XML Framework for Ensemble Data
The XML schema for my ensemble-file format is specified in ensemble.xsd.
Ensembles address the reality that indications in scores apply not just to single notes but to groups of
instruments. Consider tempo and dynamics. Tempo indications apply to all players, at least in most scores. Dynamics,
including crescendi and diminuendi, can apply to all the winds, to just the brass, or just to the horns. Thus, alliances between
instruments are flexible. They vary greatly from score to score, but they can vary also from moment to moment within the same
score.
To achieve this flexibility the ensemble object model defines a collection of voices and a separate set of
instruments.
Alliances between voices are defined by grouping voices into choirs, and choirs can be nested into larger choirs.
When a voice comes into effect, it takes on the score indications for the choirs that contain it, plus those for the ensemble as a whole.
If an instrument plays while a certain voice is in effect, the instrument takes on the score indications for that voice.
However, the same instrument can participate in multiple voices.
Thus while voice alliances are fixed within a given score, instrument alliances can change.
Score indications are represented as contours, which track how the indication evolves over time.
Contours were features of Leland Smith's SCORE program,
developed during the 1970's as a preprocessor for MUSIC-N note lists; however contours are too ‘high-level’ for MIDI and
for whatever reason were not incorporated into MusicXML.
Each contour is implemented as a chain of segments, each defined by start time, starting value, end time, and ending value.
Within the score framework described here, the tempo is defined globally for the ensemble.
All other contours are user-defined within some choir.
Dynamic contours are the most obvious that you will want to implement.
However, you can also define custom contours; e.g. for pitch bend or timbre modulation.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<ensemble xmlns="https://charlesames.net/ensemble"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="https://charlesames.net/ensemble ensemble.xsd">
<!-- ensemble configuration --/>
<contour mode="EXPONENTIAL" id="0" index="0" name="Tempo">
<!-- Tempo contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<choir name="Melody">
<voice id="1" name="Melody">
<!-- Melody voice configuration --/>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="1" name="Velocity">
<!-- Velocity contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="2" index="2" name="PitchBend">
<!-- PitchBend contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<!-- Harmony choir export mappings --/>
</choir>
<choir name="Harmony">
<voice id="2" name="HarmonyTreble">
<!-- HarmonyTreble voice configuration --/>
</voice>
<voice id="3" name="HarmonyBass">
<!-- HarmonyBass voice configuration --/>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="3" name="Velocity">
<!-- Velocity contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<!-- Harmony choir export mappings --/>
</choir>
<choir name="Bass">
<voice id="4" name="Bass">
<!-- Bass voice configuration --/>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="4" name="Velocity">
<!-- Velocity contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<!-- Bass choir export mappings --/>
</choir>
<instrument id="1" name="ViolinArco">
<!-- ViolinArco instrument configuration --/>
</instrument>
<instrument id="2" name="ViolinPizz">
<!-- ViolinPizz instrument configuration --/>
</instrument>
<instrument id="3" name="CelloArco">
<!-- CelloArco instrument configuration --/>
</instrument>
<instrument id="4" name="Cello Pizz">
<!-- CelloPizz instrument configuration --/>
</instrument>
<instrument id="5" name="Piano">
<!-- Piano instrument configuration --/>
</instrument>
</ensemble>
Listing 1: Structure of the
ensemble file.
The XML excerpt provided as Listing 1 blocks out the structure of an ensemble file:
-
There is one global
contour element.
This contour is named “Tempo”, with reserved id #0 and a globally unique index, also 0.
-
The file defines three top-level
choir instances named “Melody”, “Harmony”, and “Bass”.
-
The “Melody” choir has one voice likewise named “Melody” with voice id #1.
The “Harmony” choir has two voices: “HarmonyTreble” with voice id #2 and “HarmonyBass” with voice id #3.
The “Bass” choir has one voice likewise named “Bass” with voice id #4.
Notice that the voice name and voice id are both globally unique attributes.
-
All three choirs declare contours named “Velocity” which share contour id #1 in common.
Each of these contours affect only voices declared within the same choir; for example the “Velocity”
contour with index #3 affects voice #2 “Velocity” and voice #3 “Velocity”.
-
The “Melody” choir additionally declares a “PitchBend” contour with locally unique id
#2 and globally unique index #2.
-
Instrument names and ids (like voice names and ids) are globally unique, however instruments are not directly
associated with choirs.
