Editing FastTracker 2 (section)

== Architecture and features ==
{{demoscene}}
The FT2 interface is largely inspired by the looks of [[Amiga]]'s [[Protracker]]. The screen consists of a pattern editor in the lower half, while the upper half features an instrument selector on the right, and the general module settings and some oscilloscopes. The pattern editor can be switched to sample/instrument editors. The program also features a little ''[[Nibbler (video game)|Nibbler]]'' clone and in-software documentation for all the features.

=== Patterns ===
Patterns are essentially sheets of music where the musician is able to arrange the actual musical score. A pattern consists of several rows (64 by default, 1024 maximum) and is divided to columns ("tracks"). Each row can have one note in every track. A note can look like the following:

  C#4 02 20 R11

This means the note is a C#-note on the [[chromatic scale]], played at the 4th octave (according to the [[scientific pitch notation]]), with instrument number 2. The next column is the volume setting on a 00<sub>H</sub>-40<sub>H</sub> hexadecimal scale, and the last column enables a variety of effects to be applied to the sound (in this case, retriggering).

A song consists of a collection of different patterns which can be played in a user-defined order to create the final song structure.

=== Samples ===
Samples are raw PCM sound data to be played back at various frequencies, much the way normal musical [[Sampler (musical instrument)|samplers]] do. Samples can have a loop start and end point, either repeated continuously or a "ping-pong loop", which essentially means the sample plays in reverse as soon as it hits the loop start or end (this is also called a "bidirectional loop"). The musicians are able to either record samples or load existing ones, manipulate them by cutting and/or pasting parts, or just draw them by hand. There's also a feature to [[Fade (audio engineering)|crossfade]] the sample, thus allowing the loop points to appear seamless.

=== Instruments ===
Instruments are essentially arrays of samples with additional convenience features.<ref>[http://www.milkytracker.org/docs/FT2.pdf FT2 v2.08 manual] Chapter FAQ (1996)</ref> A musician can assign different samples to different pitches of the sound, thus eliminating the possibility of a sample sounding bad if played too high or too low. Instruments support various loopable envelopes to be set on either the sound volume or the stereo panning, as well as built-in [[vibrato]]. It is also possible to set the generic settings of the instrument here: fine-tuning, default volume, default panning and relative starting note to C-4.

FT2 can get input from a normal [[PS/2 keyboard]] and make a live record with it (in the [[QWERTY]] keyboard layout, "q" would map to C, "2" would map to C#, "w" would map to D, etc.). FT2 was popular with many musicians who didn't have MIDI-compatible keyboards as they could experience live recording without any equipment other than a PC running DOS.

=== Effects ===
Each track has an "effects column" which allows the addition of effects such as [[arpeggio]], [[portamento]], [[vibrato]] and volume slides. Some control over the song structure can be handled in this column too, with commands for looping and breaking from and delaying patterns, or retriggering, cutting and delaying notes.
In addition, a "volume column" allows additional control over volume slides, vibrato, panning and tone portamento.

Full list of Effect types (.MOD/.XM) and compatibility with trackers:

{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible collapsed"
|-
! Effect type !! OpenMPT !! FastTracker 2 !! MilkyTracker !! Protracker || BeRoTracker
|-
| '''0xx''' Arpeggio || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''1xx''' Portamento Up || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''2xx''' Portamento Down || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''3xx''' Tone Portamento || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''4xx''' Vibrato || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''5xx''' Volume Slide + Tone Portamento || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''6xx''' Volume Slide + Vibrato || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''7xx''' Tremolo || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''8xx''' Set Panning || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''9xx''' Set Offset || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''Axx''' Volume Slide || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''Bxx''' Position Jump || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''Cxx''' Set Volume || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''Dxx''' Pattern Break || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''E1x''' Fine Portamento Up || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''E2x''' Fine Portamento Down || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''E3x''' Glissando Control || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''E4x''' Vibrato Waveform || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''E5x''' Set Finetune || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''E6x''' Pattern Loop || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''E7x''' Tremolo Waveform || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''E8x''' Set Panning || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''E9x''' Retrigger Note || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''EAx''' Fine Volume Slide Up || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''EBx''' Fine Volume Slide Down || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''ECx''' Note Cut || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''EDx''' Note Delay || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''EEx''' Pattern Delay || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''EFx''' Set Active Macro || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''Fxx''' Set Speed/Tempo || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''Gxx''' Set Global Volume || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''Hxx''' Global Volume Slide || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''Kxx''' Key Off || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''Lxx''' Envelope Position || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''Pxx''' Panning Slide || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''Rxx''' Retrigger Note || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''Txx''' Tremor || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''Wxx''' Custom Sync Event || {{No}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''X1x''' Extra Fine Portamento Up || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''X2x''' Extra Fine Portamento Down || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''X5x''' Panbrello Waveform || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''X6x''' Fine Pattern Delay || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''X9x''' Sound Control || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''XAx''' High Sample Offset || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''Yxx''' Panbrello || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''Zxx''' MIDI Macro || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''\xx''' Smooth MIDI Macro || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{Yes}}
|-
| '''#xx''' Parameter Extension || {{Yes}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}} || {{No}}
|}

