Polyend Tracker+ - 6. Instruments

In the language of Tracker+, an instrument is
the part of a step that generates sound. This is
either an audio sample or an assigned synth
both with their own settings. Sample
Instruments are loaded into the instrument
pool to be accessible in a project (explained in
the project section). Synths offer 3 slot options
each of which can be populated with one of 4
different synth models and a preset
conguration applied. Sample parameters set
the conguration of the sample itself and also
the integration within the Tracker+ instrument
feature set. A sample can be sliced for
example to be used as beats in a drum kit. It
can form the central audio source for the
wavetable and granular engines. These
operate similar to synthesizers. It can also
simply be a pure stand alone sample. Synths
can be congured with core sound engines
and parameter values to shape and hone a
sound all of which can be stored as a preset.
Building instruments and their application in
Tracker+ is an essential foundation for sound
design. MIDI instruments also exist and the
application of these is covered in the MIDI
section. There are a variety of things that can be
done to create an instrument. Working with
instruments clearly has a cross over between
the practical, process orientated tasks and the
creative, inspirational parts. Both are equally
important and often it is worth dedicating time
purely to sound design and instrument creation.
Building a library of say, percussion, drums,
bass, leads, or pads and textures, and so forth is
good practice. This can make the track design
and full song production workow smooth and
simple, helping to switch the focus on the
assembly and creation of patterns. Instruments
are stored as ‘.pti’ les and can be used across
projects and can be distributed and shared with
others.
Instruments
6
107
Polyend Tracker+ Manual