Relationships between instruments and voices are configurable, but it comes down each voice being able to
select one instrument for one sequence of notes and a second instrument for a second sequence of notes.
There are five
instrument declarations: #1 “ViolinArco”, #2 “ViolinPizz”,
#3 “CelloArco”, #4 “CelloPizz”, and #5 “Piano”
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<ensemble xmlns="https://charlesames.net/ensemble"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="https://charlesames.net/ensemble ensemble.xsd">
<timeSig>Q$4</timeSig>
<keySig>K0M</keySig>
<native>
<!-- Native export configuration --/>
</native>
<midi>
<!-- MIDI export configuration --/>
</midi>
<noteList>
<!-- Note-list export configuration --/>
</noteList>
<musicXml>
<!-- MusicXML export configuration --/>
</musicXml>
<contour mode="EXPONENTIAL" id="0" index="0" name="Tempo">
<default>1.0</default>
<minValue>0.0</minValue>
<minExclusive>true</minExclusive>
</contour>
<!-- Choir configurations --/>
<!-- Instrument configurations --/>
t;/ensemble>
Listing 2: Properties of the
ensemble element.
Many ensemble properties pertain specifically to external file formats, and these will be explained
under later headings devoted to MUSIC-N, MIDI, and MusicXML property mappings.
What remains are the default time signature, default key signature, and tempo contour:
-
The default time signature applies to scores that do not use measures or notated durations. It is used for MIDI export, and for a
MusicXML export feature that converts non-measured score data into a measured format.
-
The default key signature is used for MIDI export and as the initial key signature for MusicXml files.
-
Contour #0 is hard-coded into ensembles for tempo control. The XML element representing this contour in Listing 2
is written out to native-format files for informational purposes but ignored when the file is loaded.
As the contour element details, the tempo contour uses the uses the EXPONENTIAL calculation mode and accepts values ranging
from zero (exclusive) upwards. The default tempo is unity, which indicates one whole note per second.
<choir name="Melody">
<voice id="1" name="Melody">
<!-- Melody voice configuration --/>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="1" name="Velocity">
<!-- Velocity contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="2" index="2" name="PitchBend">
<!-- PitchBend contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<!-- Harmony choir export mappings --/>
</choir>
<choir name="Harmony">
<voice id="2" name="HarmonyTreble">
<!-- HarmonyTreble voice configuration --/>
</voice>
<voice id="3" name="HarmonyBass">
<!-- HarmonyBass voice configuration --/>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="3" name="Velocity">
<!-- Velocity contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<!-- Harmony choir export mappings --/>
</choir>
<choir name="Bass">
<voice id="4" name="Bass">
<!-- Bass voice configuration --/>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="4" name="Velocity">
<!-- Velocity contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<!-- Bass choir export mappings --/>
</choir>
Listing 3: Ensemble
choir elements.
Choirs are the grouping elements that define alliances between voices.
The relationship between choirs, voices, and contours was explained previously.
Listing 3 simply reprints the choir elements presented
earlier in Listing 1.
<choir name="Melody">
<voice id="1" name="Melody">
<midi>
<channel>1</channel>
<track>Melody</track>
</midi>
<musicXml>
<staff index="1" part="1"/>
<voice>1</voice>
</musicXml>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="1" name="Velocity">
<!-- Velocity contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="2" index="2" name="PitchBend">
<!-- PitchBend contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<!-- Harmony choir export mappings --/>
</choir>
<choir name="Harmony">
<voice id="2" name="HarmonyTreble">
<midi>
<channel>2</channel>
<track>HarmonyTreble</track>
</midi>
<musicXml>
<staff index="1" part="2"/>
<voice>1</voice>
</musicXml>
</voice>
<voice id="3" name="HarmonyBass">
<midi>
<channel>3</channel>
<track>HarmonyBass</track>
</midi>
<musicXml>
<staff index="2" part="2"/>
<voice>2</voice>
</musicXml>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="3" name="Velocity">
<!-- Velocity contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<!-- Harmony choir export mappings --/>
</choir>
<choir name="Bass">
<voice id="4" name="Bass">
<midi>
<channel>4</channel>
<track>Bass</track>
</midi>
<musicXml>
<staff index="1" part="3"/>
<voice>1</voice>
</musicXml>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="4" name="Velocity">
<!-- Velocity contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<!-- Bass choir export mappings --/>
</choir>
Listing 4: Ensemble
voice elements are highlighted in
blue.
