OpenTracker 2.2.6

OpenTracker 2.2.6

The current stable release of the 2.x line: an open, community firmware for the original
Polyend Tracker. 2.x brings 16 tracks, three synth slots, stereo samples, Mini-format project
files and USB Storage mode to the original hardware.

OpenTracker is not affiliated with, endorsed by or supported by Polyend.

Files

• PolyendTrackerOTv226.ptf: the firmware image.
• OpenTracker-2.2.6-Patches.zip: the preset pack (82 patches: ACD 12, FAT 8, VAP 16, WTFM 30, PERC 16, the same as in 2.2.5). Copy Patches/ to the root of the card and merge it with what is there.
• OpenTracker-2.2.6-Themes.zip: 12 example colour themes. Unzip it to the root of the card; the files land in /Themes.
• OpenTracker-2.2.6-Projects.zip: the test songs. Copy them to /Projects on the card.
• OpenTracker-2.2.6-Manual.pdf: the 2.x user manual for this release.
• SHA256SUMS: checksums of every file. Check them with sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS.

Install

1. Back up your SD card.
2. Copy PolyendTrackerOTv226.ptf to /Firmware on the card. Keep the file name as it is: the updater only takes names of exactly 24 characters.
3. Go to Config > Firmware update, select the image and confirm. If the screen stays dark after the update, press the power button once.

Going back: keep the stock 1.9.2 image in /Firmware and install it the same way. From a running OpenTracker you can also write its file name into /Firmware/ot_restore.txt and power-cycle. Keep only the image you want, plus stock, in /Firmware: the rear reset button installs a .ptf from that folder.

New in 2.2.6

• Pattern pads with one finger (GitHub issue #153): a short tap of F1 on its own keeps the pads on patterns. Press pads to pick patterns; tap F1 again, or press another screen button, to return the pads to notes. Play and Stop keep it. The current pattern's pad blinks, a queued pattern's pad is lit full, patterns with notes are dim. Holding F1 with a pad, an arrow or the encoder works as before.
• Resample, Place on (PR #149): tracks without notes in the current pattern are green, tracks with notes red (placing there mixes the take with them). From and Place on list tracks by their names.
• Radio stereo: Config > General > Radio stereo = On makes the built-in radio stereo, and the Sample Recorder records it as Radio ST. Off, the default, keeps it mono as on stock (cleaner on weak stations, half the memory). Rows after it in General move down by one.
• WAV files that peak past full scale: 32-bit float files often go above full scale when exported from a computer. Those samples are now clipped at full scale. Before, they wrapped around and the file played as harsh noise, in Preview and as an instrument.

Thanks to the testers for their reports.

New in 2.2.5

The Performance screen works as on stock 1.9.2, and its FX reach synth notes; shorter Performance names, note names (Sharps / Flats / Auto), synth release tails that follow the Track Mixer, and Sample Loader and Sample Playback fixes. See the 2.2.5 release.

If you are coming from 2.2.4 or earlier: the Performance screen

The Performance screen now works as on stock 1.9.2. If you used it in earlier 2.x releases:

• Every track starts with its FX off. Press and release a track's screen button to turn its FX on. A pad then reaches only the tracks you picked.
• A red label means FX on. Before, red meant off.
• The filters start from the instrument's own cutoff, not from an open filter. Saved performances with a filter column can sound different: High-pass on an instrument with an open filter is now nearly silent, as on stock.

The 2.x line

• 16 tracks: tracks 13-16 work like MIDI tracks.
• Three synth slots (S1-S3) with five engines of our own sound design: ACD, VAP, PERC, FAT and WTFM. FX columns A-F drive six macros; Volume drives macro 7. A shared pool of 4 voices by default (1-8 in Config).
• Projects in the Mini's format: 16-track patterns, the three synth slots and .patch files. Older original-Tracker projects open as they are.
• Stereo samples in one-shot, loop, slice and beat-slice modes.
• USB Storage mode: the SD card shows up as a drive on a computer (about 1 MB/s).
• Live resampling (contributed by syamajala): record the mix, one track or Line In into a new instrument while the pattern plays.
• Exports at 44.1 kHz, a CPU meter, and a voice limiter that only ever cuts synth voices.

