Tracker approach and workflow

Cyndilov

I've recently been thinking a lot about the Polyend Tracker and this sort of new tracker-inspired approach to sequencing, the ways it nudges you to make different kind of arrangements etc. Seeing that a true modern tracker app might not appear on the iPad anytime soon, I also wonder how we might take some of these ideas and recreate a similar workflow with our modular iPad setups, without strictly the tracker experience, so to speak.

Here's a few things that catch my attention when looking into the tracker workflow:

• User defined distribution of the steps across time (aka beat subdivision but less focus on the beats)
• One channel is of one 'sound source', but not necessary one 'instrument': different steps can have different start time to play a sample, with potentially wildly different processing from step to step
• A four-channel track then, is more a track where "there's at most 4 sounds simultaneously and any time" and less "4 consistently identifiable sounds"

There should be more as I look more deeper into it. Of course I could have just misunderstood many of these things, I have never actually made a full track with trackers before. But I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this, and if it's feasible to recreate some of these characteristics in the workflow on iPad. Also going beyond the iPad, does it make sense to put together some sort of tracker-like mobile music setup eg with Norns, Raspberry Pi etc?

Littlewoodg

@Cyndilov
Have you done a deep dive into SunVox?
It’s the most modern tracker on any platform including iOS. It’s also AUV3

audiblevideo

Literally on any platform since it runs on every platform

matte

this sort of new tracker-inspired approach to sequencing

My 1988 Amiga 500 called, it wants it's new approach to sequencing back.

dendy

this guy has lot of nice pilyend tracker jams, check it for inspiration.. it's great piece of hardware, it has very smart designed controls..

https://youtube.com/user/alfabutane

aleyas

SunVox my man. It IS a true modern tracker on iOS (as well as desktop). In fact, there are quite a few videos demonstrating folks using it alongside the Polyend Tracker too.

Don’t overlook SunVox, it’s a powerful tracker by any standard.
https://apps.apple.com/pt/app/sunvox/id324462544?l=en

CRAKROX

If you want to try out an “old school” tracker on iOS then give this a spin...

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/vividtracker/id758491913

senhorlampada

@CRAKROX that's a cool one.
Lars was working on a version of vividtracker that would be a standalone sequencer. AUv3 if i'm not wrong.
But i can't seem to find any info on this anymore

Edit: Here it is
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1704410769839550/permalink/2323116191302335?sfns=mo

Cyndilov

Thanks everyone, had totally overlooked SunVox because I think I saw it came up in discussions on modular synths etc and I assumed I'm covered with Drambo and the like. Any pointers on where to start? Wondering also how well it integrates with other AU FXs and all that

@dendy @aleyas Rather inspiring jams. I'm impressed by the SunVox + Polyend one especially. Very cool sounds

I have tried Sinusoid previously and found that what I'm after is not necessarily the tracker interface experience but more the weird stuff that it encourages you to make with its approach to playing samples and writing parts etc in the Polyene and Renoise that I've looked into. That said I'd definitely be excited to try a old-school tracker AU @CRAKROX @senhorlampada

@matte said:

this sort of new tracker-inspired approach to sequencing

My 1988 Amiga 500 called, it wants it's new approach to sequencing back.

😂 To be fair though, I consider the standard piano roll to be a natural continuation of staff notation, and compare to that the 1988 edgy and new sequencing approach is exciting indeed

mervenca

Just made this mockup in the new touchOSC just for fun
But I guess it cant be implemented in any meaningful way.. unless somehow mirroring sunvox inside the screen area.

Jumpercollins

Try the Renoise desktop demo

wim

@Cyndilov said:
Thanks everyone, had totally overlooked SunVox because I think I saw it came up in discussions on modular synths etc and I assumed I'm covered with Drambo and the like. Any pointers on where to start? Wondering also how well it integrates with other AU FXs and all that

If you start at https://warmplace.ru you'll find a ton of videos to help get started.

Another great way to get something up and going quickly is to get the free PixiTracker app. It's a fun and easy "toy like" app. But the cool thing about it is it can export tunes you make in it as full SunVox projects as a starting point.

SunVox has an AU version of itself, so it can slot into any host. It can be used as an instrument, generator, or FX. The standalone version has midi out so it can also be used to drive AU instruments in other hosts. The AUv3 version doesn't have midi out yet. It can't host AU's itself.

You can also record midi into the tracker from any external MIDI source as a way of getting started.

senhorlampada

BTW, out of curiosity, how do most of you enter notes and such? I asked this before but no one answered
As a tracker, i'm mostly used to my PC and Raspberry

On IOS I generally use it with xequence, but sometimes I feel I'm missing Sunvox's powerful sequencer as a tool

Cyndilov

@mervenca said:

Just made this mockup in the new touchOSC just for fun
But I guess it cant be implemented in any meaningful way.. unless somehow mirroring sunvox inside the screen area.

Looks great! Takes a particular kind of obsession to map it (or even script it?) to tracker functions I suppose.

@Jumpercollins said:
Try the Renoise desktop demo

I'm pretty much iPad exclusively these days unfortunately. A raspberry sometimes in a pinch, when the iPad gets particularly frustrating. I wish Renoise would run on raspberry

@senhorlampada said:
BTW, out of curiosity, how do most of you enter notes and such? I asked this before but no one answered
As a tracker, i'm mostly used to my PC and Raspberry

On IOS I generally use it with xequence, but sometimes I feel I'm missing Sunvox's powerful sequencer as a tool

I have assumed that's why there's not much interest in trackers on iOS...