Now I dont hide the fact that I enjoy trackers. They are my primary tool for music creation, and have experienced the efficiency and joy they bring. From my early days with LSDJ to exploring Renoise and the Polyend Tracker, these tools have a rich history and have played a significant role in music production technology. Check out this video to catch up.

Currently There is a resurgence in analog and vintage techniques in the music industry. While Trackers were phased out with the rise of modern Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), I have a feeling trackers and tracker workflow are making a comeback. Remembering when I first picked up my Polyend Tracker, there was only one place in Australia to get one. Now I feel they are in most  electronic music shops.

While trackers may not become mainstream again, there are distinct advantages to exploring their unique approach to music production. This article aims to discuss the potential benefits of a tracker resurgence and could give you a fresh avenue to music production.

Now DAWs are popular for a reason. They are extremely versatile tools to meet a musician’s need for creating and mastering music for a variety of applications. However there are qualities and characteristics of trackers that set them apart from DAWs.

• Grid-Based Interface: Trackers use a grid-based interface for precise control over patterns, allowing easy arrangement and manipulation.
• Pattern-Oriented Composition: Trackers offer a modular and flexible approach to building musical structures through reusable patterns.
• Unique Sound Manipulation: Trackers provide specialised tools for sample manipulation, enabling creative sound textures and effects.
• Efficient File Sizes: Trackers produce small file sizes, making them suitable for sharing in storage or bandwidth-limited situations.
• Real-Time Control: Many trackers allow real-time parameter manipulation, enhancing live performance and improvisation.
• Distinctive Sound Character: Trackers have a characteristic low-fidelity aesthetic appreciated by many musicians and listeners.
• Navigational Efficiency: Trackers offer a fast and efficient workflow through keyboard shortcuts and minimal mouse interaction.

While trackers may initially seem unconventional excel-based text wall, they have significant creative potential.  Similar to the Elektron digi”boxes”, Conditional trigs and step based workflow has a lot of features similar to tracker workflow, People who enjoy that workflow makes those machines shine.

The analog resurgence has made an appearance in popular culture, exemplified by the Stranger Things soundtrack’s heavy use of analog synthesisers and 80s themes. Often when i was playing my synths I would get the “it sounds like stranger things” 

In the industry, there is a renewed interest in analog equipment and techniques. You can say this is through rose tinted glasses, however when younger audiences are adopting retro technologies, there has to be a reason why besides some bussin’ drip. My view is that some of this obsolete tech is not so “obsolete”, as many musicians and people alike appreciate the more tactile and hands-on controls, analogue artefacts or user experience that analog instruments provide, also providing novel limitations that improve the creative process.

Trackers, with their pattern-oriented approach to composition, offer a modular and flexible way of building musical structures. Patterns can be easily created, arranged, and reused, allowing for quick experimentation and iteration in the creative process.

A resurgence of trackers aligns perfectly with the demand for “vintage” and “lo-fi” sounds. Their distinctive sound character, often associated with low-fidelity aesthetics of the 16 bit era, evokes a nostalgic charm that resonates with many who grew up with games and computers of the late 80s to 2000s. Modern trackers like renoise take this and are capable of hi-fi stereo sounds and samples, however offer other unique characteristics due to their sample sound engines with VST/MIDI Support. 

Another characteristic is through channel management where the limit of channels limits the sounds you can play. When playing chords you can quickly run out of channels so there are techniques to use broken chords and arps to give the illusion of polyphony, when exploiting these limitations provides a distinctive tracker sound.

Various genres came from tracker-based music, particularly within the demo scene. The versatility and creative possibilities afforded by trackers have allowed artists to explore new sonic territories and push the boundaries of their compositions. Now they do look like a programmers friend with all the hex numbers, however 

When you see a tracker. It can look like the matrix and something built by programmers for programmers. However when getting used to the tracker workflow, it can be really efficient to capture new and interesting ideas.

The centrepiece of the tracker is its grid based interface. Each row corresponds to a specific musical channel and the tracker scrolls down through the steps. This allows for precise control over patterns, facilitating the arrangement and manipulation of musical sequences. This focuses on sequencing and pattern-based composition compared to a piano roll. Musicians can easily place notes, beats, and effects on the grid, aligning them with desired timing and structure. However, like any software package, it is spending time learning the best practices and shortcuts to get good.

