Manual: Module Merging

Through the File menu, it is possible to append existing modules to the currently active module. This can be used to merge several songs into a single file, for example for creating game music. This is not a simple process, and several limitations have to be kept in mind when working with this feature.

• Merging copies over all used instruments or samples, plugins, patterns and sequences. No attempts are being made at detecting duplicate samples, instruments or patterns.
• When merging into an MPTM file, this feature makes use of the MPTM format’s multi-sequence capabilities. Every song is merged into a separate sequence instead of appending it to the end of the first sequence.
• Merging a source file with several sequences into a format that can only handle one sequence works, but pattern jump commands will not be updated.
• Merging should only happen between modules of the same type. Try to not merge into a module type that has fewer capabilities than the source type (e.g. do not append an IT file to a MOD).
• Especially when appending several songs, clean up the module between usages to get rid of unused stuff. Otherwise, you might run out of patterns, instruments and plugin slots.
• Since there is only one set of global settings, it is advised that all merged modules use the same tempo mode, mix settings, default tempo, channel properties, and so on. If possible, OpenMPT uses per-pattern time signatures if the source and target time signatures differ, but this is about as much as it can do to fix global settings. The rest is up to you.