoder for awe32. Version 1.17
bmstr61.zip      		Blaster Master v6.1 : (DOS)
cdinfo14.zip      		CD Information v1.4 : download samples from CD 
cs2.zip          		Compact Split v2.0 and CD Read v1.0 : Grabs tracks digitally from audio-cds and
splits the tracks into perfectly cut sample.
encdec.zip         	Encode/Decode II : digital sample encoder/decoder for compression
fms4.zip          		FM Synthesizer v4
folk102.zip		An FM Instrument editor 
gb303_v7.zip		GB-303 v7 : sample synthesizer
hse13.zip         		Hardcore Speech Enhancer v1.3
prorv221.zip   		New Prorave Synthesizer V2.21 by Nick'97 :
quantic.zip      		Compress 8-bit samples 
resample.zip   		ReSample v0.12a:Takes ST3 samples and resamples them at any rate
sampl124.zip 	Sampled V1.24 by Neurodancer : A full-featured DOS sound-editor, with lots of effects
snarrl16.zip      		Acid Snarrl v1.6 : Sample synthesizer for DOS
ssebeta.zip       		Synthesized Sample Editor by Michael P. Weber 
ua20.zip         		Ultra Amender v2.0 : Sampler for the GUS 
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[5.2.5] OS/2

There definitely seems to be a lack of MOD software of any kind for this 
poor starving mite of an OS...  Gotta be some Warp stuff out there somewhere?  
Come on guys, email!!

That’s what I wrote in frustration in 1998. Jean-Claude Dumas jeads2@cooptel.qc.ca took pity on us and supplied the following info:

Have a look there for a list of some OS/2 tools for editing samples:

http://www.tstonramp.com/~freiheit/os2apps.shtml#audio

Hope that helps.

Certainly does, Jean-Claude, a million thanks…

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[5.2.6] UNIX (Sun/Linux/NeXT)

Thanks to Andreas (?) <andreas@karlsberg.usask.ca> for the info on:

* MiXViews

	X11 sample editor and processor, very powerful and easy to use, supports
	many data formats. 

	http://www.ccmrc.ucsb.edu/~doug/htmls/MiXViews.html

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[5.2.7] Windows 

This entire section was written by Steve Gilmore <rebriffr@netcomuk.co.uk> 

“Once again the greatest changes to sample editors is that Windows has turned them into digital sound processors of either samples in MODs, or even WAV's of the MODs themselves<g>  The greatest strides in the technology has been in this area, and most programs now come with optional plug-in effects processors working hand in hand with Windows DirectX.  There are *tons* of these programs but very few that actually deliver the goods.  In the interests of not writing volumes, I've restricted it to the very best - in my opinion.  There *will* be something here you can use...

Samples for Windows come in many guises, the main one being WAV.  Both Fast Tracker and Impulse Tracker import WAV's directly, but both progs have trouble with standard stereo samples.  There have been several interesting articles on using stereo samples in the last issues of Trax Weekly, so more info there.

The two major programs here are hideously expensive in all respects, but take a look at what they can do to your poor, tired samples.  Most trackers these days use or have access to this high end kit...

I wrote the above paragraphs as part of the 1998 update and things haven’t actually changed that much in the past year.  I'd still recommend Cool Edit/Sound Forge/Goldwave et al as being major components for any tracker (if you can beg, steal or borrow a copy that is).  The price of this software is still completely out of range for most MOD trackers but if you wanna get serious about your samples there really is no other way to go…  Be prepared to get a larger hard drive though, when you get to this stuff the WAV's pile up faster than you can say 'Canute!'.

* Cool Edit and Cool Edit Pro by Syntrillium Software Corporation 

Cool Edit home page is now at 

http://www.syntrillium.com/index.htm

and they have a lot more there now - always worth a visit... 

* Cool Edit 96 (Windows 95/NT) 

Features: Edit mono or stereo files up to 1 gigabyte in size, Touch up files with functions like Filter, Amplify, Compress, Stretch, and Noise 	Reduction, Record files from a CD, keyboard, or any signal played through your sound card, Add fantastic effects with Reverb, Delay, Echo, Flanger, Distortion, and Envelope functions, Generate Silence, Noise (White, Pink, or Brown), DTMF Signals, and Tones, Edit multiple files simultaneously, Merge files together with Paste Overlap and Paste Modulate functions, Perform Frequency Analyses on your signals, Convert file and sample types, Use the Cue List and Play List to cue up and play the segments you specify, Create named Presets to store your favourite processing function settings, Create Scripts for automated processing and batch operations

	Sound Formats Supported: 
		- Windows PCM waveform (WAV)
		- 8-bit signed raw format (SAM)
		- ACM waveform (WAV)
		- Apple AIFF format (PCM encoded data only) (AIF)
		- CCITT mu-Law and A-Law waveforms (WAV)
		- Dialogic ADPCM (VOX)
		- IMA/DVI ADPCM waveform (WAV)
		- Microsoft ADPCM waveform (WAV)
		- Next/Sun CCITT mu-Law, A-Law and PCM format (AU)
		- Raw PCM Data
		- SampleVision format (SMP)
		- Sound Blaster voice file format (VOC)
		- TrueSpeech (WAV)

System Requirements: 
Windows 3.1 or higher or Windows 95 or NT, 4 MB RAM, and 2 MB free hard disk space Recommended: Sound card, speakers or headphones, and mouse Optional: CD Player and microphone

* Cool Edit 1.53 

	Still good but obviously '96 has more features.  Get this from the above site..

* Cool Edit Pro 1.1

The daddy of the bunch.  It is a sampler? Is it an editor? Is it, for that matter actually a tracker in disguise!  Get this blurb from Syntrillium:

	"Cool Edit Pro is a digital audio recorder, editor, and  mixer for Windows."

	Mmmmmmm, you think, nice...  Well, it gets a lot better than that...

Features: Time Display Window, level meters, clip indicators, and Mute/Solo/Record color coding, Volume and Pan envelopes, Loop, Crossfade, Zoom, and "Snap" features, SMPTE/MIDI slave capability lets you integrate your mix with video and MIDI sequencers, Multiple Undo lets you back out of mistakes (once again this takes up ENORMOUS amounts of disk space!), and you can review previous versions of your recordings with the "Multiple Takes" feature, 32-bit processing and 32-bit resolution file support, ActiveMovie/DirectX Plug-In support, Amplitude and Pan envelope controls for each track, Beat finder, CD player controls,Cue/Play Lists, Favorites menu for commonly-used functions, High-quality sample rate conversion,Horizontal and Vertical Zoom (down to individual sample), MIDI Triggering of wave files, Punch-In recording, Scripts and batch processing, Timed Record, User-definable toolbar/keyboard shortcuts, Zero Cross Adjust (left, right, out, in) 

Effects: * 3D Echo Chamber * Amplify/Reduce * Brainwave Synchronizer(huh?  Wot's a brain?) * Channel Mixer  * Chorus  * Click and Pop Eliminator * Compressor  * Convolution  * Delay  * Distortion  * DTMF Tone Filter * Echo  * Envelope  * Expander  * FFT Filter  * Flanger  * Graphic EQ * Hiss Reduction  * Invert/Reverse/Silence  * Limiter  * Multitap Delay * Noise Reduction  * Normalize/DC Bias Adjust  * Parametric EQ * Pitch Shift  * Quick Filter * Reverb * Set Sample to Music * Scientific Filter * Stretch/Compress Tempo * Sweeping Phaser 

File Formats Support: - Amiga IFF/8SVX (.iff, .svx) - Cool Edit text (.txt) - VBase ADPCM 	- DSI Compressed (.vl) - ACM Waveform (Enables Cool Edit Pro to access installed ACM Filters) - Windows IEEE Float (.wav) - Windows PCM waveform (.wav) - 8-bit signed raw format (.sam) - ACM waveform (.wav) 	- Apple AIFF format (PCM encoded data only) (.aif) - CCITT mu-Law and A-Law waveforms (.wav) - Dialogic ADPCM 6KHz and 8KHz (.vox) - Pika ADPCM 8KHz (.vox) - IMA/DVI ADPCM waveform (.wav) - Microsoft ADPCM waveform (.wav) - Next/Sun CCITT mu-Law, A-Law and PCM format (.au) - Raw PCM Data - SampleVision format (.smp) - Sound Blaster voice file format (.voc) - DiamondWare Digitized (.dwd) - RealAudio 3.0 (.ra - export only) - TrueSpeech (.wav) 

Cool Edit Pro is *not* shareware and costs a hefty US$399 but is absolutely all you'll ever need. There is, however, a demo of it on the site which is for us (much) poorer folk.  

Cool Edit 96 has a shareware version. When you register your copy, Syntrillium will issue a registration number that will unlock the shareware version so that you can use Cool Edit fully. Syntrillium offers two registration levels for Cool Edit. For the $50 Basic Registration, you receive a registration number that unlocks your copy so that you can use any function at any time. For the $25 Lite Registration, you receive a registration number that gives you access to all the features of Cool Edit except the following: Compressor, Delay, Distortion, Echo, Echo Chamber, Envelope, Flange, Noise Reduction, Quick Filter, Reverb, and Generate DTMF Tones. Multi-user and site licenses are also available.

Then, there are folks who can't stand Cool anything and swear by:

* Sound Forge 

Sound Forge has native versions for Windows NT-compatible (x86, Pentium, Alpha systems) as well as Windows 95, and Window 3.x.  The Sound Forge homepage (Sonic Foundry) is at 

	http://www.sonicfoundry.com/

and it costs an amazing $499.00!  But it IS an impressive set of audio tools, as much as any respectable tracker could ever need.  Take a look at these specs:

Features: * Name markers, loops, regions * Trigger with sequencers * Trigger with MIDI-event generating devices * Trigger with time-code generating devices * Sustaining Loop * Release Loop * Real-time loop tuning window * Virtual MIDI Router for Windows 95 and Windows NT (x86 and Alpha) * Pop-up MIDI Keyboard * Sampler transfer using SCSI/SMDI * Sampler transfer using MIDI/SDS * Video Support * Real-time record meters * Remote record function * Auto Calibration for DC Offset * Generate SMPTE/MIDI time code * Glitch/Gap detection * Auto Trim/Crop * Channel Converter * Convert to 8-Bit * DC Offset * Graphic EQ * Paragraphic EQ * Parametric EQ 
* Graphic Fade * Fade In/Out * Insert Silence * Invert/Flip * Mute * Normalize * Pan/Expand (supports mid-side mixing) * Resample * Reverse * Smooth/Enhance * Time Compress/Expand * Volume Effects: * Plug-In Support For DirectX and Sonic Foundry plug-ins * Amplitude Modulation * Chorus * Delay/Echo (Simple and Multi-Tap) * Graphic Dynamics * Multi-Band Dynamics * Envelope * Flange/Wah-Wah * Gapper/Snipper * Noise Gate * Pitch Bend/Shift * Reverb * Vibrato 

Supported File Formats (Reads):  - Ad Lib Samples  - Amiga SVX  - Covox V8 - Creative Labs VOC (8 and 16 bit)  - Dialogic VOX (ADPCM)  - Digidesign Session 8 sector-aligned .WAV files  - Gravis Patch (PAT)  - InterVoice (ADPCM, U-Law, A-Law)  - Macintosh AIFF and SND resources  - NeXT/Sun Java (AU, SND)  - SampleVision  - Sonic Foundry Resource  - Sound Designer 1  - Sounder/Sound Tool  - Microsoft Video for Windows AVI  - Microsoft Wave  - 	Raw Files  - Microsoft ACM (supports all ACM-compatible compression formats)  - DSP Group TrueSpeech, RT24 Netscape, and Echo Speech SC3) and CCITT G.711 (U-Law and A-law). Writes all of the above and:  - Advanced Streaming Format (ASF)  - RealMedia (RM and RA) 

	System Requirements: Windows 95 and Windows NT 3.51 or later 

Intel 486 SX microprocessor (For real-time previewing Pentium Pro microprocessor recommended) Windows-compatible sound card VGA display  CD-ROM drive  8 MB RAM  5 MB of hard-disk space for program installation  300 MB or larger hard disk for temporary file storage 

	Windows 3.x

Intel 386 microprocessor (Intel 486 DX recommended) Windows-compatible sound card VGA display CD-ROM drive 4 MB RAM 5 MB of hard-disk space for program installation 300 MB or larger hard disk for temporary file storage 

* Sound Forge XP  (Downloadable Version) $49.95

Sound Forge Lite anyone?  Best thing about this cut down version is that you can buy it right there on the site.  Spec-wise it's the streamlined version of Sound Forge. 