Trackers originated when computers only had keyboards and possibly a mouse. They evolved in the demoscene and adapted with these interfaces in mind. The tracker workflow emphasises on navigational efficiency, relying on keyboard shortcuts and minimising mouse interaction. Which may seem counterintuitive compared to the expressiveness of a MIDI keyboard.

For certain types of music, particularly pattern-based music, you can rapidly create it using step sequencing or additional commands and generators to speed up the process. Instead of manually drawing it with a mouse, you can easily input a basic “4 on the floor” rhythm with just a few button presses. However shortcuts enable instant pattern switching, executing commands, adjusting parameters, and more, facilitating the creation of intricate grooves and melodies. Mastering these tracker shortcuts helps me focus on my tracks instead of trying to figure out where a button is, breaking the flow state.

Now I sit in the camp of limitations leads to creativity, which works well with trackers. From the original 4 channels, some internal filters, panning and some effects, the focus is more on making something interesting with the available samples, instead of falling in the trap of choice paralysis in modern doors. Not to say that trackers have their own pitfalls, however the creative decisions made from these limits help improve the musicians tool kit.

Typically, when we hear a song, it’s the final mix mastered down to 2 tracks. Which is a completely different listening experience to live music. Prepping the final mix in a DAW, there are multiple tracks of recorded instruments, VSTs, and effects. Trackers on the other hand use samples and hardware to generate sound with project files, like the .mod file contains all the elements necessary to replay the song. Trackers provide extensive control over music playback, offering a distinctive approach for both studio and live performances.

Many trackers provide extensive real-time control and manipulation of various parameters for on-the-fly adjustments to effects, patterns, and instruments. The song file can be created as a track, however inside the tracker interface can be organised into song or set blocks for the artists to use in response to the energy of the moment. 

The pattern-based nature of trackers allows for quick exploration and arrangement of musical ideas, making them ideal tools for improvisation. Hardware trackers like the polyend tracker have dedicated sections for performance and improvisation in mind, where the original song can be manipulated entirely. With real-time control at their fingertips, musicians can interact with their music in a dynamic and responsive manner. They can trigger patterns, trigger samples, adjust effects, and manipulate other parameters. 

Currently I have 2 polyend trackers and it’s what I’ll be using to play live. The Polyend tracker allows me to effortlessly create, manipulate, and perform my music in real-time, and their compact size and portability make them ideal for on the go. Which I hope to be doing more of after Covid.

It’s worth discussing the supportive communities that have emerged around trackers. The original tracker “the Ultimate Soundtracker” by Karsten Obarski was paid commercial software however was overtaken by a variety of shareware clones. 

The tracker concept evolved in the demoscene which fostered a collaboration among artists and enthusiasts by providing platforms for sharing resources, techniques, and music. This was aided by the trackers’ ability to create compositions with relatively small file sizes, thanks to their efficient data utilisation. This makes them ideal for sharing and distributing music.

It is common practice in the demoscene to exchange .mod project files in spaces like the mod archive. To engage with listeners and enable others to see how you did things. Trackers can do this because the project file is the song and there is no need for the user to have the same VSTs and DAW setup.

These platforms still exist in the social media age. There are vibrant communities who still support making trackers, however more people are making videos discussing their workflow, reimagining the way trackers can be used in contemporary music production and expanding on the tracker knowledge base. Being able to pick up trackers is easier than ever.

Will all this new hardware and software trackers change the music industry? probably not. However the resurgence of trackers offers a unique blend of nostalgia and retro aesthetics combined with modern capabilities. I wanted to highlight what I enjoy with trackers, including the creative workflow, real-time performance and collaboration. 

If I have encouraged you to explore and experiment with trackers, whether as standalone tools or in conjunction with your music workflow. I have included a recent video showcasing trackers that you can access right now and dive into. 

If there is one thing to take away, It’s always good to expand your musical toolkit. 

Thank you for reading, and if you found a part of this useful. Share so it can help others.

Also go come check out my channel on YouTube