A voice is a component of an ensemble that represents a line of music performed by one player.
Voices roughly correspond to MIDI channels and to MusicXML staves; though the granularity of a ‘voice’ is one degree finer.
That is, more than one voice can play in one MIDI channel, and more than one voice can be plotted on a staff.
If a score is destined for MusicXML export, then its voices are additionally required to be monorhythmic.
The voice of a note provides the link to the score indications (contours) which pertain to the note.
Each voice is scoped within a choir structure; however, the voice id
has a global uniqueness requirement, so voices can also be displayed as a flat sequential list.
Listing 4 fleshes out the components of voice declarations.
The one component that is unspecific to external output formatting is the defaultInstrument attribute.
This sub-element references a global instrument declaration, which must in turn list
this voice as one the instrument is capable of playing (see below.
<choir name="Melody">
<voice id="1" name="Melody">
<!-- Melody voice configuration --/>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="1" name="Velocity">
<default>90.0</default>
<minValue>0.0</minValue>
<minExclusive>false</minExclusive>
<minExpValue>500.0</minExpValue>
<maxValue>128.0</maxValue>
<maxExclusive>true</maxExclusive>
<maxExpValue>10000.0</maxExpValue>
</contour>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="2" index="2" name="PitchBend">
<default>0.0</default>
<minValue>-200.0</minValue>
<minExclusive>false</minExclusive>
<minExpValue>0.890898</minExpValue>
<maxValue>200.0</maxValue>
<maxExclusive>false</maxExclusive>
<maxExpValue>1.122462</maxExpValue>
</contour>
<midi>
<control type="Velocity">
<offset>0.0</offset>
<factor>1.0</factor>
<contour>Velocity</contour>
</control>
<control type="PitchBend">
<offset>8192.0</offset>
<factor>81.92</factor>
<contour>PitchBend</contour>
</control>
</midi>
<!-- Melody choir note-list export mappings --/>
</choir>
<choir name="Harmony">
<voice id="2" name="HarmonyTreble">
<!-- HarmonyTreble voice configuration --/>
</voice>
<voice id="3" name="HarmonyBass">
<!-- HarmonyBass voice configuration --/>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="3" name="Velocity">
<default>90.0</default>
<minValue>0.0</minValue>
<minExclusive>false</minExclusive>
<minExpValue>500.0</minExpValue>
<maxValue>128.0</maxValue>
<maxExclusive>true</maxExclusive>
<maxExpValue>10000.0</maxExpValue>
</contour>
<midi>
<control type="Velocity">
<offset>0.0</offset>
<factor>1.0</factor>
<contour>Velocity</contour>
</control>
</midi>
<!-- Harmony choir note-list export mappings --/>
</choir>
<choir name="Bass">
<voice id="4" name="Bass">
<!-- Bass voice configuration --/>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="4" name="Velocity">
<default>90.0</default>
<minValue>0.0</minValue>
<minExclusive>false</minExclusive>
<minExpValue>500.0</minExpValue>
<maxValue>128.0</maxValue>
<maxExclusive>true</maxExclusive>
<maxExpValue>10000.0</maxExpValue>
</contour>
<midi>
<control type="Velocity">
<offset>0.0</offset>
<factor>1.0</factor>
<contour>Velocity</contour>
</control>
</midi>
<!-- Bass choir note-list export mappings --/>
</choir>
Listing 5: Ensemble
contour elements are highlighted in
blue..
Like voices, custom contour elements are declared within choirs.
Each contour has an index property which is globally unique and which identifies the corresponding contour in
the score.
However two contours are allowed to share the same ID so long as they reside in independent choirs.
To understand why contour ID's may be shared this way, consider that you have separate velocity contours for a brass
choir and a woodwind choir.
It's less confusing if you can specify contour #1 for a velocity indication regardless
of whether the trumpet or the clarinet is currently playing.
All contour ID's above 0 are custom, but my own ensembles always use ID #1 for velocity control (dynamics).
Listing 5 provides the details used to configure “Velocity” contours for each of choirs
“Melody”, “Harmony”, and “Bass”.
Each contour uses the uses the LINEAR calculation mode and accepts
values ranging from 0 (inclusive) to 128 (exclusive), with a default value of 90.
