Editing XM (file format)

{{Short description|Module file format native to FastTracker 2}}
{{Infobox file format
| name = XM
| icon = 
| logo = 
| screenshot = 
| caption = 
| extension = .xm
| mime = audio/xm
| type code = 
| uniform type = 
| magic = 0x1A at offset 37<ref name="specs">{{cite book
 |title=The Unofficial XM File Format Specification
 |last=Kameñar
 |first=Vladimir
 |publisher=CelerSMS
 |location=Colombia
 |year=2007
 |isbn=978-958-53602-0-4
 |oclc=1262695345
}}</ref>
| owner = [[Triton (demogroup)|Triton]]
| developer = Fredrik Huss (Mr.H of Triton)
| genre = [[Module file|Module file format]]
| container for = 
| contained by = 
| extended from = [[MOD (file format)|MOD]]
| extended to = 
| standard = 
| released = 1994<ref name="specs"/>
}}
'''XM''', standing for "extended [[MOD (file format)|module]]", is an audio file type introduced by [[Triton (demogroup)|Triton]]'s [[FastTracker 2]].<ref>{{cite book
 | last1 = Varga
 | first1 = Martin
 | title = Learning AndEngine
 | publisher = Packt Publishing Ltd.
 | year = 2014
 | isbn = 978-1-78398-596-8
 | quote = music composing (using the famous FastTracker 2)
}}</ref> XM introduced [[Sample-based_synthesis#Multisampling|multisampling]]-capable<ref>{{cite book
 | last1 = Sawyer
 | first1 = Ben
 | last2 = Dunne
 | first2 = Alex
 | last3 = Berg
 | first3 = Tor
 | title = Game Developer's Marketplace
 | publisher = Coriolis Group Books
 | year = 1998
 | isbn = 978-1576101773
 | page = 295
}}</ref> instruments with volume and panning envelopes,<ref>{{cite book
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=TaNmc2IdNVwC
 | last = Perekh
 | first = Ranjan
 | title = Principles of Multimedia
 | publisher = [[McGraw Hill]]
 | year = 2006
 | isbn = 0-07-058833-3
 | chapter = Audio File Formats and CODECs
 | page = 247
}}</ref> sample looping<ref>{{cite thesis
 |last=Alves de Abreu
 |first=Valter Miguel
 |date=2018-07-17
 |title=Recreating tracker music sequencers in modern videogames: an integrated model approach for adaptive music
 |type=MSc
 |chapter=Analysing trackers and their formats
 |publisher=[[University of Porto]]
 |s2cid=192364225
 |page=17
 |url=https://repositorio-aberto.up.pt/handle/10216/114293
 |access-date=2021-06-03
}}</ref> and basic pattern compression. It also expanded the available effect commands and channels, added 16-bit [[sampling (music)|sample]] support, and offered an alternative frequency table for [[portamento|portamentos]].

XM is a common format for many [[Module file|module files]].

The file format has been initially documented by its creator in the file XM.TXT, which accompanied the 2.08 release of FastTracker 2, as well as its latest known beta version: [https://demozoo.org/productions/99958/ 2.09b]. The file, written in 1994 and attributed to Mr.H of Triton (Fredrik Huss), bears the header "The XM module format description for XM files version $0104." The contents of the file have been posted on this article's [[Talk:XM_(file_format)|Talk]] subpage for reference.

This documentation is however said to be incomplete and insufficient to properly recreate the behaviour of the original program. The [[MilkyTracker]] project has expanded the documentation of the XM file format, in an attempt to replicate not only the behaviour of the original software but also its quirks. Their documentation of the XM file format is available on the project's [https://github.com/milkytracker/MilkyTracker/blob/master/resources/reference/xm-form.txt GitHub repository].

'''OXM (oggmod)''' is a subformat, which compresses the XM samples using [[Vorbis]].<ref>{{cite book
 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CQqSBAAAQBAJ
 | last = Sweet
 | first = Michael
 | title = Writing Interactive Music for Video Games
 | publisher = [[Addison-Wesley]]
 | year = 2014
 | isbn = 978-0-321-96158-7
 | page = 272
 | chapter = MOD File Sequencing}}</ref>

== Supporting media players ==
* [[Windows Media Player]] – supports .XM files as long as the player version is x86 (32-bit)
* [[jetAudio|Cowon jetAudio]] – A freeware audio player for Windows which supports .XM files
* [[Xmplay]] – A freeware audio player for Windows which supports .XM files
* [[Foobar2000]] – A freeware audio player for Windows that supports .XM files through a plugin.
* [[VLC Media Player]] – An open-source media player for Windows, Linux, & macOS which supports .XM files
* [[MusicBee]] –  A freeware audio player for Windows which supports .XM files
* [[OpenMPT]] - An open-source audio module tracker for Windows which supports .XM files and others, such as [[MOD (file format)|.MOD]] and [[S3M|.S3M]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

== See also ==
*[[Module file]]
*[[MOD (file format)]]
*[[S3M (file format)]]
*[[IT (file format)]]

[[Category:Module file formats]]
[[Category:Digital audio]]