Frequently Asked Questions
- When I save my song as a MOD, the default tempo is lost
The MOD file format doesn't include tempo information. The default
tempo is always 125bpm, and the default speed is always 6. You need
to use a Set Tempo and Set Speed command at the start of your song.
- How can I record samples in ModPlug Tracker?
There is no built-in sampler in ModPlug Tracker. The easiest way to record
samples is to use any Windows-based sound utility (like Sound Recorder, or more
advanced tools like CoolEdit), record whatever you want, and then use the
Edit/Copy function. You can then create a new sample in ModPlug Tracker, and
select the Edit/Paste command.
- Why is the note being played a long time after I pressed the key?
This is due to the latency of the wave device. You can reduce this delay by
reducing the length of the sound buffers in the SoundCard setup,
but there will always be a small delay with a Wave Device. You can reduce a lot
this delay by selecting a DirectSound device in the soundcard options.
If you have a hardware-accelerated soundcard, you can try using DirectSound,
selecting "Use Secondary Buffers", and reduce the buffer size to 25ms.
(Note that on a software-emulated DirectSound driver this could force the
output quality to 22KHz, no matter what you select in the soundcard setup).
- Could you add more sample formats for import?
Well, I don't have the time to look all over the net for files and technical
specifications of a lot of file formats, but you can help me a lot if you want
to see support for a particular file format by sending me the technical specs
of this format (file structure), or if you can't find this information, you can
always send me a small file in this format, and the same file converted to a
WAV file (I'll try to figure it out by myself in this case).
Please don't ask me for MPEG Audio support or any other non-PCM lossy
streaming audio compression schemes (eg. MPEG Layer III or Real Audio).
- How can I load the left or right channel of a stereo WAV file?
Although undocumented in alpha releases of the tracker, you can open a WAV file
through the main file open (not from the sample screen): it will convert the
WAV file, and create an IT song with 2 samples (left and right channels). You can
then open the sample screen, copy the sample corresponding to the channel you
want, and then paste it into the sample screen of your song.
- How can I change the length of a pattern?
You can click on the small button in the top-left corner of the pattern editor,
where the pattern number is displayed. This will show the advanced properties
of the pattern, and allow you to resize it.
Note that this is only available with XM and IT formats songs.
- The audio sounds distorted when scrolling in the pattern editor
If you have a PCI graphics accelerator, and an ISA soundcard, then you might
be experiencing a problem in your graphic adapter drivers. Some manufacturers
are locking the PCI bus while transfering bitmaps, so they can gain 0.01%
in their benchmarks. Unfortunately, this also locks the ISA bus, thus causing
the soundcard to skip audio samples. Try looking in your drivers documentation
or advanced properties for an option to disable the pci bus locking.
You can also try updating your graphics adapter drivers (Matrox fixed the
problem in their latest drivers for Millenium and Mystique adapters)
- How can I automatically interpolate effect values ?
Make a selection in a single column with the effect in the first selected
row being the same as the effect in the last selected row. Right click on the
selection and select "interpolate volume" or "interpolate effect" (Or use the
Ctrl+J and Ctrl+K shortcut keys)
- How do I use the multichannel record ?
Click on the channels you want to select for multi-channel record holding
the SHIFT key. Move the cursor on one of these channels, then enter notes.
The cursor will automatically jump from one channel to the other when you enter
a new note.
- How do I use the chord editor ?
First, you need to enable multichannel record, by selecting the channels
that will be used for entering the chords. If you're using an external
midi keyboard, MPT will detect if multiple keys are pressed simultaneously,
and use the channels selected for multichannel record to enter the notes.
On the PC keyboard, pressing the shortcut key Shift+key will enter the notes
associated with the corresponding chord. If you didn't select any channel
for multichannel record, then only the base note of the chord will be entered
in the channel where the cursor is.
- Where can I find DLS sound banks ?
If you have DirectX 6.1 installed, you should already have a DLS sound bank
on your system. Select Add Sound Bank in the file menu, and browse to your
Windows directory, in System32, Drivers.
- My XM file doesn't load in FT2
Modplug Tracker supports extensions to the XM and IT formats that will not be recognized
in the original tracker. Keep in mind that the original FT2 only supports XM modules
with a maximum of 32 channels, and only an even number of channels. Most players will
have no problem loading these XM files, though.