Music

ARRANGEMENT · AUDIO · CREATE INSTRUMENT LAYER · ENVELOPE · FILTER · FILTERENVELOPE · FIXEDFREQ · FMENVELOPE · INSTRUMENT · LAYER · MUSIC · NAME · PAN · PATTERN · PERCUSSION · PITCHENVELOPE · PITCHENVELOPE · PLAY · SAMPLE · SET INSTRUMENT · SET INSTRUMENT LAYER · TEMPO · TIMESIG · TRACK · TREMOLO · UNISON · VIBRATO · VOLUME · WAVETABLE

ARRANGEMENT

The order the patterns play in, a PLAY line each.

ARRANGEMENT
    ...
END ARRANGEMENT

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
MUSIC "tune"
    PATTERN "a"
        TRACK !! channel(1) notes("o4 c e g")
    END PATTERN
    PATTERN "b"
        TRACK !! channel(2) notes("o3 c")
    END PATTERN
    ARRANGEMENT
        PLAY "a" !! repeat(2)
        PLAY "a" !! with("b")
    END ARRANGEMENT
END MUSIC
PRINT arrangementpattern("tune", 0), arrangementrepeat("tune", 0)
PRINT arrangementpattern("tune", 1)

Notes

Opens a block I run once. You can write it only inside MUSIC. Inside it you can write PLAY.

AUDIO

A recorded sound mixed under the pattern’s tracks: one loaded with LOADMP3 or LOADWAV.

AUDIO handle

Also documents: offset, pan, repeat, section, volume

Parameters

handle AS STRING - The sound’s name.

After !!

offset(seconds AS NUMBER) - Start this far into the pattern.
pan(position AS NUMBER) - Where it sits, from left to right.
repeat(on = TRUE) - Play it again until the pattern ends.
section(span AS RANGE) - Only this part of it, start ... finish, in seconds.
volume(level AS NUMBER) - How loud, from 0 to 100.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
LOADWAV "explosion.wav", "boom"
MUSIC "intro"
    PATTERN "open" !! length(4)
        TRACK !! channel(1) notes("o4 c d e")
        AUDIO "boom" !! volume(60) offset(0.5)
    END PATTERN
END MUSIC
PRINT patternaudio("intro", "open"), patternaudiovolume("intro", "open")

Notes

You can write it only inside PATTERN.

CREATE INSTRUMENT LAYER

Adds a layer to an instrument.

CREATE INSTRUMENT LAYER number [, wave]
    ...
END CREATE INSTRUMENT LAYER

Also documents: detune, duty, feedback, fmdepth, fmtarget, harmonics, octave, volume

Parameters

number AS NUMBER - The instrument’s number.
wave AS STRING = NULL

After !!

detune(cents AS NUMBER) - How far it is tuned from the note, in cents.
duty(fraction AS NUMBER) - A pulse wave’s duty cycle.
feedback(amount AS NUMBER) - How much it modulates itself.
fmdepth(amount AS NUMBER) - How much it modulates it.
fmtarget(layer AS NUMBER) - The layer this one modulates.
harmonics(levels…) - A custom wave’s harmonics, loudest first.
octave(shift AS NUMBER) - How many octaves up or down it plays.
volume(level AS NUMBER) - How loud the layer is.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 200
    LAYER "sine"
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
CREATE INSTRUMENT LAYER 200, "noise" !! volume(0.2)
END CREATE INSTRUMENT LAYER
PRINT instrumentlayercount(200), layerwave(200, 1)

Notes

Opens a block I run once. Inside it you can write FMENVELOPE, PITCHENVELOPE, SAMPLE, UNISON and WAVETABLE.

ENVELOPE

How each note rises, holds and fades.

ENVELOPE

Also documents: attack, decay, release, sustain

After !!

attack(seconds AS NUMBER) - How long it takes to rise.
decay(seconds AS NUMBER) - How long it takes to fall to the sustain level.
release(seconds AS NUMBER) - How long it takes to fade once the note ends.
sustain(level AS NUMBER) - The level it holds while the note is held, 0 to 1.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 200
    ENVELOPE !! attack(0.05) decay(0.3) sustain(0.5) release(0.8)
    LAYER "sawtooth"
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
PRINT instrumentattack(200), instrumentdecay(200)
PRINT instrumentsustain(200), instrumentrelease(200)

Notes

You can write it only inside INSTRUMENT or SET INSTRUMENT.

FILTER

Takes some of the sound away: the highs, the lows, or around a point.

FILTER kind

Also documents: cutoff, resonance

Parameters

kind AS STRING - “lowpass”, “highpass”, “bandpass” or “notch”.

