How to Learn Chiptune Trackers TUTORIAL
Фильм және анимация
Welcome to How to Chiptune Episode 1: How to Learn Trackers!
It is my hope that this video will make learning and using trackers an easier process for everyone. The video focuses on Furnace Tracker but many of the same principles apply to other trackers you may encounter! Enjoy!
Time Stamps:
0:00 Introduction
1:17 What is a Tracker?
2:59 The Tracker Interface
3:47 The pattern window
4:37 The note column
5:34 The instrument column
6:01 The Volume Column
6:23 Triggering Effects
7:31 The Hexadecimal System
8:06 The Instrument Editor Window
10:10 Speed and Tempo
13:51 The Orders Window
14:27 Play Edit Controls
15:17 The Transcription Method: HOW TO LEARN TRACKERS (IMPORTANT)
17:35 Ending
Special thanks to:
@pedipanol pedipanol.bandcamp.com/
@SeanBialo cosmicgem.bandcamp.com/
@damifortune bandcamp.com/damifortune
@DEFENSEMECHANISM defensemechanism.bandcamp.com/
@fm_am4n / fm_am4n
Trackers: The Sound of 16bit by @XboxAhoy
• Trackers: The Sound of...
Links:
Download Furnace Tracker: github.com/tildearrow/furnace
Furnace Tracker Demo Modules: github.com/tildearrow/furnace...
Button Masher demo modules:
drive.google.com/drive/folder...
Subscribe to my Patreon: / _buttonmasher
Support me on Band Camp: buttonmasher1.bandcamp.com/
Follow me on instagram / _buttonmasher
Join my discord: / discord
Listen to me on Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/3p0Ot...
Watch me on twitch: / buttonmasher91
Пікірлер: 252
you're such a legend for making this
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Thank you king
finally, a DAW tutorial that makes sense, uses freeware, and doesn't require me to own any physical instruments. You're a saint. Thank you.
@_buttonmasher
24 күн бұрын
🫡
@1dog915
24 күн бұрын
yep and you can do so much more with trackers than just chiptune, if you look at something like sunvox
For someone who has been DYING to use a tracker for over 2 years now, this video is a godsend. Great work!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Thank you!
@marisakirisame867
3 ай бұрын
Note tracking aside, FM 4-op is really a headache
this is an incredible tutorial, i dont think ive ever watched a tutorial video this neat, helpful, and comprehensible all at the same time. as a non-native english speaker, your timing and pronunciation are a godsend! theyre both perfect so that theyre not too slow or so fast that it becomes unintelligible for someone like me. despite the lack of captions (note that the auto-generated captions, though available, are never reliable on videos about topics this niche), i dont think people with hearing difficulties or non-native speakers will have issues understanding you. i understood every word perfectly and im not even wearing heaphones at the moment! this video is helpful, succint, accessible, and even motivating to a degree. you sold me on furnace tracker completely, and the transcription method sounds wonderful for quick learning. im not even half-kidding when i say people who make tutorial videos should learn from this one attentively. its THAT good. thank you so much 👍
@_buttonmasher
17 күн бұрын
Thanks!
This is very comprehensive! Always glad to have see tracker tutorials out there :D
@_buttonmasher
5 ай бұрын
I learned famitracker from your tutorials. Super grateful for them. Just trying to do my part for the community!
@ben_burnes
5 ай бұрын
@@_buttonmasherAbsolutely agree! Aside from *just* Famitracker, the more people that get hooked into trackers and chiptune the better. Honestly, I want to give this Furnace tracker a try 👀 I think I commented a few times on Twitter when you were talking about making this. It came together great!
a wonderful resource for anyone wanting to make chiptune magnificent video right here man !!
I desperately needed this, thanks
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Happy to help
gotta love a man willing to share the precious secrets of his art!
