Why

[Violette]

I recently read that tracker musicians do not get much respect from "proper" musicians. Why is this?

[KrazyKatz]

I'd be very interested to know where you read that. I'd also be interested in knowing what the definition of a proper musician is since "trackers" dont fall into that category.

[Relabsoluness]

Answers to questions KrazyKatz pointed out would indeed be interesting.

[Squirrel Havoc]

I recently read that tracker musicians do not get much respect from "proper" musicians. Why is this?

I assume it's because they assume trackers didn't have to learn an instrument or anything, they just point and click their way to music. But the way I see it, singers don't always learn  an instrument, they just use a natural talent, like most trackers. And I've noticed a lot of trackers know how to play an instrument or 2 or 3. I know the drums, keyboard, and a little bass myself.

[speed-goddamn-focus]

I think it could be that they don't really understand what tracking is, and also that there is a lot of really bad tracked music.

[Sam_Zen]

KrazyKatz is right, "trackers" dont fall into that category. They are composers, not musicians.
The program or the pc isn't just playing another instrument, you're dealing with a mix of different instruments simultaneously, to make it work like a band or an orchestra. You have to make a construction, not a performance.
So I don't care about that respect existing or not, because the comparison is non-relevant.

Because of the excellent improvements in controlling the realtime performance of a compo, I did some sessions with friends, playing other instruments, while I used OMPT on a laptop with a chosen module.
In this perspective you could say, that the composer has an extra option to act as a "tracker musician".
Then the complete module is your instrument to play with. You can control the patternloops, the patternorder, skip patterns, mute channels, add realtime an extra sound via the keyboard of a selected sample during play, etc.
Only then, I'm a musician among musicians.
I've learned to play a lot of acoustic instruments a bit, enough to produce a useful sound- or sequence-sample.

[anboi]

i think this was the case a few years ago when trackers were lower quality and associated, if anything, with the slightly poor pop-song mod/it files that were so common. nowdays with trackers having everything you need from a music package and audio quality to match the best and with people like venetian snares famously using trackers to make incredibly complex beautiful music then i think the image is totally on the way up.

[Violette]

Yes, perhaps this is not the case anymore, like Anboi mentioned.
I read that statement in a manual I printed out I don't know when ('97?)
Didn't mean to offend anyone :-)

[KrazyKatz]

KrazyKatz is right, "trackers" dont fall into that category. They are composers, not musicians.

Certainly not! Composers are every bit musicians. Even check out the definition of musician.

I think that trackers arent regarded as highly is primarily since its a cheap if not an outright free enterprise. As a result its hard to find High quality samples ( I have to convert sample libraries to IT. ), and every Joe has a go which results in tons of lousy pieces for every good one.

Also since its not funded, the progress of the program is somewhat slow.

I reckon that Modplug Tracker could command a price of about at least $400.

[speed-goddamn-focus]

I reckon that Modplug Tracker could command a price of about at least $400.

It's not that I don't love MPT in an unhealthy unnatural way, and it's not that I don't respect the work Olivier, Rewbs, Reabsoluness and Ericus have put in, but 40$ would sound more reasonable.

[apple-joe]

Given there is such a division between 'proper' musicians and tracker musicians; 'what if' there is a person who qualifies for both 'titles'?

I mean; is there really a division at all? Well, perhaps there is, but some might fit in both lairs.

[LPChip]

The only reason why a Tracker wouldn't be conciddered pro, is the fact that it doesn't cost money.

I mean: if its free, it can't be good right? lol, well atleast thats what they think. They'll eagerlly buy renoise and think: see, this sucks, than downloading modplug for free, and actually discover how easy it is to track.

I'm not saying renoise is bad, but its interface makes it look too difficult to learn.

[cyperkid]

se is bad, but its interface makes it look too difficult to learn.

:shock:

Offtopic: why?

[LPChip]

se is bad, but its interface makes it look too difficult to learn.

:shock:

Offtopic: why?

C'mon... Just take a look on a screenshot of renoise, and pretend you don't know what a tracker is... Doesn't it look very unusual?

MODPlug Tracker is so different because of its easy interface. You look at it and think: Oh, I can do this...

You look at Renoise, and you think: So many buttons to get into menu's... So confusing...

[DavidN]

I've always found Renoise's interface completely overwhelming.