System Requirements: Pentium or Alpha AXP microprocessor; Microsoft Windows 9x or Windows
NT 4.0 or later; Windows-compatible sound card; VGA display; CD-ROM drive; 16 MB RAM;10 MB of hard-disk space for program installation 

Supported File Formats: * ACM formats all known (Microsoft ADPCM, Interactive Media Association (IMA) ADPCM, GSM 6.10 & DSP Group True Speech) ,Advanced Streaming Format (.ASF), Ad Lib Sample (.SMP), amiga SVX (.SVX/.IFF), Covox V8 (.V8), Creative Labs VOC (.VOC), Dialogic VOX (.VOX), Gravis Patch (.PAT),  InterVoice (.IVC), Macintosh AIFF (.AIF/.SND), Macintosh Resource (.SND), NeXT/Sun (Java) (.AU/.SND), RealMedia (.RM/.RA), SampleVision (.SMP), Sonic Foundry Sample Resource (.SFR), Sound Designer 1 (.DIG/.SD), Sounder/SoundTool (.SND), Video for Windows (.AVI), Wave (Microsoft) (.WAV), Raw Files (.RAW),

However, if you’re looking for DirectX plug-in support, batch conversion, spectrum analysis, or any other goodie you’ll want to check out Sound Forge.

* GoldWave 

Yet another program that's changed immensely over the last few years, now in it's first beta of Version 4 which available from the web page at the end of first quarter of 1998. 

http://www.goldwave.com/

	Latest (1999) shareware versions are:

GoldWave v4.02 for Windows 95/98/NT 
             GoldWave v3.03 for Windows 3.1 
GoldWave v2.14 for Windows 3.1 for old systems 

Features: * Multiple Document Interface for editing dozens of files in one 	session * Large file editing (up to 1GB in size) * Configurable RAM or hard disk editing * Realtime oscilloscopes (amplitude, spectrum, bar, and spectrogram) * Separate, resizable Device Controls window for accessing audio devices* Realtime fast forward and rewind playback * Cue/Reference points * Direct sample editing with the mouse * Intelligent editing (automatically converts mixes and pastes samples correctly) 

Effects: * Distortion * Doppler * Echo * Filter * Mechanize * Offset * Pan* Volume shaping * Invert * Resample * Transpose     

Supports .WAV, .AU, .IFF, .VOC, .SND, .MAT, .AIFF, and raw data and can convert to/from these formats 

	You can order Goldwave through the site and it can be registered in two different ways: 

	Standard (US$30, C$40, UK20)
	Deluxe (US$50, C$69, UK37) 

While I was browsing the site, I also noticed this new product from Goldwave…

* Multiquence 1.0

This probably doesn’t belong in this section but I figure it is soooo similar to Cool Edit Pro (which is also a multitrack sequencer as well as a primo audio tool.  And, where CEP is well pricey, Multiquence's price is extremely tracker friendly..get this:

Standard (US$50, C$69, UK35) 
You will receive a password that removes shareware messages and start up screens. This
password will "unlock" all future versions of Multiquence. It is equivalent to getting a lifetime 
of free upgrades. All future versions will be available from the Multiquence home page.

Registered GoldWave users (US$35, C$49, UK25)
If you are a registered GoldWave user, you can purchase Multiquence at this discount price. 

http://www.goldwave.com/multiquence/index.html

* Awave 

	Now at Version 5 and available through FMJ Software at 
	
	http://hem.passagen.se/fmj/fmjsoft.html

I snagged this blurb of the site:

Audio & wavetable instrument file format converter, editor and player that defies logic in the amount of file formats it reads and/or writes: (Ed: it does…honest!!)

	Formats supported: Hundreds and hundreds! I tried listing them and they took up pages and pages!

	Awave is shareware. There are two ways to register:

- Online registration service. They accept all major credit cards, cheques, bank transfer or cash. The price is USD 52. 

Register directly through FMJ-Software by filling in the 'register. txt' form that comes with the program and posting it with the payment. 
The price is USD 48 

I'm sure we've missed some other programs (SAW Plus, Samplitude et al) but in all my dealings with other trackers, almost everyone uses one or the other of the above.  All have their good points, more effects, features etc, but only you can decide whether they are worth the money to you or not.  If money is tight, both GoldWave and Awave do a sterling job.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[5.3] HTTP/FTP Sites with Samples

Nearly all of the original addresses in this section previously were FTP addresses, where possible I have also inserted the current website for that product.  It's always worthwhile taking the time to master FTP though (I recommend CuteFTP at http://www.cuteftp.com) simply because you may get quicker 
download times.  

With the dramatic expansion of the web, a lot of the sites mentioned carry pretty much all the sample formats.  Finding samples these days is a lot easier than 1994 which is when the FAQ was first written. A quick web search on any of the main search engines using either the sample format, or the name of the 
instrument/sampler that made the sample will generate loads of links... And then there's always the ubiquitous Hornet Archive which Snowman assures me "we have a TON of samples online at http://www.hornet.org/music/samples" which is still there but may not be soon..

Kurzweil 2000: -	http://www.youngchang.com/kurzweil/
                 	ftp://ftp.youngchang.com

EMAX: - 	http://www.aimnet.com/~qsite/emax/
         		ftp.aimnet.com/pub/users/qsite/Emax_2 

These sites are not happening - this is a new site…
http://members.tripod.com/~thekiddx2/index.htm Says E-Max HQ…

http://www.spies.com/Emu/Samplers/Emax/index.html

The above sites are Emax and Emax II User's Group homepage and FTP, because (according to the blurb) these particular instruments have been discontinued.

SDS (Sample Dump Standard): ftp://alf.uib.no/pub/midi/sds/samples
FTP Site only

Also worth a visit is http://www.soundesigners.com/

EPS-16+: - 		http://www.acs.oakland.edu/oak/eps/eps.html

That URL moved and the whole caboodle is now at the excellent Sound Central site at:

http://www.soundcentral.com/keyboard/ensoniq/

Sound Central would be an excellent starting place because it features almost every sample format out there!

TX16W: - 		ftp://ftp-ls7.informatik.uni-dortmund.de/tx16w/samples

This site moved about 5 times since this address and can now be found on the web at:
 
http://www.t0.or.at/~mpakesch/tx16w/

 or by FTP at 

ftp://ftp.t0.or.at/pub/sound/tx16w

Roland Disk Images: - ftp://lotus.waterloo.ca/pub/sgroups/samples

This site moved outta town!  Best thing to suggest here is that you go direct to Roland's www site at: 

http://www.rolandus.com/

Yamaha SY-85 and 99: - ftp://louie.udel.edu/pub/midi/patches/SY99

This site has long gone the way of all things too.  Try the excellent Yamaha UK site at 

http://www.yamaha.co.uk/

(pay particular attention to their soft synths, you trackers! And see the new Soft Synth section in this FAQ!)

Microsoft WAV: - 

Seems kind of pointless giving you a couple of FTP sites for WAV files.  These are the overwhelming majority of sound samples floating around the 'net.  I did a quick Alta Vista search while writing this and got this disturbing result: found 67328 AltaVista web pages for wav.  Just think, up to your armpits in WAV's for eternity!

Of course, not all of these sites supply *instrument* WAVs but some will.  

Personally, I find the best source of WAV instrumental samples are still from manufacturers and from the really tremendous WAV samples collections at SoundWave: 

http://tilt.largo.fl.us/samples/samples.html

This was the tally of current samples when I was there last (mostly 44.1kHz, 16 bit stereo and/or mono):

SYNTHS 

     Juno 106 samples 
     Waldorf Pulse samples 
     Oberheim Matrix 1000 samples 
     Waldorf Microwave samples 
     Kawai K1 samples 

DRUMS 

     Boss dr550mkII samples 
     Roland MT-32 drum samples! 
     Typhoon TR-808 simulation samples 
     Alesis HR-16 samples 
     Roland TR-606 samples 
     MPEG samples of Linn Drum, TOM, and Univox 

LO-FI 

     Lo-quality samples ("tracker packs")

BIG PACKS 

     	Big combined packs (X5 original, D-50, Juno, DX27S, Pulse, M1000, more) 

All samples are compressed with Zip for greatest computability and good space savings. 

Roland Juno 106 samples 
Waldorf Pulse samples 
Oberheim Matrix 1000 samples 
Waldorf Microwave samples 
Kawai K1 (User contribution) 
Boss dr550mkII pack (Ed: This is a KILLER drum kit!)
Alesis HR-16 sample pack (User contribution) 
Roland MT-32 Drums (User contribution)
Roland TR-606 sample pack (User contribution) 
Typhoon TR-808 kit (simulation) pack 
MPEG-3 DRUM SAMPLES (User contribution) 
Linndrum sounds (105K) 
Sequential Circuits Tom sounds (20.5K) 
Univox Micro-Rhythmer 12 sounds (168K) 

TRACKER PACKS 

1.1-22.2 kHz samples. Format is PCM/RAW, unsigned, 8 bit FYI. From X5 described above and                              the Roland D-50, king of the late 80s.

SW-PAD1.ZIP - Korg X5 pad sounds and FX (1659K)
SW-BLP.ZIP - Korg X5 basses, leads, and pads (2216K) 
SW-DRUMS.ZIP - Korg X5 drum kit (1062K) 
SW-PIAGT.ZIP - Korg X5 piano, guitar, and organ (2012K) 
SW-BRWBL.ZIP - Korg X5 brass, woodwinds, and pad final (2240K) 
SW-CUST.ZIP - Korg X5 custom patches (2356K) 
SW-D50C0.ZIP - Roland D50 PN-D50-00 card patches (2650K) 
SW-D50C1.ZIP - Roland D50 PN-D50-01 card patches (3278K) 
SW-441A.ZIP - Best of packs 1-5, 44.1kHz 8 bit (7435K) 

There's a lot more at Soundwave than the packs I've mentioned, and it's got lots of links to other sample sites.

Synthesiser samples and more can also be found at Music Machines whose www address is: 

http://www.hyperreal.org/music/machines/

A couple of sites I've personally found useful for WAV *and* other formats (particularly XI) can be found at

MAz Sound Page: http://www.th-zwickau.de/~maz/

This really *should* be your first stop for almost anything tracker anyway!

* AKA's Home Page: http://www.tu-chemnitz.de/~aka/index_e.html

Also the home of the YAMP windows MOD player, the soft synth SMoRPhi 3.0 and the best collection of XI instruments I've ever come across.  In fact, while I was there I purloined a couple of the newer samples...

==============================================================================

[6] Obtaining Mods
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few years ago, a long list of FTP sites, BBS's and many other esoteric beasties was like food to a starving man.  At that point it was a ponderous, disjointed affair, more hit than miss.  Once again, the advent of the www has galvanised the whole approach of how MODs are distributed.  These days even the laziest tracker has their own homepage.  The one thing we can't do in this section is to start detailing individual web sites.  Only sites of specific significant in terms of downloading or information about downloading will be included.

