Editing Module file

{{Short description|Family of file formats}}
{{For|the quadraphonic sound system|UMX (quadraphonic sound)}}
{{Other uses|Module (disambiguation){{!}}Module}}
{{demoscene}}

'''Module file''' ('''MOD music''', '''tracker music''') is a family of music [[file format]]s originating from the [[MOD (file format)|MOD]] file format on [[Amiga]] systems used in the late 1980s. Those who produce these files (using the software called [[music tracker]]s) and listen to them form the worldwide MOD scene,<ref name="music and technoculture"/> a part of the [[demoscene]] subculture.

The mass interchange of "MOD music" or "tracker music" (music stored in module files created with trackers) evolved from early [[FidoNet|FIDO]] networks. Many websites host large numbers of these files, the most comprehensive of them being the [[Mod Archive]].

Nowadays, most module files, including ones in compressed form, are supported by most popular media players such as [[VLC media player|VLC]], [[Foobar2000]], [[Exaile]] and many others (mainly due to inclusion of common playback libraries such as [[ModPlug Player|libmodplug]] for [[gstreamer]]).

== Structure ==
Module files store digitally recorded samples and several "patterns" or "pages" of music data in a form similar to that of a [[spreadsheet]].<ref name="principles">{{cite book|author1=Ranjan Parekh|title=Principles of Multimedia|date=2006|publisher=[[Tata McGraw-Hill]]|isbn=978-0-070-58833-2|pages=727|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TaNmc2IdNVwC|access-date=6 December 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226165819/https://books.google.com/books?id=TaNmc2IdNVwC&printsec=frontcover&hl=es&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0|archive-date=26 February 2018}}</ref> These patterns contain note numbers, instrument numbers, and controller messages.<ref name="principles"/> The number of notes that can be played simultaneously depends on how many "tracks" there are per pattern.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.upei.ca/~acoustic/midi.html|title=MIDI and home computer music composition and performance|publisher=[[University of Prince Edward Island]]|date=21 October 1996|access-date=23 May 2015|first1=Perry|last1=Williams|first2=Chris|last2=Vessey|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150523132452/http://www.upei.ca/~acoustic/midi.html|archive-date=23 May 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> And the song is built of a pattern list, that tells in what order these patterns shall be played in the song.

A disadvantage of module files is that there is no real standard specification in how the modules should be played back properly, which may result in modules sounding different in different players, sometimes quite significantly so. This is mostly due to effects that can be applied to the samples in the module file and how the authors of different players choose to implement them. However, tracker music has the advantage of requiring very little CPU overhead for playback, and is executed in real-time.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Karen Collins|author2=Bill Kapralos|author3=Holly Tessler|title=The Oxford Handbook of Interactive Audio|year=2014|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|isbn=978-0-19-979722-6|pages=624|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tbsBBAAAQBAJ|access-date=2014-09-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226165822/https://books.google.com/books?id=tbsBBAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&hl=es&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0|archive-date=2018-02-26}}</ref>

