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Saturday, January 23, 1999

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MODPlug.com | What Is A MOD?

Okay, so maybe you have heard your Wired friends talking about MODS, or perhaps you came across a few files on the Internet that you did not recognize. Yes, sadly, few people have even heard of MOD files, but this site aims to change all that. So, let's start with the basics: What Is A MOD?

  DEFINITION OF A MOD

As usual, we should start with the definition of a MOD. The closest thing that can come to a definition of a MOD is found in the MOD FAQ. It states:

"Modules are digital music files, made up of a set of samples (the instruments) and sequencing information, telling a mod player when to play which sample on which track at what pitch, optionally performing an effect like vibrato, for example. Thus mods are different from pure sample files such as WAV or AU, which contain no sequencing information, and MIDI files, which do not include any custom samples/instruments. Mods are extremely popular in the demo world and offer a way of making music of an acceptable level of quality rather cheaply. With the advent of high-quality sound hardware, new generations of mods may even rise to a sound quality nearing that of professional equipment.

Mods' sequencing information is based on patterns and tracks. A pattern is a group of tracks with a certain length, usually 64 rows (see 1.3). The tracks are independent of each other, meaning that a four track mod can play four voices or notes simultaneously. The patterns can be sequenced in a playlist, so that repeating the same sequence of patterns doesn't require rewriting of them."

As can be expected, the definition is dry, drab and boring, so moving right along, lemme try to explain things a little more clarly to someone who wouldn't know a sequencer from a food processor, otherwise known as the layperson. So, let me present it in a simple, but unoffensive way. I present:

MODS FOR DUMMIES
MODS FOR DUMMIES!

Yes, inspired by the popular Dummies Series of self-help books, I present my own version structured around MODS. (Please note that there is no actual book, I am just jokingly calling this section 'MODs for Dummies'.) I will try to explain in my own words what a MOD is made of, and what makes MODS so great.

MODS are, in their simplist form, sound files for your computer. Made on a computer, played back on a computer. I think that it is a safe bet that many of you have heard of a MIDI file or a WAV file. A MIDI file is usually a popular song that you can play back on your computer, and WAV's are usually clips from Movies or TV shows that you like to use for certain events on your computer.

Now, a MIDI file uses instruments that are built-in to your sound card. Depending on the quality of your sound card, a MIDI can sound good, better, or worst. Older sound cards are known as FM-Synthesis cards. They have a chip on them which mimics the sounds of different instruments when you play a MIDI file; it usually comes out sounding like one of the first Casio keyboards ever made. Newer sound cards use a "Wavetable" chip which contains actual digital recordings of the instruments, but, the MIDI file is still limited to the (usually around) 120 instruments on the sound card.

A WAV file is like a tape recording, computer-style. You can record ANY SOUND YOU WANT in a WAV file, at any quality. WAV files range from low-end, which sound like tape recordings made on a really old tape recorder, to high-end-better-than-CD-quality recordings. The quality of these WAV files is measured in KHz or KiloHertz. It doesn't really matter whether or not you know what a KHz is, you should just know that the higher the KHz, the better the quality of the WAV file. WAV files will sound the same no matter if you have a FM-Synthesis card or a Wavetable card.

Now that you have a brief idea of MIDI and WAV, we can move on to MODS. If you could open up a MIDI file and look inside, you would see something that looks similar to a old player piano roll. It would be a list of notes, and right next to the note, would be a number that specifies what instrument to play. Although it is all numbers, the numbers would mean "A sharp on a trumpet" or "B flat on a Grand Piano". Remember that the MIDI file depends on those instruments that it is requesting to be on your sound card. MODS do away with that dependency by carrying the instruments along with them - in the form of "samples". "Samples" are basically WAV files of one note on an instrument, or perhaps a beat on a drum kit, or even a line of vocals. It is up to the MOD composer what samples he/she wishes to include in the MOD file. Not being dependant on the sound card means that, number one, the song will sound the same when played back on any computer, and number two, you are not limited to the instruments and effects that are built into the sound card.

If you could open up a MOD file and look inside, you would see something similar to the innards of the MIDI file, but instead of the MOD file calling certain instruments on the sound card, it calls for certain samples that are included in the MOD file itself. So, you would not only see the "piano roll", but you would also see all of the instruments as well.

This format opens up doors in computer music that were never there before by allowing the composer total freedom of choice as to how his/her song sounds. It also allows for cross-platform compatibility as far as how the song sounds - no matter what kind of sound card the listener has, the finished song should sound exactly like what the composer had in mind.

RELATED LINKS
What Is A MOD?
Bowman's MOD Page
Digital Music Collection
Zen of Tracking
MOD Resources Web
MOD Music Tutorial
MODS Explained
Abiud's XM/Mod Page

I hope that this section has given you a little insight into the world of MOD music. For more information, please visit the related links listed on the left-hand side.


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