Schism Tracker

"A free and open-source reimplementation of impulse-tracker" for Linux, macOS, Windows and anything SDL runs on, keeping IT's keyboard-driven interface and "finger feel" on top of "a highly modified version of the Modplug engine, with a number of bugfixes and changes to improve IT playback" — measured with the Player abuse tests, effect tests rendered from IT 2.14p5's disk writer (source: s-schism-tracker-wiki). Started by storlek and Mrs. Brisby: 0.031a on 2003-06-16 (ModPlug Tracker 1.16 player code, IT 2.14p5 interface), 0.1a (2004), 0.2a (2005), 0.5rc1 (2006), then dated builds from 2009 (source: s-tracker-history-notes). GPL; builds with GCC/Clang and SDL 1.2/2/3; configuration in a plain INI file; fonts (.itf, IT's font.cfg) in a fonts directory with a built-in font editor (Shift-F12) (source: s-schism-tracker-wiki). Its clipboard text format is OpenMPT's and duet's (source: s-duet-readme); OpenMPT's Compatible mix levels are "identical those of Schism Tracker" (source: s-openmpt-manual-song-properties).

From the FAQ#

• Follows MIDI start/continue/stop/reset but neither follows nor sends MIDI clock, because tracked speed/tempo "have a very different concept" from MIDI; Ctrl-Z in the pattern editor arms MIDI-triggered playback (sync).
• No sample drawing ("Tell the Milky Tracker guys to add NNAs ;)"), but Alt-Y turns typed text into a throwaway sample; the tiny sample display is by design — "stop looking and start listening. Make a rough guess, type it in, play the sample, and use the + and - keys to adjust".
• Why IT-style at all: "we're most comfortable and productive with this style. VST effects and shiny gradients aren't everything"; the shortcuts look unintuitive until learned, then "a very efficient and comfortable way to work" (Ctrl-C/V are not copy/paste).
• Mac keyboards: Fn combinations for Insert/Delete/Home/End, Ctrl-F for Scroll Lock; runs on a Linux framebuffer (source: s-schism-tracker-wiki).

Cheat sheet#

Schism's commands are Impulse Tracker's — the impulse-tracker cheat sheet applies; format-specific behaviour follows IT 2.14p5 (source: s-schism-tracker-wiki).

Clipboard interchange#

• Schism's pattern clipboard is the same text as openmpt's and duet's — "the clipboard moves between the three without conversion"; Schism's own header spelling is Pasted Pattern - IT (readers accept any header line ending in IT) (source: s-duet-docs-clipboard).
• Like OpenMPT, Schism is strict about the 11-character cell widths on paste, and honours fields a mark did not reach being spelled as spaces (source: s-duet-docs-clipboard).
• Caveat: a lowercase letter in the effect field — DUET's own a–d send commands — is read by Schism as a volume command (source: s-duet-docs-clipboard).

Related#

impulse-tracker · it-format · openmpt · duet · storlek · jeffrey-lim

Sources#

s-schism-tracker-wiki · s-tracker-history-notes · s-duet-readme · s-openmpt-manual-song-properties · s-duet-docs-clipboard