Any tips on how to get into music production? (specifically with trackers like OpenMPT)

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Any tips on how to get into music production? (specifically with trackers like OpenMPT)

CybrGrl1984

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I've been meaning to get into music production for a while but just can't seem to and I don't know why. The software is probably just confusing for me but I can never manage to figure out how the software works
 
i learned the most abt the openmpt workflow by chopping up breaks. check out the breakcore is not a good way to get laid sample pack if you need some sounds to chop. it's on the forum.
openmpt also has great vst support and you can discover a lot just by fiddling with your freeware synth of your choice.
also have fun manipulating samples with the instruments tab.
all in all just, do it. the openmpt wiki is a fantastic resource, so if you ever want to learn more abt the commands or what openmpt can and can't do read it. i refer back to it almost every project.
but even after tinkering for a while and not getting it, i'd suggest just trying a conventional DAW. fl studio has an infinite fully featured demo. ableton has a 90 day one, reaper a 60 day one, acid pro a 30 day one. (you can also obtain older versions of acid pro through "alternative means" *wink* they work great. 7.0 is what i use)
but yea bottom line just bust out sum jamz
 
i learned the most abt the openmpt workflow by chopping up breaks. check out the breakcore is not a good way to get laid sample pack if you need some sounds to chop. it's on the forum.
openmpt also has great vst support and you can discover a lot just by fiddling with your freeware synth of your choice.
also have fun manipulating samples with the instruments tab.
all in all just, do it. the openmpt wiki is a fantastic resource, so if you ever want to learn more abt the commands or what openmpt can and can't do read it. i refer back to it almost every project.
but even after tinkering for a while and not getting it, i'd suggest just trying a conventional DAW. fl studio has an infinite fully featured demo. ableton has a 90 day one, reaper a 60 day one, acid pro a 30 day one. (you can also obtain older versions of acid pro through "alternative means" *wink* they work great. 7.0 is what i use)
but yea bottom line just bust out sum jamz
oh shit dude thanks! these kind words are greatly appreciated
 
yeah chopping up breaks is the easiest way to learn tracker interface.. breaks + random pad sample = instant epic song


that being said i usually give up once the module gets big enough and export the stems to ableton
 
One cool thing about getting into trackers is that there's a lot of mod files online. It can be fun to download songs from games which used this tech, like Deus Ex or Unreal Tournament, and inspect them. Modarchive.org is a good place to have a look.
 
One cool thing about getting into trackers is that there's a lot of mod files online. It can be fun to download songs from games which used this tech, like Deus Ex or Unreal Tournament, and inspect them. Modarchive.org is a good place to have a look.
absolutely love the Deus Ex ost and I didn't even know it was made on a tracker thanks for the info man
 
One cool thing about getting into trackers is that there's a lot of mod files online. It can be fun to download songs from games which used this tech, like Deus Ex or Unreal Tournament, and inspect them. Modarchive.org is a good place to have a look.
Ooh this appeals to me a lot. I never looked into this sort of thing but being able to analyze songs I know from games I love in their native format is really intriguing. Thanks for posting this link.

try milkytracker, i started with this software and made lots of chiptune trax. no vsts, minimum of automatisation, fucked up limits, everything that i love!
I also started with milkytracker about a decade ago (where does the time go?) but I knew absolutely nothing about music and never made anything good with it. I still had a lot of fun with it though. Might be fun to go back to it and see what I can do with it now.
 
I also use milkytracker. I would say it is a good introduction to trackers since it is very simple (no vst support, just samples). Depending on how you use it, you may want to do the following things to get a better grasp on this software;
- look at mods on modarchive; see the various tricks people use
- learn how to use the effects
- isolate sound channels outputs on video game console emulators (gameboy, nes...) and trying to reverse engineer parts of the OSTs (this is especially interesting if you want to do chiptune)
- understand how the tracker interpolates samples, so you can preprocess your samples so they behave as expected once loaded (for example, know at which frequency a sound file will be played given its sample length and sample rate at which it was captured, or adjust the sample length of a breakbeat loop so it loops perfectly given a bpm and spd).
- watch explod2A03's videos about nes music (arpeggio, dpcm sawtooth, sunsoft bass, duty cycle modulation, triangle kick, single channel echo, Follin-style echo)

