Glonce

Polyend publishes Tracker firmware source code on GitHub

productsThe Glonce editorsHacker News🔥59Glonce rating59Impact50Novelty60Relevance70Surprise40Players25Credibility92
Polyend publishes Tracker firmware source code on GitHub

Polyend, the maker of the Tracker music instruments, has published the firmware source code for the original Tracker, Tracker+ and Tracker Mini on GitHub. It also released Tracker Community Edition 1.0, a firmware build that can be installed on any of the three instruments. Owners can modify the firmware themselves and share their own version. Polyend says it has built in a recovery system to keep a faulty firmware build from bricking a Tracker.

The company frames the move as support for the unofficial Tracker mods its users have already built. In a note signed by Piotr Raczyński, CEO of Polyend, the text suggests users may want to build an entirely new instrument on the Tracker hardware, or change just one thing about how their unit behaves, and can now try it on the unit they own. The same note says some users may already have ideas for the original Tracker that never crossed the company's minds.

Community Edition 1.0 brings four headline changes. First, long samples can be streamed from the SD card, so full-length stems, loops and field recordings can go into a project using a fraction of the sample memory they would normally need. This works even on the original Tracker. Second, timing and velocity can be recorded while both step FX slots stay free: Micro-move and Volume now have dedicated fields on every step, and new Chance conditions allow things like bringing in a snare fill every fourth pass. Third, plugins can be loaded in the Sample Editor. Six effects and generators are included, from an analog-style kick generator to a stereo delay, and a plugin SDK lets users build, share and sell their own. Fourth, Tracker+ and Tracker Mini get two new synths, CHIP and DIRT, and a new SDK lets users build their own synth engines.

All three models also get wavetable envelopes and LFOs, faster project loading and saving, and tighter MIDI clock timing. Custom Tracker themes and fonts can be designed in a browser.

Key facts

  • Polyend published the firmware source code for the original Tracker, Tracker+ and Tracker Mini on GitHub.
  • Tracker Community Edition 1.0 installs on any of the three instruments, and users can modify the firmware and share their own version.
  • A built-in recovery system is meant to keep a faulty firmware build from bricking a Tracker.
  • New features include streaming long samples from the SD card (also on the original Tracker), six bundled Sample Editor plugins with a plugin SDK, and two new synths, CHIP and DIRT, on Tracker+ and Tracker Mini.
  • All three models also get wavetable envelopes and LFOs, faster project loading and saving, and tighter MIDI clock timing.

Why it matters

Polyend has published the firmware source for all three Tracker models, including the original, and says the aim is to support the unofficial mods its users have already built. The release also pairs the code with a ready-made Community Edition, so owners can modify and share firmware on the unit they already own, and Polyend adds SDKs for plugins and synth engines.

Who it affects

Owners of the original Tracker, Tracker+ and Tracker Mini, who can install Community Edition 1.0 on any of the three. Tinkerers and modders can now work from the official source instead of unofficial mods. Developers who want to write Sample Editor plugins or synth engines get SDKs for both; the plugin SDK is described as letting users build, share and sell their own. CHIP and DIRT are new on Tracker+ and Tracker Mini.

How to use it

Polyend points to a Tracker Community Edition repository on GitHub, where the source lives. Community Edition 1.0 can be installed on any of the three instruments. Owners can modify the firmware and share their own version. Streaming from the SD card works even on the original Tracker. Custom Tracker themes and fonts can be designed in a browser. No price is given in the announcement.

How solid is it

This is Polyend's own announcement, written by the company and carrying a note from its CEO, so the feature list reflects what the maker says it ships. The text does not report independent testing or any community or press reaction. The license of the published source code is not stated.

Risks and caveats

Running modified firmware carries the risk of a bad build; Polyend says its recovery system is there to keep a faulty build from bricking a Tracker, but no details of how the recovery system works are given. CHIP and DIRT are described for Tracker+ and Tracker Mini only. The announcement does not say how the plugin and synth SDKs are licensed or distributed, nor how selling plugins would work, and it gives no figure for how much sample memory streaming saves, saying only 'a fraction'.