There are still PLENTY of FTPs, BBS's and the like, and they all want to share their archives with you, so let's get at 'em!

[6.1] FTP Servers

Using an FTP program is actually very simple.  Anyone who can recognise a  Directory tree will be able to negotiate almost any FTP site.  There are numerous programs around for that task, and almost all of them feature some kind of visual aids.

Logging on to a server, however can get a bit complicated, so here's the original FAQ FTP advice from Jester <jester@fmr.maschinenbau.tu-darmstadt.de>:

"The FTP servers mentioned hereafter allow for anonymous FTP. Log into the server 
by specifying 'ftp <server address>', tell it 'ftp' when it asks you for a login and supply 
it with your email address as a password.  Alternatively, use 'anonymous' as login and 
your email address as password. Please remember that ftp is a privilege, not a right. 
Restrict your calls to (the site's) non-business hours whenever possible.

A lot of the above information is based on older DOS programs, most recent FTP software automatically assumes a 'log in as anonymous' posture.  It will also probably prompt you for your email address in it's setup program, and use that automatically too.

The largest repository of mods is probably *still* Aminet. Although these days,  the Hornet Archive probably runs them a close second but obviously not for much longer.  We are talking about *thousands* of MODs here... There are numerous FTP servers all over the world mirroring it. 

An Aminet mirror list follows:

USA (MO)     	ftp.wustl.edu         	pub/aminet/mods
USA (TX)     	ftp.etsu.edu          	pub/aminet/mods
Scandinavia  	ftp.luth.se           	pub/aminet/mods
Switzerland  	ftp.eunet.ch          	pub/aminet/mods
Switzerland  	litamiga.epfl.ch      	pub/aminet/ (*)
Germany      	ftp.uni-paderborn.de  	pub/aminet/mods
Germany      	ftp.uni-erlangen.de   	pub/aminet/mods
Germany      	ftp.uni-bielefeld.de  	pub/aminet/mods
Germany      	ftp.uni-oldenburg.de  	pub/aminet/mods
Germany      	ftp.uni-kl.de         	pub/aminet/mods
Germany      	ftp.uni-stuttgart.de  	pub/aminet/mods
Germany      	ftp.uni-siegen.de     	pub/aminet/mods
Germany      	ftp.cs.tu-berlin.de   	pub/aminet/mods
UK           	ftp.doc.ic.ac.uk      	pub/aminet/mods

I can't be certain that *all* these sites still exist because Aminet itself often has organisational problems.  I know for sure the UK site is still up - as are most of the others.  Anyway, the first place to look is the Aminet main www site at: 

http://www.germany.aminet.org

The subdirectories of Aminet they were showing when I last visited was:

/demo         	Gfx and sound demos
/gfx          	Graphics
/mods         	Music modules
/mus          	Musical software
/util         	Utilities

What used to be another HUGE site for mod releases is The Hornet Archive.  However, this is in the slow process of winding itself up.  I fully expect it to have disappeared by year end, and it has nothing to do with Y2K!.  There was talk of most of the archive going to www.scene.org but at the time of writing it still hasn’t happened, even though the site is finally back online!.

Hornet (according to an email from Snowman (Christopher G. Mann) r3cgm@cdrom.com has/had 5784 songs catalogued and online ready for download (that's just under 2 gigs in size).  About 75% of which are rated according to a star system.  The total of MODs online doesn't even count the 440 music disks online, which add up to 890 megs in size. 

http://www.hornet.org/

You should find FTP information and mirror sites right on the front page and while you are there, grab yourself some of the excellent entries into Hornet's MSx compos...all top notch tracks

GUS SITES

The GUS FTP sites have probably gone the same way as the soundcards...except Snowman wrote in March 1998: " The official main Gravis Ultrasound archive has moved to:" 

ftp://ftp.cdrom.com/pub/gus

And it's still there in 1999, although what may happen to it this year is anyone’s guess.

The Gravis main Site 

http://www.gravis.com/
  
had this on it's page in March 1998:

	"November 21st, 1997

Advanced Gravis regrets to announce that it has discontinued its sound card 
business. All hardware and software product development and manufacturing 
for the sound card business has been halted, and Gravis has no additional 
product available".

And even that had disappeared into the sites nether regions by the time I came back in 1999.  Of course, it's worth doing a search on the ViperMax, which is at least a kinda sorta GUS…(I KNOW I'll probably get loads of flames for this comment, so don't bother….)

Take a look at the PC ToyBox site for more info….

http://www.pctoybox.com/pctoybox/index.htm

Well, my mum didn't raise no sissy faced crybaby, so I went out in search of  any remaining evidence of their existence being the still proud owner of a GUS Classic… 

Main N.American Site:  archive.orst.edu             pub/packages/gravis

This site is still there (as always<g>) but not a sniff of GUS...

ftp://wuarchive.wustl.edu/packages/ultrasound/
 
is now the correct URL and while I was there I found this:

Main Asian Site:       		nctuccca.edu.tw              	PC/ultrasound
European Callers ONLY: 	theoris.rz.uni-konstanz.de   	pub/sound/gus
Submissions:           		archive.epas.utoronto.ca     	pub/pc/ultrasound/submit
Newly Validated Files: 		archive.epas.utoronto.ca     	pub/pc/ultrasound
Mirrors:               		garbo.uwasa.fi               		mirror/ultrasound

Mailserver for Archive Access: Email to mail-server@nike.rz.uni-konstanz.de

And yet more URL's (unchecked by me!)

archie.au                       		/micros/amiga/incoming/mods
ftp.germany.eu.net              	/pub/comp/amiga/mods
ftp.informatik.uni-rostock.de   	/pub/amiga/mods
ftp.uni-kl.de (131.246.9.95)    	/pub/amiga/wuarchive/mods
/incoming/amiga/mods
ftp.uni-muenster.de             	/pub/sounds/
ftp.uni-oldenburg.de            	/pub/amiga/incoming/mods
ftp.brad.ac.uk                  	/misc/mods/  and /incoming/mods/
ftp.funet.fi (128.214.6.100)    	/pub/amiga/audio/modules
geocub.greco-prog.fr            	/pub/incoming/amiga/mods
ftp.luth.se (130.240.16.3)      	/pub/OS/amiga/mods
lysator.liu.se                  		/pub/amiga/mods
ftp.uwp.edu (cs.uwp.edu)        	/pub/music/sounds/mods
                                		/pub/music/lists/btl/mods
                                		/pub/incoming/sounds/mods
                                		/pub/incoming/msdos/modplayer/mods
ftp.cso.uiuc.edu (128.174.5.59) 	/pub/amiga
ftp.mcs.kent.edu                	/pub/SB-Adlib/ntmods
wuarchive.wustl.edu             	/systems/amiga/incoming/mods
    (128.252.135.4)             	/systems/amiga/audio/music
                                		/mirrors4/amiga.physik.unizh.ch/amiga/mods

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[6.2] BBSs

BBSs have lost a lot of ground in the MOD distribution stakes but there are still lots around, many of them with extensive MOD archives.  The chances are that you could probably find the same tracks on the web quicker, and probably without all the connection hassle.  The BBS scene still lives of course, and it's presence on the web is judgement of that.  I did a Yahoo search on just the terms BBS and got 19 categories and over 2300 sites!  

You can also check the comments in the MODs you get, they usually contain some BBS adverts.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[6.3] Newsgroups

Despite some confusion to the contrary (posters do sometimes *by mistake* post to alt.music.mods), alt.binaries.sounds.mods is THE Usenet newsgroup for mods. 

Binary posts to this group are usually zipped in one file for convenience. Large, multi-part posts are frowned on in this newsgroup as in many others.  When this MODFAQ was first written, downloading from newsgroups was a painfully convoluted process of commands.  I would imagine that almost all of us these 
days has a browser (MSIE 3.0+, Netscape 3.0+ both have newsgroup reading facilities) or a dedicated newsreader such as Agent or News Rover etc.  But, more in the interests of those who still have to deal with it, here's the original FAQ info:

Jester wrote: 

How you do it exactly is up to you and the newsreader you're using. I will cover NN, RN and TIN here, as well as telling you how to cope with dumb uudecoders. Thanks to Stan Greene (Merlin) <sorcerer@netcom.com> for supplying the information initially.

NN: 		Let's assume you have a list of five articles on screen, identified by
    		consecutive letters a through e, of which the last four are the file
    		example.mod. First, tag (i.e. mark) the parts by pressing the appropriate
    		letters (b through e). Then type the following: ':decode'. Choose any
    		directory you wish when prompted for the Decode Directory, this is where
    		the decoded file will go. At the next prompt (Decode test2/ Article
    		(* +):, for example), enter '*' to specify the previously selected
    		articles. NN will then decode the files for you.

RN/TRN: 	Assuming that the file is in multiple parts, go to the first part and
    		press 'e'. Continue going through all of the parts, pressing 'e' for each.
    		As you do each part, you should see 'Continuing filename.ext:
    		(Continued)'. When you get to the last part and press 'e', you're done. It
    		knows that the file is complete.

TIN: 		We will assume the same setting as in the NN example. The first thing you
    		do is move the scrollbar to the first part of the file you want, this'd be
    		the 2nd article in the list. Now press 't' to tag the file, the plus sign
    		in front of the article should turn into a '1' and the scrollbar should
    		move to the next line. Tag all the parts of the file in the same manner,
    		watching out so you keep the order correct. When you're done, press 's',
    		which gives you the following prompt: 'Save a)rticle, t)hread, h)ot,
    		p)attern, T)agged articles, q)uit: T'. The default should be a captial T,
    		which is what you want anyway, so just hit return. TIN will prompt you
    		for a filename, you can use anything, basically, keeping it simple should
    		prove helpful (to you). Done that, TIN asks you for post-processing
    		options. Most of the time, you will want to uudecode the binaries, so
    		press 'u'. Done.

BY HAND: 	OK, there are two possibilities here. Either you have a smart
uudecoder (such as UU, UNPOST or UUMASTER for MS-DOS, or WinCode for
    		Windows), or you're stuck with a basic dumb type.

- SMART: This is pretty simple. Just save your articles to a common file
and feed it to your smart decoder. Using UU, this'd look like this,
      		after having saved some articled to a file called mods.uue:
      		'uu /i /s mods.uue'. UU will do the rest. Note that it is good to have
      		several smart decoders at hand in case one of them refuses to decode a
      		file. You can then always try the others.

- DUMB: This is tedious. Save the articles, preferably and for your own
     		sanity's sake, to separate files, using some form of numbering scheme so
      		you'll know which part is which later on. Then call your favourite text
      		editor (as in ASCII) and trim out anything from the files that isn't a
      		valid UU line. This includes everything up to, but not including, the
      		line saying 'begin 640 blabla.mod', which should be in the first part,
      		and everything after the line saying 'end', which should be in the last
      		part. You also need to trim out any checksum info, mail/posting headers
      		and signatures (these should be at the end of the files). When you've
      		done all that, concatenate (i.e. join) the files, but keep them in the
      		correct order! Feed the resulting file to your dumb decoder.

Or better yet get Free Agent from http://www.forteinc.com

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[6.4] WWW (World Wide Web)

The biggest change, and the biggest shake up in the MOD world since this FAQ's inception is the ever widening spread of the World Wide Web.  It has enabled the MOD scene to come together in a way those first 'scene'rs could have only dreamt of.  MODs can be obtained almost everywhere on the web, from the one man/woman tracker to the multi-member groups such as KFMF, FM and newer groupings such as DiSC, Explizit etc...