Known limitations

• The synths follow the Mini's parameter sets, but the sound is our own design: close, not identical.
• The synth voice pool defaults to 4 because of the processor's speed.
• USB Storage mode: back up the card before first use. Linux systems without a desktop may need partprobe or a re-plug to see the card.
• Projects saved by 2.x use 16-track patterns. Stock firmware reads only tracks 1-8 of those patterns.

OpenTracker 2.2.5

OpenTracker 2.2.5

The current stable release of the 2.x line: an open, community firmware for the original
Polyend Tracker. 2.x brings 16 tracks, three synth slots, stereo samples, Mini-format project
files and USB Storage mode to the original hardware.

OpenTracker is not affiliated with, endorsed by or supported by Polyend.

Files

• PolyendTrackerOTv225.ptf: the firmware image.
• OpenTracker-2.2.5-Patches.zip: the preset pack (82 patches: ACD 12, FAT 8, VAP 16, WTFM 30, PERC 16, the same as in 2.2.4). Copy Patches/ to the root of the card and merge it with what is there.
• OpenTracker-2.2.5-Themes.zip: 12 example colour themes. Unzip it to the root of the card; the files land in /Themes.
• OpenTracker-2.2.5-Projects.zip: the test songs. Copy them to /Projects on the card.
• OpenTracker-2.2.5-Manual.pdf: the 2.x user manual for this release.
• SHA256SUMS: checksums of every file. Check them with sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS.

Install

1. Back up your SD card.
2. Copy PolyendTrackerOTv225.ptf to /Firmware on the card. Keep the file name as it is: the updater only takes names of exactly 24 characters.
3. Go to Config > Firmware update, select the image and confirm. If the screen stays dark after the update, press the power button once.

Going back: keep the stock 1.9.2 image in /Firmware and install it the same way. From a running OpenTracker you can also write its file name into /Firmware/ot_restore.txt and power-cycle. Keep only the image you want, plus stock, in /Firmware: the rear reset button installs a .ptf from that folder.

The Performance screen changes

The Performance screen now works as on stock 1.9.2. If you used it in earlier 2.x releases:

• Every track starts with its FX off. Press and release a track's screen button to turn its FX on. A pad then reaches only the tracks you picked.
• A red label means FX on. Before, red meant off.
• The filters start from the instrument's own cutoff, not from an open filter. Saved performances with a filter column can sound different: High-pass on an instrument with an open filter is now nearly silent, as on stock.

New in 2.2.5

• Performance screen as on stock (GitHub issue #86): tracks 1-16 start with their FX off; a red filled label means on. Low-pass, High-pass and Band-pass add their value to the instrument's own cutoff, also when its filter is off or of another type.
• Performance FX on synth notes (GitHub issue #23): on tracks whose FX are on, the filters move the synth's own cutoff, and Panning, Delay send and Reverb send add to the note's pan and sends. They follow the screen while a note sounds, also in its release.
• Shorter Performance names (contributed by syamajala, PR #144): the FX that reach synth notes drop the "Sample" prefix: Panning, LP cutoff, HP cutoff, BP cutoff, Delay send and Reverb send. Sample position, Sample end and Sample playback keep it: they act on samples only.
• Note names: Sharps / Flats / Auto (contributed by syamajala, PR #123): Config > General > Note names. Sharps (the default) shows C#5, Flats shows Db5, and Auto follows the project's root note and scale, so F major shows Bb and G major shows F#. Display only: projects and MIDI are unchanged.
• Synth release tails follow the Track Mixer: a synth note's release follows the fader and mute of its track. Before, it played at full level, so tails of muted or lowered synth tracks are quieter in existing songs.
• Sample Loader fixes: Add next on a folder does nothing, as its greyed label says. Add and Add next are greyed when the SD card list has no files to add. With Preview held, moving onto an empty instrument slot stops the sample.
• Sample Playback, as on stock (GitHub issue #143): Delete puts Start back at the beginning, End at the end and Zoom back to 1. Loop points stay where they are.
• Master held + Jog (GitHub issue #142): after you set the master volume this way from another screen, letting go of Master returns to that screen.
• Mouse wheel on synth On / Off rows (simulator and desktop app): in Edit Patch the wheel turns On / Off rows and a macro's Off / On row the same way as other lists. Before, it ran backwards there.
• More free memory for coming features (contributed by syamajala, PR #148): three buffers that are never used at the same time are shared, freeing about 5 KB.