== Popular formats ==
Each module file format builds on concepts introduced in its predecessors.
; The MOD format (.MOD)
: The [[MOD (file format)|MOD format]] was the first file format for tracked music. A very basic version of this format (with only very few pattern commands and short samples supported) was introduced by Karsten Obarski’s [[Ultimate Soundtracker]] in 1987 for the [[Amiga]].<ref>{{cite book|author1=Olga Guriunova|title=Art Platforms and Cultural Production on the Internet|year=2012|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-89310-7|pages=162|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=svTOmgMUGW0C|access-date=2014-09-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316220748/https://books.google.com/books?id=svTOmgMUGW0C&printsec=frontcover&hl=es&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0|archive-date=2017-03-16}}</ref> It was designed to use 4 channels and fifteen samples.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Peter Moormann|title=Music and Game: Perspectives on a Popular Alliance|date=11 August 2012|publisher=Springer VS|isbn=978-3-531-18913-0|pages=223|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JYfROhvXMPAC|access-date=2014-09-13|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180226165822/https://books.google.com/books?id=JYfROhvXMPAC&printsec=frontcover&hl=es&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0|archive-date=2018-02-26}}</ref><ref name="game sound">{{cite book|author1=Karen Collins|title=Game Sound: An Introduction to the History, Theory, and Practice of Video Game Music and Sound Design|date=August 2008|publisher=[[MIT Press]]|isbn=978-0-262-03378-7|pages=216|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gnw0Zb4St-wC|access-date=6 December 2014}}</ref> Ultimate SoundTracker was soon superseded by [[NoiseTracker]] and [[Protracker]], which allowed for more tracker commands (effects) and instruments.<ref name="game sound"/><ref name="ashgate">{{cite book|author1=Karen Collins|title=From Pac-Man to Pop Music: Interactive Audio in Games and New Media|date=12 May 2008|publisher=[[Ashgate Publishing]]|isbn=978-0-754-66200-6|pages=250|edition=Kindle|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vc-hAgAAQBAJ|access-date=6 December 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151029154117/https://books.google.com/books?id=vc-hAgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&hl=es&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0|archive-date=29 October 2015}}</ref> Later, variants of the MOD format that appeared on the Personal Computer extended the number of channels, added [[Panning (audio)|panning]] commands (the Amiga’s four hardware channels had a pre-defined stereo setup) and expanded the Amiga’s frequency limit, allowing for more octaves of notes to be supported.<ref name="openmpt">{{cite web|url=https://wiki.openmpt.org/Manual:_Module_formats|title=OpenMPT Documentation|access-date=26 December 2015|author=OpenMPT|author-link=OpenMPT|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151227063122/https://wiki.openmpt.org/Manual:_Module_formats|archive-date=27 December 2015}}</ref>
: Arguably one of the most widespread tracker formats (also due to its use in many computer games and demos), it is also one of the simplest to use, but also only provides few pattern commands to use.
; The Oktalyzer format (.OKT)
: This was an early effort to bring eight-channel sound to the Amiga. Later replayers have improved on the sound quality attainable from these modules by more demanding mixing technologies.
; The MultiTracker format (.MTM)
: Produced by American Demoscene group Renaissance, MultiTracker brought up to 32-channel sound to the PC tracker community.  Songs that took full advantage of the 32 simultaneous channels were extremely taxing to typical computers of the era.
; The MED/OctaMED format (.MED)
: This format is very similar to sound/pro/noisetracker, but the way the data is stored is different. [[OctaMED|MED]] was not a direct clone of SoundTracker, and had different features and file formats. [[OctaMED]] was an eight-channel version of MED, which eventually evolved into OctaMED Soundstudio (which offers 128-channel sound, optional synth sounds, MIDI support and many other high-end features).<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1997_articles/may97/octamedstudio.html|title=RBF Software Octamed Soundstudio. The release of this tracker is welcome news for Amiga users, but it's also a glimpse of things to come on the PC platform. Amiga expert PAUL OVERAA puts the package through its paces|magazine=[[Sound on Sound]]|date=May 1997|access-date=6 December 2014|author=SOS|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208070637/http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1997_articles/may97/octamedstudio.html|archive-date=8 December 2014}}</ref>
; The AHX format (.AHX)
: This format is a synth-tracker. There are no samples in the module file, rather descriptions of how to synthesize the required sound. This results in very small audio files (AHX modules are typically 1k–4k in size), and a very characteristic sound. AHX is designed for music with [[chiptune]] sound. The AHX tracker requires [[Kickstart (Amiga)|Kickstart]] 2.0 and 2 Mb RAM memory.
; The ScreamTracker 3 format (.S3M)
: The [[Scream Tracker 3]] [[S3M (file format)|S3M format]] added sample tuning (defining the exact frequency of the [[C (musical note)|middle C]] for samples), increased the number of playback channels, made use of an extra column specifically for volume control (which was extended by other trackers to handle panning commands as well), and compressed pattern data for smaller file sizes.<ref name="openmpt"/> It is also one of the few widespread formats that support both sample playback and realtime synthesis (through the [[Yamaha YM3812|OPL2]] chip) at the same time.<ref name="st3-manual">{{cite web | url=https://files.scene.org/view/resources/music/trackers/scrmt321.zip | title=ScreamTracker 3 manual (ST3.DOC) | date=1994 | access-date=February 17, 2020 | author=Kalle Kaivola | quote= "Scream Tracker 3 supports the FM chip on SB cards. You can use a GUS for normal samples and SB for the FM-sound simultaneously."}}</ref>
[[File:Elwood - Dead Lock (Open Cubic Player).webm|thumb|300px|Open Cubic on [[DOSBox]], playing a FastTracker 2 module called ''Dead Lock'', composed by tracker musician Elwood in 1995]]
; The FastTracker 2 format (.XM)
: With the [[XM (file format)|XM format]], [[FastTracker 2]] introduced the concept of "instruments", which applied volume and panning envelopes to samples. It also added the ability to map several samples to the same instrument for multi-sampled instruments or drum sets. XM uses instrument-based panning – instrument numbers in patterns always reset the channel’s panning to the current sample's initial panning. It uses MOD effect command letters, plus a few of its own for more sound control. The composer can define initial tempos and speeds; provide envelopes to samples by assigning them to instruments; set sample looping and apply automatic sample vibrato oscillation.<ref name="openmpt"/>
; The Impulse Tracker format (.IT)
: [[Impulse Tracker]] introduced the [[IT (file format)|IT format]], which, in comparison to the XM format, allows instruments to also specify the transposition of assigned samples depending on the note being played, applying resonant filters to samples, and defining “New Note Actions” (NNAs) for instruments to release playing notes on a pattern channel while a new note is already playing, which helps to keep the number of pattern channels to while still being able to have a high polyphony. Like S3M files (and contrary to XM files), panning is channel-based, meaning that channels have an initial pan position which can be overridden by panning commands or instruments’ and samples’ default panning settings.<ref name="openmpt"/>