After !!

cutoff(hz AS NUMBER) - Where it starts to cut, in Hz.
resonance(amount AS NUMBER) - How much it rings at the cutoff.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 200
    FILTER "lowpass" !! cutoff(600) resonance(2)
    LAYER "sawtooth"
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
PLAY "t140 o3 i200 l8 c c g g" !! background
PRINT "a muffled sawtooth"

Notes

You can write it only inside INSTRUMENT or SET INSTRUMENT.

FILTERENVELOPE

How the filter’s cutoff moves over each note.

FILTERENVELOPE

Also documents: attack, decay, peak, release, sustain

After !!

attack(seconds AS NUMBER) - How long it takes to rise.
decay(seconds AS NUMBER) - How long it takes to fall to the sustain level.
peak(amount AS NUMBER) - How far the filter opens at the top.
release(seconds AS NUMBER) - How long it takes to fade once the note ends.
sustain(level AS NUMBER) - The level it holds while the note is held, 0 to 1.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 200
    NAME "Wah"
    FILTER "lowpass" !! cutoff(400) resonance(3)
    FILTERENVELOPE !! attack(0.1) decay(0.3) sustain(0.2) release(0.2) peak(2000)
    LAYER "sawtooth"
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
PRINT instrumentname(200), "opens its filter on each note"

Notes

You can write it only inside INSTRUMENT or SET INSTRUMENT.

FIXEDFREQ

Plays every note at this frequency, in Hz.

FIXEDFREQ hz

Parameters

hz AS NUMBER

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 200
    NAME "Click"
    FIXEDFREQ 1000
    LAYER "square"
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
PLAY "t200 o4 i200 l16 c d e" !! background
PRINT instrumentname(200), "plays every note at 1000 Hz"

Notes

You can write it only inside INSTRUMENT or SET INSTRUMENT.

FMENVELOPE

How the layer’s modulation rises and falls over each note.

FMENVELOPE

Also documents: attack, decay, release, sustain

After !!

attack(seconds AS NUMBER) - How long it takes to rise.
decay(seconds AS NUMBER) - How long it takes to fall to the sustain level.
release(seconds AS NUMBER) - How long it takes to fade once the note ends.
sustain(level AS NUMBER) - The level it holds while the note is held, 0 to 1.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 201
    NAME "E-Piano"
    LAYER "sine"
    END LAYER
    LAYER "sine" !! octave(1) fmtarget(0) fmdepth(4)
        FMENVELOPE !! attack(0) decay(0.4) sustain(0.1) release(0.3)
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
PRINT instrumentname(201), instrumentlayercount(201)

Notes

You can write it only inside CREATE INSTRUMENT LAYER, LAYER or SET INSTRUMENT LAYER.

INSTRUMENT

Describes an instrument, for a song’s tracks to play: its settings, a line each, then its layers.

INSTRUMENT number
    ...
END INSTRUMENT

Parameters

number AS NUMBER - The instrument’s number.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 200
    NAME "Pad"
    VOLUME 0.8
    ENVELOPE !! attack(0.4) decay(0.2) sustain(0.7) release(1)
    FILTER "lowpass" !! cutoff(1800) resonance(0.3)
    LAYER "sawtooth"
    END LAYER
    LAYER "square" !! volume(0.4) detune(7)
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
PRINT instrumentname(200), instrumentlayercount(200)
PLAY "t120 o4 i200 l8 c e g" !! background

Notes

Opens a block I run once. Inside it you can write ENVELOPE, FILTER, FILTERENVELOPE, FIXEDFREQ, NAME, PAN, PERCUSSION, PITCHENVELOPE, TREMOLO, VIBRATO, VOLUME and LAYER.

LAYER

One of the instrument’s layers: a wave, with its settings after !! and the ones with parts of their own inside.

LAYER [wave]
    ...
END LAYER

Also documents: detune, duty, feedback, fmdepth, fmtarget, harmonics, octave, volume

Parameters

wave AS STRING = NULL - “sine”, “square”, “triangle”, “sawtooth”, “pulse”, “noise” or “custom”.

