AKI File

What are AKI files and how to open them

Are you having problems opening an AKI file or are you simply curious about its contents? We're here to explain the properties of these files and provide you with software that can open or handle your AKI files.

What is an AKI file?

An .AKI file is an Arkos Tracker Instrument file.

Arkos Tracker Instrument files hold the definition of a single musical instrument used inside the Arkos Tracker software. They describe how a sound behaves - its volume curve, pitch, arpeggio, loop settings, noise components, hardware/software envelopes, and other parameters - so songs can reference and play that instrument properly. These are created and edited in Arkos Tracker's Instrument Editor, and then stored separately so multiple songs can reuse the same instrument without redefining it each time.

The instrument data is structured in XML conforming to Arkos Tracker's schema, allowing both human inspection and consistent parsing. When you save an instrument, Arkos Tracker writes that structure to a file, embedding tags for things like VOLUME, PITCH, SOFTWARE/PERIOD, NOISE, loops (LOOPSTARTINDEX, ENDINDEX), and flags like ISLOOPING or ISRETRIG. These XML files may include references to external XSD schema definitions. Arkos Tracker reads them to produce hardware/software sound output on supported 8-bit platforms (AY/YM chips) or within its software versions.

These files start with an XML declaration "<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>" and include specific signatures such as "FMINSTRUMENT", "INSTRUMENT XMLNS", "HARDWAREARPEGGIO", "SOFTWAREPITCH", "ISRETRIG", "NOISE", and others. Some mention a schema file "ARKOSTRACKERINSTRUMENT.XSD" in the root for validation, and typically contain fields like TITLE, NUMBER, SPEED, RATIO, SCHEMALOCATION, LINK, etc.

How to open AKI files

Important: Different programs may use files with the AKI file extension for different purposes, so unless you are sure which format your AKI file is, you may need to try a few different programs.

We have not yet verified any programs for Windows that work with this specific file format. If you know one, please use the 'Suggest a program' link below. Thanks!

Last updated: August 17, 2026

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