Writing a section about where to obtain MODs on the web is the absolute height in redundancy.

If you have any doubt about that statement try this:  Open up your browser (if it's not already open reading this) point yourself at http://www.yahoo.com (a common web search site)and type in 'MODs' as the keyword (in that case, but obviously without the ') then search - you should get over 200 pages!!  Try that in the Alta Vista search engine and you'll come up with a staggering 13579 entries!!  Of course not all of those entries are going to be music MODs but it's a fair bet some 75% will be.

So, rather than write about such an overwhelming subject, I decided to concentrate on what I call 'multi-purpose' MOD sites.  A couple of examples already mentioned in the preceding FAQ text automatically spring to mind: MODplug Central and MAZ Home.  MAZ Home because it features almost everything you need as either a tracker or a listener.  It really is the ultimate software stop.  Modplug Central counts as a multi-use site because of it's extensive dissemination of it's MODplug software, it's tremendous amount of MOD information (new releases, reviews, MOD facts and news and a large collection of downloadable MODs).

MULTI PURPOSE SITES

Hornet Archive: 

http://www.hornet.org/

The longest lived multi-purpose site around (since 04 September 1992), and now, sadly on its last legs.  Most of the archive will still presumably be available through the ftp.cdrom.com connection - and should it ever get back online the main MOD tracks will be available at scene.org.  However, this is still one of the definitive MOD spots on the Web at the present time.  Home to a HUGE collection of files and organiser of the brilliant MC (Music Contest) series of world wide MOD competitions.  A massive MOD resource and a MUST VISIT for any serious MOD fan.

MAZ Home Page : 

http://www.th-zwickau.de/~maz/

As well as being the most reliable source for new sound software, MAZ Home has many other attributes.  Trackers and Players in both MOD and MP3 	format are available for download, there's MAZ's own FAQ, samples and softsynths, soundcard software and sound tools by the handful.  It 
	really should be the first stop for equipment.

MODplug Central: 

http://www.castlex.com/modplug/

The MODplugin software gave a voice to MODs on the web and this is the central site for all MODplug related software.  A Resources section features: New Releases, MOD News, MOD Chat, MOD Links and even a Computer Music Forum which has some very lively exchanges... It also has a subscriber based newsletter full of timely info.  And, new and a gratuitous plug :-) is the MODplug Tracker Startup kit….an excellent introduction to this popular Windows based tracker.

Trax In Space: 

http://www.traxinspace.com

A very extensive site with loads of downloadable tracks; every week, visitors are asked to vote for their Favorite Trax of the Week which is 	then compiled in listings. There's an excellent search facility where you can search by style or artist, artist profiles are also available.  They also do reviews and a subscriber newsletter.

WMR: 	http://www.cyberverse.com/~boris/IMM2/_frames/the-imm.htm
IMM:	http://surf.to/the-imm

(yep the organisation formerly known as the Weekly Module Review, and is now the Internet Music Monitor)

WMR underwent a major change towards the end of 1998, with Boris bowing out of his brainchild.  Since then, it's got a new impetus and is now looking finer than ever.  I think there are now several hundred (if not thousands)  of reviews currently residing on the site, usually along with a link to the MOD being reviewed.   Postings of weekly reviews of three tracks onto absm has been in effect since November last year thanks to Chris (of Chris and The Clones).  Some of the most respected MOD reviews out there, and I don't say that just because I am one of the reviewers :-)  An excellent site for anyone new to MODs…

United Trackers: 

http://www.united-trackers.org/

Now into it's second year but UT is still growing at a phenomenal rate.  United Trackers now has 3221 Members, 52 compos, 340 websites, 688 tracks, tracker databases, brilliant discussion boards, columns and even a T-Shirt! and much more.  A MOD starting point site for any serious newbie to the scene.  The archives are particularly useful and the bulletin board is very active…and now…it's allied to:

Altered Perception/MODbot

A new site (to this FAQ anyway) but one I consider to have a good idea, namely SPACE for tracks!  Yep, a site where YOU can upload and MAINTAIN your own files!!   You can add your files, change their information, remove them, see who's been downloading them, and much much more!  A demos section will be up later.  Of special mention on this site is the allied modbot.com, an excellent search utility - if a little sparse at the moment!  Give it a bit of time though, this site should expand handsomely… :-)

http://www.modbot.com
http://www.alteredperception.com/

MODRing: 

http://miso.wwa.com/~daf/modring.html

Started in September 1996 with just 5 sites, the MODring has grown into a bandwidth eating monster, easily outstripping all other attempted MOD rings.  At the time of writing it had a staggering 1032 MOD sites on it.  	Think, you could spend all your time online on MOD sites alone!  One of the prime sources for 'blind' or random MOD wanderings - a surprise around 	every link.  Even the quickest browse through the ring will show the amazing diversity and range MOD music has achieved.

Kosmic Free Music Foundation (KFMF): 

http://www.kosmic.org/

The original and still one of the very best MOD sites on the Web.  Currently with 30 or so members, KFMF still features the very best the scene can offer.  Mind you, while I was there, I found this message from Maelcom <maelcum@kosmic.org>:

		"Dear fans & listeners: 
Last week over 10,000 different hosts (IPs) visited kosmic.org via the web, and over 22 gigabytes of music and documents were sent out. This is all good, but the simple fact of the matter is that it's becoming increasingly difficult for me to support this organisation out of my
own pocket. For all those visitors, there were maybe three people who ordered CDs! I want to keep this site free to the public, but in order to keep it that way we need your support financially. Kind email doesn't pay the bills, and this site is not free to maintain. 

If you like our music, put your money where your mouth is. Buy theHacker's album if you liked his new song, buy B00MER's new CD if you just sent him an email about how much you like his stuff. Click 	on those annoying off-site advertising banners once in a while (that's like donating $0.05 each time). Spread the word about Kosmic to all your friends.. don't sit on a good thing and try to keep it all for yourself! 

And if you are indifferent after hearing all this, don't be suprised when you come to visit kosmic.org next time and it's no longer around. Think about it. "

A little extreme, but an admirable sentiment and one most downloaders should remember about all these wonderful web sites.  Someone, somewhere *is* paying money out of their own pocket to provide you with all this great free music.  Help to support the scene, and you'll help to keep it going and growing...

When I wrote the above addendum in 1998, Hornet was probably just about coming to the decision to close the archive.  Obviously, the slams the lesson home even further. However, when I went back to Kosmic for this update, things had obviously changed a little because Maelcum now had this to say:

Welcome back to kosmic.org. Thanks to the continuing support of our listeners 
we have been able to re-open the site at colba.net, however we're not out of the woods yet. We have raised about half the money needed to purchase the new server, and must raise the rest between now and the end of January. At that time we will have to relocate to our new home at Vision Online, one way or another. 

Obviously, keep watching that space!  And, Maelcum, nice new design ya got there!  Well cool…..

The Scene: 

http://www.scene.org/

As a MOD resource in its own right (IRC servers/channels for trackers, FTP sites for tracks and software) scene.org also hosts the following sites:

     	Five Musicians: http://www.fm.org/
     	m0n0: http://www.scene.org/mono/
     	brothomStates: http://www.brothomStates.scene.org/
     	TPOLM: http://www.tpolm.scene.org/
     	Buzz: http://www.buzz.scene.org/
     	phokuz: http://www.phokuz.scene.org/
     	sonique: http://www.sonique.scene.org/
     	SceneNet: http://www.scenenet.scene.org/
     	Byterapers: http://www.byterapers.scene.org/
     	The Black Lotus: http://www.tbl.org/

MOD TRACKING TUTORIAL SITES

Once upon a time, trying to find out how to track was a forlorn and lonely task.   It really was a question of RTFM and be done with it.  Of course you could ask a question about tracking online and risk a bunch of flames, but that took a brave spirit.  At the time of writing there are many good sites that offer general/
specific tutorials on the use of trackers.

Introspective's The Zen Of Tracking: 

http://www.cyberverse.com/~boris/IMM2/_frames/the-imm.htm
http://surf.to/the-imm

The daddy of them all, and still one of the webs most visited (and informative) tracking resources.  Run by well respected scene figures, this should be any MOD newcomers Top Sites list.  They now have a mirror link on Hornet as well, so I imagine the site is in for some fairly rapid expansion.  Anyway, *tons* of tracking tips and information right here; interviews with established trackers and technical articles.  A treasure trove of good, reliable information on both the scene and the technical aspects of tracking.  Although the site was originally started Jeremy Rice 	(a long time scene member), he's now been joined by Smash (of Noise), Screamager and Radix - who are three of the better known and active members of today's tracking scene.  All in all, expect great things from this rejuvenated site.  

Obviously, should have kept my big mouth shut because zooooom, down goes both the Hornet link and even the original (ie Jeremy Rice's) ZoT site.   However, the material in the archive has been saved and is now part of the re-juvenated Internet Music Monitor site.  New articles have been added to the archive since it became part of IMM, and you may even see a familiar face at the maintenance desk :-)

Scream Tracker Tutorial: 

http://www.ovnet.com/~voltz/music.htm

Pirate Pete runs a good, informative site with a more than adequate Scream Tracker tutorial that will certainly get the beginner up and tracking in no time.  A no-nonsense, straight down to it look at the basics of tracking that is well worth a visit if ST3 is your tracker of choice.  This site also hosts several other items of interest, as well as MODs from Pirate Pete himself...

Rubz Tracking Page FT Tutorial: 

http://www.abdn.ac.uk/~u05rjf/tracking/

This site seems to have bitten the cyberdust.  Having exchanged a couple of emails with Rubz about this, he seems to have had problems with his machine and no longer has a copy of it himself.  If any reader happened to save the site information, both Rubz and I would be very interested in hearing from you.

Protocol Music Archive IT Tutorial: 

http://www.netmagic.net/~tenchi/prot-eff.htm

The link above should take you straight to the page about using effects in Impulse Tracker, but don't neglect the rest of this large site.   There's a lot of very relevant information all over this site, including discussions about the differences between MIDI and MOD (always a absm favourite!).  It's also home to Acid, and MOD group Phluid which includes some very famous scene names including Trax Weekly's Psibelius....

MODdocs: 

I was beginning to despair that I'd ever track this file down again. Thanks to Greg K <greg@kruk.prestel.co.uk> it just came in under the wire.  This is an excellent text based, stand alone tutorial for Impulse Tracker.  It's still a little short on detail, but it does improve with each succeeding version (latest is 3.2).  Well worth the 50k download<g>

And that URL went bye bye too…  Sheesh.  If anyone can point me to it's present whereabouts on the net I'd be obliged.  I have my own copy but I'd rather feature the actual website :-(

Trackers Handbook

http://www.united-trackers.org/ is one of the best sites for this little gem from absm poster and tracker, Cools <Matthew Coulson>.  Arguably one of the very best, and eminently readable, tracker tutorials around.  Described (often) in the media as the 'legendary Trackers Handbook' and that ain't far off the mark

There’s also an excellent MODplug Tracker Startup Kit available from the MODplug Central site which includes samples, tutorials etc:

http://www.castlex.com/modplug

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[6.5] CD-ROMs

Like most areas of the MOD scene, distributing MODs by CD-ROM have Undergone a sea change.  With the introduction of affordable read-write CD-ROM technology,  the whole world and his tracking brother are releasing CD's of their material.   Certainly the major MOD sites Aminet, cd-rom, Hornet, KFMF and others are actively marketing and still selling CD's (although Maelcum's note casts some doubt on how many - see [6.4] WWW).  In the original FAQ, jester mentioned Aminet and several other sources, and I resolved to check them out:

Aminet has this on the website about CD sales:

- Aminet-on-disk. You can order single Aminet files (3 DM per disk)   or per-directory subscriptions (2 DM per disk) from Martin Schulze, Parkstr. 14,  66806 Ensdorf, Germany.  Phone: +49 (0) 6831 506171,
  email masc@coli.uni-sb.de . Send 3 DM in stamps or $2 to get an index disk with instructions.