After !!

detune(cents AS NUMBER) - How far it is tuned from the note, in cents.
duty(fraction AS NUMBER) - A pulse wave’s duty cycle.
feedback(amount AS NUMBER) - How much it modulates itself.
fmdepth(amount AS NUMBER) - How much it modulates it.
fmtarget(layer AS NUMBER) - The layer this one modulates.
harmonics(levels…) - A custom wave’s harmonics, loudest first.
octave(shift AS NUMBER) - How many octaves up or down it plays.
volume(level AS NUMBER) - How loud the layer is.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 201
    NAME "Bell"
    LAYER "sine"
    END LAYER
    LAYER "sine" !! octave(2) fmtarget(0) fmdepth(3)
    END LAYER
    LAYER "pulse" !! duty(0.25) volume(0.3)
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
PRINT instrumentlayercount(201)
PRINT layerwave(201, 0), layerwave(201, 2)

Notes

Opens a block I run once. You can write it only inside INSTRUMENT. Inside it you can write FMENVELOPE, PITCHENVELOPE, SAMPLE, UNISON and WAVETABLE.

MUSIC

Describes a song, for PLAYMUSIC to play: its TEMPO and TIMESIG, its patterns, each with the tracks that play together, and the ARRANGEMENT they play in.

MUSIC song
    ...
END MUSIC

Also documents: loop

Parameters

song AS STRING - What the song is called.

After !!

loop(on = TRUE) - Start the song again when it ends.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
MUSIC "theme" !! loop
    TEMPO 120
    PATTERN "verse"
        TRACK !! channel(1) instrument(0) notes("o4 l8 c d e f g")
    END PATTERN
    ARRANGEMENT
        PLAY "verse" !! repeat(2)
    END ARRANGEMENT
END MUSIC
PRINT musicexists("theme"), musicloop("theme"), musictempo("theme")
PLAYMUSIC "theme"

Notes

Opens a block I run once. Inside it you can write ARRANGEMENT, PATTERN, TEMPO and TIMESIG.

NAME

What the instrument is called.

NAME text

Parameters

text AS STRING

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 200
    NAME "Glass Bell"
    LAYER "sine"
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
PRINT instrumentname(200)

Notes

You can write it only inside INSTRUMENT or SET INSTRUMENT.

PAN

Where it sits, from -1 (left) to 1 (right).

PAN position

Parameters

position AS NUMBER

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 200
    PAN -0.75
    LAYER "square"
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
PRINT instrumentpan(200)

Notes

You can write it only inside INSTRUMENT or SET INSTRUMENT.

PATTERN

A part of the song: the tracks that play together, for the ARRANGEMENT to play by name.

PATTERN name
    ...
END PATTERN

Also documents: length

Parameters

name AS STRING - What the pattern is called.

After !!

length(beats AS NUMBER) - How many beats the pattern lasts.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
MUSIC "song"
    PATTERN "intro" !! length(8)
        TRACK !! channel(1) notes("o4 l2 c g")
    END PATTERN
    PATTERN "chorus" !! length(16)
        TRACK !! channel(1) notes("o5 l4 c c d e")
    END PATTERN
END MUSIC
PRINT musicpatterncount("song")
PRINT musicpatternlength("song", "intro"), musicpatternlength("song", "chorus")

Notes

Opens a block I run once. You can write it only inside MUSIC. Inside it you can write AUDIO and TRACK.

PERCUSSION

Plays as a drum: FALSE to play notes again, or how much.

PERCUSSION [amount]

Parameters

amount = TRUE

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 200
    NAME "Snare"
    PERCUSSION 1
    ENVELOPE !! attack(0) decay(0.1) sustain(0) release(0.05)
    LAYER "noise"
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
PRINT instrumentpercussion(200)

Notes

You can write it only inside INSTRUMENT or SET INSTRUMENT.

PITCHENVELOPE

Slides each note’s pitch as it starts.

PITCHENVELOPE

Also documents: absolute, from, time, to

After !!

absolute(on = TRUE) - Read from and to as notes of their own, not distances from the note.
from(semitones AS NUMBER) - Where the pitch starts, in semitones from the note.
time(seconds AS NUMBER) - How long it takes to get there.
to(semitones AS NUMBER) - Where it ends.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 200
    NAME "Laser"
    PITCHENVELOPE !! from(24) to(0) time(0.15)
    LAYER "square"
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
PLAY "t160 o4 i200 l8 c c" !! background
PRINT instrumentname(200)

Notes

You can write it only inside INSTRUMENT or SET INSTRUMENT.

PITCHENVELOPE

Slides the layer’s pitch as each note starts.

PITCHENVELOPE

Also documents: absolute, from, time, to

After !!

absolute(on = TRUE) - Read from and to as notes of their own, not distances from the note.
from(semitones AS NUMBER) - Where the pitch starts, in semitones from the note.
time(seconds AS NUMBER) - How long it takes to get there.
to(semitones AS NUMBER) - Where it ends.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 200
    NAME "Kick"
    PERCUSSION 1
    LAYER "sine"
        PITCHENVELOPE !! from(12) to(-12) time(0.08)
    END LAYER
    LAYER "noise" !! volume(0.2)
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
PRINT instrumentlayercount(200)

Notes

You can write it only inside CREATE INSTRUMENT LAYER, LAYER or SET INSTRUMENT LAYER.

