Impulse Tracker 2.14 screenshot |
|
| Developer(s) | Jeffrey Lim |
|---|---|
| Stable release | 2.14 / April 8, 1999 |
| Written in | Assembly language |
| Operating system | MS-DOS |
| Type | Tracker |
| Website | http://www.users.on.net/~jtlim/ImpulseTracker/ |
Impulse Tracker is a multi-track digital sound tracker (music sequencer). It was one of the last tracker programs for the DOS platform. It was authored by Jeffrey "Pulse" Lim,[1] and example music was provided by Jeffrey Lim and Chris Jarvis. The first released version is from year 1995 and the last version, v2.14 Patch #5, was released April 8, 1999.
Contents |
The software was distributed as freeware, though for a fee the author supplies extra features, such as support for WAV output and IPX networks. After the stereo WAV writer plugin was publicly pirated,[2] the original author announced that he would discontinue development after version 2.14. Impulse Tracker was coded in Assembly language.[3]
Impulse Tracker's interface was influenced by that of Scream Tracker 3.[4]
Like in most module editors, music is arranged on a grid of channels. Each supports note on and note off instructions similar to MIDI. Impulse Tracker modules use the .IT file extension.
New Note Actions (NNAs) is a feature that handles commands received on the same channel as another instrument which is still playing. NNAs allow the user to customize the subsequent action:
Impulse Tracker supports hardware MIDI channels on the Gravis Ultrasound, InterWave and Sound Blaster 32 card families (provided enough RAM is available).
Other music-playing software that supports the IT file format include Media Player Classic, Winamp (Win32), VLC, Cowon jetAudio, XMMS (X11 Linux/Unix), TiMidity, MikMod, ModPlug Tracker, Renoise (Win32, GNU/Linux and Mac OS X), and Schism Tracker (Win32, Linux, Wii and Mac OS X) which is an Impulse Tracker reimplementation.[5]
The .IT file format is the format native to Impulse Tracker. It is similar to older formats such as .MOD, but features new additions such as new note actions which allow the user to customize subsequent actions on receiving commands from the same channel as the one playing.[6]
Some player software supports the .ITZ format, which is a renamed ZIP file that contains a .IT file.
Erez Aizen of Infected Mushroom composed his first trance music on Impulse Tracker.[7] Ian Stocker used IT with other software in his collaboration for the music in the Nintendo DS version of The Sims 2.[8]
The video games Pocket Tanks and Grid Wars use the IT format for some of their songs. Various games by Epic Games such as the first Unreal and Unreal Tournament as well as Deus Ex used the IT format in an "UMX" container format.[9][10]
Trance producer Sean Tyas began his music production career using Impulse Tracker.