Thanks to the testers for their reports.

New in 2.2.4

A piano pad layout, chords in step entry, synth pads that play chords, a cleaner 44.1 kHz export, Sample Loader previews without gaps and fixes for busy screens. The full list is in the 2.2.4 release notes.

The 2.x line

• 16 tracks: tracks 13-16 work like MIDI tracks.
• Three synth slots (S1-S3) with five engines of our own sound design: ACD, VAP, PERC, FAT and WTFM. FX columns A-F drive six macros; Volume drives macro 7. A shared pool of 4 voices by default (1-8 in Config).
• Projects in the Mini's format: 16-track patterns, the three synth slots and .patch files. Older original-Tracker projects open as they are.
• Stereo samples in one-shot, loop, slice and beat-slice modes.
• USB Storage mode: the SD card shows up as a drive on a computer (about 1 MB/s).
• Live resampling (contributed by syamajala): record the mix, one track or Line In into a new instrument while the pattern plays.
• Exports at 44.1 kHz, a CPU meter, and a voice limiter that only ever cuts synth voices.

Known limitations

• The synths follow the Mini's parameter sets, but the sound is our own design: close, not identical.
• The synth voice pool defaults to 4 because of the processor's speed.
• USB Storage mode: back up the card before first use. Linux systems without a desktop may need partprobe or a re-plug to see the card.
• Projects saved by 2.x use 16-track patterns. Stock firmware reads only tracks 1-8 of those patterns.

OpenTracker 3.0.0 preview

OpenTracker 3.0.0 preview

An early test build of OpenTracker 3, for testing only, not for real work. Back up your SD card first, or use a spare card.

OpenTracker is not affiliated with, endorsed by or supported by Polyend.

Pick your image

OpenTracker 3 comes in four flavours: the same firmware with a different set of synths and effects. Only one image can be installed at a time.

• Classic PolyendTrackerOTa300.ptf: ACD, FAT, VAP, JU6, D-Type, CS-Type, A-Type + Dirt, BBD Chorus, Tape, Phaser, Tremolo, Bitcrush. Analog-style synths: acid, poly pads, mono basses and leads.
• IDM PolyendTrackerOTi300.ptf: ACD, FAT, PERC, WTFM, FM4 + Dirt, Chorus, BBD Chorus, Tape, Phaser. FM, wavetable FM, drums and acid.
• Techno PolyendTrackerOTt300.ptf: ACD, FAT, JU6, D-Type, T-Type + Dirt, BBD Chorus, Echo, Tape, Phaser. T-Type drums, acid, basses and stabs, drive / bitcrush and a tempo-synced echo.
• Retro PolyendTrackerOTr300.ptf: ACD, FAT, 8-Type, Hand-Type, B-Type, Arc-Type + LoFi, BBD Chorus, Echo, Tape, Phaser. Chip-style synths: 8-bit computer and handheld voices, buzz tones, console FM and a chip DAC on the mix.

To switch, install another .ptf the same way: your projects and patches stay on the card. A project that uses a synth the image does not have opens fine, but that synth shows "not available" and stays silent until you install an image that has it.

