First steps in Tracking?

Sam_Zen · April 30, 2006, 00:33:54

2 Morgenblume
I think you're going way too fast here with questions about a VST-plugin. First learn how to fill a pattern with your notes, I would say. I'm not meaning to sound harsh here, it's just an advice to take your time and find things out.
Step by step. You started with a question about adding a second sample, but because of your hurry, we are now talking about saving a format.

Copy and paste are not the first thing. If you want to copy something, you first have to make something to copy.
So editing a basedrum sample every 8th or 16th row in a pattern for example would be the basic work I think.

2 Squirrel Havoc
Audacity is a nice open-source app to do the conversion from wav to mp3 or ogg. JetAudio can do this too.

Morgenblume · April 30, 2006, 06:54:07

Thank you sam_zen, I make samples and DI guitar and mic my vocals into a wave editor. I then use the samples in the pattern. I have done the drum editing thing. The song I am working on is a traditional acoustic folk song, so it doesn't need me to go spacey with my samples.

I think I got a little exited because the software looked a bit like Ableton Live without the fur coat. I am quite probably trying to use it for what it wasn't intended for, I do have previous convictions for that sort of thing. So far it seems happy to accept a full track of vocal and guitar though.

Right, I'll look up plugins and see if the absence of them is stopping me from saving to a wav, I have the mp3 conversion covered.

I do have a question though, what is "tracking" ? I thought it was doing what I'm doing, but maybe I have it all wrong. I would like to know what I should be using it for as well as what I am trying to use it for.

Running and hoping to take off before being able walk, as usual,

Morgenblume

rncekel · April 30, 2006, 08:19:14

Saving to wav shouldn't be any problem at all. Just click on [File], at the top menu, then [Save as Wave...]. You don't need any plugin or anything else for that.

Morgenblume · April 30, 2006, 08:31:33

Quote from: "rncekel"Saving to wav shouldn't be any problem at all. Just click on [File], at the top menu, then [Save as Wave...]. You don't need any plugin or anything else for that.

Hi rncekel,

Thanks, but I did that several times. It didn't do it.

Maybe there is a command, or a highlight I need to do. I was trying to save 9 tracks. Is that too many? Some tracks had multiple samples. Maybe I need to save those into one?

Anyway, just to prove sam_zen right, I lost my pattern when a virusscan kicked in and froze my cpu. I had cleverly disabled auto save because of the drive filling up. So...

sam-zen.....you are right. I need to go back to basics. I will try to walk or at least look where I'm going when I run :oops:

Optimistic to the end,

Morgenblume

rewbs · April 30, 2006, 09:58:21

Quote from: "Morgenblume"
Quote from: "rncekel"Saving to wav shouldn't be any problem at all. Just click on [File], at the top menu, then [Save as Wave...]. You don't need any plugin or anything else for that.

Hi rncekel,

Thanks, but I did that several times. It didn't do it.

What did it do then?

Saving as wav should be as as simple as rncekel puts it. Do you have any patterns listed in your orderlist (the horizontal bar above the pattern in which you can enter a sequence of numbers that represents the content of the song).

LPChip · April 30, 2006, 10:59:10

Quote from: "rewbs"
Quote from: "Morgenblume"
Quote from: "rncekel"Saving to wav shouldn't be any problem at all. Just click on [File], at the top menu, then [Save as Wave...]. You don't need any plugin or anything else for that.

Hi rncekel,

Thanks, but I did that several times. It didn't do it.

What did it do then?
Saving as wav should be as as simple as rncekel puts it. Do you have any patterns listed in your orderlist (the horizontal bar above the pattern in which you can enter a sequence of numbers that represents the content of the song).

Since he disabled auto-save to not make his harddisc full, and he's talking about saving to 9 wav files, I bet he runs out of disc space, which causes this to not save?

Try not to save as independend wav files, but as one, and see if that works.

LPChip · April 30, 2006, 11:07:37

Quote from: "Morgenblume"I do have a question though, what is "tracking" ? I thought it was doing what I'm doing, but maybe I have it all wrong. I would like to know what I should be using it for as well as what I am trying to use it for.

Running and hoping to take off before being able walk, as usual,

Morgenblume

Let me enlighten the 2 different conepts of tracking (one is wrong and one is right)

The wrong way:
If you sample all your pieces into single wav files (eg. you have a drum track that does all the drumming into a single sample for the length of the entire song)
And your song starts with C-4 01 | C-4 02 | C-4 03, and basically that is only what happens at the first row, and in the rest of the song, not much data, then its kind of stupid to use a tracker for. You would be better of using a multi track wav editor.

I'm not saying you can't use any sample that way, cus usually vocals are done that way, and you can use a small drumloop being there in a pattern repeated every 16th or 32th row.

Btw: Its not really that wrong, but that way you won't get the full potential out of MPT what it was designed for.