This happens to be the range of MIDI velocities, which is adapted to MusicXML by the mapping detailed in Table 3.
The minExpValue and maxExpValue properties in Listing 5 map the linear velocity range (0 to 128) to an exponential
range (500 to 10,000), which is suitable for MUSIC-N note lists.
Alert readers may notice that the midi blocks a little further down each choir map the “Velocity” contours
to “Velocity” controls. However, there's no such thing as a Velocity control in MIDI! Rather, velocity and key number are two discrete
attributes of MIDI noteOn and noteOff events. For these particular events the key number comes from the note's onset pitch while the velocity
is evaluated as the contour value as of the note's starting time.
The “Melody” choir and its single like-named voice declare a second contour for pitch bend.
Values for the MIDI pitch-bend control range linearly over the 14-bit range from 0 to 16383, where the center value 8192 represents
no pitch deflection and the pitch-bend range is normally ±2 semitones. However the “PitchBend” contour in
Listing 5 is configured so that pitch deflections can be indicated in cents
or hundredths of a semitone. This is done by having the contour range from -200 (inclusive) to +200 (inclusive).
Later on when the “PitchBend” contour is linked to the “PitchBend” MIDI control, the offset
and factor values are configured so that cents deflections will map properly to MIDI control values.
So much for MIDI, but what about MUSIC-N? Here the minExpValue and maxExpValue properties map cents values
(-200 to 200) to an exponential range from 0.890898 to 1.122462. Understand that the upper limit of this exponential range is
6√2, while the lower limit is the reciprocal of the upper limit.
0 cents maps to unity, and 100 cents maps to 12√2 .
<instrument id="1" name="Violin Arco">
<voice default="true">Melody</voice>
<midi>
<bank>0</bank>
<program>41</program>
<volume>90</volume>
<pan>0</pan>
<elevation>0</elevation>
</midi>
<noteList>
<noteListInstrument>1</noteListInstrument>
</noteList>
</instrument>
<instrument id="2" name="Violin Pizz">
<voice default="false">Melody</voice>
<midi>
<bank>0</bank>
<program>46</program>
<volume>90</volume>
<pan>0</pan>
<elevation>0</elevation>
</midi>
<noteList>
<noteListInstrument>2</noteListInstrument>
</noteList>
</instrument>
<instrument id="3" name="Cello Arco">
<voice default="true">Bass</voice>
<midi>
<bank>0</bank>
<program>43</program>
<volume>90</volume>
<pan>0</pan>
<elevation>0</elevation>
</midi>
<noteList>
<noteListInstrument>1</noteListInstrument>
</noteList>
</instrument>
<instrument id="4" name="Cello Pizz">
<voice default="false">Bass</voice>
<midi>
<bank>0</bank>
<program>46</program>
<volume>90</volume>
<pan>0</pan>
<elevation>0</elevation>
</midi>
<noteList>
<noteListInstrument>2</noteListInstrument>
</noteList>
</instrument>
<instrument id="5" name="Piano">
<voice default="true">HarmonyTreble</voice>
<voice default="true">HarmonyBass</voice>
<midi>
<bank>0</bank>
<program>1</program>
<volume>90</volume>
<pan>0</pan>
<elevation>0</elevation>
</midi>
<noteList>
<noteListInstrument>3</noteListInstrument>
</noteList>
</instrument>
Listing 6: Ensemble
instrument elements with
voice references highlighted in
blue.
Instruments are the ensemble components which indicate how a note in a
score should be played.
Instruments operate quasi-independently of choirs, so they are declared separately as a flat sequential list.
Like the voice id, the instrument id has a global uniqueness requirement.
Listing 6 fills out the instrument declarations for the ensemble originally blocked out in
Listing 1.
Notice that although instruments are separate from voices, they are still closely associated with voices. Thus
both the “ViolinArco” instrument and
the “ViolinPizz” instrument are capable of playing notes within the “Melody” voice.
The fact that “ViolinArco” is designated as the default “Melody” instrument allows users of the Ashton
score-building engine to proceed directly from voice selection to note creation without explicitly selecting an instrument.
Likewise both the “CelloArco” instrument and
the “CelloPizz” instrument are capable of playing notes within the “Bass” voice; here
“CelloArco” is the default. The remaining “Piano” instrument is capable of playing notes within
both voices of the “Harmony” choir: “HarmonyTreble” and “HarmonyBass”. Since “Piano”
is the only capable instrument for these two voices, “Piano” also serves as default instrument for each voice.
