6 Tips Before You Start - Getting Started with Chiptunes & MilkyTracker (1/4)

So, you want to make chiptunes! Here are 6 things for you to do before you start:

1. Download MilkyTracker

Seems obvious, but there are a lot of trackers out there, and I think that prevents some people from ever starting. That’s understandable – you want to make sure you’re getting the most ‘authentic’ and ‘user-friendly’ tool for making chiptunes, but each of them come with different capabilities and limitations. "Which one should I choose? Maybe I’ll do more research tomorrow."

No. Just download MilkyTracker (https://milkytracker.org). It’s open source, it’s multi-platform and it’s free. It’s also very powerful and I can assure you you’ll learn tons about writing music and chiptunes. Plus, most of what you learn in MilkyTracker can be applied to other trackers if you ever decide to try them. So just jump in!

2. Full-Sized Keyboard is not Necessary, but Recommended.

MilkyTracker’s workflow is really fun. There are a ton of hotkeys, and when you become familiar with them, you really start tapping into the full “tracking” experience. I can go many minutes without touching the mouse.

The problem is that some keyboards don’t have all the hotkeys. For example, my Bluetooth Apple keyboard doesn’t have the ‘page down,’ ‘page up,’ ‘home,’ or ‘end’ keys. Other small keyboards may have these keys, but require a function to access them, which may interfere with other MilkyTracker hotkeys.

In any case, hotkeys can be messy or non-existent on smaller keyboards. MilkyTracker is definitely still usable with them, but not as fun.

3. The Manual

MilkyTracker has a lot of hotkeys, and a lot of effects. The manual is the best resource for explaining them all. When I was first starting out, I always had it open on my second monitor. I highly recommend you have it accessible and ready!

4. Selecting Your Audio Driver

This can be found under Config / I/O / Driver. If you’re not getting any sound, play around with the options here.

On a similar note, if I change my computer’s audio output while MilkyTracker’s open, I usually have to restart the program to get the sound back. This may also depend on the version you’re using (I haven’t updated mine yet).

5. Set the Resolution

Very important. I don’t know why, but personally, if the resolution isn’t just right, I instantly start feeling dizzy and get headaches. Find the settings under Config / Layout / Resolutions. I use a custom resolution and a X2 scale. Now I can look at MilkyTracker for hours! 

Note: every time you change a setting here, MilkyTracker needs to restart. You can also change the font size of the pattern editor under Config / Fonts / Pattern Editor.

6. Use MilkyTracker’s Edit Mode

Under Config / Misc. / Edit Mode, there are two edit modes, MilkyTracker and FastTracker II. I assume this option is here for people who are already familiar with FastTracker II, which uses a different set of hotkeys.

I’ve never used FastTracker II and chances are, if you’re reading and watching these tutorials, you haven’t either. So, just select MilkyTracker and don’t worry about it anymore!

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That’s it! Obviously, there are many other buttons in MilkyTracker, but if you’re just starting, don’t worry about them. Some of them you’ll configure to taste, others you’ll learn about as you go, and some you’ll never figure out. I’ve been using MilkyTracker for a few years now and there are still options I don’t understand.

But you don’t need to understand them to make great chiptunes!

In the next tutorial, I'll cover how to generate basic waveforms in the sample editor and how to input them in the pattern editor.

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@gruber_music

  / gruber99  
https://gruber99.bandcamp.com/