Building Instruments
Define your sound by writing text. Each component starts with a header, followed by indented parameters.
Oscillators
oscillator lead
wave sawtooth
octave 0
volume 60
attack 10
decay 200
sustain 80
release 400
pitch vibrato
distortion crunch
color cyan
Wave Types
sine | Pure, clean tone - bass, sub |
square | Hollow, retro - leads, chiptune |
sawtooth | Bright, buzzy - leads, brass |
triangle | Soft, muted - flutes, pads |
noise | White noise - drums, textures |
Envelope (ADSR)
attack | Time to reach peak (ms) |
decay | Time to fall to sustain (ms) |
sustain | Level while held (0-100) |
release | Fade out time (ms) |
LFO (Vibrato)
lfo vibrato
wave sine
rate 5.5
depth 12
Add pitch vibrato to an oscillator to apply it.
Distortion
distortion crunch
drive 50
mix 70
Add distortion crunch to an oscillator or master.
Master
master
volume 75
Tips
- Kicks: sine, octave -2, fast attack, short decay, sustain 0
- Snares: noise, fast attack, medium decay
- Bass: sawtooth/square, octave -1, high sustain
- Leads: square/saw, add vibrato LFO, medium attack
- Pads: triangle/sine, slow attack, long release
Writing Sequences
Each oscillator can have its own pattern. Steps are space-separated.
bpm 120
swing 55
oscillator kick
sequence c2 - - - c2 - - - c2 - - - c2 - - -
oscillator bass
sequence c2>e2 e2 - - g2 - - -
Note Syntax
c4 | Note + octave |
f#3 eb5 | Sharps and flats |
- | Rest (silence) |
Modifiers
c4@80 | Velocity (0-100) |
c4:50 | Gate/duration (0-100%) |
c4~ | Tie (hold into next step) |
c4@80:50~ | Combined |
Chords
[c4,e4,g4] # C major
[c4~,e4~,g4] [c4~,e4~,a4] # Voice leading
Use ~ on individual notes to hold them while others change.
Slides
c4>e4 # Glide from C4 to E4
e2>g2 g2 g2>c3 # Bass slides
Slides auto-sustain for smooth pitch glides.
Swing
swing 55 # Subtle groove
swing 67 # Heavy triplet feel
50 = straight, 67 = full triplet swing.
Expression Tips
- Ghost notes:
c4@30 for subtle hits
- Staccato:
c4:25 for punchy notes
- Long notes:
c4~ c4~ c4~ c4
- Build-up:
c4@50 c4@70 c4@90 c4@100
Track Colors
Add color red (or #ff3300) to oscillators. Indicators light up during playback.