|L|%==|H|Pattern Editing|L|==%|U| Spacebar : Turns Edit (or "Keyjazz") mode on or off 4/8 : peek play the current note/row Home/End : Just try them PgUp/PgDn : Up/down 16 rows Ins/Del : Insert/delete row on current track Hold CTRL for ALL tracks Tab : Next track SHIFT-TAB : Previous track CTRL-TAB : Change pattern edit viewmode ALT-1 => 0 : Mute/unmute track 1-10 ALT-F9 : Mute current track ALT-F10 : Solo current track + keypad : Moves ahead one pattern. - keypad : Moves back one pattern. SHIFT-kp + : Moves ahead one order SHIFT-kp - : Moves back one order / keypad : Octave down. * keypad : Octave up. SHIFT-, : Select previous instrument. SHIFT-. : Select next instrument. SHIFT-~ : Switch between regular and effect-draw mode Use TAB here to switch edit mode CTRL-1 => 0: Change the step-value in the pattern editor ALT-` : Set previous note's length to distance between note and current cursor position ScrollLock : Pattern-follow mode (cursor follows playback) |L|%==|H|Block Functions|L|==%|U| CTRL-B : Marks the beginning of a select block. CTRL-E : Marks the end of a select block. CTRL-L : Select whole track, pressing it again will select the entire pattern. CTRL-U : Unselect block ALT-D : Select one beat (press multiple times to select next beats) CTRL-C : Copy the selected block to the clipboard. CTRL-P : Copy pattern, paste to next empty pattern, and jump to new pattern CTRL-V : Paste the contents of the clipboard to the cursor location. CTRL-O : Overwrite paste CTRL-M : Merge paste the contents of the clipboard with the contents of the location you're pasting to. CTRL-X : Cut the selected block. (remove and copy to clipboard) CTRL-Z : Clear block (hold this one) CTRL-N : Set length of first row of block to length of block CTRL-W : Clear unused volumes CTRL-I : Interpolate effect data thru block CTRL-T : Set all effect and effect data fields of block to same value as first row in block CTRL-K : Interpolate volume (block) ALT-Q : Transpose block up ALT-A : Transpose block down CTRL-J : Popup scale volume window (10-200%) CTRL-A : Popup Naturalizing window (1-100%) CTRL-[ : Decrease all volumes in block by 8 CTRL-] : Increase all volumes in block by 8 CTRL-` : Set all note's lengths in selection to distance between note and next note ALT-S : Set instruments in block to current instrument SHIFT-move : Block selection (movements are arrows and PgUp/PgDn) |L|%==|H|Instrument Editor|L|==%|U| ALT-1 => 1 : Quick selects midi device CTRL-1=> 9 : Quick selects midi channel ALT-T : Toggle tracker mode on/off Mouse-2 : Focus a slider |L|%==|H|Order Editor|L|==%|U| SHIFT-kp + : Moves current order ahead SHIFT-kp - : Moves current order back G : Jump to pattern |L|%==|H|Global Keys|L|==%|U| F1 : Help (That is this text) F2 : Pattern editor - Pressing F2 again while in the pattern editing screen brings up the pattern settings. F3 : Instrument editor F4 : Arpeggio editor CTRL-F4 : Midimacro editor F10 : Song message editor F5 : Song play (F5 PatternDisplay widget, left-right/space/alt-1 thru alt-0/alt-f9/alt-f10) F6 : Pattern Play - will play the current pattern being edited. F7 : Start the song at the current row - If in the pattern edit mode, F7 will start at the current row, at the first instance of the pattern in the pattern order. If in the pattern order screen, F7 will start the song at the cursor position (by pattern). SHIFT-F11 : Set current order SHIFT-F7 : Play song from the current order F8 : Stop playback F9 : Panic (all midi-off/SHIFT-F9 performs a hard driver panic) CTRL-F9 : Load Song... CTRL-F10 : Save Song As... F11 : Song Configuration and Order editor F12 : System Configuration (midi dev select) ALT-F12 : About CTRL-S : Save Song CTRL-ALT-N : New Song ALT-P : Song Duration CTRL-ALT-Q : Quit |L|%==|H|User Interface Keys|L|==%|U| Up/Down : Cycles through widgets TAB : Cycles forwards through widgets SHIFT-TAB : Cycles backwards through widgets ENTER : Confirms choice SPACE : Toggles an option or clicks a button Sliders : If you hold CTRL while using LEFT/RIGHT the slider will move in bigger steps Listboxes : Up/Down scroll, Space toggles select-items in a