I’ve wanted to learn how to do this for a long time, but even as a Computer Science student, this looked way to complex for me (granted I have like next to no musical education at all). But this video might seriously change that! You did an IMMACULATE job of communicating these ideas in an easy to follow way. I wish more software tutorials were like this! Well done.
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
I greatly appreciate this. Theres more on the way
Awesome tutorial covering Furnace and with a hand of talented people from the community! Looking forward to follow through the series!
@_buttonmasher
7 ай бұрын
Welcome aboard!
I've always admired the fact that chiptuners help each other on their sound discoveries; it's nice to see different approaches on music and Furnace itself. thanks for taking the time to present all of this to us!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Couldn't agree more!
@AlambradasMusic
8 ай бұрын
also, @pedipanol é do Brasil e eu já amo!
Ahoy's video on Trackers is so, so good. Great to see this has gotten a mention - stoked to keep up with this series!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
❤❤❤
i've been away from trackers for more than ten years (used milkytracker + renoise) and i wanted to jump back in. even knowing about all these basics this video got me so hyped to start playing with this stuff again, and Furnace specifically. thanks!!!
@_buttonmasher
5 ай бұрын
So glad to hear it!!!!!
That's extremely valuable information, and your tracks are bonkers !!!! Thanks so much for that
incredible! this is the exact amount of in depth my brain needs without it getting to lengthy. please make more of these!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
More on the way! Stay tuned for “how to make snes music in 2023!”
Button Masher coming in clutch as usual. Thanks! Now I won't get confused by furnace.
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Glad to help!
This video is an excellent crash course on the basics of using trackers. Looking forward to the next episode!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
thank you!
I was sold at the title, but then you show Furnace just as I was starting to puzzle it out to see if I can use it the other day? THANK YOU~ X3
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
❤❤❤❤
This is a nice jumpstart! I've used C64 trackers/composers and mod/s3m trackers back in the 90s. Looking to get back in some sort of tracker and furnace seems really cool. Thanks for this tutorial ;-)
Nice one! I am quite familiar with Trackermechanism but Furnace is new to me. Looks interesting. Thank you
Alright alright, after a tutorial as good as this one, I have no excuses anymore. Time to get it started :D Thanks for the video!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
You got this!
I never knew i needed a tracker in my life, but here i am. Great video, thx!
God tier instructional - wait, this is your FIRST tutorial? Okay, subscribed, no hesitation. This is great stuff!
@_buttonmasher
2 ай бұрын
Greatly appreciated! There is more instructional content on the way
@nintendude794
Ай бұрын
@@_buttonmashercan’t wait!
Thanks for taking the time to make this! Excited to learn and practice:)
@_buttonmasher
7 ай бұрын
Hope you enjoy it!
You're doing god's work. Looking forward to seeing this whole series realized!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Lets GO!!!!!
Dude you're so awesome for making these how-to videos. As a guy in my mid 40s, I've always wanted to get into making this type of music but high cost and lack of time and knowing where to start always held me back. Now that the tech is more readily available and affordable I'm going to dip my toes in the water!
@_buttonmasher
7 ай бұрын
Glad I could help!
@TotallyRadical
7 ай бұрын
@@_buttonmasher I look forward to watching future videos in the series! 👍
Subscribed for this series. Thank you!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Welcome aboard!
Awesome man! I've wanted to learn for so long and I haven't found anything as step by step and direction simple as this.
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Glad you liked it!
epic demonstration, thanks a lot man.
hell yeah! been excited for this since it was announced. great video, looking forward to learning more!
@_buttonmasher
7 ай бұрын
More to come!
I've only ever dabbled casually in making chiptune-y music in FL Studio with soundfonts, and I wanted to finally dive into a tracker instead. This vid made it a lot less daunting. Thanks for the great overview!
@_buttonmasher
7 ай бұрын
Thanks for watching! Cant wait to see what you make!