PLAY

Plays a pattern, by its name.

PLAY pattern

Also documents: repeat, with

Parameters

pattern AS STRING - The pattern’s name.

After !!

repeat(times AS NUMBER) - How many times it plays.
with(patterns…) - Patterns played alongside it.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
MUSIC "march"
    PATTERN "a"
        TRACK !! channel(1) notes("o4 c e g")
    END PATTERN
    PATTERN "b"
        TRACK !! channel(2) notes("o3 c")
    END PATTERN
    ARRANGEMENT
        PLAY "a" !! repeat(2)
        PLAY "b" !! with("a")
    END ARRANGEMENT
END MUSIC
PRINT arrangementcount("march")

Notes

You can write it only inside ARRANGEMENT.

SAMPLE

Plays a recorded sound for the layer.

SAMPLE path

Also documents: basenote, loop, loopmode, pitchmode

Parameters

path AS STRING - The sound file.

After !!

basenote(note AS NUMBER) - The note it was recorded at.
loop(start AS NUMBER, finish AS NUMBER) - The part that repeats while the note is held, in samples.
loopmode(mode AS STRING) - How it repeats: “oneshot”, “manual” or “auto”.
pitchmode(mode AS STRING) - How it follows the note.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 200
    NAME "Boom"
    LAYER "sine"
        SAMPLE "explosion.wav" !! basenote(60)
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
PRINT instrumentname(200), instrumentlayercount(200)

Notes

You can write it only inside CREATE INSTRUMENT LAYER, LAYER or SET INSTRUMENT LAYER.

SET INSTRUMENT

Changes an instrument’s settings: only the ones written inside.

SET INSTRUMENT number
    ...
END SET INSTRUMENT

Parameters

number AS NUMBER - The instrument’s number.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 200
    NAME "Lead"
    VOLUME 0.8
    ENVELOPE !! attack(0.01) decay(0.2) sustain(0.7) release(0.3)
    LAYER "square"
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
SET INSTRUMENT 200
    VOLUME 0.4
    ENVELOPE !! attack(0.3)
END SET INSTRUMENT
PRINT instrumentvolume(200), instrumentattack(200), instrumentdecay(200)

Notes

Opens a block I run once. Inside it you can write ENVELOPE, FILTER, FILTERENVELOPE, FIXEDFREQ, NAME, PAN, PERCUSSION, PITCHENVELOPE, TREMOLO, VIBRATO and VOLUME.

SET INSTRUMENT LAYER

Changes one of an instrument’s layers: only what is given.

SET INSTRUMENT LAYER number, index [, wave]
    ...
END SET INSTRUMENT LAYER

Also documents: detune, duty, feedback, fmdepth, fmtarget, harmonics, octave, volume

Parameters

number AS NUMBER - The instrument’s number.
index AS NUMBER - The layer’s place, from 0.
wave AS STRING = NULL

After !!

detune(cents AS NUMBER) - How far it is tuned from the note, in cents.
duty(fraction AS NUMBER) - A pulse wave’s duty cycle.
feedback(amount AS NUMBER) - How much it modulates itself.
fmdepth(amount AS NUMBER) - How much it modulates it.
fmtarget(layer AS NUMBER) - The layer this one modulates.
harmonics(levels…) - A custom wave’s harmonics, loudest first.
octave(shift AS NUMBER) - How many octaves up or down it plays.
volume(level AS NUMBER) - How loud the layer is.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 200
    LAYER "square" !! duty(0.5)
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
SET INSTRUMENT LAYER 200, 0, "pulse" !! duty(0.125) detune(-5)
END SET INSTRUMENT LAYER
PRINT layerwave(200, 0)

Notes

Opens a block I run once. Inside it you can write FMENVELOPE, PITCHENVELOPE, SAMPLE, UNISON and WAVETABLE.

TEMPO

How fast the song goes, in beats a minute.

TEMPO bpm

Parameters

bpm AS NUMBER

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
MUSIC "fast"
    TEMPO 180
    PATTERN "run"
        TRACK !! channel(1) notes("o5 l16 c e g > c")
    END PATTERN
END MUSIC
PRINT musictempo("fast")

Notes

You can write it only inside MUSIC.

TIMESIG

How many beats a bar has, and which note is a beat.

