'[#[Information about Composer 669]

Composer 669 is the first 8 channel digital audio tracker for PC, who also supported samples larger than 64 KByte. It was created by Tran [a.k.a. Tomasz Pytel] Renaissance for the DOS operative system and were last updated in 1992.

Its first versions, 1.1 and 1.2 were published as Shareware, the last version; 1.3 was released as freeware.

It works based on PCM instruments, so it requires samples to produce any sound.


'[#[What can Composer 669 do?]

Composer 669 allows you to use 8 channels to compose and play music on simultaneously, each mod can have up to 64 instruments using a maximum of 1408 KBytes of memory.

The max size of each sample/instrument is 1 MByte.

Each mod can have 128 patterns as most, with 64 rows each one.

Samples/Instruments uses .VOC file extension format, which you can save to or load from Composer669

The screen only shows in VGA 80x50 text mode

The shortcuts commands in Composer 669 are most of just 1 keystroke

The mixing and output is done at 22 kHZ.

However; there are other .669 trackers such as '[[Unis 669] that improve the limitations listed adobe and adds other usable effects for the format, modules that use this new features are called '[[Extended 669 Format], features including super fast tempo using the effect F0x, stereo balance fine slide to left or right using the effect Gnn, slot retrigger using the effect Hnn, the ability of using samples with frequencies adobe than 44kHZ and also export modules with 44kHZ frequency output rather than the Composer 669's 22kHZ.

of course these exclusive '[[Extended 669 Format] features wont work when playbacking those modules using the Composer 669.

'[#[Playback Notes for Composer 669 modules]

Note that at this date, Composer 669 is the only program that gives you the maximum '[[669 Format] module accuracy while Open ModPlugTracker may sound nicier and be over the quality of the Composer 669 playback, be aware that it does not sounds as near as same.


'[#[System Requirements]

 - From 386 computers to better.

 - A 2 MBytes RAM. (1408 KBytes extended.)

 - A VGA Card.

 - A Sound Blaster sound card to get mono music or a Sound Blaster Pro to get stereo music.

 - A DOS 3.0 as operative system or adove.


'[#[Images of Composer 669]

You can see images of how Composer 669 looks like here:

 - '[l[http://media.demozoo.org/screens/o/0e/c6/0904.58842.png[How does Composer 669 look if you load a module in it]


'[#[Download link for Composer 669]

An earlier version of Composer 669 exists which is called '[[Composer 667], one that is also known as the 1.0 version of Composer 669 also please note that both are completely different trackers that aims completely different formats, this said; you can download them both from here:

 - '[l[ftp://ftp.modland.com/pub/software/trackers/DOS/Composer%20669/[Composer 669 and Composer 667 Download links from ModLand FTP repository.]


'[#[How to run Composer 669 from newer hardware?]

You can run Composer 669 on any machine that can run DOSBox, FreeDOS or MSDOS from 3.0 to higher.

BUT DOSBox users will most likely encounter an error saying:

Not enough extended memory to run this program!!!

This is fixed by disabling XMS, EMS and UMB in the text configuration that appears on the DOSBox root directory when you run DOSBox for the first time.


'[#[Music repository of modules created on Composer 669]

There is a large amount of music created for Composer 669, mostly by DemoSceners from early times, you can download them all from:

 - '[l[ftp://ftp.modland.com/pub/modules/Composer%20669/[Composer 669's Module music from ModLand FTP repository.]