jf_tracker

I waited more than seven years for someone to build a tracker for REAPER, then built it myself. jf_tracker is a tracker core for your REAPER project with modules around it - Vim keys, built like Emacs: your hands stay on the keyboard and type the notes, the keyboard can type them anyway.

Everything stays native REAPER: tracks, items, MIDI, regions, envelopes and FX. Close the window and the project plays on. Every edit is one undo step.

What it does

• Tracker columns over real REAPER items - note, instrument, volume, commands (Renoise-style 0D, 0S, SI …) and envelope columns, on MIDI and audio items.
• Vim all the way - modes, operators and motions (dw, d3j, yy p), counts, registers, . repeat, macros, a : command line with history.
• Pattern matrix and patterns pane - patterns are regions with Elektron-style codes (A1, D12), a song chain, sections, arrangements; one MIDI clip per pattern.
• Samples - a lib per project, a file browser with preview, a zoxide tab (your most used folders + what you heard lately), virtual slicing (transients, equal parts, smart quantize), layers, and a sample map: every sound of a folder as a graph, cards or a galaxy, ξ for a random one.
• jf_slixer - a transient slicer / pad sampler driven 1:1 from the DSP panel, with a sniper zoom on the slice edge.
• DSP panel - the FX chain as blocks with meters, gain compensation and delta solo; containers as racks (CHAINS / ROUTE / XY), parallel branches, band splits, a mini router you can drag, chain slots for A/B, XY morph pads, presets search across your plugins.
• Panes like tmux - split, move and zoom every module; screensets; themes, a theme tweak and pixel / terminal fonts.
• PT-mode - four big channels, a tribute to ProTracker, the tracker a ton of jungle was made on.
• Letters, not icons - when a symbol is needed it comes from another alphabet (Δ delta, ø phase).

Soon:

• Harmony [on the way] - keys and scales, a chord lane on the master, progressions, harmonize a melody, bass and second voice, 72-EDO microtones as MPE (Surge XT and any MPE synth).
• monome integration
• granular  sampler

Install

1. Download jf_tracker-0.9.1.zip and unzip it into REAPER's Scripts folder (Options → Show resource path → Scripts), so you get Scripts/jf_tracker/.
2. Put the effects/*.jsfx files into REAPER's Effects folder (or keep them where the README says).
3. Actions → Show action list → New action → Load ReaScript → jf_tracker/jf_tracker.lua, run it.
4. \ opens the menu (the help is there), :tutorial walks the first steps.

Needs REAPER 7, SWS and js_ReaScriptAPI (both install through ReaPack). Made and tested on macOS.

New versions are posted on this page - follow it to hear about them.

Free, with a coffee jar

I am not a professional programmer; Claude helped me write this, so I see no point in making it a commercial product. Name your price, zero is fine. If it makes you as happy as it makes me, the coffee jar is open: https://ko-fi.com/jeeruff

License: PolyForm Shield 1.0.0 - use it, change it, make and sell your music with it; just do not turn it into a competing product. Credits are in SOURCES.md; Paketti by Esa Ruoho - his Patreon is in the credits.