Your instrumental prowess is on another level. And now I've been introduced to your technical understanding 🙌 Great stuff, getting all of us out here happy and informed🎵
You are the MAN! thank you for this🤘
I’m currently working on a c64 cover of The Model by Kraftwerk and this helped a ton! Thanks ^^
@_buttonmasher
5 ай бұрын
🙏
im so glad there's a tutorial for this...and furnace specifically! i want to make music too, so this is real helpful!
can't wait for more episodes of this series, i love this! :D
Very excellent and well executed for explaining how trackers work!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Thanks!
Nice oldshool ❤😊❤😊
Subbed. This is legendary my God respect 🙏
This is the best can’t wait to try the tracker😮
Great video, I really love the way you’ve broken down concepts and shared your method of learning to compose chiptune! Transcribing pieces is definitely a great way to learn the ins and outs of tracker software! It’s wonderful you were able to work with so many talented people to put this video together. The Chiptune community rocks!
@_buttonmasher
6 ай бұрын
Thank you for this! I am indeed very grateful to my very talented peers who were and are eager to help me with these projects.
another cool thing to learn could be something akin to Furnace shortcuts and general tracking "best practices" if any.
@_buttonmasher
7 ай бұрын
Good idea!
As someone who has wanted to learn trackers in general, especially in a chiptunes context, this has been super helpful just to understand the methodology way better. I’m looking forward to future episodes for sure and hoping that even though they’ll be Furnace specific in term of UI and such that they’ll stay general enough to use with any tracker. Great series and thank you for doing this.
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Thanks so much! I will also be covering daws in some segments! The upcoming episode on making snes music in particular will be daw heavy
@RobertoVillegas-vincent404
8 ай бұрын
@@_buttonmasher interesting. Now I’m really looking forward to the next video. I have a feeling what VST (if any) may pop up, but still curious how you’ll go about it. Should be good learning either way.
This is a brilliant tutorial series for those who want to step into the realm of trackers! Can't wait for the next episode!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
The next episode is gonna be on snes music!
Let's goooooooo. Content cold right here
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
thanks!
Thanks a lot ! Great video
Realizing how to transcribe is such an important tool for any skill range . Learn from masters. Fundamental tutorial! A must for anyone getting into chiptune / Furnace Tracker.
Don't forget the Commodore64 😁 Thanks for this great video!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Of course!!!!!
Fantastic introduction and tutorial. I am am inspired, thank you!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
You're very welcome!
Thanks, now I don't have to awkwardly explain my chiptune workflow to my friends every time!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Yup!!!
this is so cool! now i can start making chiptunes in my own style like i always wanted to!!!!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Sir this is a wendys.
Thanks for sharing. Another cool app to add to the list to check out. I've always wanted to mess with chiptunes.
This is an incredible video! Great insights and guidance here. Looking forward to more videos, and can't wait to make more music with you!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Same bro!!! So stoked for our next track! And thank you for watching!
This is amazing, thank you!
@_buttonmasher
7 ай бұрын
You're very welcome!
Oh hey it’s you! I follow you on TikTok. Absolutely amazing video, I guess I’ll just have to follow you again
Your graphics are just as good as your music! It all comes together so well. Been a fan for a long time.
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
thank you!
Amazing tutorial !! I can't wait to see what incredible talent will come from this
This is wonderful, I always wanted to make something like this and so happy it now exists!
Killer stuff dude!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Thanks bro
Great video! was looking at trying out furnace and this has completely sold it! looksvery user friendly with the Tempo settings, and effects list being displayable!
Can't wait for this
Thank you very much for this. I’ve been wanting to get into tracking for a while now but have been intimidated by it. This video was a very well-made introduction to it and may be the push I needed.
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
You got this!!!!!!
This is great!!! I’ve been waiting for a series like this for years! Thanks for putting these together👾
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
More to come!
This was great
This is a wonderful tutorial 😊
8:39 Small correction, the DPCM channel uses a NES instrument OR a generic sample instrument, with the latter used for PCM playback.
@_buttonmasher
2 ай бұрын
Thanks for this!
very accessible tutorial, also those chiptunes are fire, subbed
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Thanks!
