Trackers vs Sequencers, the difference?

[LPChip]

Sure, a pianoroll is easier to make your tune, but since its so big, you can't get the overview a tracker gives. These are all pro's and cons for trackers and sequencers.

Basically a tracker is a sequencer (atleast thats what wikipedia says, and yes, I don't agree with that) but both are tools to create music with, and whatever fits someone best is up to them.

This topic is not ment to say what program is better, but to explain the difference between a tracker and a sequencer so that other people can determine if they want to try a tracker or sequencer.

Although a sequencer has a pianoroll editor, it doesn't make that a sequencer, cus if MPT would add a pianoroll, it still is a tracker. I guess what really defines a tracker is the grid, and use of patterns.

[Louigi Verona]

Sure, a pianoroll is easier to make your tune, but since its so big, you can't get the overview a tracker gives.

What do you mean? What overview?

[LPChip]

If you use the piano roll, you can only see that channel. Fruitty loops has the ability to show the notes in different colors, (or was that cakewalk?) but there isn't a real destinction between what note comes with what sound, and further more, if you have too many notes on your screen, it all gets messed up. A tracker has a big advantage here because you can easilly see when what note comes.

[Louigi Verona]

If you use the piano roll, you can only see that channel. Fruitty loops has the ability to show the notes in different colors, (or was that cakewalk?) but there isn't a real destinction between what note comes with what sound, and further more, if you have too many notes on your screen, it all gets messed up. A tracker has a big advantage here because you can easilly see when what note comes.

Man, have you ever worked in Cakewalk or FL Studio? Because what you are saying is absolutely wrong. If it worked like you explain - then of course, piano roll is a mess and why on Earth people use it at all!

No, piano roll is unique for every instrument and you are not able to put notes of different instruments into one piano roll. The colors only help you to distinguish things like different hands on piano and also use different effects on different notes, like slides.
This alone is one of the biggest differencies from any tracker programm, because it means that you don't have to have any chanel limits or use several channels for one instrument. You can play any number of notes together, so to play strings, all you do is put them in one piano roll.

Then you sort arrange these piano roll patterns on the playlist, thus creating the whole song.

Is my explanation okay?

[LPChip]

Man, have you ever worked in Cakewalk or FL Studio? Because what you are saying is absolutely wrong. If it worked like you explain - then of course, piano roll is a mess and why on Earth people use it at all!

Yes ofcource I have!!! I've worked with FL6 and Cakewalk HomeStudio. As I remember, CW HS allowed to select several tracks to edit them simultaniously in one piano roll. To do that, it gives you different colors so you can distinct them from eachother.

No, piano roll is unique for every instrument and you are not able to put notes of different instruments into one piano roll. The colors only help you to distinguish things like different hands on piano and also use different effects on different notes, like slides.

I wasn't sure if FL6 has this functionality, but CW HS does.

This alone is one of the biggest differencies from any tracker programm, because it means that you don't have to have any chanel limits or use several channels for one instrument. You can play any number of notes together, so to play strings, all you do is put them in one piano roll.

Don't forget renoise, its a tracker that can have multiple notes in one channel with several effects on them. But indeed, its one of the things that is a clear seperation between the two, and thats also what I wanted to say in the 1st post.

Then you sort arrange these piano roll patterns on the playlist, thus creating the whole song.

Is my explanation okay?

How to arrange one large bar into the playlist? (with exception of FL6 who has small bars as patterns, although I can't say FL6 is a true sequencer. Cus it has both pro's of a tracker and sequencer, and IMHO its a hybrid between the two.

[LPChip]

On this page:

http://www.cleverjoe.com/articles/cakewalk_home_studio_2004.html

You can read that CakeWalk has this feature:

* Multitrack Piano Roll view

[Louigi Verona]

Ah, I never knew about that feature. Might be useful...

I liked your words that FL is a hybrid between the two. Might be true!

[LPChip]

Ah, I never knew about that feature. Might be useful...

I liked your words that FL is a hybrid between the two. Might be true!

It wouldn't surprise me. If I'd make a tracker, I might actually make an FL clone, except that I'd include the standard pattern view, but more in sense as renoise has it. So you have more notes etc...

Now I only wish, I had time and enough programming skills