MadTracker 2.

[McKnackusThe1st]

is it good for making quality remixes?

Because I know you can make cool music with it, but I haven't seen many examples of really good quality sound from it. You know, stuff that's been done on OCRemix with orchestra sounds.

Or will I actually need to learn a few instruments to get that effect?

[Rozovian]

Most of those orchestra sounds you hear come from a VST/AU/RTAS or other plugin. Can MadTracker host VSTs?

For ocremixes in general, it's not about the program. if it was good enough you could write the music in notepad and still get it on ocr. if it was good enough.

but if you can't host VSTs you'll have a bit of a problem mixing orchestral stuff. You can import samples, sure, but reverb and stuff might be trickier.

So the two questions: Can it host VSTs? Can you make good music with it?

[McKnackusThe1st]

To be honest I have absolutely no idea what VST's are, or actually anything regarding remixing. Though listening to the music here, and having thought up several remixes in my head, I figure if I could learn the technical side of it, I could output some good stuff. I simply don't know where to start.

As for VST's, according to the site, it is compatible.

"MadTracker implements multiple technologies for time-efficient and intuitive control of your projects. The mixing console gives you immediate overview and control, and automation of all VST plugins and built-in effects guarantees the fastest realization of your wildest imagination."

I personally have no clue as to whether or not I can make good music in it. My little brother has dabbled in it and has made some pretty cool sounding sequences in it, but I'm not all too fond of the very MIDI-like sounds it uses. If it's possible to import and use better quality sounds then I guess that can be bypassed.

On a side note, I do have one other sound program, albeit one I have no clue how to use. I got Adobe Production Premium CS4, which includes Adobe Soundbooth CS4. Not sure how that'll help though.

[liquid wind]

people have gotten posted on this site using impulse tracker and modplug, AFAIK madtracker is a lot more modern than either of those so it shouldn't be a problem as far as tools go

[Rozovian]

Then you should be all right. Just gotta learn to use it right.

Making stuff sound good, regardless of what tools you're using, isn't easy. It took me a year after I joined until I got posted, and that's after a few years of making music off-site. This thread can give you some idea of long it takes to develop musically to the point where you can make stuff good enough for ocremix.

"MIDI-like sounds" are something you'll have to deal with almost regardless of the program you use - you gotta make them sound better. If you stick with it, you'll learn.

Now make some music.

[McKnackusThe1st]

Huh... My little brother hasn't started but a week ago and what little he's done sounds pretty good to me composition-wise. It's the sounds themselves that make it sound flatter. Then again, he is musically inclined.

Not that I'm denying that practice definitely makes improvement. I'm sure he'll figure out how to do a ton of things he wasn't able to do before. Heck, for all I know his remixes are garbage right now and I can't tell.

Funny though, the only other music making program I've ever worked with was SimTunes. That was a fun game.

Well I guess this answers my question. I'll see what I can do with this I guess.

[Moseph]

SimTunes was awesome. It's been years and years since I've thought about that program.

[OverCoat]

Madtracker can do what you need but I hope you switch to Renoise eventually

I love how trackers are suddenly way more popular than they were in the early '00s. There's a lot of FruityLoops ex-users making music with renoise or madtracker, which is what happened with me too.

[Arcana]

VSTs basically allow you to be able to load custom "programs" so to speak. Many of them give you the potential to be able to make better sounds than ones that are General MIDI ish.

However it is a challenge in two directions and most artists on this site are good at both. There is the composition side of things, where the songs sound good from a musical standpoint, and then there is the production side of things, where the music sounds sonically interesting and appealing.

Good luck, it is a long but rewarding process especially when you first start out and your abilities increase rapidly as you learn new things!

[liquid wind]

Madtracker can do what you need but I hope you switch to Renoise eventually

I love how trackers are suddenly way more popular than they were in the early '00s. There's a lot of FruityLoops ex-users making music with renoise or madtracker, which is what happened with me too.

I'd probably be among this group too if I weren't diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirt poor atm, don't really like the direction FL has been going in and I always enjoyed using modplug and psycle, just too inconvenient the way modplug handles plugins and psycle is underdeveloped. I'd also highly recommend renoise based just on messing around with the demo

[OverCoat]

psycle is underdeveloped

Because Arguru died

His sample interpolation method lives on in Renoise however!

[McKnackusThe1st]

Well heck, I might as well start with Renoise. The interface looks leagues easier than Madtracker, and seems to come with a better soundpack.

I may never really become a serious remixer, but I figure that if I have ideas for remixes than I might as well try.

[OverCoat]

I can help you with renoise too if you need go through the tutorials and that should cover most of the renoise-specific stuff, assuming you understand the basics of tracking to begin with!