Editing Scream Tracker

{{Short description|Audio tracker for DOS}}
{{Infobox software
| name = Scream Tracker
| screenshot = Screamtracker 321.png
| caption = Scream Tracker 3.21 screenshot
| author = Sami Tammilehto
| developer = [[Future Crew]] (FC)
| released = {{Start date and age|1990}} (Scream Tracker 2.2)
| latest release version = 3.21
| latest release date = {{Start date and age|1994}}
| programming language = [[C (programming language)|C]] and [[Assembly language|assembly]]
| operating system = DOS
| discontinued = yes
| genre = [[Tracker (music software)|Tracker]]
| license = Freeware
}}
'''''Scream Tracker''''' is a [[Tracker (music software)|tracker]] (an integrated multi-track [[step sequencer]] and sampler as a software application). It was created by Psi (Sami Tammilehto), one of the founders of the Finnish [[demogroup]] [[Future Crew]].<ref name=sos>{{cite web|url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/jul04/articles/pcmusician.htm|title=PC Music Freeware Roundup |last=Walker |first=Martin|work=Sound on Sound |date=July 2004 |accessdate=2010-05-29|language=|quote=''When PCs first came of age for music making in the mid '90s, ScreamTracker was one of the first music software packages to appear with sample support,...''}}</ref><ref name=modlove>{{cite web|url=http://www.salon.com/technology/feature/1999/04/29/mod_trackers/index.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091124071311/http://www.salon.com/technology/feature/1999/04/29/mod_trackers/index.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-11-24|title=Mod love|work=Salon.com|last=Leonard|first=Andrew|date=1999-04-29|publisher=Salon Media Group|accessdate=2010-05-17}} </ref> It was written in [[C (programming language)|C]] and [[assembly language]].

The '''first version (1.0)''' had monophonic 4-bit output via the [[PC speaker]], as well as 8-bit output via [[Covox]]'s [[Covox Speech Thing|Speech Thing]] (a [[digital-to-analog converter]] using the [[parallel port]]) or a [[Sound Blaster]] 1.x [[Sound card|card]].  

The first popular version of Scream Tracker, '''version 2.2''', was published in 1990.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://musiikki.journal.fi/article/view/87867|author=Markku Reunanen|title=Trackerit: paradigman synty, kukoistus ja myöhemmät vaiheet|lang=fi|year=2019|volume=49|issue=2|page=24|journal=Musiikki Ja Teknologia III|issn=0355-1059}}</ref> Versions prior to 3.0 created STM (Scream Tracker [[Module file|Module]]) files, while versions 3.0 and above used the [[S3M (file format)|S3M]] (ScreamTracker 3 Module) format. 

As of '''version 3.0''', ''Scream Tracker'' supports up to 99 [[Audio bit depth|8-bit]] samples, 32 channels, 100 patterns, and 256 order positions. It can also handle up to 9 [[Frequency modulation|FM]]-synthesis channels on sound cards using the popular [[Yamaha YM3812|OPL2]]/[[Yamaha YMF262|3]]/[[Yamaha YMF278|4]] chipsets, and, unusually, can play PCM samples and FM instruments at the same time. There are channels referred to as R1..8, L1..8 and A1..9 to be assigned to those 32 ones, which gives an effective amount of only 25 channels. 16-position free panning is available using the S8x command, but only on the [[Gravis Ultrasound]]. The usage of the A channels requires the presence of an [[Ad Lib, Inc.|AdLib-compatible]] card either by itself or alongside another sound card.

The last version of Scream Tracker was '''3.21''', released in 1994, placing it in competition with [[FastTracker 2]].  It was the precursor of the PC tracking scene and its interface inspired newer trackers like [[Impulse Tracker]].<ref>{{cite web |author=Lim, Jeffrey |title=Features of Impulse Tracker |url=http://www.users.on.net/~jtlim/ImpulseTracker/features.html |accessdate=2009-04-07}}</ref><ref name="histofTracker">{{cite web |last=Matsuoka |first=Claudio |date=2007-11-04 |title=Tracker History Graphing Project |url=http://helllabs.org/tracker-history/ |accessdate=2011-01-29 |publisher=helllabs.org |quote=}}</ref> Various other trackers (such as [[Impulse Tracker]] or [[OpenMPT]]) adopted the use of the Scream Tracker's S3M format.

== See also ==
* [[MilkyTracker]]
* [[List of audio trackers]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Audio trackers]]
[[Category:Demoscene software]]
[[Category:DOS software]]
[[Category:1990 software]]
[[Category:Assembly language software]]
[[Category:Software developed in Finland]]