TIMESIG beats, unit

Parameters

beats AS NUMBER
unit AS NUMBER

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
MUSIC "waltz"
    TEMPO 90
    TIMESIG 3, 4
    PATTERN "step"
        TRACK !! channel(1) notes("o4 c4 e4 g4")
    END PATTERN
END MUSIC
PRINT musicbeats("waltz"), "/", musicbeatunit("waltz")

Notes

You can write it only inside MUSIC.

TRACK

A track of the pattern: what it plays, after !!.

TRACK

Also documents: channel, generator, instrument, name, notes, pan, repeat, volume

After !!

channel(number AS NUMBER) - The channel it plays on.
generator(source AS FUNCTION) - A function that gives the notes, asked again each time the song plays.
instrument(number AS NUMBER) - The instrument that plays it.
name(text AS STRING) - What the track is called.
notes(mml AS STRING) - What it plays, written in MML.
pan(position AS NUMBER) - Where it sits, from left to right.
repeat(on = TRUE) - Play the notes again until the pattern ends.
volume(level AS NUMBER) - How loud, from 0 to 100.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
MUSIC "band"
    PATTERN "groove" !! length(8)
        TRACK !! name("bass") channel(1) instrument(33) volume(80) notes("o2 l4 c c g g")
        TRACK !! name("drums") channel(10) volume(90) pan(-0.3) repeat notes("c8 r8 c8 r8")
    END PATTERN
END MUSIC
PRINT trackcount("band", "groove")
PRINT trackname("band", "groove", 0), tracknotes("band", "groove", 0)
PRINT trackrepeat("band", "groove", 1)

Notes

You can write it only inside PATTERN.

TREMOLO

Makes the volume waver.

TREMOLO

Also documents: delay, depth, rate

After !!

delay(seconds AS NUMBER) - How long after the note starts it begins.
depth(amount AS NUMBER) - How far it wavers.
rate(hz AS NUMBER) - How fast it wavers, in Hz.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 200
    NAME "Organ"
    TREMOLO !! rate(6) depth(0.4)
    LAYER "sine"
    END LAYER
    LAYER "sine" !! octave(1) volume(0.5)
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
PRINT instrumentname(200), instrumentlayercount(200)

Notes

You can write it only inside INSTRUMENT or SET INSTRUMENT.

UNISON

Plays the layer as several copies at once, a little apart.

UNISON

Also documents: blend, detune, phaserandom, spread, voices

After !!

blend(amount AS NUMBER) - How loud the copies are against the first.
detune(cents AS NUMBER) - How far apart they are tuned.
phaserandom(on = TRUE) - Start each copy at a different point in its wave.
spread(amount AS NUMBER) - How far apart they sit, left to right.
voices(count AS NUMBER) - How many copies play at once.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 200
    NAME "Supersaw"
    LAYER "sawtooth"
        UNISON !! voices(5) detune(15) spread(0.8) blend(0.6) phaserandom
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
PRINT instrumentname(200), layerwave(200, 0)

Notes

You can write it only inside CREATE INSTRUMENT LAYER, LAYER or SET INSTRUMENT LAYER.

VIBRATO

Makes the pitch waver.

VIBRATO

Also documents: delay, depth, rate

After !!

delay(seconds AS NUMBER) - How long after the note starts it begins.
depth(amount AS NUMBER) - How far it wavers.
rate(hz AS NUMBER) - How fast it wavers, in Hz.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 200
    NAME "Singer"
    VIBRATO !! rate(5) depth(0.2) delay(0.3)
    LAYER "triangle"
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
PLAY "t90 o5 i200 l2 c" !! background
PRINT instrumentname(200)

Notes

You can write it only inside INSTRUMENT or SET INSTRUMENT.

VOLUME

How loud it is.

VOLUME level

Parameters

level AS NUMBER

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 200
    VOLUME 0.5
    LAYER "triangle"
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
PRINT instrumentvolume(200)

Notes

You can write it only inside INSTRUMENT or SET INSTRUMENT.

WAVETABLE

Plays waves from a file, moving between them.

WAVETABLE path

Also documents: framesize, morph, position

Parameters

path AS STRING - The file of waves.

After !!

framesize(samples AS NUMBER) - How long each wave is.
morph(mode AS STRING) - How it moves between waves: “crossfade” or “spectral”.
position(place AS NUMBER) - Which wave plays, from 0 to 1.

Example

SCREEN 320, 240
INSTRUMENT 200
    NAME "Morph"
    LAYER "sine"
        WAVETABLE "ready.mp3" !! framesize(256) position(0.5)
    END LAYER
END INSTRUMENT
PRINT instrumentname(200), instrumentlayercount(200)

Notes

You can write it only inside CREATE INSTRUMENT LAYER, LAYER or SET INSTRUMENT LAYER.

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