  Aminet-on-disk is available on Amiga-Floppy (880k: 3DM, 1.76MB: 5DM),
  SyQuest 88/105/270MB and 128MB-Magneto-Optical. (DM 0.40 per Megabyte  without media costs)

I'm not sure whether they still do the numbered CD system jester describes below but I would imagine so.  Jester wrote this description in the original FAQ:

Aminet CD 
* Contains 330 MB of software 230 MB of mods, 100 MB of top downloads consisting   of 1700 mods, 1600
  utilities, 250 games, 100 demos and 80 animations.
* Availability: shipping (whatever that means - jester)
* Available in two versions, Aminet Gold and Aminet Share. The higher priced version includes a donation to   
   the otherwise unpaid makers of the CD, the lower one doesn't (donations are still accepted).
* Compatible with all Amigas including CDTV/A570. Not compatible with CD32 plus Communicator. Compatible with CD32 plus SX1. Compatible with all Amiga OS versions for the access software. Compatible with all operating systems,   except some MS-DOS CD-ROM file systems that can't handle mixed case filenames.

The Aminet website: http://www.germany.aminet.org/aminet/dirs/aminet/disk/cdrom/
has all of the previous Aminet CD's listed and indexes of what's on the disks so I'd say the system still holds true.  Go over there for ordering information.

There is also a comprehensive list of PC scene CDROMs and other information located at http://www.hornet.org/info/cds

Since all of the other CD's mentioned in the original FAQ featured snailmail addresses and telephone numbers, I would have imagined they had long stopped trading.  If you know different and you issue MOD CD-ROM's (ie not a tracker operation) please get in touch and let me know.

On that subject, take a troll over to the Maz Sound Page http://www.th-zwickau.de/~maz/ and take a look at some of the excellent CDs on sale there including sample CD's AND Maz's own Tracked Worx CD's.

A word of caution.  There are plenty of people out there hawking 'so-called' MOD anthologies.  Do be careful when buying stuff like this.  The chances are that you'll end up with a CD-ROM full of crap tracks and not a lot else.   Suppport the scene by buying your MODs within it.  If you like an artist/group so much you download their entire catalogue for your listening pleasure, pay them the respect of buying a CD from them too.  One hand washes the other...

==============================================================================

[7] Distributing Mods

When you're sick of listening to other people's creations, have mastered a tracker and finally come up with something you consider brilliant or at least good enough for other people to enjoy, you want to spread it.  Or at least foist it onto a completely unsuspecting John Q Public :-)   Well, let's show you some foisting tech talk then eh? 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

[7.0.1] Compression

Thanks to Rich La Bonte <flatrich@aol.com> for suggestions concerning this section.

It is always a good idea to compress a module before you distribute it. Especially when using tele-communications systems (i.e. telephone lines or networks), data compression can reduce a lot of transmission time and bandwidth. The two main archivers used in compressing mods are LHA/LHarc and
PKZIP. LHA is used mainly on Amigas, but compatible archivers/dearchivers exist on just about any platform. The same goes for the MS-DOS originated PKZIP. Other archivers may perform better compression, but aren't a good choice if you want your file to be decodable by as many people as possible.

Note though that even though LHA/LHarc's archiving is generally compatible across platforms, users should be aware of the limitations of other systems.

While flipped orders of filename and extension is rather easy to fix and is not a problem (by which I want to express that I discourage discussions about efficiencies and deficiencies of the various platforms), there are several incompatibilities which hinder distribution.

LHA/LHarc for Amiga can store attributes that prevent MS-DOS LHA from dearchiving the files contained. A filename beginning with a period has the same effect, as MS-DOS uses the period to symbolize the current directory only. Mac files include a header containing a resource and a data fork. The resource fork is absolutely Mac-specific and is incompatible with any other system (AFAIK).

Netiquette still ensures that most Usenet postings are compressed in some form.  LHA, ZIP, ARJ, SIT are the predominant varieties but you will find others around (RAR for example is fairly new).  Most decent MOD sites will give you options on where to download compression tools from but just in case you want it *NOW*!!  Do a web search using any of the archive extensions and 'compression(ie .zip, .lha, .rar compression) and you should find the program quickly enough

NOTE: An Iomega 'Zip' drive and a PKZIP file are very different methods of  file compression.  The so called 'ZIP Drive' is a piece of hardware, PKzip and PKunZip are software from PKware: 

http://www.pkware.com/

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[7.1] Usenet Posting (to a.b.s.mods)

jester wrote the following in the original FAQ.  I assume that this information will still be relevant for some USenet members...

This being the FAQ for the group, it is natural that postings to it should find a place here. Usenet poses some difficulties concerning the transmission of binary data, as mods are. Only 7-bit ASCII is transmitted, while binaries are 8-bit files. This means that mods need to be encoded before they can be posted to Usenet. There are several encoding methods, the most common being uuencoding. Others include MIME, XX and a few others, but these are not recommended (you want as many people as possible to hear your creations, don't you?). Don't even attempt to post a binary to usenet without having encoded it to ASCII.

Use of encoding methods other than uuencoding is strongly discouraged.

Uuencoding is the de-facto Usenet standard and tools exist to deal with it on virtually all platforms, while other standards, while perhaps being better in some respects, are bound to cause problems for a lot of users.  Another problem is that some news servers don't read more than a certain amount of lines in usenet postings. This is why most posts are split into 'small' chunks. A maximum of 1000 lines seems sensible (this is roughly 64 KBytes).

It is considered good netiquette and STRONGLY RECOMMENDED to supply a part zero of howevermany including a description of the posted file. I hereby declare the following as the FAQ-standard part zero for a.b.s.mods: 

- example cut here - - - - - - - - - - -
FILE NAME: example.mod
SONG NAME: The exemplary Song
ARCHIVE: PkZip 2.04g
MOD TYPE: 8CHN
COMPOSER: Nobody
METHOD: Original
MUSICAL STYLE: ambient deep techno house
POSTER: Nobody too <nobody@nothing.not>
UPLOADED TO: ftp.cdrom.com/pub/demos/music/incoming/example.zip
COMMENTS: This is just an example
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -cut here-

Explanation of the above:

- FILE NAME: This is pretty clear. I suggest the original mod's extension be stated, as the archiver is stated  
further down.

- SONG NAME: The name given to the song in the mod's songname field. Or the full name of the song if that
field didn't suffice (example: "I'm gonna be infectious" by Romeo Knight)

-	ARCHIVE: The name of the archiver used. Only LHA/Lharc and PkZip and compatible programs are encouraged. It is important to specify the version number here.

- MOD TYPE: The exact mod type. MOD is not exact! See section 2 for a list of exact mod type definitions.

- COMPOSER: The person who made the mod, if known.

- METHOD: The method with which the mod was made. There are four categories here, Original, Conversion, Transcribed and Sampled.
+ An Original is any original composition, music that originated in a mod
    		type. Pieces originated in one mod type and then transferred to another
    		also qualify for this term.
  		+ A Conversion is a composition that has been converted from another type 
of music format (e.g. MIDI, ROL, CMF) to a mod type format. Slight re-edits
    		of the mod file are still to be considered Conversions.
  		+ A Transcribed mod is a transcription of music that originated in a
    		non-computer form, such as sheet music or as music on CDs and/or
    		cassettes.
  		+ Sampled mods are pieces of music strung together in a mod format by
    		sampling parts of a song (usually from CD or cassette) and playing them at
    		a constant speed.

- MUSICAL STYLE: A rough approximation of the style the song is in. No attempt should be made to try to fill this entry out exactly, as it just isn't absolutely possible. However, an estimation of the style should be supplied, as this is possible in most cases.

- POSTER: This is you. Your name and/or handle and/or email address should go here.

- UPLOADED TO: Where else the mod is available, per ftp for example.

- COMMENTS: Write anything you feel should be said about your posting and/or its contents here.

Use subject lines that include the filename of your posting and the part number, the latter either in brackets (recommended) or in the form "part x of y".  If you feel like it, put a very short description in the subject line.
However, if you follow this guideline, a subject line saying simply "EXAMPLE.abc (x/y)" should suffice.

The above example would have the following subjects, assuming that the uuencoded data took four parts:
Subject: EXAMPLE.MOD (0/4)
Subject: EXAMPLE.MOD (1/4)
Subject: EXAMPLE.MOD (2/4)
Subject: EXAMPLE.MOD (3/4)
Subject: EXAMPLE.MOD (4/4)

Although a lot of ISPs still have the kinds of limits jester describes, most posts onto absm are more often in one large zipfile, and have been for a couple of years now.  Usually, it's a two part message ie 00/01 where 01 is the zipfile and 00 is the comments page jester mentions.  I tend to agree with the general efficiency of this method because there was nothing more frustrating than trying to tie a MOD together that came in 12 parts!!

The last time I saw a multi-part posting was about a year and a half ago, and the poster got roundly flamed for doing so!  However, if that is your only method of uploading, I'm sure if you explain it in a text introduction, most newsgroup regulars would cut you some slack.  However, most ISPs do have larger Usenet feeds these days so it's not unusual to see a 1.7MB MOD in one part, in fact its become a de facto standard almost everywhere.  

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[7.2] FTP Uploads

Most of the ftp servers you can download mods from will accept uploads too.

These usually go in an /incoming directory somewhere. Be sure to upload a text file with a short description (similar to part zero in section 7.1) along with the mod. Also remember to specify 'bin' for binary transfer, or your mod might be transmitted as a 7-bit file, thereby completely corrupting it. Making an announcement in a.b.s.mods about your upload will most probably be welcome.

See the section [6.1] FTP for lists of FTP servers.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[7.3] BBS Uploads

Sounds terribly dumb I know, but if you managed to download something from a  BBS, you probably know how to upload something too. The process is very similar to uploading and downloading on the Internet.  Once again, the BBS scene is thriving and is always a good source of MOD related bits and bobs.  Scour the computer mags you read for new sites near you...  They can often be a cheap way of gaining almost full Internet access for a fraction of the regular ISP charge...

==============================================================================

 [8] Other MOD services

Since it's inception the absm FAQ has served as a reference for all things MOD, but this now really has to be stretched a little to cover the new ways the web has given us to communicate with each other.  Lots of MOD sites now carry their own Java chat rooms, IRC is awash with #trax clones, many sites have newsgroup type thread conversations (usually called forums or bulletin boards) and almost everyone I know uses ICQ.  This section, then, will cover all these developments.  If you feel something you do fits into this category, please email me with information and I'll come over and take a look at it.

==============================================================================

 [8.1] MOD Chat

Listing every web site that has a MOD chat room would be almost as impossible as listing every MOD web site.  Instead, Let's just take a look at the two *main* areas that people meet to talk face to face.  The primary source has always been IRC in general and #trax in particular.  This method (although still
boasting millions of users) has been joined in the last couple of years by Java chat rooms and the ICQ network.

A word of caution: If netiquette is important when posting onto a newsgroup, it becomes crucial when chatting online.  Most new users tend to go a little crazy when they first discover net chatting, and just blurt out whatever comes into their heads.  Chatting is most definitely a medium where a little thought about what you are saying goes a long, long way.  In the various places I am about to describe you are going to meet some famous folks on the scene.  Remember above all, that these people are also some of the busiest people around, and consequently it's best that you don't waste their time in idle chatter.  Most of us just don't have the time for it.  Although most trackers I know will join in conversations of interest, they really don't have the time to just pass the time of day.   