In order to practice, you may be interested in getting involved in battle of the bits

happy tracking :)
 
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I also use milkytracker. I would say it is a good introduction to trackers since it is very simple (no vst support, just samples). Depending on how you use it, you may want to do the following things to get a better grasp on this software;
- look at mods on modarchive; see the various tricks people use
- learn how to use the effects
- isolate sound channels outputs on video game console emulators (gameboy, nes...) and trying to reverse engineer parts of the OSTs (this is especially interesting if you want to do chiptune)
- understand how the tracker interpolates samples, so you can preprocess your samples so they behave as expected once loaded (for example, know at which frequency a sound file will be played given its sample length and sample rate at which it was captured, or adjust the sample length of a breakbeat loop so it loops perfectly given a bpm and spd).
- watch explod2A03's videos about nes music (arpeggio, dpcm sawtooth, sunsoft bass, duty cycle modulation, triangle kick, single channel echo, Follin-style echo)

In order to practice, you may be interested in getting involved in battle of the bits

happy tracking :)
Battle of the Bits? is that like a chiptune forum? ive honestly never heard of it until now
 
I hadn't heard of it either, but now I really want to participate.
Been active there back then and it was my foot into learning to use FamiTracker. Met some really cool music people there.
I felt a bit intimidated by the established community at the time, but it was fun to get creative for the big competitions they had!

Might return to it again at some point. There's a lot of things to learn by reading in their lyceum. It's an encyclopedia for module formats, trackers, etc.
 
Been active there back then and it was my foot into learning to use FamiTracker. Met some really cool music people there.
I felt a bit intimidated by the established community at the time, but it was fun to get creative for the big competitions they had!

Might return to it again at some point. There's a lot of things to learn by reading in their lyceum. It's an encyclopedia for module formats, trackers, etc.
oooh, interesting ill check it out! and ill check out FamiTracker too
 
I've been meaning to get into music production for a while but just can't seem to and I don't know why. The software is probably just confusing for me but I can never manage to figure out how the software works
Ok, so, look... The best advice I can give you is, the best advice that you'll ever get is from your own ears. And the best experience is, honestly, sitting your ass still long enough to really delve in to your work station and really see what shit does, even if its just on a quick little shitty tester beat, and take time to listen, believe in yourself and trust your gut. If it sounds like shit, then it probably sounds like shit. If it sounds dope, then its fucking dope. And ALWAYS take time to take breaks from listening to your projects because you'll become ear deaf and everything will sound like everything, and then everything's shit. Try mixing/mastering/producing your own shit, then send it to record labels, radio stations, t.v. networks, be your own hypeman, promote yourself, even if its walking through a Dollar Tree, walking by putting sticky notes on everything inside with your music information on it. Nobody's gonna' do you more than you. You got this, and experience is key, so, go learn. Much love and respect!!!
 
Ok, so, look... The best advice I can give you is, the best advice that you'll ever get is from your own ears. And the best experience is, honestly, sitting your ass still long enough to really delve in to your work station and really see what shit does, even if its just on a quick little shitty tester beat, and take time to listen, believe in yourself and trust your gut. If it sounds like shit, then it probably sounds like shit. If it sounds dope, then its fucking dope. And ALWAYS take time to take breaks from listening to your projects because you'll become ear deaf and everything will sound like everything, and then everything's shit. Try mixing/mastering/producing your own shit, then send it to record labels, radio stations, t.v. networks, be your own hypeman, promote yourself, even if its walking through a Dollar Tree, walking by putting sticky notes on everything inside with your music information on it. Nobody's gonna' do you more than you. You got this, and experience is key, so, go learn. Much love and respect!!!
honestly? best advice ive gotten in a while
 
I like fasttrackerII. I find that every time I use OpenMPT to try to actually make something, I get bogged down by its interface lol
Definitely try it out though, because it has some powerful features!
 
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