== Scene ==
The process of composing module files, known as tracking, is a skillful activity that involves a much closer contact with musical sound than conventional composition, as every aspect of each sonic event is coded, from pitch and duration to exact volume, panning, and laying in numerous effects such as [[echo]], [[tremolo]] and [[Fade (audio engineering)|fades]].<ref name="music and technoculture">{{cite book|author1=Rene T. A. Lysloff|author2=Jr. Leslie C. Gay|author3=Andrew Ross|title=Music and Technoculture|date=29 October 2003|publisher=[[Wesleyan University Press]]|isbn=978-0819565143|pages=352|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x9xSAgAAQBAJ|access-date=2014-09-13}}</ref> Once the module file is finished, it is released to the tracker community. The composer uploads the new composition to one or more of several sites where module files are archived, making it available to their audience, who will download the file on their own computers. By encoding textual information within each module file, composers maintain contact with their audiences and with one another by including their email addresses, greetings to fans and other composers, and virtual signatures.<ref name="music and technoculture"/>

Although [[Music tracker|trackers]] can be considered to have some technical limitations, they do not prevent a creative individual from producing music that is indiscernible from professionally created music. The demosceners were focused on pushing the limits of technology.<ref>{{cite book
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MUg4DwAAQBAJ
|title=From Pac-Man to Pop Music
|author=Karen Collins
|pages=153–162
|year=2017
|publisher=[[Routledge]]
|isbn=978-1-351-21772-9
}}</ref> Many tracker musicians gained international prominence within MOD software users and some of them went on to work for high-profile video game studios, or began to appear on large record labels.<ref name="ashgate"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/2012/4/10/2937700/watch-demoscene-commodore-jack-tramiel|title=A brief video history of the demoscene in memory of Commodore boss Jack Tramiel|work=[[The Verge]]|publisher=[[Vox Media]]|date=10 April 2012|access-date=21 August 2014|first=Janus|last=Kopfstein|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140903071946/http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/10/2937700/watch-demoscene-commodore-jack-tramiel|archive-date=3 September 2014}}</ref> Notable artists include [[Andrew Sega]], [[Jonne Valtonen|Purple Motion]], [[Darude]], [[Alexander Brandon]], [[Peter Hajba]], [[Axwell]], [[Venetian Snares]], [[Jesper Kyd]], [[Mark Knight (sound designer)|TDK]], [[Thomas J. Bergersen]], [[Markus Kaarlonen]], [[Michiel van den Bos]] and [[Dan Gardopée]]. It is also widely known that many of [[Aphrodite (musician)|Aphrodite's]] early releases were made on two synchronized [[Amiga]]s running [[OctaMED]], and that [[James Holden (producer)|James Holden]] made majority of his early material in [[Jeskola Buzz]]. [[Deadmau5]] and Erez Eisen of [[Infected Mushroom]] have both used [[Impulse Tracker]] in their early career.<ref name="Resident">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?972 | title=Deadmau5: It's complicated | magazine=[[Resident Advisor]] | date=September 30, 2008 | access-date=September 17, 2014 | author=Burns, Todd L. | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141007010942/http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?972 | archive-date=October 7, 2014 }}</ref><ref name="Emusician">{{cite magazine | url=http://www.emusician.com/artists/1333/geeking-out-with-infected-mushroom/41649 | title=Geeking Out With Infected Mushroom | magazine=[[Electronic Musician]] | date=September 1, 2009 | access-date=September 17, 2014 | author=Levine, Mike | url-status=live | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140917160756/http://www.emusician.com/artists/1333/geeking-out-with-infected-mushroom/41649 | archive-date=September 17, 2014 }}</ref>

== Music disk ==
{{redirect-distinguish|Music disk|Compact Disc Digital Audio}}
Music disk, or musicdisk, is a term used by the demoscene to describe a collection of songs made on a computer.  They are essentially the computer equivalent of an [[album]].  A music disk is typically packaged in the form of a program with a custom [[user interface]], so the listener does not need other software to play the songs.<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/96/94|title=Endless loop: A brief history of chiptunes|journal=[[Organization for Transformative Works|Transformative Works and Cultures]]|date=2009|access-date=23 May 2015|first1=Kevin|last1=Driscoll|first2=Joshua|last2=Diaz|volume=2 |doi=10.3983/twc.2009.096 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525141732/http://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/article/view/96/94|archive-date=25 May 2015|url-status=live|doi-access=free}}</ref>  The "disk" part of the term comes from the fact that music disks were once made to fit on a single [[floppy disk]], so they could be easily distributed at [[demoparty|demo parties]].  On modern [[platform (computing)|platforms]], music disks are usually downloaded to a [[hard disk drive]].