Remember also that the have heard all the normal tracking conversations a million times, and they are probably not interested in what you consider the merits of this tracker or that.  I would advise you to watch the conversation and - when you feel you have something to say - say it as best you can.  If you make some valid or interesting points, people will start to approach you with 'private' chats (ie off channel, one on one) and this is where the real action takes place.  Mostly, wait to be approached unless you have a specific question for someone else on that channel, then ask them if they will respond to a question.  Mostly they will ask you what you need.

* IRC 

#trax is still the number 1 IRC channel for serious trackers and you will definitely be seeing some very famous names in there.  It's moved around a lot over the past few years, but it's now at scenenet.  There are several servers to choose from, including irc.kosmic.org, irc.groove.org, irc.spin.org, and irc.demoscene.net - all will lead you eventually to #trax. If all else fails log into
any ircnet site and join #trax.  

There are a few other #trax dotted around the IRC universe, none of them are the original (and best) #trax unless it is on one of the above servers.

On DALnet there's also a couple of channels worth checking out #ssoft and #square - compo's and MOD trackers where I've had some very interesting tracking conversations.  Dialling into any DALnet server should get you these two channels, and a few others that come up.  Try #mod_musicians for example, or #traxinspace etc…

I'm *certain* there are more channels than the ones mentioned, so if you know of anymore, email me and let me know.

If none of the above makes any sense to you, point your browser at:

http://www.mirc.co.uk

and learn all about the essential piece of IRC kit, mIRC.

* ICQ (I Seek You?  Gedditt?....Doh!)

	Almost a direct descendant of IRC, ICQ takes the whole 'hi there!' routine 
	onto another plain. Looking and acting suspiciously like AOL's 'Buddy List' feature, 
	installing ICQ will instantly put you in touch with your net neighbours.  When you are 
online, you can see who else is on line with you - all 20+ million of 'em (at the present 
ICQ count) if ya want!.  Then you can pester them with annoying questions, invite them 
into mindless chat for hours or even send them files of your latest opus!  Sounds like fun, 
eh?  Most of the people I know on the scene now have ICQ, and certainly the most active 
members of the absm newsgroup all use it.   You can get it at:

http://www.icq.com/

* JAVA Chat

	I know there are many sites that have MOD related chat rooms but there 	very rarely appears to be
anyone in them.  That may be due to my own weird work schedule, or because no-one actually 
*uses* this facility.  If anyone knows any different, I'd be more than happy to feature it.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[8.2] NEWS/Ezines

Most MOD people know about Trax Weekly, and maybe Signals, but if you look 
around there are plenty of e-zines, newsletters and the like on the subject.  

That's what I wrote in 1998, but time rolls on and TW hasn't appeared in all that time.  Once again, I blame it one the curse of MODFAQ :-)   It has been sort of replaced by another excellent e-zine from Coplan called Static Line.

* Static Line

I nicked this snippet…

Subscribing to the Static Line mailing list is simple.  Using your preferred e-mail account, 
send an e-mail message to majordomo@kosmic.org.  In the message text, include the 
following command:  "subscribe static_line".  If you complete this part correctly, you will 
receive a message with instructions on how to confirm your application to the mailing list.  
Follow the instructions carefully, and you're set.  Good luck, we'll see you soon. 

http://www.ic.i7.net/statline

It's a good MOD read though, so grab it while TW wanders the wilderness..

* Trax Weekly

This has been a staple on the scene  since 1995, and is still required reading for anyone
with a serious interest in what's happening. Psibelius, however decided he'd had enough and at this moment the 'zine is no longer available.  All the back copies are still available though, and I can't recommend them highly enough. TraxWeekly is available via WWW from: www.hornet.org, under section "Information" and subsection "TraxWeekly."

Our old friend The Hornet Archive also keeps TW as well as loads of other scene related e-zines at: 

http://www.hornet.org/info

But I'd either expect these to end up on scene.org or on ftp.cdrom.com.

Once again, there will be many more ezines out there, any and all information on this subject is most appreciated.

==============================================================================

[9] Soft Synths/Tracking addons

A new section for this FAQ features software that is featuring more and more in the tracking scene, soft synths and their associated fans.   Softsynth is a name coined for software that generates it’s own musical tones, but is applied to all kinds of software.  Softsynth for example can cover tracker like software like Buzz or AXS or it can be soundcard software such as Yamaha’s Sondius.   I wouldn’t, for example call D-Lusion Drumstation a softsynth, I’d call it a drum machine or a drum sequencer.  See what I mean?  We’ll try and make things a *little* clearer as we go along…..hopefully….

Special thanks to wOOd of Acid Demons lars@acid.demon.nl for the chapters devoted to his favourite toy…Rebirth….who says it far better than I could ever do… :-)  Why a special place just for Rebirth?  Well, it holds a special place in introducing us all into the new world :-)  Respect due, I say…

==============================================================================

[9.1]  Softsynths in General

Since the advent of modern, fast computers, more and more softsynths have emerged. Some, like Rebirth, try to emulate a certain hardware synthesizer - others are just a digitized version of a generic analog
synth: oscillators, LFO's and other parts you'd expect in a pre-FM and pre-sampling era musical instrument. The funny thing is that most softsynths recreate the same elements, and still don't sound alike. Somehow, the approach that programmers take makes for a totally unique and independent sound. 

So, this is what softsynths do: they try to capture the elements of a real, physical synthesizer in software. Rebirth was made to mimic the TB-303. Most others don't set out to sound like a particular synth, but can be made to sound very TB-like. Another cool thing about softsynths is that programmers can put in cool stuff like distortion, delay effects and so on.. without increasing the cost of the program. In hardware terms, every addition would mean an increase in manufacturing cost. This is the big advantage softsynths have over
hardware - price.

The downside (and I'm talking my personal experience here) is that softsynth do have the same peakvalue. What I mean by that is, that compared to 'real' oscillators every softsynth levels out at approximately the same area - really high dog whistle sounds can't be had with ANY softsynth. But don't worry, you don't get them from $$$ analog modelling synths either. Er, analog modelling - wazzad? Well, it's basically the same as a softsynth, except the synth has been put into it's own proprietary box (e.g. a keyboard with knobs). The
softsynth inside such a keyboard does basically the same, emulating analog oscillators and LFO's. But because hardware's involved, such instruments tend to be very expensive. So we'll just forget about
those.

Softsynths are an inexpensive way to make music or to create useable instruments. Some very cool softsynths are actually FREE! We'll be looking at some and provide you with URL's to try 'm out for yourself.
Read on! 

[9.2] Tracker Softsynths

* Buzz 1.04 (2662 KBytes) by Oskari Tammelin

There’s been an ongoing debate on absm since Buzz first made it’s appearance about whether this was the new face of tracking, and it certainly has the hallmarks of such a thing.  A strange hybrid of external software (called machines) is the basis for real innovation for Buzz and where most attention has been centred.  It isn’t an easy interface IMO but there are plenty of people out there who’d shout that opinion down, and rightly so.  If you get into it, as many have, some of the things you can do with it are pretty amazing… The range of machines is growing by the day too…

	http://sorry.vse.cz/maz/synths.html
	http://www.buzz.scene.org/

* AXS 2.02  by NewStyle

Maz says: it's a software based multi-channel multi-voice multi-timbral Physical Modelling Synthesizer (.. :) )

Can’t argue with that!  It supports SB16/AWE or GUS Classic and saves audio to WAV file ,full MIDI implementation, external MIDI IN support GUS, SB and COM-port, you have access to 4 different channels/instruments via MIDI  VESA 2.0 with linear frame buffer (LFB) support for the 640x480x256 videomode 

	http://sorry.vse.cz/maz/synths.html
	
Definitely worth taking a look at both programs because, sooner or later, all trackers will look like this :-)

[9.3] Rebirth RB-338

When it comes to software synthesizers, one of the most renowned programs is Rebirth RB-338. Designed by Swedish Propellerhead software, Rebirth is specifically geared towards emulating an out-of-production bass-synthesizer: the Roland Transistor Bassline 303, or TB-303. 

* TB-303 history
A small history lesson on the TB-303: Launched in 1981, the original TB-303 soon turned out a failure - in that it did not sound like a real bassplayer, for which it was intended. Secondly it was rather difficult to program. The built-in step-sequencer was very restrictive and rigid. In a maximum of 16 'steps' (or less) you could play notes over a two octave range and assign each note a maximum of three functions: down or up, (no) accent or (no) slide. A step could also be
assigned a rest. 

It was promply forgotten until in 1987 DJ Pierre dusted it off, and used the TB-303 in a track, the mother of acid music: Acid Trax (Herbert J / N Jones / Spanky - Published by Sanlar Publishing /
Leosong). Since only about 20,000 were built during the production run of the TB-303 (and a number of machines is thought to have been lost through time, wear and tear and accidents), the number of TB-303's out there is relatively low. This has pushed prices of the instrument to a
ridiculous height - and out of the reach of you and me, basically.

* Rebirth
Enter Propellerhead software (PHS). Next to a staggering amount of hardware TB-303 clones by numerous companies, PHS created the worlds-first software TB-303 emulator. If you don't have it, you can get a free demo from the PHS website: 

http://www.propellerheads.se

Pricing details tend to change with versions, to check on the site for accurate information. Version 2.0.1 is the latest version (March 1999). The new version includes some soundtweaking on the TB-303 sound and a very good rendition of the TR-909 drum machine.

[9.4] Softsynth/sequencers/others

The place is absolutely awash with the things :-)  Almost as soon as I started researching some of the links I’d gathered I built up the following list:

			Acid (the Steinberg version)
			Audio Architect 
FruityLoops Pro 
Fruity Tracks
NovaStation 
PhyMod 
Generator
Reality 
Stomper 
Mellosoftron 
VAZ 
Orangator 

And that’s just a small list I could dig out, being as ruthless as possible over what is/is not a softsynth.  Tons, eh?  Here’s what’s on the MAZ Sound Softsynth Mirror at:

http://sorry.vse.cz/maz/synths.html

Buzz 1.04** 
AXS 2.02 (Demo)
BitHeadz Retro AS-1
Signum's 1100 DX (sampler)
Simsynth 1.3 
Smorphi 3.0**
Stomper Ultra++ 3.0b 
Sound Fx 1.5 
Defractor 0.97 
CSound 3.46 
VAZ 1.5** 
RubberDuck H3o+ 2.04** 
Orangator 2.b** 
Bass64 
FruityLoops 1.40**
Fruity Tracks**
Hammerhead 1.0**
DrumStation 1.04**
seq-303 2.019** 

Some list eh, and a really GREAT page on the whole range of softsynths.  I’ve personally tried and recommend all the items on the list marked with a **, but don’t take my word for it, dive in and try some for yourselves…

Here’s some other good softsynth starting places…

http://www.harmony-central.com/Software/Windows/software_synthesizers.html

http://www.software-technology.com - VAZ

http://www.native-instruments.de  - Generator

http://www.synthzone.com/softsyn.htm  – another  excellent softsynth site...

