Quick Reference

TrickyTracker for ProTracker Users

Core Concepts

ProTracker	TrickyTracker
Pattern (64 rows)	Segment (16 rows)
Sample slots (1-31)	Instruments (1-8)
Pattern order list	Arrangement grid
.MOD file	.TT file (JSON)

The Big Differences

Segments, Not Patterns

In ProTracker, a pattern is 4 channels locked together for 64 rows — you sequence entire patterns as a unit.

In TrickyTracker, a segment is a block of 16-rows. You assign segments per channel in the arrangement grid, so you can assign which segment each channel plays independently — channel 1 might play segment 3 while channel 2 plays segment 7 at the same time position.

This means you compose horizontally (across channels) and vertically (across time) independently — no more giant 4-channel blocks moving in lockstep.

Per-Channel Arrangement

The Arrangement View (top) is a grid: rows = time positions, columns = channels. Each cell holds a segment ID.

Click a cell to assign which segment that channel plays at that position.
Channels are fully independent — reuse segments freely across channels and positions.

Instrument Editing

Each instrument is two waveforms blended together:

Primary waveform at base pitch
Secondary waveform at an optional different octave (set by PER)
Blended by MIX ratio, then shaped by volume/pitch slides over time

Waveform Selection

Left-click waveform: cycle forward (Sine → Square → Saw → Noise)
Right-click waveform: cycle backward

Sliders

Slider	Range	Function
PER	0-4	Secondary period multiplier (×1, ×4, ×8, ×16, ×32) — higher = lower pitch
MIX	1-4	Blend ratio (see table below)
VOL	0-64	Base volume
VSL	-32 to +31	Volume slide per tick (negative = fade out)
PSL	-32 to +31	Pitch slide per tick (negative = pitch down)

MIX values:

MIX	Primary	Secondary
1	50%	50%
2	75%	25%
3	87%	13%
4	94%	6%

Double-click a slider to reset to default.
R to rename selected instrument.
C/P buttons (top-right of slot): Copy/Paste instrument.

Tracker Panel

Segment Badges

Each channel column shows a circled number = which segment plays there.
Left-click badge: increment segment.
Right-click badge: decrement segment.

Navigation

Arrow keys: move edit cursor.
Tab / Shift+Tab: move right/left.
Page Up/Down: jump 16 rows (full segment).
Click in grid: set edit cursor position.

Editing

Piano keys (see below): enter note (requires Record mode).
Delete/Backspace: clear note.
T: insert note-off (kill).
Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V: copy/paste segment.
Ctrl+X: clear entire segment.
Ctrl+1-8: change instrument of current note.
F8 / Shift+F8: transpose semitone/octave down.
F9 / Shift+F9: transpose semitone/octave up.

Arrangement View

Click to focus. Arrow keys navigate.
Shift+Arrow: extend selection.
Page Up/Down: increment/decrement segment ID.
Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V: copy/paste block.
Delete: clear selected cells.
Ctrl+Insert: insert row.
Ctrl+Delete: delete row.
Escape: clear selection.

Keyboard Reference

Playback

Key	Action
F5 / Right Shift	Play/Stop
Ctrl+F5 / Ctrl+Shift	Play from cursor
F6	Rewind (stop + reset)
F7 / Space	Toggle record mode
Escape	Stop playback
Enter	Preview current row

Global

Key	Action
1-8	Select instrument
Shift+1-4	Mute/unmute channel
F1 / F2	Octave down/up
F4	Help
Ctrl+Z / Ctrl+Y	Undo / Redo
Ctrl+N / Ctrl+O / Ctrl+S	New / Open / Save
Ctrl+E	Export to assembly
Ctrl+I	Project info

Note Entry

White keys: Z X C V B N M , . (C to D+1) Black keys: S D G H J L (C# D# F# G# A# C#+1)

What's Missing (By Design)

No sample import
No effects column — volume/pitch slides are per-instrument.
No pattern break/jump — arrangement handles song structure.

Project Info (Ctrl+I)

Shows export statistics to help optimize size:

Notes: which notes are used and how often
Instruments: usage count per instrument
Segments: usage count per segment

Single-use items are highlighted — candidates for inlining/removal to save bytes when compressing the module.

Export Formats

Assembly Export (68000 for Amiga)

Exports to 68000 assembly for Amiga:

Tricky_Init — call once to set up audio
Tricky_Play — call every VBlank for playback

Binary Detached Format

For embedding directly in runtime players without assembly compilation. The binary format is structured for fast PC-relative loading on the Amiga.

Header (26 bytes):


Offset 0x00:  Longword   Note table offset (PC-relative)
Offset 0x04:  Longword   Segments offset (PC-relative)
Offset 0x08:  Longword   Channel arrangements offset (PC-relative)
Offset 0x0C:  Longword   Instruments offset (PC-relative)
Offset 0x10:  Longword   Generation data offset (PC-relative)
Offset 0x14:  Word       Instrument count - 1
Offset 0x16:  Word       Song length
Offset 0x18:  Word       Channel stride (always 8)

Data sections (big-endian Motorola order):

Section	Format	Content
Note Table	Word array	Note periods (one word per used note)
Segments	Word pairs	16 rows × 4 channels per segment: `[instrument_id, note_index]`
Arrangements	Word array	4 channels × song_length entries: segment indices
Instruments	4 words each	`[unused, volume, pitch_slide, volume_slide]` per instrument
Generation	4 words each	`[primary_waveform, secondary_waveform, mix_shift, secondary_shift]` per instrument

Key features:

PC-relative offsets enable position-independent loading
Only used notes are included
All values in big-endian order (native for 68000)

Usage in player code:

; a4 = base address of binary header
move.l  0(a4),d0      ; Note table offset
lea     (a4,d0.l),a1  ; Resolve to absolute address
move.l  4(a4),d0      ; Segments offset
lea     (a4,d0.l),a2  ; Resolve to absolute address
; ... etc for other sections

TrickyTracker

About TrickyTracker