Files

• The four .ptf images above.
• Patches-<flavour>-3.0.0.zip: the patches for the synths of that image. Copy Patches/ to the root of the card.
• The tester zip, when this release has one: the images, all their patches, a README with the full test list, and PRESETS.md, which says what each patch is and what its macros do.
• OpenTracker-3.0.0-Manual.pdf: the user manual for 3.0. It covers what changed since 2.x.
• SHA256SUMS: checksums of every file. Check them with sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS.

Install

1. Copy the image you picked to /Firmware on the SD card. Keep the file name as it is (24 characters).
2. Copy the Patches folder to the root of the card.
3. Config > Firmware update, select the image and confirm. If the screen stays dark after the update, press the power button once.
4. To go back, install the stock 1.9.2 image or OpenTracker 2.2.6 the same way.

What is new

• Four chip-style synths (Retro). Our own designs in the spirit of old sound chips. Pick them in the Synth page Model list after FAT. 12 patches each in Patches/8TYPE/, HANDTYPE/, BTYPE/ and ARCTYPE/.
• The CHIP section (Retro, Edit Patch on all four). Arp Mode (Oct, Maj, Min, Sus4, Dom7, Maj7, Min7, Dim, Aug, Pow5, Custom) plays a chord from one note by stepping the pitch very fast, at a fixed tick (50 to 120 Hz) or a note length of the song tempo; the note is not restarted, which is the old-computer chord sound. A stepped vibrato (Vib Rate / Depth / Delay) and Slide Start / Slide Time, which starts a note off pitch and slides it in.
• 8-Type synth (Retro). In the style of the 8-bit home computers of the early 1980s: three oscillators (Tri, Saw, Pulse with PWM, Noise and the combined waves) with Ring and Sync, a 12 dB multimode filter (16 resonance steps, Curve, Dirt), Grit for a small DAC. Leads at Poly 1, chords at Poly 3.
• Hand-Type synth (Retro). In the style of a 4-channel handheld console: one patch is one Channel: Pulse (four duties, a frequency Sweep, a second pulse), Wave (32 steps of 4 bits, built-in or your own) or Noise (15-bit or 7-bit), each with a stepped 4-bit envelope. Drums is a whole kit by note: play it at Poly 6.
• B-Type synth (Retro). In the style of the 8-bit computers with polynomial counters: the pitch comes from a Clock and a divider, with Tuning Free, Coarse (high notes go out of tune, on purpose) or Fine; Distortion picks the buzz (Pure, Poly4 to Poly5x9), and Hi-Pass gives thin, whistling tones. Play at Poly 1.
• Arc-Type synth (Retro). Four-operator FM in the style of the home consoles of the late 1980s: eight algorithms, feedback, envelopes that Loop (repeat, mirror or invert) for buzzing tracker sounds, a 9-bit DAC with a grainy Ladder setting and an Aux square or noise voice. Chords at Poly 4.
• LoFi (Retro). The whole mix through a small chip's output (Shift + Master; on Retro the order is LoFi, Echo, Tape): Bits 4 to 15, Rate 32 kHz down to 4 kHz, Ladder, Speaker (TV, Handheld, Monitor), Mono, Mix. It starts Off.
• T-Type drums (Techno). A new drum synth in the classic analog drum machine style. Pick it in the Synth page Model list and play it at Poly 1: one patch is one kit. Kick on C4, rim C#4, snare D4, clap D#4, hi-hats E4 (closed) to G4 (open), cowbell G#4, crash A4, ride A#4, toms from C3 to B3. Every drum has three Characters; the macros are Kick Decay, Hat Decay, Tune, Drive, Snappy and Accent. 12 kits.
• Dirt (Techno). Drive and bitcrush on the whole mix, on its own page next to the Master screen (Shift + Master): Type (Soft, Hard, Fold, Asym), Drive, Bits, Rate, Tone, Mix.
• Echo (Techno, Retro). A dub-style echo on the whole mix that follows the song tempo: Time 1/32 to 1/2 (dotted and triplet too), Feedback, Low Cut, Tone, Ping-Pong, Duck, Mix.
• A-Type synth (Classic). Two oscillators in the style of the semi-modular duophonic synths of the 1970s: saw or pulse with PWM, hard sync, ring modulator or noise, sample & hold, high-pass, a 24 dB or 12 dB low-pass, ADSR and AR envelopes, LFO and glide. Keyboard Duo and note Priority (Last, Low, High) at Poly 1. 12 patches.
• CS-Type synth (Classic). A polysynth in the style of the big two-layer polysynths of the late 1970s: every note plays two layers, each with its own oscillators, filters and envelopes; ring modulator, Brilliance and Resonance, Touch (macro 3) and Ribbon (macro 5). 12 patches.
• JU6 synth (Classic, Techno). A poly synth in the style of the classic early-1980s polysynths: saw and pulse with PWM, sub oscillator, noise, a 4-position high-pass, a resonant 24 dB low-pass, and a built-in stereo chorus (Off, I, II) saved in each patch. 12 patches.
• D-Type synth (Classic, Techno). A mono synth in the style of the classic three-oscillator synths of the 1970s: three oscillators, white or pink noise, mixer feedback for growl, a 24 dB low-pass that can self-oscillate, two contours, glide and a mod Wheel. Set Poly to 1. 12 patches.
• FM4 synth (IDM). Four-operator FM: 8 algorithms, feedback, an envelope per operator and an LFO.
• Tape (every image). A tape effect on the whole mix (Shift + Master): Drive, Wow, Flutter, Mix. It starts Off.
• Everything from 2.2.3: streaming from the card, colour themes, synth stereo and MIDI pitch bend.

