Zen Tracker (ztrk) is a neo-classic IT/Buzz style music tracker/sequencer. My goal was to make a tracker interface to trigger anything max can interface with, and hook them up in a modular way to effects. Rather than moaning about the things that i perceive as limitations in other tools/trackers.

See #13 for the current active TODO list.
Current MaxPat to load: https://github.com/zeffii/ztrk/blob/master/max/sequencer_dev4.maxpat

Some milestones i will need to tackle, in no particular order

Details

• handleing keyboard qwerty input
• loading existing patterns
• track description display
• editing pattern
• displaying patterns
• displaying current tick location
• cursor + navigation
• selection rectangle
• note to midinote
• input error handling this is per parameter type
  • two hexvalues
  • note
  • trigger ( 1 or . )
  • 4 hex
  • FFXXYY (this will set you free)
• util functions(hex to int, etc) these to be used for
  • interpolation functions,
  • addition/subtract/transpose
• scrolling pattern data
• general pattern editor functions
  • interpolate (hex and notes)
  • delete selection
  • copy and paste selection
  • shift content of selection up/down
• trigger from tick
• basic kb controller envelope editor
• basic waveform viewer, selector
• basic first synth mk2
• link sequencer to pattern editor (back and forth)
• sequencing patterns
• implement machine types (preliminary version),
• loading / saving songs
• buffer visualizer

Step 3:

• fixed file structure, can now be a project proper.
• add pattern from list
  • (using 2hex keys)
• set pattern length (has sideeffects)
• add user define-able machines (prelim!)
• add tracks (select machine to add)
• shift machine lanes (shift [/ ] )
• add basic set of sampler/effects/synth (call these machines)
  • drummachine
  • sampler simple
  • sampler advanced (subset of utrk!)
  • bassline
  • kickdrum
  • hats
  • leadsynth
  • padsynth
  • klang
  • fungus?
  • flange
  • reverb
  • phase
  • distortion
  • limiter
  • filter
  • delay
  • chorus
• keyrepeats, need a tidier solution (has been through several iteration, not satisfying yet)

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What i'm attempting here is a cross between sunvox/buzz/st3/impulsetracker/tetramed. I want to have high control via keyboard like oldschool trackers, while also being able to use synths/samplers that i design and can edit at runtime. It can also trigger visuals/JIT but this has not been my focus yet.

Implementation details

The one main requirement I have is that the triggering is tight, therefore I'm basing the entire mechanism on signal based triggering. Pattern Data is written to buffers, and i will provide many buffer decoders so that we can trigger sounds from buffers by going through them sample by sample (as ticks) using a phasor and clicks.