==============================================================================

Appendix A: Original Contributors and Credits

This FAQ was maintained and mainly written by jester (Tobias Reckhard) <jester@fmr.maschinenbau.tu-darmstadt.de> during 1994-1997.  His thanks go to (in no particular order):

Harald Zappe                 		Todd Walsh                    Barry Nathan
Matt Behrens (Zigg)          	Dan Nicholson                Rich "Akira" Pizor
Jens Puchert (Jensi)         	Jason M. Spangler          Aaron J. Luz
Dave Wach                    		Matthew E. Centurion (Mashoe) Dan
John Roland                  		Christian Stieber             Steven Innell
Tim Fries (Frenchy)          	Rich La Bonte                 Heikki Kantola
Lyman Green                  	Sir Fitz                      	Ryan Kyle
Henry Huang                  	Jeffrey L. Hayes        	Eric Lowe
Peter F. Handel              	Andreas Schiffler

The updates/new additions were maintained and compiled by Steve Gilmore rebriffr@netcomuk.co.uk with the aid and unflagging assistance of these absm stalwarts:

Hugh Hulme <hugh.hulme@virgin.net>
Martin Hall (Pleonist) <M.J.Hall@btinternet.com>
Matthias Inghe (Ming) <mattias.inghe@mailbox.swipnet.se>
M. Linus Larsen<linus.larsen@mbox200.swipnet.se>
Carsten Stiller <carsten.stiller@rz.tu-ilmenau.de
Glen Warner <gdwarner@ricochet.net>
Chris (of The Clones)<clones@earthlink.net>
wOOd of Acid Demons <lars@acid.demon.nl>
Zola of Trax In Space < zola@capeonramp.com>
James Smith < jimsmith@zetnet.co.uk>
Yannick Delwiche <madhouse@skynet.be>
Kim Kraft <mrx@castlex.com>

All regulars from UT's Bulletin Board and all posters on absm/amm

A special thanks to Sam, who delivered this beast in all weathers and watched over it's safety at a critical time.
==============================================================================

Appendix B: Common Properties of Module File Formats

They're all chunks of bytes. Heh heh. ;) OK, seriously now.

All mod files contain a header identifying the file and its format. It also mentions song name and number of patterns in the song. The header is usually followed by the pattern and sequencing information. Finally, the file also contains the sample data. This usually takes up most of the space in a mod.  With today's file formats advancing more and more, those are just about all the common properties worth mentioning, IMHO. For further information on particular mod types, refer to the format description. This is usually found
in the same archive as the tracker it is connected to. You can also check some of the audio information sites we covered in the Samples sections..

==============================================================================

Appendix C: Table of Note Frequencies

Use this to calculate sampling rates for mistuned instruments. For example, if you have an instrument at 8363Hz that plays an A-2 but you want it to play a C-2, the appropriate sampling rate is 8363 * 261.7 / 440 Hz = 4974 Hz   All values are given in Hz.

(supplied by Chris Craig, author of GoldWave)

C  - 261.7    E  - 329.6    G# - 415.3
C# - 277.2    F  - 349.2    A  - 440.0
D  - 293.7    F# - 370.0    A# - 466.2
D# - 311.1    G  - 392.0    B  - 493.9

Bear in mind that doubling the sampling rate raises a sound by one octave, halving the rate lowers the note by one octave.

==============================================================================

Appendix D: Overview of Effects Used in Digital Music Modules

This section supplied by Jens Puchert.

The following covers all ProTracker and ScreamTracker 3 effects.  The effect commands are given for ProTracker first, and then for Scream Tracker.  Fast-, Take-, and MultiTracker also use the ProTracker
command set.  The parameters are given as "x", "xx", or "xy".  "x" means there's a single parater for this effect.  "xx" means there's a single parameter composed of two digits.  "xy" means there are two independent parameters for this effect.

                                				PT effect      S3M effect
1. Effects that change the pitch of the currently playing note

* Arpeggio                      					0xy             Jxy
* Portamento Up/Down            				1xx/2xx	      Fxx/Exx
* Fine Portamento Up/Down       				E1x/E2x     FFx/EFx
* Extra Fine Portamento Up/Down    -            		FEx/EEx
* Portamento To Note            				3xx             Gxx
* Vibrato                       					4xy             Hxy

2. Effects that change the volume or pan position of one or more channels

* Set Volume                    				Cxx             <vol. column>
* Volume Slide                  				Axy             Dxy
* Fine Volume Up/Down           				EAx/EBx     DxF/DFx
* Set Global Volume             -               			Vxy		
* Set Panning (finesteps)       				8xx             Xxx
* Set Panning                   				E8x             S8x
* Stereo Control                -               			SAx
* Tremolo                       					7xy             Rxy
* Tremor                        -               			Ixy

3. Effects to influence flow control and speed

* Set Speed                     				Fxx (x < 20h)   Axx
* Set Tempo                     				Fxx (x > 1Fh)   Txx
* Pattern Break                 				Dxx             Cxx
* Pattern Jump                  				Bxx             Bxx
* Pattern Loop                  				E6x             SBx
* Pattern Delay                 				EEx             SEx

4. Miscellaneous effects to influence playback of a single note

* Set Finetune                  				E5x             S2x
* Sample Offset                 				9xx             Oxx
* Regrigger Note                				E9x             Q0x
* Cut Note                      					ECx             SCx
* Note Delay                    				EDx             SDx
* Invert Loop                   				EFx             SFx

5. Miscellaneous effects to set global variables

* Set Filter                    					E0x             S0x
* Glissando Control             				E3x             S1x
* Vibrato Waveform              				E4x             S3x
* Tremolo Waveform              				E7x             S4x

6. Combinations of other effects

* Portamento + Volume Slide     				5xy             Lxy
* Vibrato + Volume Slide        				6xy             Kxy
* Retrigger + Volume Slide      -               			Qxy

==============================================================================

Appendix E: Using Archie

Written by Tobias Reckhard (jester) on 2 Mar 98 for the FAQ for alt.binaries.sounds.mods.

1. What is Archie?
2. How can I use Archie?
2.1 Archie clients
2.2 Web Archie access
2.3 Telnet Archie access
2.4 Archie by Email
3. Table/List of Archie servers worldwide
4. Resources/References

1. What is Archie?

Archie is a service to help find files on FTP servers in the Internet. Archie servers maintain databases about FTP servers around the world, which they continually scan to update their databases. Because the resources necessary to maintain an Archie server for the Internet are immense, there are only realitively few of them in the World (see section 3 for a list). The quality, i.e. reliability and up-to-datedness of the  information of the different Archie servers vary, depending somewhat on their geographic location. An Archie
server typically knows a lot about the FTP servers close to it, less about far away sites. This means the Archie server closest to you may not find the particular file you're looking for because it doesn't exist on an FTP server in your country or neighbouring countries. Should this be the case then move on to the next server close to you. You probably shouldn't begin with very remote servers because their responses will be rather slow and they will answer your request largely with remote sites, which means slower downloads than from near sites too.

It is important to note that Archie servers monitor only FTP sites, not the Web. However, should you be using the Web, you're probably familiar with the numerous Web search engines. 

2. How can I use Archie?

There are four ways to access Archie, direct access using an Archie client, access via World Wide Web pages, access by a Telnet interface and access by email.

2.1 Archie clients

Archie clients use the Archie protocol (defined in RFC xxxx) to communicate with Archie servers in their native language. See section 4 below for links to pages with Archie clients. Unix users with X-Windows have the xarchie program at their disposal.

The modes of operation of the clients are program-specific, preventing a detailed description. In general, you will be able to specify an Archie server to use and input a search string that the server is to be queried for. You will probably also be able to select how your input string will be matched with database entries. There are seven possibilities concerning this 'search type', judging from xarchie, at least, them being exact, substring, subcase, regular expression (regexp), as well as 'exact' variants of the latter three. Exact mode is the fastest search method of all. The restriction is that the user string has to match the string in the database exactly, including case.  

This is for those people who know exactly what they are looking for. An example might be "fm-systm.zip".

Substring (case insensitive) mode means a simple, everyday substring search. A match occurs if the the file (or directory) name in the database contains the user-given substring. For example, "is" will match "islington" and "this" and "poison".

Subcase is the case sensitive companion to substring mode. "TeX" will match "LaTeX", but not "Latex" or "TExTroff". 

Regular expression mode gives you the power to use regular expressions in your search strings. They are a topic of their own, however, and I have not mastered their art fully yet (fully? Hah! I know a *bit* about them). They resemble the common concept of wildcards used to specify parts of filenames, but are more
complex and thus powerful.

The exact variants indicate a stepping approach to the search process. In a first pass, exact mode is used. If no matches are found, the second mode specified is used. For example, in exact substring mode, should the exact search fail, a second search pass will be performed, using substring mode.

2.2 Web Archie access

Many sites now offer Web interfaces to Archie servers. See The list in section 3 or one of the Archie server lists mentioned in section 4 for specific URLs. There are two types of Web interfaces, the ones with forms and the ones with-out them. The form interfaces are fairly intuitive and straightforward to use, you are supplied with entries for the search string, the type of search (see 2.1 on this) and the Archie server to be used, to name the most important points. The formless interfaces look rather bland, from what I can tell you
are only prompted for a search string and that's it.

2.3 Telnet Archie access

You can use the Telnet protocol to access Archie servers too. Telnet is an Internet protocol (i.e. based on TCP/IP) to login to remote hosts across the net. Unices have always offered Telnet clients, Windows 95 has one too. The operation is pretty simple, you supply your Telnet client the host you wish to telnet to and login on that host. If you're connecting to an Archie server, it will tell you in an opening screen which name to use to login. Since the individual servers differ in their commands, I will not even attempt an explanation here. You're probably best off issuing the command 'help' or '?', which should give you a list of available commands with the option of specifying one of them to aquire help on it. Or it will at least tell you what to
do in order to receive an explanation of the usage of the interface.

A last remark: the resources in section 3 give addresses in the form of 'somebody@somewhere.on.the.net'. These are email addresses, not Telnet! Use only the host part of the address, i.e. everything trailing the '@' in your Telnet connection.

2.4 Archie by Email

This is handy for people who either don't have Web access or want their information in a storable fashion (not like a Telnet session). Email Archie clients work much like listservers for mailing lists. They parse commands sent to them by email, either in the subject line or the body of the message (or both), and respond by sending out emails themselves. As with Telnet, the actual commands depend on the server software and vary, so I won't go into an explanation. Again, it's best to send an email to the site you're interested in, specifying only the word 'help' in the subject line and on the first line in the body of the message. Be sure to send pure ASCII, I doubt any of the servers understand HTML email. You should receive an email describing how to use the server rather soon. From my experience, Archie and FTP by email are very reliable (of course, for FTP your mail account has to be large enough).

3. List of Archie servers

Source: http://www2.ebtech.net/~mckeage/Archie.html. Look there for up to date information.

Continent     | Access| Address     | Location     | Type  |    | Country /  |C|T|W|E|         | State / Org.
--------------+-------+---------------------------------------+--------------
North America | |x| |x| archie@archie.unl.edu                 | Nebraska
              | |x| |x| archie@archie.internic.net            | New Jersey
              | |x| |x| archie@archie.rutgers.edu             | New Jersey
              | |x| |x| archie@archie.ans.net                 | New York
              | |x| |x| archie@archie.sura.net                | Maryland
              | |x| |x| archie@archie.uqam.ca                 | Canada
              | |x| |x| archie@archie.cs.mcgill.ca            | Canada
              | | |x| | http://www.lerc.nasa.gov/archieplex/  | NASA
              | | |x| | http://www.amdahl.com/internet/archieplex/
              | | |x| | http://www.csbsju.edu/archie.html     | CSB/SJU
              | | |x| | http://archie.rutgers.edu/archie.html | Rutgers Univ.
              | | |x| | http://www.aros.net/gateways/archie_gateway.html
Europe        | |x| |x| archie@archie.edvz.uni-linz.ac.at     | Austria
              | |x| |x| archie@archie.univie.ac.at            | Austria
              | |x| |x| archie@archie.funet.fi                | Finland
              | |x| |x| archie@archie.univ-rennes1.fr         | France
              | |x| |x| archie@archie.tu-darmstadt.de         | Germany
              | |x| |x| archie@archie.unipi.it                | Italy
              | |x| |x| archie@archie.uninett.no              | Norway
              | |x| |x| archie@archie.rediris.es              | Spain
              | |x| |x| archie@archie.luth.se                 | Sweden
              | |x| |x| archie@archie.switch.ch               | Switzerland
              | |x| |x| archie@archie.doc.ic.ac.uk            | United Kingdom
              | |x| |x| archie@archie.hensa.ac.uk             | United Kingdom
              | | |x| | http://src.doc.ic.ac.uk/archieplexform.html

Note: All of the sites mentioned should be accessible with native Archie clients.

