Cross-platform joystick-driven music-tracker.
PokeTrack is a cross-platform music tracker built for joystick input first. Input is consistent and fast once you learn it - most actions are a single button plus a direction, so you can stay heads-down in the pattern editor without reaching for a mouse.
Designed for handhelds
PokeTrack runs great on Linux-based handheld consoles as well as mac/windows/linux desktop.
Built-in synths and effects
A set of built-in units (sound generators and effects) covers most tracking needs out of the box, with no external plugins required.
Sample-based instruments
Instruments are intentionally simple: load samples, set up velocity zones offline, and save as SFZ. A companion web-based SFZ editor is linked in the game's README for building complex instruments, multi-instrument kits and breakbeat chops.
Plugin support
Extend PokeTrack with custom WCLAP plugins. These can be written in any language that compiles to wasm (including puredata, using my own tools.)
Themeable
Skin the UI at launch with a theme file, including converted LGPT themes.
Fast, consistent joystick + keyboard control scheme
Cross-platform: Windows, macOS, Linux (incl. ARM/handheld builds)
Built-in synth and effect units - no plugins required to start
SF2/SFZ soundfont instrument support
Custom CLAP/WCLAP plugin support
Themable UI
Open source
PokeTrack's source is developed in the open on GitHub, and there are even build-releases, so you don't need any tools. Buying it here supports continued development and gets you an easy one-click install plus automatic updates through Steam, but is not required if you want to install it yourself.