If the score is destined for conversion to MIDI, then the instrument will identify MIDI features such as the bank, program, volume,
pan, and elevation.
These MIDI properties are leveraged as well for MusicXML export.
If the score is destined for conversion to a MUSIC-N note list, then the ensemble instrument must be mapped to one ore more note-list instruments.
The latter instruments identify which signal-processing configuration(s) will create the sound.
Figure 1: Relational diagram of note-list parameters.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<ensemble xmlns="https://charlesames.net/ensemble"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="https://charlesames.net/ensemble ensemble.xsd">
<!-- ensemble properties --/>
<native>
<!-- native configuration --/>
</native>
<midi>
<!-- midi configuration --/>
</midi>
<noteList>
<enabled>true</enabled>
<format>MUSICV</format>
<tuningFrequency>440.0</tuningFrequency>
<instrument id="1" name="Arco">
<parameter id="4" name="Onset Amplitude"/>
<parameter id="5" name="Release Amplitude"/>
<parameter id="6" name="Onset Frequency"/>
<parameter id="7" name="Release Frequency"/>
<parameter id="8" name="Waveform"/>
</instrument>
<instrument id="2" name="Pizz">
<parameter id="6" name="Amplitude"/>
<parameter id="7" name="Frequency"/>
<parameter id="8" name="Waveform"/>
</instrument>
<instrument id="3" name="Keyboard">
<parameter id="6" name="Amplitude"/>
<parameter id="7" name="Frequency"/>
<parameter id="8" name="Waveform"/>
</instrument>
</noteList>
<musicXml>
<!-- musicXML configuration --/>
</musicXml>
<contour mode="EXPONENTIAL" id="0" index="0" name="Tempo">
<!-- tempo contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<choir name="Melody">
<voice id="1" name="Melody">
<!-- voice configuration --/>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="1" name="Velocity">
<!-- contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="2" index="2" name="PitchBend">
<default>0.0</default>
</contour>
<midi>
<!-- midi control configuration --/>
</midi>
</choir>
<choir name="Harmony">
<voice id="2" name="HarmonyTreble">
<!-- voice configuration --/>
</voice>
<voice id="3" name="HarmonyBass">
<!-- voice configuration --/>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="3" name="Velocity">
<!-- contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<midi>
<!-- midi configuration --/>
</midi>
</choir>
<choir name="Bass">
<voice id="4" name="Bass">
<!-- voice configuration --/>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="4" name="Velocity">
<!-- contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<midi>
<!-- midi configuration --/>
</midi>
</choir>
<instrument id="1" name="Violin Arco">
<!-- voice reference --/>
<midi>
<!-- midi configuration --/>
</midi>
<noteList>
<instrumentLink id="1">
<noteListInstrument>1</noteListInstrument>
<parameterLink id="4">
<type>CONTOUR</type>
<reference>Velocity</reference>
<moment>ONSET</moment>
</parameterLink>
<parameterLink id="5">
<type>CONTOUR</type>
<reference>Velocity</reference>
<moment>RELEASE</moment>
</parameterLink>
<parameterLink id="6">
<type>ATTRIBUTE</type>
<reference>Onset Pitch</reference>
</parameterLink>
<parameterLink id="7">
<type>ATTRIBUTE</type>
<reference>Release Pitch</reference>
</parameterLink>
<parameterLink id="8">
<type>ATTRIBUTE</type>
<reference>Accent</reference>
</parameterLink>
</instrumentLink>
</noteList>
</instrument>
<instrument id="2" name="Violin Pizz">
<!-- voice reference --/>
<midi>
<!-- midi configuration --/>
</midi>
<noteList>
<instrumentLink id="1">
<noteListInstrument>2</noteListInstrument>
<parameterLink id="4">
<type>CONTOUR</type>
<reference>Velocity</reference>
<moment>ONSET</moment>
</parameterLink>
<parameterLink id="5">
<type>ATTRIBUTE</type>
<reference>Onset Pitch</reference>
</parameterLink>
<parameterLink id="6">
<type>ATTRIBUTE</type>
<reference>Accent</reference>
</parameterLink>
</instrumentLink>
</noteList>
</instrument>
<instrument id="3" name="Cello Arco">
<!-- voice reference --/>
<midi>
<!-- midi configuration --/>
</midi>
<noteList>
<instrumentLink id="1">
<noteListInstrument>1</noteListInstrument>
<parameterLink id="4">