New in the 9 November rebuild

• Synth presets and the Z FX (every image). Each project has 8 presets, P1-P8, shared by the three synth slots. A preset holds a patch of any model, with its insert, gain, pan, sends, polyphony and name. Z1-Z8 in a pattern switch a slot to a preset, Z0 back to its own patch. Open them from Synth Macros 2/2 > Presets (F8): Store, Load, Clear and hold-to-Preview.
• P1-P8 as instruments. Pick a preset in the Instrument popup after S1-S3 and play it with no Z, so one track can play several presets in turn. Each sound borrows one of the three synth slots, so at most three different sounds play at once.
• The song sounds the same wherever you start. Play from the middle starts each slot on the right preset, and while stopped the pads and MIDI play what the song plays at the cursor.
• Edit what you hear. While a slot plays a preset, the synth pages, Global Mixer and Synth Insert show and edit that preset, with P1-P8 in the title.
• New sample filter with flat passbands, exact tuning and rounded loud peaks. Existing songs that use the sample filter sound slightly different. Synth engines keep their own filters.
• Sample Playback: with Snap to zero off, a marker turns green when the wave crosses zero in the frames its position covers.
• Instrument Params from the Pattern screen: a synth step follows the same rule as a sample step.
• Paste between FX columns, and Stop cancels a queued pattern.
• Fixes for synth macros, arpeggio and spread.
• The manual is now part of the download.

New in the 6 November rebuild

• Three new synth inserts (Shift + Instrument Params on a synth slot):
  • Phaser (every image): Mode Off, Classic, 80s. Classic is a warm 4-stage sweep that lingers low and swoops up; 80s is a deep 8-stage phaser with stronger feedback and a wide stereo spread. Rate, Depth, Feedback, Spread, Mix.
  • Tremolo (Classic): Mode Off, Level, Pan, Both, Rate 0.1 to 20 Hz, Depth, Shape (Sine, Tri, Square with soft edges, no click).
  • Bitcrush (Classic): Shape Off, Hard, Soft, Crush (0 is clean, 12 is 4-bit), Down (sample-rate reduction), Mix.
• Switching back keeps the settings. Picking another insert and coming back to the first one brings back its settings and its Off, per synth slot (before, they went back to the defaults). A new or loaded project starts clean.
• F1 no longer switches an insert on. On the Synth Insert page, F1 selects the insert list; the wheel or the arrows pick the insert. Before, F1 pressed again stepped to the next one, so it was easy to switch an effect on by accident.
• WAV files that peak past full scale (common in 32-bit float exports) are clipped instead of wrapping around into harsh noise, in Preview and as instruments.

