Impulse Tracker

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Free music sequencing software created in 1995 for the DOS platform

title: "Impulse Tracker" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["free-audio-software", "audio-trackers", "1995-software", "software-programmed-in-assembly-language", "formerly-proprietary-software", "software-using-the-bsd-license"] description: "Free music sequencing software created in 1995 for the DOS platform" topic_path: "general/free-audio-software" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impulse_Tracker" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Free music sequencing software created in 1995 for the DOS platform ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox software"]

Field	Value
name	Impulse Tracker
screenshot	Impulse Tracker screenshot.png
caption	Impulse Tracker 2.14 screenshot
developer	Jeffrey Lim
released
latest_release_version	2.14 Patch #5
latest_release_date
operating_system	DOS
programming language	Assembly language
genre	Music tracker
license	Originally freeware
Since 2014: BSD license
website
::

Impulse Tracker is a multi-track music tracker (music sequencer). Originally released in 1995 by Jeffrey Lim as freeware with commercial extensions, it was one of the last tracker programs for the DOS platform.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g9B2DwAAQBAJ |title=Bits and Pieces: A History of Chiptunes |author=Kenneth B. McAlpine |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2018 |isbn=978-0-19-049611-1 |page=152

In 2014, on its 20th anniversary, Impulse Tracker became open-source software and the source code was released.

History

Impulse Tracker was authored by Jeffrey "Pulse" Lim for the DOS/x86-PC platform.{{cite web |url=http://www.salon.com/technology/feature/1999/04/29/mod_trackers/index.html |title=Mod love |work=Salon.com |last=Leonard |first=Andrew |date=1999-04-29 |publisher=Salon Media Group |access-date=2010-05-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622121554/https://www.salon.com/technology/feature/1999/04/29/mod_trackers/index.html |archive-date=2011-06-22 |url-status=dead

The first version was released in 1995 and included example songs "Drifting Onwards" and "Blue Flame" composed by Jeffrey Lim and Chris Jarvis respectively. The software was distributed as freeware, though extra features, such as support for stereo WAV output and a personalized version of the driver for co-editing songs over IPX networks, were provided for a fee. After the stereo WAV writer plugin was leaked publicly, Lim announced that he would discontinue development after version 2.14. The latest version was v2.14 Patch #5 released on April 8, 1999.

On February 16, 2014, Jeffrey Lim announced that he would release the complete source code of Impulse Tracker as part of its 20-year anniversary. On October 19, 2014, the first part of the source code was released on a Bitbucket repository. On December 25, 2014, the missing parts (sound drivers) were added and the code was officially released under the BSD license.

Functionality

Like in most module editors, music is arranged on a grid of channels. Each supports note on and note off instructions similar to MIDI. Impulse Tracker modules use the .IT file extension.

New Note Actions (NNAs) is a feature that handles commands received on the same channel as another instrument which is still playing. NNAs allow the user to customize the subsequent action:

Cut: The new instrument replaces the current instrument.
Continue: The old instrument continues to play using its ADSR curve.
Off: The old instrument begins the release section of its ADSR curve.
Fade: The old instrument fades out to 0 volume at a designated rate overriding the ADSR curve.

Impulse Tracker supports hardware MIDI channels on the Gravis Ultrasound, InterWave and Sound Blaster 32 card families (provided enough RAM is available).

IT file format

The .IT file format is the format native to Impulse Tracker.{{cite journal |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IkBVAAAAMAAJ |title=Linux Journal |journal=Linux Journal |editor=Robert F. Young |year=2000 |issue=75–80 |page=164 |issn=1075-3583

There is also the .ITZ format, which is a renamed zip file that contains a .IT file.

Compatible software

Other music-playing software that supports the IT file format include:

- Supported only under IA-32 releases.

Usage and impact

Erez Eizen of Infected Mushroom and Shiva Shidapu composed his first trance music on Impulse Tracker. Ian Stocker used IT with other software in his collaboration for the music in the Nintendo DS version of The Sims 2.

The video games Pocket Tanks and Grid Wars use the IT format for some of their songs. Various games by Epic Games such as the first Unreal and Unreal Tournament as well as Deus Ex used the IT format in a "UMX" container format.{{cite web |url=http://unreal.epicgames.com/Music.htm |author=Alexander Brandon |title=Information on how to extract IT files out of UMX containers |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080820060250/http://unreal.epicgames.com/Music.htm |archive-date=2008-08-20 |url-status=dead

The video game composer and demoscener Andrew Sega (Necros) used Impulse Tracker extensively in his demoscene days.

C418 began making music in Impulse Tracker, before moving to eJay, MTV Music Generator and eventually Ableton Live, which he used to compose the Minecraft soundtrack.

Trance producer Sean Tyas began his music production career using Impulse Tracker. Electronic rock musician Blue Stahli has revealed to have used Impulse Tracker and other trackers in the past.

Deadmau5's career began in the mid-1990s with a chiptune and demoscene movements-influenced sound with Impulse Tracker.{{cite web |url=http://www.residentadvisor.net/feature.aspx?972 |publisher=Resident Advisor |title=Deadmau5: It's complicated |date=2008-09-30 |first=Todd L. |last=Burns |access-date=2014-09-03 |quote=I was in my Mom's basement tooling away on Impulse Tracker on a 386 just doing Nintendo music until some Loop Library company hired me as a producer.}}

Machinedrum used Impulse Tracker for many years before switching to Ableton Live.{{cite web |url=https://www.xlr8r.com/gear/2012/08/in-the-studio-machinedrum/ |title=In the Studio: Machinedrum |publisher=XLR8R |date=2012-08-27 |author=Shawn Reynaldo

References

Lim, Jeffrey. "Impulse Tracker".
Lim, Jeffrey. "Impulse Tracker Changelog".
Lim, Jeffrey. (February 16, 2014). "20 years of Impulse Tracker".
"Added standard BSD License · herrnst/impulsetracker@d743c5d".
"Added sound drivers to repository · herrnst/impulsetracker@94c80b2".
(October 19, 2014). "impulsetacker/IT.TXT".
Lim, J. (1995). Impulse Tracker II User Manual. Retrieved from https://archive.org/stream/ImpulseTrackerIIUserManual/Impulse%20Tracker%20II%20User%20Manual_djvu.txt
(October 19, 2014). "impulsetracker/DRIVERS.TXT".
"Home".
"ChibiTracker".
Matsuoka, Claudio. (2007-11-04). "Tracker History Graphing Project". helllabs.org.
Sean Davidson. (Jan 3, 2003). "Trance Mushrooms to infect Pune". [[The Times of India]].
Andy Jones. (January 10, 2006). "From a Distance: The Virtual Collaboration that Helped Score The Sims 2 DS/GBA". [[Gamasutra]].
[https://soundcloud.com/dna-groove/pocket-tanks-intro Pocket Tanks intro] on [[SoundCloud]]
"Interview with Alex Brandon". deusex-machina.com.
(28 November 2012). "Minecon 2012 - The Music of Minecraft & Minecraft Documentary".
[http://pulserusher.blogspot.com/2012/09/sean-tyas-interview.html Sean Tyas interview]
[https://twitter.com/bluestahli/status/430570811314171904 Blue Stahli twitter profile]

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