<type>CONTOUR</type>
<reference>Velocity</reference>
<moment>ONSET</moment>
</parameterLink>
<parameterLink id="5">
<type>CONTOUR</type>
<reference>Velocity</reference>
<moment>RELEASE</moment>
</parameterLink>
<parameterLink id="6">
<type>ATTRIBUTE</type>
<reference>Onset Pitch</reference>
</parameterLink>
<parameterLink id="7">
<type>ATTRIBUTE</type>
<reference>Release Pitch</reference>
</parameterLink>
<parameterLink id="8">
<type>ATTRIBUTE</type>
<reference>Accent</reference>
</parameterLink>
</instrumentLink>
</noteList>
</instrument>
<instrument id="4" name="Cello Pizz">
<!-- voice reference --/>
<midi>
<!-- midi configuration --/>
</midi>
<noteList>
<instrumentLink id="1">
<noteListInstrument>2</noteListInstrument>
<parameterLink id="4">
<type>CONTOUR</type>
<reference>Velocity</reference>
<moment>ONSET</moment>
</parameterLink>
<parameterLink id="5">
<type>ATTRIBUTE</type>
<reference>Onset Pitch</reference>
</parameterLink>
<parameterLink id="6">
<type>ATTRIBUTE</type>
<reference>Accent</reference>
</parameterLink>
</instrumentLink>
</noteList>
</instrument>
<instrument id="5" name="Piano">
<!-- voice references --/>
<midi>
<!-- midi configuration --/>
</midi>
<noteList>
<instrumentLink id="1">
<noteListInstrument>3</noteListInstrument>
<parameterLink id="4">
<type>CONTOUR</type>
<reference>Velocity</reference>
<moment>ONSET</moment>
</parameterLink>
<parameterLink id="5">
<type>ATTRIBUTE</type>
<reference>Onset Pitch</reference>
</parameterLink>
<parameterLink id="6">
<type>ATTRIBUTE</type>
<reference>Accent</reference>
</parameterLink>
</instrumentLink>
</noteList>
</instrument>
</ensemble>
Listing 7: MUSIC-N mapping elements are highlighted in
blue.
My original implementation of the ensemble concept assumed that each note in the
native score structure would generate one note statement in a MUSIC-N note list.
This assumption allowed me to scope the declaration of note-list parameters so that a parameter affecting all instruments could be
declared globally (at the ensemble level), while parameters affecting specific voices or instruments could be declared locally.
The mission has now broadened to include MIDI and MusicXML file formats, and for these new formats the assumption of one native note to one
output note still holds true. However experience using the Sound engine to synthesize speech sounds, has demonstrated that
sometimes it is useful for a single native note to expand into multiple note-list statements. This was particularly true for
fricative consonants and for the noise-burst components of
plosive consonants.
This new implemention no longer scatters parameter declarations around ensembles, choirs, and instruments.
It is a two-layered scheme illustrated in Figure 1.
In this newer scheme, the ensemble instruments described previously
are shadowed by note-list instruments which are specific to the MUSIC-N output format.
These shadow instruments appear on the left side of Figure 1.
They are visible in the editor only when the MUSIC-N output format is enabled.
The note-list instrument declarations constitute the inner layer of the scheme.
They appear in Listing 7 as noteListInstrument elements, which are included
under noteList, itself directly under ensemble.
Each noteListInstrument contains a list of parameter element.
A parameter is in turn described by an ID and a descriptive name.
The descriptive names can be cross-checked with a Sound orchestra file.
The outer layer of my newer scheme consists of the instrument-link structure illustrated on the right side of Figure 1.
Each ensemble instrument contains zero (no MUSIC-N output), one, or more instrument links, sorted into the order by which note statements
will be created.
The links appear in Listing 7 as as instrumentLink elements, which can be located
under instrument/noteList.
Each instrumentLink contains a set of parameterLink elements, one for each
parameter in the linked-from note-list instrument. The parameter links also describe how parameter values will be obtained. For examples:
-
If the parameter value is a fixed constant (e.g. the “Waveform” parameters in Figure 1), the parameter link itself can hold the value.
