User manual

GlassTracker for iOS

GlassTracker brings picoTracker to iPhone and iPad with touch controls, Audio Unit hosting, sample editing, mixing, recording, rendering, and Files access.

Version 0.1.0 (build 17) · iOS 16 or later

GlassTracker Song screen on iPhone — **The Song screen.** Eight channels of chains, the live play position, meters, and the on-screen picoTracker control pad.

What is a tracker?

A tracker turns time into a vertical grid. Each row is a moment; each column is a channel. Instead of placing colored blocks on a timeline, you arrange compact musical instructions: which phrase to play, which note to trigger, which instrument to use, and which effect command should run.

The structure is intentionally small and compositional:

SONGarranges chains across 8 channels

CHAINarranges reusable phrases

PHRASEcontains notes, instruments, and commands

A phrase can be used by more than one chain. Editing it changes every chain that references it. Chain transpose values create pitch variations, while Tables and Grooves provide parameter changes and timing patterns.

picoTracker compatibility

The core project format, tracker screens, edit grammar, and most key combinations are preserved. GlassTracker adds native iOS screens around the engine; Device → MODE can switch back to the stock PicoTracker presentation at any time.

Manual sections

01 / GETTING STARTED Basic project walkthrough Open the factory project, use the control pad, edit a phrase, and save a copy. 02 / INTERFACE Controls and navigation Control-pad and keyboard combinations for navigation, editing, selection, and playback. 03 / SAMPLING Samples and slicing Import a WAV through Files, edit it, detect transients, and map slices to notes. 04 / AUDIO UNITS Audio Unit routing Add an instrument, route tracker MIDI, choose its host, sync its sequencer, and map CC commands. 05 / MIDI MIDI routing and sync Choose ports, route incoming channels, target outputs, prevent fanout, and understand clock behavior.

iOS-specific features

Area	GlassTracker behavior
Interface	Touch-native Project, Device, Instrument, Sample Editor, Mixer, recording, pool, rack, and strip screens; the original tracker grids remain intact.
Sound	Up to 16 hosted AUv3 instruments with per-slot Standard/Compatibility hosting, Audio Unit insert effects, two send buses, AU returns, master inserts, and a safety limiter.
Sampling	Files/iCloud WAV import, project Sample Pool, waveform zoom, sample-exact trim, transient slicing, re-pitch, and timestretch.
Recording	Managed input takes, and with Advanced Recording on: overdubbing while the song plays, count-in and row-synchronised capture, a monitor-only metronome, and resampling of the master mix or a single channel.
Connectivity	Per-port CoreMIDI input/output, Bluetooth MIDI pairing, per-channel live-input routes, MIDI-instrument destinations, AU listen/delivery channels, clock output, and CC maps.
Storage	Projects, samples, recordings, and renders live in the app’s Files-visible Documents folder.
Output	Fast offline rendering for engine-only songs and real-time bounce whenever hosted Audio Units or iOS effects must be heard.

About this manual

This guide starts with the established picoTracker Advance manual and describes the workflow as it appears in GlassTracker. Hardware-only topics—SD cards, physical ports, batteries, firmware flashing, and TRS adapters—are replaced by their iOS equivalents. Features unique to GlassTracker have their own chapters.

Tracker terminology and effect commands remain compatible with picoTracker unless a page calls out an iOS-specific difference.