# schismtracker/schismtracker

An oldschool sample-based music composition tool.

Repository: https://github.com/schismtracker/schismtracker
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/schismtracker
Homepage: https://schismtracker.org
Language: C
License: GPL-2.0
License Family: copyleft
Topics: audio, impulsetracker, music, tracker
Last push: 2026-08-21T03:20:15+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 90/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 73, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 3766, "days_push": 12, "days_rel": 101, "gap_med": 32, "n_releases_24m": 14}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1550, forks 123 (observed 2026-08-28T04:05:02.103041+00:00)

## What it is
Schism Tracker is a free, open-source reimplementation of Impulse Tracker, a sample-based music composition tool for creating tracker music. It uses a modified ModPlug playback engine and runs on nearly any platform supported by SDL 2.

## Use cases
- compose tracker music on linux
- open and edit .it module files
- recreate the impulse tracker workflow on modern systems
- make chiptune-style music without expensive equipment
- play back modplug/IT modules with accurate playback
- write music with a keyboard-centric tracker interface

## When to choose
- you want the classic Impulse Tracker finger feel on modern hardware
- you need a cross-platform tracker that runs on Linux, macOS, Windows, or even exotic platforms
- you work with IT/ModPlug module formats and want faithful playback

## When to avoid
- you want a modern DAW with plugin support and graphical arrangement views
- you need MIDI sequencing or VST instrument hosting
- you prefer piano-roll composition over keyboard-driven tracker editing

## Facets
- artifact type: application
- maturity: active
- function: audio-processing, gui
- domain: media, cross-platform
- platform: windows, cross-platform
- tags: music-tracker, impulse-tracker, modplug, sdl2, chiptune, sample-based-music, it-files, audio, linux, macos, desktop

## Member repositories
- schismtracker/schismtracker (main) score 90

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:02.103041+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T04:30:20.108694+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/schismtracker/schismtracker (fetched 2026-08-28T04:05:02.103041+00:00, sha 229b4c92b29c)
  - homepage: https://schismtracker.org (fetched 2026-08-29T11:30:55.073180+00:00, sha 915afc28bc80)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.