Ack, no! Look at http://www2.ebtech.net/~mckeage/Archie.html for the rest. I like ASCII tables, but this is turning into real work!

4. Resources / References

See http://cws.avalon.nf.ca/32ftp-reviews.html for a review list of FTP and Archie clients (Windows only, it seems).

http://io.fullcoll.edu/gbennett/Internet/slides/introJ.html offers a brief description of Archie, a link to a form-based server and two links to lists of Archie servers.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Appendix F: Calculating Note Frequencies

While working on this FAQ, jester had this conversation on absm:

Dj HeaVY C < craiga@cs.rmit.edu.au >wrote:
> 
> Hopefully there'll be a soul out there who will be able to give us a hand...
> 
> I remember reading somewhere about a formula that allowed you to change a
> note to another note (e.g. change a D to a C) but I can't remember where it
> was or anything about it. I know that doubling or halving the frequency of
> a sound moves it up or down an octave, but I remember seeing a formula
> somewhere to change the note...
> 
> If you can, please help me out. Just think about all the good karma it'll give
> you...

I'd worked it out four years ago and written a program to give me every audible note's frequency, but the computer that's on is at home -- so let's work it out here, shall we?

OK, you've already said yourself that doubling the frequency raises the note by an octave. This means that if we plot the frequency over the notes and octaves, we're going to get something looking like a square function, i.e. something like f(x) = a x^2 + b. If we use a logarithmic base 2 scale on the Y-axis (that's f(x)), the graph will look linear.

Now let's see.. A is our reference point, at 440Hz, the next one being at 880Hz. log2(440) = log(440) / log(2) = 8.78 ;  log2(880) = 9.78 Hah! Cool, exactly one apart (btw, if you want the rest of the decimal places, they're: x.781359713).

Hope you haven't given up, I'll agree that I've been mumbling a bit of stuff w/o making it clear where I'm going. So here it is: Frequencies and notes have a logarithmic (base two) relationship to another. As you can see above, the base 2 logarithm of 880 is exactly that of 440 plus one. 1760 is up by another one, try it. Now, there are twelve notes in an octave, let's count them:

1  2 3  4 5 6  7 8  9 10 11 12
C C# D D# E F F# G G#  A A# B

OK, those are half-notes, but they are the ones that are equally spaced
frequency-wise (logarithmically, of course).

We can divide the range between two A's linearly into twelve equal segments. They are one apart, so each half-note is one twelfth away from the ones next to it. Then we take two to the power of the number we have and we get our note frequency.

Allow me to demonstrate. We're looking for the frequency of the C under the A at 440Hz (that's our reference point). It's nine half-notes further down, so we subtract nine twelfths (three quarters) from 8.781359713, leaving us with 8.031359713. Take two to the power of that, gives us: 261.6255652Hz, which is, btw, correct (one of the frequencies I know by heart from fiddling around with ST3 C4Spds two years ago a lot).

ok, now you can go figure out the rest. Or wait for the FAQ, which will contain this information too.

jester then sent me the following info:

C-0 16.35159783128741 
C#0 17.3239144360545 
D-0 18.35404799483797 
D#0 19.44543648263006 
E-0 20.60172230705437 
F-0 21.82676446456274 
F#0 23.12465141947715 
G-0 24.49971474885933 
G#0 25.95654359874657 
A-0 27.5 
A#0 29.13523509488062 
B-0 30.86770632850776 

C-1 32.70319566257483 
C#1 34.64782887210901 
D-1 36.70809598967595 
D#1 38.89087296526012 
E-1 41.20344461410874 
F-1 43.65352892912549 
F#1 46.2493028389543 
G-1 48.99942949771866 
G#1 51.91308719749314 
A-1 55 
A#1 58.27047018976124 
B-1 61.73541265701552 

C-2 65.40639132514966 
C#2 69.29565774421802 
D-2 73.41619197935189 
D#2 77.78174593052023 
E-2 82.40688922821748 
F-2 87.30705785825097 
F#2 92.4986056779086 
G-2 97.99885899543732 
G#2 103.8261743949863 
A-2 110 
A#2 116.5409403795225 
B-2 123.470825314031 

C-3 130.8127826502993 
C#3 138.591315488436 
D-3 146.8323839587038 
D#3 155.5634918610405 
E-3 164.813778456435 
F-3 174.6141157165019 
F#3 184.9972113558172 
G-3 195.9977179908746 
G#3 207.6523487899726 
A-3 220 
A#3 233.081880759045 
B-3 246.9416506280621 

C-4 261.6255653005986 
C#4 277.1826309768721 
D-4 293.6647679174076 
D#4 311.1269837220809 
E-4 329.6275569128699 
F-4 349.2282314330039 
F#4 369.9944227116344 
G-4 391.9954359817493 
G#4 415.3046975799451 
A-4 440 
A#4 466.1637615180899 
B-4 493.8833012561241 

C-5 523.2511306011972 
C#5 554.3652619537442 
D-5 587.3295358348151 
D#5 622.2539674441618 
E-5 659.2551138257398 
F-5 698.4564628660078 
F#5 739.9888454232688 
G-5 783.9908719634985 
G#5 830.6093951598903 
A-5 880 
A#5 932.3275230361799 
B-5 987.7666025122483 

C-6 1046.502261202394 
C#6 1108.730523907488 
D-6 1174.65907166963 
D#6 1244.507934888324 
E-6 1318.51022765148 
F-6 1396.912925732016 
F#6 1479.977690846538 
G-6 1567.981743926997 
G#6 1661.218790319781 
A-6 1760 
A#6 1864.65504607236 
B-6 1975.533205024497 

C-7 2093.004522404789 
C#7 2217.461047814977 
D-7 2349.318143339261 
D#7 2489.015869776647 
E-7 2637.020455302959 
F-7 2793.825851464031 
F#7 2959.955381693075 
G-7 3135.963487853994 
G#7 3322.437580639561 
A-7 3520 
A#7 3729.310092144719 
B-7 3951.066410048993 

C-8 4186.009044809578 
C#8 4434.922095629953 
D-8 4698.636286678521 
D#8 4978.031739553295 
E-8 5274.040910605919 
F-8 5587.651702928062 
F#8 5919.91076338615 
G-8 6271.926975707988 
G#8 6644.875161279122 
A-8 7040 
A#8 7458.620184289439 
B-8 7902.132820097986 

C-9 8372.018089619156 
C#9 8869.844191259906 
D-9 9397.272573357042 
D#9 9956.06347910659 
E-9 10548.08182121184 
F-9 11175.30340585612 
F#9 11839.8215267723 
G-9 12543.85395141598 
G#9 13289.75032255824 
A-9 14080 
A#9 14917.24036857888 
B-9 15804.26564019597 

C-A 16744.03617923831 
C#A 17739.68838251981 
D-A 18794.54514671408 
D#A 19912.12695821318 
E-A 21096.16364242367 
F-A 22350.60681171225 
F#A 23679.6430535446 
G-A 25087.70790283195 
G#A 26579.50064511649 
A-A 28160 
A#A 29834.48073715776 
B-A 31608.53128039194 
 ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍËÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍËÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍËÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ»
º C-0    16.35160  º  C-1    32.70320  º  C-2    65.40639  º  C-3   130.81278 º
º C#0    17.32391  º  C#1    34.64783  º  C#2    69.29566  º  C#3   138.59132 º
º D-0    18.35405  º  D-1    36.70810  º  D-2    73.41619  º  D-3   146.83238 º
º D#0    19.44544  º  D#1    38.89087  º  D#2    77.78175  º  D#3   155.56349 º
º E-0    20.60172  º  E-1    41.20344  º  E-2    82.40689  º  E-3   164.81378 º
º F-0    21.82676  º  F-1    43.65353  º  F-2    87.30706  º  F-3   174.61412 º
º F#0    23.12465  º  F#1    46.24930  º  F#2    92.49861  º  F#3   184.99721 º
º G-0    24.49971  º  G-1    48.99943  º  G-2    97.99886  º  G-3   195.99772 º
º G#0    25.95654  º  G#1    51.91309  º  G#2   103.82617  º  G#3   207.65235 º
º A-0    27.5      º  A-1    55        º  A-2   110        º  A-3   220       º
º A#0    29.13524  º  A#1    58.27047  º  A#2   116.54094  º  A#3   233.08188 º
º B-0    30.86771  º  B-1    61.73541  º  B-2   123.47083  º  B-3   246.94165 º
ÌÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÎÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÎÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÎÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ¹
º C-4   261.62557  º  C-5   523.25113  º  C-6  1046.50226  º  C-7  2093.00452 º
º C#4   277.18263  º  C#5   554.36526  º  C#6  1108.73052  º  C#7  2217.46105 º
º D-4   293.66477  º  D-5   587.32954  º  D-6  1174.65907  º  D-7  2349.31814 º
º D#4   311.12698  º  D#5   622.25397  º  D#6  1244.50793  º  D#7  2489.01587 º
º E-4   329.62756  º  E-5   659.25511  º  E-6  1318.51023  º  E-7  2637.02046 º
º F-4   349.22823  º  F-5   698.45646  º  F-6  1396.91293  º  F-7  2793.82585 º
º F#4   369.99442  º  F#5   739.98885  º  F#6  1479.97769  º  F#7  2959.95538 º
º G-4   391.99544  º  G-5   783.99087  º  G-6  1567.98174  º  G-7  3135.96349 º
º G#4   415.30470  º  G#5   830.60940  º  G#6  1661.21879  º  G#7  3322.43758 º
º A-4   440        º  A-5   880        º  A-6  1760        º  A-7  3520       º
º A#4   466.16376  º  A#5   932.32752  º  A#6  1864.65505  º  A#7  3729.31009 º
º B-4   493.88330  º  B-5   987.76660  º  B-6  1975.53321  º  B-7  3951.06641 º
ÌÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÎÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÎÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÎÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ1/4
º C-8  4186.00904  º  C-9  8372.01809  º  C-a 16744.03618  º
º C#8  4434.92210  º  C#9  8869.84419  º  C#a 17739.68838  º Base  Frequencies
º D-8  4698.63629  º  D-9  9397.27257  º  D-a 18794.54515  º  of the Notes of
º D#8  4978.03174  º  D#9  9956.06348  º  D#a 19912.12696  º the  Twelve-Note-
º E-8  5274.04091  º  E-9 10548.08182  º  E-a 21096.16364  º      System,
º F-8  5587.65170  º  F-9 11175.30341  º  F-a 22350.60681  º
º F#8  5919.91076  º  F#9 11839.82153  º  F#a 23679.64305  º restricted to the
º G-8  6271.92698  º  G-9 12543.85395  º  G-a 25087.70790  º   Human-Audible
º G#8  6644.87516  º  G#9 13289.75032  º  G#a 26579.50065  º       range
º A-8  7040        º  A-9 14080        º  A-a 28160        º
º A#8  7458.62018  º  A#9 14917.24037  º  A#a 29834.48074  º   n.B.:  a = 10
º B-8  7902.13282  º  B-9 15804.26564  º  B-a 31608.53128  º
ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÊÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÊÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ1/4

END FAQ

Wednesday, March 03, 1999
©  1994/1999 MODFAQ/Steve Gilmore and mentioned contributors.