I’d love a tutorial on making instruments!
great video dude!!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
thanks bro. my life would be complete if i ever got you to make music with furnace!!!!
@huberjonathan
8 ай бұрын
I may just have to download it and try it out sometime haha@@_buttonmasher
Thank you very much!! This video is really helpful
YESSS!! Thank you!!!
@_buttonmasher
7 ай бұрын
You bet!
Neat video! I really like it!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Thanks chuck. Love your work btw.
i'm looking forward to the rest of this series! :D as for chiptune related topics, i've always absolutely LOVED learning more and more about the history of certain sound chips, and the composers who've used them. while this topic may not exactly fit in a "tutorial" series, it's a topic that i personally find very interesting, and love hearing people document. it's always nice to have a proper chiptune tutorial series that's easy to follow and go back to, it's something i struggled finding and following along with when i first started making music in famitracker haha. keep up the good work man!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Thank you!
I always prefer using plugins like chipsynth, but if I ever want to get into trackers, this will be a big help! Thanks for being awesome!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
No problem!
dude, amazing work! I know this must have taken quite a bit to put together. thanks for sharing.
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Thank YOU!
Awesome tutorial, thanks so much! I'd like to learn more about your approach to harmony/arrangement in the context of chiptune music, as it always sounds so lush and vibrant.
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Coming soon!
@prizmwizard
8 ай бұрын
@@_buttonmasher
This video is awesome 🎉❤
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Hold up….. you mean to tell me vgm is makin a come back???? Well sign me up brother.
This is such a rad series man! Just the thought of being able to sit down and create with the sounds of something like Chrono Trigger…I think I’ll probably cry 😂 looking forward to it!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Ill cover that in my next video
I always wondered how there was so much control in old video game soundtracks
@_buttonmasher
20 күн бұрын
Most them werent written with trackers though. Many were programmed in assembly
This is a great introduction! I've been learning music for a few years and have been looking to branch into arranging and trackers soon. I'd be super interested in a future video with any tips or guidance on making chiptune arrangements of non-chiptune songs. Looking forward to the rest of the series!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
That is a GREAT idea
thanks so much for helping me. Now I can make some music.
Nice!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Thank you! Cheers!
Great video! Saw you last month in Boston and you all were awesome. Very inspiring! Reccomendation for a good midi keyboard for begginers might be a good topic to cover in a video. Otherwise just keep it up man, love it!
@_buttonmasher
7 ай бұрын
Great suggestion!
DAMNN hace tiempo que intenté aprender sobre esto y solo hay un video de ello en español, me leí el manual entero del famitracker y ojalá haber encontrado este video cuando comencé.
Thank you so much for this video! I’ve loved video game music for as long as I can remember and now watching your video has inspired me to try and take on making something. I love the explanation of hexadecimal number (As a programmer, you explained it perfectly). My question for you, for someone who doesn’t have any musical background and starting fresh by following your tutorial, would that be troublesome or is it recommended for someone to have a background in music? Thanks so much again for launching this tutorial series!
A more in-depth Furnace tutorial would be great, given the overall lack of 3rd party resources, but I'd also personally appreciate general tracking tips or just bite-sized videos on how to achieve specific sounds from videogames (or even meatspace instruments!).
@_buttonmasher
7 ай бұрын
Coming soon. But i cant stress enough how much the transcription method will help you. Everything ive learned about tracking came from transcribing modules. Its the greatest tip anyone will ever give you.
i’ve been wanting to use a tracker for years (specifically famitracker), but haven’t been able to (and still can’t) due to computer problems, lol. but i kid not, for the first time ever yesterday, i watched a few tutorials on it just to get an idea of how it works. even if i cant use it atm. so i thought i thought it was funny when i saw this in my sub feed. looking forward to it!
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
thanks so much!
@picori.
