© 2024 Andreas Pollak

This series of posts is about tracker music, so-called modules, a form of sample-based music that became popular in the early 1990s. If you want to know how it sounds, have a look at The Mod Archive, which has thousands of modules that can be downloaded or played online.

My goal is to introduce the concept of modules and provide detailed enough information so that a reader can implement an accurate and authentic player or tracker themselves. I cover the four module formats that have enjoyed the most lasting popularity and are considered the important ones today. These are the MOD format, originating on the Amiga in the late 1980s, the ScreamTracker S3M format, the FastTracker XM format and the ImpulseTracker IT format.

I will discuss the file formats, details on how to play them, introduce some of the technical background, and will try to give some general context. As the S3M format supports FM sound generation in addition to playing samples, I will also explain how to emulate the Yamaha OPL2 chip that was responsible for synthesizing a lot of piano- and trumpet-like sounds on Adlib and early SoundBlaster cards.

	Introduction
	1. The MOD Format (SoundTracker/NoiseTracker/ProTracker)
	2. The S3M Format (ScreamTracker 3)
	3. The XM Format (FastTracker II)
	4. The IT Format (ImpulseTracker) - coming soon
	Format Comparison Tables - coming soon
	Addendum: The Yamaha OPL2 Chip - coming soon
	Implementation - coming soon