New in the 5 November rebuild

• Off in every synth insert. The first setting of an insert now starts with Off: Chorus Off, I, II, I+II, Drive Off, Soft, Hard, Fold, Asym. Off keeps the insert and its settings and stops the effect (no CPU); Delete on that setting turns it back on.
• **C...

OpenTracker 2.2.4

OpenTracker 2.2.4

The current stable release of the 2.x line: an open, community firmware for the original
Polyend Tracker. 2.x brings 16 tracks, three synth slots, stereo samples, Mini-format project
files and USB Storage mode to the original hardware.

OpenTracker is not affiliated with, endorsed by or supported by Polyend.

Files

• PolyendTrackerOTv224.ptf: the firmware image.
• OpenTracker-2.2.4-Patches.zip: the preset pack (82 patches: ACD 12, FAT 8, VAP 16, WTFM 30, PERC 16, the same as in 2.2.3). Copy Patches/ to the root of the card and merge it with what is there.
• OpenTracker-2.2.4-Themes.zip: 12 example colour themes. Unzip it to the root of the card; the files land in /Themes.
• OpenTracker-2.2.4-Projects.zip: the test songs. Copy them to /Projects on the card.
• OpenTracker-2.2.4-Manual.pdf: the 2.x user manual for this release.
• SHA256SUMS: checksums of every file. Check them with sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS.

Install

1. Back up your SD card.
2. Copy PolyendTrackerOTv224.ptf to /Firmware on the card. Keep the file name as it is: the updater only takes names of exactly 24 characters.
3. Go to Config > Firmware update, select the image and confirm. If the screen stays dark after the update, press the power button once.

Going back: keep the stock 1.9.2 image in /Firmware and install it the same way. From a running OpenTracker you can also write its file name into /Firmware/ot_restore.txt and power-cycle. Keep only the image you want, plus stock, in /Firmware: the rear reset button installs a .ptf from that folder.

New in 2.2.4

• Piano pad layout (contributed by syamajala): Config > General > Pad layout: Stock / Piano. Piano turns the pads into two keyboards an octave apart, as on grid controllers: white keys along a row, black keys in the row above. The bottom-left C is the C of the project's root note octave, so change the root note to play higher or lower. The pad lights draw the keyboard: the scale's root brightest, white keys lit, black keys dimmer, keys outside the scale barely lit (still playable). Stock is the default and works as before.
• Chords in step entry (contributed by syamajala): in the pattern editor, in edit mode and stopped, select two or more tracks and press pads together: the notes fill the selected tracks left to right on the selection's first step, and the cursor stays. One Undo removes the whole chord. With a single-step cursor, pads enter one note at a time as before.
• Synth pads play chords: holding several pads on a synth instrument plays them all, up to the slot's Polyphony, on the pattern editor and the Synth page. Before, each new pad released the previous one. (Reported by idagani.)
• Cleaner 44.1 kHz export (contributed by bungoleena): the conversion to 44.1 kHz uses a 32-tap sinc filter. The slight wobble of the old conversion is gone and high frequencies come out much cleaner. Rendering takes longer: about +28 % for Export Song and +40 % for a selection; song stems barely change (+3 %). The 44117 Hz export mode is unchanged.
• Sample Loader preview without gaps: 24-bit and 32-bit float stereo files no longer drop out while you preview them.
• Sample names with accents: names such as "Più forte" show as "Piu forte" instead of stray symbols. Characters the font doesn't have show as ?. The files keep their real names on the card.
• Busy screens no longer fault (contributed by syamajala): screens with many gradients or lots of text, such as the MIDI instrument CC page and the mixers, draw in full detail again.

