alugarius
commented
7 years ago I'd like to see that too, I downloaded a lot of IT files and most of them are useless because the artificial limitation. So I sadly depend on SchismTracker for that files.
I am not a good developer but I try to help where its possible: I contacted the libsdl4android to update the android build to ver 1.0.0, I want to treat MT like a professional music studio (because it basically is). I try to set up a monthly donation and to a bit PR for milkytracker if that helps. But all that would be easier if I wouldn't depend on other trackers.
@FyiurAmron has stated a good point and I saw this on your website -- http://milkytracker.titandemo.org/docs/Vhiiula-TechniquesOfChipping.txt : ""3. Mixing --------- As in any other tune, try to have your chipsounds cover as many pitches as possible, i.e. have a bass line, a high lead, some chords in between, or however you like it, just make sure you create a "full" sound. (I'm not saying that you have to do it this way. But it's just the easiest approach to creating a pleasant mixing.) Some old tracking tutorials say that you should try to use as few channels as possible, or at least try to erase anything remotely unneeded from your track. This might have been true in the days when those tutorials were written, the mixing quality being 8-bit and 22.1 khz. But these are the days of 32-bit mixing, so you will not have to worry about quality decreases anymore. Moreover, when making "newschool" chiptunes you are more of an engineer actually, having 64 channels at his/her disposal to synthesize the best sounds possible. And notice: Chipsounds are weak, they cannot be played alone. So, try to avoid doing that too often. "" -- if you argue against 64/128 channel support, you should remove the tutorial from your website that recommends using more than 32 channels to have a better sound ... just saying :) .
It would be fine to hide the setting deep into the config with a warning that I break FT2 compatibility (I don't have FT2 so its fine by me), but it should be accessible.
Deltafire
SyntaxErrol
FyiurAmron
Preamble: I'm aware of the reasons why MT supports only 32 channels out-of-the-box ("real" FT2-ish XMs supporting only that much, MT being used on low-end platforms without CPU power to mix more channels, the "don't just double the channel amounts by 2" doctrine from FT2, already having the ability to use more channels with quite simple source hacks etc.) Still, I'd like to propose adding a support for more channels (at least 64) in master branch.
My points are: a) more than 32 channels have been and already used by many (if not most) of the other contemporary trackers & players, including, but not limited to, IT, MPT, Skale, XMPlay etc., since increasing the amount of channels in XM-stored modules to e.g. 64 doesn't really require any other code changes than upping the constants in the application, so doesn't have any real cost other than making the XM incompatible with legacy software, and can (and does) provide real benefits (see below), b) 32 channels for modules is simply too little for format without multilayered instruments or stereo samples; it happens for me regardless of the genre, both for e.g. orchestral music & chiptunes - it takes about 4 layers for a fat synth or a fat drum - double or triple that to 8 or 12 to make it possible to use stereo effects. I hit 32 channels before I'm even able to lay out the synths. It takes about 16 channels to have a properly sounding piano emulating two hands with chords played, 6 channels to emulate a guitar etc. ... so that's a real blocker. 64 channels usually leave you with some spare place, but 32 channels often leave you with not enough space for real layering and with the need to stack couple of instruments on single channel, killing the reverb/echo/ambience possibilities, c) MT works properly (including GUI) recompiled with constants upped to 64/128 channels, at least on Win32 as far as the couple of weeks of testing I've done went, so there's no real effort needed here, d) FT2 did that mostly because 32 channels with 48k sampling, effects and live playback was already pushing the hardware available at the time to the limit, and because 32 channels was an increase from FT1 and MOD format anyway; today, even an ARM smartphone has more CPU power than needed to mix 64 (or more) channels properly, e) switching to 64/128 max could've been done with platform-dependent compilation, so that it only happens for those platforms where it's completely not an issue, f) it could be/should be made an option (with a 1st time warning popping possibly), that XMs done in more-than-32-channels-mode are incompatible with legacy XM players/trackers, g) I (and probably other people in similar situation to me) wouldn't have to maintain a fork and wouldn't have to port changes from master constantly just for the sake of having that particular feature.
IMO there would be no harm done, no kittens killed and no rainforests destroyed in the process. I can volunteer to do the PR with relevant changes myself, if nobody else wants to patch it together BTW.
tl;dr please give us the ability to enable 64 (or more) channels out-of-the-box, so that the community gets the most of MT, which is awesome already, but can be even more awesome by having a killer feature other trackers already have for like 10 years.