8 ай бұрын
thank *you!*
Mr. Masher, this was such a joy to watch. My big question here that you touched on earlier in the video is this: if I’m not intending to export my work to be played on the console, is there a reason I couldn’t somehow just use the samples as a VST in my DAW of choice? I suspect the answer is that using the tracking software forces me to create in the confines of what is technically possible on that specific chipset. Is that the case?
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
There are many consoles that a vst will not be able to replicate. But more importantly, there are certain automation techniques that are possible in a tracker that are NOT possible in a daw. I have 2 examples i want you to listen to. My cover of “Ryus Theme” and my cover of “Those who Fight” from final fantasy 7. The former was made in a daw and the latter was made in a tracker. I think the difference that it makes FOR THE SOUND will be immediately obvious.
Insanely beautiful sample tracks, I hope this doesn't cause a "How to draw an owl" effect for beginners :)
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
I hope so too!
I already know how to use trackers but this was entertaining anyways tbh.
I did not know the DPCM channel could pitch shift. Very impressive even if the games were a bit small to fit samples often.
@_buttonmasher
Ай бұрын
It actually cant. Furnace allows you to do it but to really use a bass sample in the channel you would need to make samples of every note that you want
@iwanttocomplain
Ай бұрын
@@_buttonmasher oh ok thanks for confirming that for me. :)
Thank you SO much for this tutorial, I really needed a comprehensive guide for this, ESPECIALLY the initial learning phase at the end! But I really do have to ask... are the example songs at 12:04 made specifically for the video? I can't find pedipanol's arrangement of Idol anywhere.
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Hey thanks so much! Pedipanol and Damifortune were both kind enough to share their work with me for the purposes of this video but i dont think they had any plans to share those modules outside of this project.
So hype
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
thank you!
didn't know you had a yt
Super great ! Thanks ^^ I wonder if using trackers is a good way to switch from playing or composing "analog" music to synth music, when you want to make some tunes on computer. I was always afraid of classic synths like Nord etc. whereas trackers seems more understandable, as you don't necessarily have to make your own presets or effects
@_buttonmasher
7 ай бұрын
I cant speak to the utility of trackers for ALL music but for most styles of chiptune its definitely the best choice
I am a complete beginner to chiptune, I got confused which tracker should I use to learn, there are so many of them, like famitracker, milkytracker, etc. This video really help me with that, I'm going to learn with furnace now! Thank you so much!
Please make more tuts
Do you have a video about playing chiptune sounds through your keyboard / keytar? Thanks for the tutorial!
@_buttonmasher
7 ай бұрын
If you want to do this, i reccomend downloading some plugins from plogue and using them with the preferred digital audio workstation of your choice.
Hey, awesome video!! Just one question. When trying to connect a MIDI keyboard, no sound plays in the program compared to when I just use my typing keyboard. 😅 Other then that problem, the program has been a blast! I've been wanting to create chip tunes for a really long time, but never found a software that clicked. This introduction video and furnace as a software, everything just clicked. I'm so pumped to learn more about composing in this new way, and I have you to thank for this. I (together with many others), seriously appreciate the effort you put in here! :3
@_buttonmasher
8 ай бұрын
Look in the furnace settings to configure your midi controller
@FelixSandwichez
8 ай бұрын
@@_buttonmasher Hmmm, the thing is, I can record notes into the tracker with the midi controller, but no sound plays. I would like to have it like when I play notes with my typing keyboard, w(here sound plays, and it can record into the tracker) ^^
@_buttonmasher
7 ай бұрын
@@FelixSandwichezthats strange. I havent encountered this problem and unfortunately am not sure how to help. I suggest joining the furnace discord and asking around
@FelixSandwichez
7 ай бұрын
@@_buttonmasher Thanks for responding! I'll do just that ^^
@somafulop
6 ай бұрын
My God, I had the same problem! Change the MIDI Channel on your controller!
I've been struggling with furnace for the past year, and it was been very discouraging. This is helping me alot, thank you!