The right way:
You have samples that only trigger one note of the instrument (can have several different versions of a note to make it sound realistic)

So if you enter a C-4 01 in the pattern editor, you hear that note being played on C-4. You then use this method to compose melodies that weren't prefabricated. You can do this with any kind of sample, from bass, to flute, to strings, to whatever...

You can add a drum pattern by using different drumsamples in your pattern. With this, you can actually see the pattern on your screen, and by doing it often, you should be able to read out the pattern without hearing it, but still know what it should sound like.

Morgenblume · April 30, 2006, 13:27:25

Good afternoon , and thank you.

Firstly to prevent confusion I am not a he, I am a she.
I have read the "women tracker" thread and am duly warned against unnecesary chatter.

rewbs...I think that may be the answer I saw it but didn't work out what it was. Thanks. I think I will try saving one track and work from that.

LChip...No, it wasn't that I had at least 1 Gb and have saved more in other progs, admittedly the machine struggles with that. It was me trying to save the file not realising I had NTLs virus seeker using up most of my resources at the same time.

It did save a file with only 63 kb in it, I think its the selection box that I just ignored that rewbs mentioned.

Thanks for the explanation. I had no idea that was what it was for. I will no doubt eventually get to that.

I appear to be like a bull at a gate with this. My apologies for that. I am focussed on a project and so am a little blinkered and perhaps not taking a linear approach to learning.

Much appreciation for everyone's assistance,

Morgenblume

(>o_o)> · April 30, 2006, 14:48:59

Here's what I do...save the module as an IT(or whichever module format you use) inside OpenMPT. Open the module up inside MODPlug PLAYER(a seperate program) and save it as a .WAV file from inside the program. Then, use an external MP3 encoder to convert it to an MP3 file. There's alot of programs out there that claim to be "MP3 encoders" but I guarantee you that most of them are crap. The one I use is called CDEX. It is definitely the best MP3 encoder I've seen so far, and it can also encode into several other formats(OGG, WMA, etc). If you're going for high quality, you may also want to consider using the OGG format, which is similar to MP3 but has some advantages.

speed-goddamn-focus · April 30, 2006, 14:53:06

Quote from: "(>o_o)>"Here's what I do...save the module as an IT(or whichever module format you use) inside OpenMPT. Open the module up inside MODPlug PLAYER(a seperate program) and save it as a .WAV file from inside the program.

I wouldn't do that, as it will not sound the same. Many features that affect the sound quality just aren't available in MPP. Do you have any particular reason not to export as wav from the tracker directly?

Morgenblume · April 30, 2006, 14:56:18

Quote from: "(>o_o)>"Here's what I do...save the module as an IT(or whichever module format you use) inside OpenMPT. Open the module up inside MODPlug PLAYER(a seperate program) and save it as a .WAV file from inside the program. Then, use an external MP3 encoder to convert it to an MP3 file. There's alot of programs out there that claim to be "MP3 encoders" but I guarantee you that most of them are crap. The one I use is called CDEX. It is definitely the best MP3 encoder I've seen so far, and it can also encode into several other formats(OGG, WMA, etc). If you're going for high quality, you may also want to consider using the OGG format, which is similar to MP3 but has some advantages.

Thank You,

I have that player! Just repairing the damage now. Thanks also for the info on CDEX and oggs. The cut and paste option is working again now. Bliss.

Morgenblume

Morgenblume · April 30, 2006, 15:02:54

Quote from: "speed-goddamn-focus"
Quote from: "(>o_o)>"Here's what I do...save the module as an IT(or whichever module format you use) inside OpenMPT. Open the module up inside MODPlug PLAYER(a seperate program) and save it as a .WAV file from inside the program.

I wouldn't do that, as it will not sound the same. Many features that affect the sound quality just aren't available in MPP. Do you have any particular reason not to export as wav from the tracker directly?

No reason, just that I didn't know how.

Morgenblume

(>o_o)> · April 30, 2006, 15:20:28

Oh, I thought you said you had trouble saving it as a WAV from inside OpenMPT.

Anyway, what is so different about saving it as a WAV from inside MPP instead of MPT?

Morgenblume · April 30, 2006, 15:37:41

Quote from: "(>o_o)>"Oh, I thought you said you had trouble saving it as a WAV from inside OpenMPT.

Anyway, what is so different about saving it as a WAV from inside MPP instead of MPT?

My bit, yes I am having trouble doing that, you are quite right, I am clicking boxes, but it ain't saving as a wav. May try your suggestion i I can't work out what to press.

The second bit is someone else's I think.

Morgenblume

speed-goddamn-focus · April 30, 2006, 15:52:27

Are you sure you're using "Save as Wave" from the File menu and not just "Save" or "Save As"? Then all you need to do is click "OK" and write the file name.wav

About MPT vs MPP: MPP hasn't been touched since 2000 I think, and it doesn't support any of the new features (individual sample ramping, plugins and probably more) and the settings you use in MPT (reverb, bass boost, equalizer, resampling mode) are ignored. It's great for old mods tho.