Thanks to syamajala and bungoleena for their contributions, and to idagani for the report.

New in 2.2.3

Colour themes, streaming long samples from the card, a steady MIDI clock on the DIN jack, pitch bend from a MIDI keyboard, synth stereo Width and many fixes. The full list is in the 2.2.3 release notes.

Still open

A couple of reported Performance screen issues, among them how the global Pattern length behaves in Song mode, need more work and testing. They come in a later release.

The 2.x line

• 16 tracks: tracks 13-16 work like MIDI tracks.
• Three synth slots (S1-S3) with five engines of our own sound design: ACD, VAP, PERC, FAT and WTFM. FX columns A-F drive six macros; Volume drives macro 7. A shared pool of 4 voices by default (1-8 in Config).
• Projects in the Mini's format: 16-track patterns, the three synth slots and .patch files. Older original-Tracker projects open as they are.
• Stereo samples in one-shot, loop, slice and beat-slice modes.
• USB Storage mode: the SD card shows up as a drive on a computer (about 1 MB/s).
• Live resampling (contributed by syamajala): record the mix, one track or Line In into a new instrument while the pattern plays.
• Exports at 44.1 kHz, a CPU meter, and a voice limiter that only ever cuts synth voices.

Known limitations

• The synths follow the Mini's parameter sets, but the sound is our own design: close, not identical.
• The synth voice pool defaults to 4 because of the processor's speed.
• USB Storage mode: back up the card before first use. Linux systems without a desktop may need partprobe or a re-plug to see the card.
• Projects saved by 2.x use 16-track patterns. Stock firmware reads only tracks 1-8 of those patterns.

OpenTracker 2.2.3

OpenTracker 2.2.3

The current stable release of the 2.x line: an open, community firmware for the original
Polyend Tracker. 2.x brings 16 tracks, three synth slots, stereo samples, Mini-format project
files and USB Storage mode to the original hardware.

OpenTracker is not affiliated with, endorsed by or supported by Polyend.

Files

• PolyendTrackerOTv223.ptf: the firmware image.
• OpenTracker-2.2.3-Patches.zip: the preset pack (82 patches: ACD 12, FAT 8, VAP 16, WTFM 30, PERC 16, with eight new synthwave PERC kits). Copy Patches/ to the root of the card and merge it with what is there.
• OpenTracker-2.2.3-Themes.zip: new, 12 example colour themes. Unzip it to the root of the card; the files land in /Themes.
• OpenTracker-2.2.3-Projects.zip: the test songs. Copy them to /Projects on the card.
• OpenTracker-2.2.3-Manual.pdf: the 2.x user manual for this release.
• SHA256SUMS: checksums of every file. Check them with sha256sum -c SHA256SUMS.

Install

1. Back up your SD card.
2. Copy PolyendTrackerOTv223.ptf to /Firmware on the card. Keep the file name as it is: the updater only takes names of exactly 24 characters.
3. Go to Config > Firmware update, select the image and confirm. If the screen stays dark after the update, press the power button once.

Going back: keep the stock 1.9.2 image in /Firmware and install it the same way. From a running OpenTracker you can also write its file name into /Firmware/ot_restore.txt and power-cycle. Keep only the image you want, plus stock, in /Firmware: the rear reset button installs a .ptf from that folder.