[[Amiga]] music disks usually consist of [[MOD (file format)|MOD]] files, while [[IBM PC|PC]] music disks often contain multichannel formats such as [[Fast Tracker|XM]] or [[Impulse Tracker|IT]].  Music disks are also common on the [[Commodore 64]] and [[Atari ST]], where they use their own native formats.

Related terms include ''music pack'', which can refer to a demoscene music collection that does not include its own player, and ''chipdisk'', a music disk containing only chiptunes, which have become popular on the PC given the large size of [[MP3]] music disks.

== Software module file players and converters ==

=== Players ===
* [[Xmplay|XMPlay]] (Windows), from Un4seen Developments, which also created the [[MO3|MO3 format]]
* OZMod (Java, cross-platform)
* [[Winamp]] (Windows)
* [[AIMP]]
* BZR Player (Windows)
* OpenCubicPlayer (Linux/BSD port is actively maintained)
* XMP (Linux, Android)
* [[foobar2000]] (Windows) (with foo_dumb or foo_openmpt plugin)
* Mod4Win (Windows), one of the first Windows Mod player
* [[K-Multimedia Player]] (Windows)
* [[Audacious (software)|Audacious]] (Linux, Windows)
* [[XMMS]] and XMMS2 (Linux)
* [[Music Player Daemon]] (Linux)
* [[DeaDBeeF]] (Linux, Windows, Android)
* MikMod (Linux, macOS, Windows, DOS)
* Modo Computer Music Player (Android)
* DeliPlayer (Windows)
* Amigaamp (Amiga)
* JavaMod (Linux, macOS, Windows)
* VLC

{{see also|list of Amiga music format players}}

=== Converters and trackers ===
* [[Cog (software)|Cog]] (macOS)
* [[Audacious Media Player|Audacious]] (Linux)
* [[OpenMPT]] (Windows)
* SunVox (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS)
* [[MilkyTracker]] (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android)
* Schism Tracker (Windows, macOS, Linux)
* [[Protracker]] (Amiga, Windows, macOS, Linux)
* [[OctaMED]] (Amiga)
* [[Renoise]] (Windows, macOS, Linux)
* Unix Amiga Delitracker Emulator (Linux)
* HoustonTracker (TI-82/83/84)
* Radium (Windows, macOS, Linux)

=== Libraries ===
* libmikmod - maintained in MikMod project
* libmodplug - maintained in ModPlug XMMS Plugin project
* libopenmpt - maintained in OpenMPT project
* libBASS - developed by Un4seen Developments and used in XMPlay
* libxmp
* [[uFMOD]]

== See also ==
*[[Music tracker|Tracker]]
*[[MOD (file format)]]
*[[:Category:Tracker musicians]]
*[[Demoscene]]
*''[[TraxWeekly]]''

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
*{{cite web|last1=Leonard|first1=Andrew|title=Mod love — With their ears, their computers and a little code, "mod trackers" build their own worlds of sound|url=http://www.salon.com/1999/04/29/mod_trackers/|website=[[Salon (website)|Salon]]|publisher=Salon Media Group|date=29 April 1999}}
*{{cite book|author1=Rene T. A. Lysloff|author2=Jr. Leslie C. Gay|author3=Andrew Ross|title=Music and Technoculture|date=29 October 2003|publisher=[[Wesleyan University Press]]|isbn=978-0819565143|pages=352|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x9xSAgAAQBAJ}}
*{{cite web|last1=Brandon|first1=Alexander|title=From The Expert - MODs and the Demoscene|url=http://www.originalsoundversion.com/from-the-expert-mods-and-the-demoscene/|publisher=Original Sound Version|date=9 May 2015|access-date=10 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904191840/http://www.originalsoundversion.com/from-the-expert-mods-and-the-demoscene/|archive-date=4 September 2017|url-status=dead}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|Tracker music}}
*[http://modarchive.org/ The Mod Archive]
*[http://amp.dascene.net/ Amiga Music Preservation]
*[http://resources.openmpt.org/tracker_handbook/handbook.htm The Tracker's Handbook]

{{Independent production}}
{{Chiptune-footer}}
{{Nerd music}}

[[Category:Demoscene]]
[[Category:Chiptune]]
[[Category:Module file formats| ]]
[[Category:Video game culture]]
[[Category:Video game terminology]]
[[Category:Electronica]]
[[Category:Digital audio]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Video game music file formats]]