=== Files ===
FastTracker 2 supports a variety of file formats, though often only two were used by musicians: [[XM (file format)|XM]] (Extended Module) and XI (Extended Instrument). XM was and still is one of the most popular module formats nowadays, because of its compact and well compressible file structure.

MOD format supported 4 channels maximum in a song, XM format, 32 channels maximum in a song, though there could be multiple instrument on one channel. ( from Channel n°0 to channel n°31 )

Some players — such as [[ModPlug Player]] — support the zip-compressed .XMZ and .MDZ formats, which are simple [[ZIP (file format)|ZIP]] archives that contain a .XM or .MOD file respectively.

The [[Adaptive differential pulse-code modulation|ADPCM]]-compressed XM extension is an XM subformat introduced in [[ModPlug Player|ModPlug tracker and player]]. It has the same XM file format structure, except that at least one of the samples is compressed in 4-bit ADPCM format. An ADPCM-compressed sample is almost two times smaller than its uncompressed equivalent. The drawback is the sound quality – significant distortion may arise when using ADPCM.<ref name="ufmod">{{cite web|author=Quantum|publisher=uFMOD|date=2007|title=The Unofficial XM File Format Specification: FastTracker II, ADPCM and Stripped Module Subformats|url=https://sourceforge.net/projects/ufmod/files/XM%20file%20format%20specification/XM_file_format.pdf}}</ref>

Another known extension is OXM – [[Vorbis]]-compressed XM. It preserves the original XM file structure, except the samples, which are compressed using the Vorbis codec.<ref name="ufmod" />

The Stripped XM file format is another XM subformat. It was introduced in [[uFMOD]] in 2006. A Stripped XM file is smaller than a regular XM, because it uses a more compact set of headers. The audio content of the XM file is left untouched.<ref name="ufmod" />

Even more non-standard XM extensions exist. For example, some trackers introduce undocumented effect commands used as triggers for software events, [[Speech synthesis|Text2Speech (TTS)]] metadata, watermarks and so on.<ref name="ufmod" />

=== Compatibility ===
FT2 ran with a custom made DOS 32-bit extender and it supports the [[Gravis Ultrasound]], [[Sound Blaster]], [[Covox]], and the simple [[PC speaker]]. This rendered the software rather flaky to use nowadays, as the recent [[Microsoft Windows|Windows]] versions generally do not allow DOS applications to access hardware directly, let alone the fact that most of those compatible cards are built for [[Industry Standard Architecture|ISA]] slots, which are absent from recent motherboards. Due to this, hardcore musicians who still want to use FT2 often build "old school" PCs with the optimal (and nowadays rather cheap) hardware for the tracker, just to be able to track with it again.

An alternative way of getting FT2 to run is by using [[DOSBox]] &mdash; this, however, as accurate as is, has speed and latency problems, and one needs quite a muscular PC to be able to use it as comfortably as on a native environment. The release of DOSBox 0.7 in March 2007 substantially improved speed/performance problems. Other methods of usage include [http://www.deinmeister.de/gusemu/index.html GUSEMU] or [http://sourceforge.net/projects/vdmsound/ VDMSound].