list box Popups : ESC closes, all other UI keys apply |L|%==|H|Effects|L|==%|U| A..xx : Set TPB (ticks per beat) Cxxxx : Pattern break - setting the C marker denotes the end of a pattern. ex: C0000 will skip to the next pattern, row 0 D..xx : Delay note/volume/cut - by xxxx sub-ticks. Exxxx : Pitch slide down, E0000 will repeat the last portamento command. Fxxxx : Pitch slide up, F0000 will repeat the last portamento down command. P.... : Send program change message for the current instrument. Q..xx : Retrig note every xx subticks R..xx : Start arpeggio xx. R0000 will continue the last arpeggio Sxxyy : xx is the CC (Continuous Controller) number, yy is the value (0-80). ex. S0142 will set CC #01 (Mod Wheel) to a value of 42. >=80 sends last value T..xx : Set tempo to xx bpm Wxxxx : Absolute pitch set, between 0 and 3FFF, 2000 is no pitch change, 0 is max down, 3FFF is max up X..xx : Set panning, 00=left, 40=center, 7F=right Zxxyy : Send midimacro xx with parameter yy. 00 repeats the last used value |L|%==|H|Troubleshooting|L|==%|U| Timing issues: Q: The midi timing is very poor. A: If you have any other applications open, try closing them. If this doesn't work, perhaps you're drunk. If drunk, fall down. end if. Display issues: Q: The screen is beige/gray and is displaying "This unit is in accordance with FCC standards for radio-interference emitting devices". A: You are looking at the back of the monitor. For best results, look at the front, or "screen" of your monitor. Q: The screen is black and zTracker is not responding to any key/mouse commands. A: Your computer is not turned on. Press the "power" switch on the front of the housing and follow the resulting prompts. You may also want to gently pat the front of your pants using two outstretched fingers, to ensure that you haven't wet yourself. Q: The screen is displaying a small cyan and red airplane on what appears to be an airfield surrounded by buildings. Occasionally, a small red and cyan airplane flies by and shoots at the cyan and red airplane and/or surrounding buildings. A: You are playing the DOS classic "Sopwith". Depressing the "X" key will cause your plane to accelerate, and you can control the direction of your plane by pressing the "," and "/" keys. The "." key will cause your plane to invert - up is down, and down is up - watch out! |L|%==|H|The Merits of zTracker|L|==%|U| Congratulations on your decision to use zTracker, the champagne of midi sequencers. Simply by choosing to employ zTracker as your personal midi geisha, you've now moved yourself one notch further from "idiot" and closer to "ultra-smartass". (Refer to fig 1.1) However, the fact that you're reading the help file kicks you back one notch towards "idiot". A pointless exercise or a profound metaphor for our existence? Only continued use will tell - but if the rash persists, discontinue use immediately. Otherwise: You, like the zTracker development team, [see fig 1.2] feel that trackers are simply the best way to exert precise, megalomaniacal control over sound. But you're addicted to the high-fidelity, knob twiddling, credit-card-maxed-out world of professional MIDI equipment. Is there some common ground where these two worlds meet, an interdimensional portal sort of like the moongates first seen in Ultima IV? [see fig 1.3] The answer is yes. The answer is also zTracker. To sum up: yes, zTracker. In the past, those who exhibited proficiency with light-and-switch-adorned gadgetry coupled with the need for complete control of as many elements as possible were limited to careers in the already saturated mad science and evil genius fields. Until zTracker. In these volatile times of sugarfree sugar and piano-playing robots, many people are changing careers as many as twelve times during their lifetime. An exciting career in the lucrative and burgeoning field of musicianship awaits you! Are you ready to meet the challenge? Then join in the cry: zTracker: it is a midi tracker for writing music! |L|%==|H|Documentation Credits|L|==%|U| Big thanks to the following for helping with this doc! * Quasimojo/Chill * Opaque Fear * Daniel Kahlin