New in 2.2.3

• Your own colour themes: put a theme file in /Themes on the SD card and choose it under Config > General > Display theme, after Original, Monochrome and Anniversary. A theme is a short text file with lines like accent = #FF2BD6; it starts from a built-in theme and changes only the colours you list. Export theme saves the current theme to /Themes so you can edit it on a computer. A theme that would make text unreadable gets its text colour back from the built-in theme. Without a /Themes folder everything looks as before.
• 12 example themes in the new OpenTracker-2.2.3-Themes.zip (contributed by AnthonyBerg1983).
• Steady MIDI clock on the DIN jack: the clock to external synths and drum machines no longer wobbles while you change screens or audition samples on the pads. It now goes out under 1 ms after it is due, also while the screen is busy for seconds. (Reported on Discord.)
• Pitch bend from a MIDI keyboard: the bend wheel bends notes you play live by up to 2 semitones, on sample instruments, on the synths and on MIDI instruments (the bend goes out on their channel). It is not recorded into patterns. (Requested on Discord.)
• Stream long samples from the card (optional, Off by default): Config > General > Stream from card (Off / Auto / All) and Stream threshold (5 to 30 s). Long samples load only their start into memory and play the rest from the SD card, so projects with long stems or recordings fit. Editing a streamed sample asks to load it into memory first. With Off, everything works and sounds exactly as before.
• Sample Loader and streaming: Add follows Stream from card too. Files that will stream are marked with ~, a message says why a file streams, and the card is checked before a long conversion starts. Trim refuses a file too long for the memory straight away, a refused import keeps the slot's old instrument, and a streamed Add no longer pauses to count the free space.
• Synth stereo: a new Width setting for ACD, FAT, VAP and WTFM, and Stereo for FAT. Both are 0 (mono, the old sound) in every existing patch.
• Synth Macros: turning a macro by hand takes over from a pattern FX CC at once (the bar turns white).
• Synth notes in the pattern editor: in edit mode, turning the note encoder on a synth step plays the note for one step and then the patch's release.
• Sample Editor with full memory: the pads still play the selected part when the sample memory is full. Preview and Apply say "Not enough free sample memory"; "too long" now means only the length limit (about 44.6 s).
• Stack overflow protection (contributed by syamajala): if the firmware ever runs out of stack, the Tracker restarts and shows a notice instead of silently corrupting memory.
• No SD card at power-on: switching on without a card no longer shows a crash report; the Tracker waits for a card.
• PERC sends follow the instrument: a kit's per-drum delay and reverb sends now scale with the instrument's send and with the Delay / Reverb Send step FX. Projects that relied on the old always-on sends need the instrument send raised.
• CPU meter levels: yellow from 85 %, orange from 93 %, red from 99 % (before: 60, 70 and 85 %, so busy songs that played fine showed red). It is a warning; the voice limiter is unchanged.
• Song screen progress line also when you play a single pattern.
• Stack and line-in health on the USB log (contributed by syamajala).
• Also: granular shading shows the grain that plays, the Sample Loader memory bar follows trim and import, synth names show without stray glyphs, and a display frame that faults on a static screen is redrawn.

Thanks to syamajala, AnthonyBerg1983 and guaka for their contributions.

Still open

A couple of reported Performance screen issues, among them how the global Pattern length behaves in Song mode, need more work and testing. They come in the next release.

The 2.x line

• 16 tracks: tracks 13-16 work like MIDI tracks.
• Three synth slots (S1-S3) with five engines of our own sound design: ACD, VAP, PERC, FAT and WTFM. FX columns A-F drive six macros; Volume drives macro 7. A shared pool of 4 voices by default (1-8 in Config).
• Projects in the Mini's format: 16-track patterns, the three synth slots and .patch files. Older original-Tracker projects open as they are.
• Stereo samples in one-shot, loop, slice and beat-slice modes.
• USB Storage mode: the SD card shows up as a drive on a computer (about 1 MB/s).
• Live resampling (contributed by syamajala): record the mix, one track or Line In into a new instrument while the pattern plays.
• Exports at 44.1 kHz, a CPU meter, and a voice limiter that only ever cuts synth voices.

Known limitations

• The synths follow the Mini's parameter sets, but the sound is our own design: close, not identical.
• The synth voice pool defaults to 4 because of the processor's speed.
• USB Storage mode: back up the card before first use. Linux systems without a desktop may need partprobe or a re-plug to see the card.
• Projects saved by 2.x use 16-track patterns. Stock firmware reads only tracks 1-8 of those patterns.