Hack Tracks - News and Instructions

News

04/10/2012 - Added per-channel volume control (supports multitouch).  Also able to mute and solo channels.

03/27/2012 - The Pattern Editor grid now supports dragging and multitouch!  Drag your fingers across the grid to toggle cells.  Tap and drag a finger on the BPM and Shuffle widgets to scroll through values quickly.  Tap and hold on them to reset the value to default.  Currently working on adding the ability to control the volume of each channel.

Revision History

Version	Release Date	Changed
00.01.06	04/10/2012	- Added ability to control channel volume (supports multitouch) - Added ability to mute and solo channels
00.01.05	03/27/2012	- Fixed inability to launch app - Moved BPM and Shuffle widgets closer to center of screen to give them more room for the horizontal drag
00.01.04	03/27/2012	- NOTE: this version had a bug that would not allow the app to launch - Dragging and multitouch input added to Pattern Editor  - BPM and Shuffle widgets now support tap-and-drag to edit value and tap-and-hold to reset value to default - Added title screen
00.01.03	03/03/2012	- Extend testing timeout from 5 to 10 minutes - Reduce CPU usage when app is not in foreground
00.01.02	02/28/2012	- Initial public release of alpha build

Instructions

Note: Read to the end of the instructions to learn how to use "Layered Mode", as this is currently the feature that gives you the most flexibility.

• Tap the cells of the grid to toggle beats on and off.  Drag with a finger (or fingers) to toggle a line of beats.
• Tap the button at the bottom-left of the screen to toggle playback on and off.
• Tap the squares numbered 1-16 to change what pattern you are editing. This also controls what pattern is played during playback.
• Each channel (horizontal row) has one sample assigned to it, as indicated by the two labels running along the left side of the grid. The label on the far left is the "bank" name (ex: snare, hat, bass drum, etc.). The label on the right is the specific "sample" name (ex: 909 clap, acoustic lrg). To cycle through the different banks, repeatedly tap the bank name. To cycle through the samples in the bank, repeatedly tap the sample name.
• Tap the button containing the song name (at the top left of the screen) to save your current work and advance to the next song. Your work is also automatically saved when you close the app.
• To use your own samples in Hack Tracks:
  • Audio samples must be 16-bit, 44.1 kHz, stereo .wav files.
  • Launch the Hack Tracks app at least once, so the app can create its initial folders and data files.
  • Create sub-folders inside /media/internal/hacktracks/sounds/ to represent your "banks".
  • Copy your .wav files into your "bank" sub-folders. The app uses the folder names as the bank's label in the app.
  • When you launch the app, it will automatically load any samples in these bank sub-folders. Tap on a channel's "bank" name to cycle through all banks. Keep tapping until you see the name of your custom created bank. Then, tap on the sample name to cycle through your samples.
  • You are able to create as many bank folders as you would like.
  • NOTE: Samples *must* be stored in a sub-folder inside /media/internal/hacktracks/sounds/. If you simply copy .wav files into /media/internal/hacktracks/sounds/, the app will *not* find these samples.
• Tap the arrows around "BPM" or "Shuffle" to change the value.  Tap and hold on the widget to reset value to default.  Tap and drag finger horizontally to quickly change value.
• Tap the "Volume" button at the bottom of the screen to bring up controls that let you modify a channel's volume.
  
• Tap or drag your finger (or fingers) on the sliders to adjust a channel's volume.
• Tap the toggle button on the left to mute/unmute a channel.
• Tap-and-hold the mute toggle button to "solo" the channel (solo = mutes all channels except the one you are "soloing")
  
• Tap the "Live/Synced" button to toggle between the "Live" and "Synced" mode. This mode controls what happens when you change patterns during playback.
  • In "Live Mode", when you change patterns (by tapping on the squares labeled 1-16), playback will instantly switch to playing the beats in the new pattern.
  • In "Synced Mode", changing which pattern is playing does not go into effect until the current pattern completes playing. This makes it easy to play one pattern after another, ensuring that the timing will be perfect.
• Tap the "Single/Layered" button to toggle between the "Single" and "Layered" modes. This mode controls how many patterns you can have playing at once.
  • In "Single Mode", you can only have one pattern playing at any one time. Tapping a pattern will stop the currently playing pattern and begin playing the new pattern.
  • In "Layered Mode", you can have multiple patterns playing at once. Tap a pattern once to turn it on. Tap it again to turn it off.