-
If the parameter should hold the sound-synthesis instrument number (e.g. the “Instrument” parameters in Figure 1), that value can be acquired from the instrument link.
-
If the parameter draws from a note attribute (e.g. the “Onset” and “Duration” parameters in Figure 1), the value can be acquired from the score-framework note.
-
If the parameter value evolves dynamically over time (e.g. the “Amplitude” parameters in Figure 1),
the parameter link can identify which contour to evaluate, as of what moment (ONSET or RELEASE) during the note duration.
Ensembles contain other special-purpose components to help map score data to MUSIC-N note lists.
These other components include the opcode, the note-list instrument and the statement terminator.
You don't define opcodes yourself; rather you select a note-list format which has a built-in set of opcodes along with a statement-termination option.
Listing 7 illustrates how MUSIC-N mappings may be configured for the ensemble originally
defined in Listing 7. Most MUSIC-N mapping information is enclosed in noteList
elements which the listing highlights in blue. These can appear in three contexts:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<ensemble xmlns="https://charlesames.net/ensemble"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="https://charlesames.net/ensemble ensemble.xsd">
<!-- ensemble properties --/>
<native>
<!-- native configuration --/>
</native>
<midi>
<enabled>true</enabled>
<channelMode>Static</channelMode>
<fileType>1</fileType>
<general>true</general>
<pitchBendRange>2</pitchBendRange>
<ticksPerUnit>60</ticksPerUnit>
</midi>
<noteList>
<!-- note-list configuration --/>
</noteList>
<musicXml>
<!-- musicXML configuration --/>
</musicXml>
<contour mode="EXPONENTIAL" id="0" index="0" name="Tempo">
<!-- tempo contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<choir name="Melody">
<voice id="1" name="Melody">
<midi>
<channel>1</channel>
<track>Melody</track>
</midi>
<musicXml>
<!-- musicXML configuration --/>
</musicXml>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="1" name="Velocity">
<!-- contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="2" index="2" name="PitchBend">
<!-- contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<midi>
<control type="PitchBend">
<offset>0.0</offset>
<factor>1.0</factor>
<contour>PitchBend</contour>
</control>
<control type="Velocity">
<offset>0.0</offset>
<factor>1.0</factor>
<contour>Velocity</contour>
</control>
</midi>
<noteList>
<!-- note-list configuration --/>
</noteList>
</choir>
<choir name="Harmony">
<voice id="2" name="HarmonyTreble">
<midi>
<channel>2</channel>
<track>HarmonyTreble</track>
</midi>
<musicXml>
<!-- musicXML configuration --/>
</musicXml>
</voice>
<voice id="3" name="HarmonyBass">
<midi>
<channel>3</channel>
<track>HarmonyBass</track>
</midi>
<musicXml>
<!-- musicXML configuration --/>
</musicXml>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="3" name="Velocity">
<!-- contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<midi>
<control type="Velocity">
<offset>0.0</offset>
<factor>1.0</factor>
<contour>Velocity</contour>
</control>
</midi>
<noteList>
<!-- note-list configuration --/>
</noteList>
</choir>
<choir name="Bass">
<voice id="4" name="Bass">
<midi>
<channel>4</channel>
<track>Bass</track>
</midi>
<musicXml>
<!-- musicXML configuration --/>
</musicXml>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="4" name="Velocity">
<!-- contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<midi>
<control type="Velocity">
<offset>0.0</offset>
<factor>1.0</factor>
<contour>Velocity</contour>
</control>
</midi>
<noteList>
<!-- note-list configuration --/>
</noteList>
</choir>
<instrument id="1" name="Violin Arco">
<!-- voice reference --/>
<midi>
<bank>0</bank>
<program>41</program>
<volume>90</volume>
<pan>0</pan>
<elevation>0</elevation>
</midi>
<noteList>
<!-- note-list configuration --/>
</noteList>
</instrument>
<instrument id="2" name="Violin Pizz">
<!-- voice reference --/>
<midi>
<bank>0</bank>
<program>46</program>
<volume>90</volume>
<pan>0</pan>
<elevation>0</elevation>
</midi>
<noteList>
<!-- note-list configuration --/>
</noteList>
</instrument>
<instrument id="3" name="Cello Arco">
<!-- voice reference --/>
<midi>
<bank>0</bank>
<program>43</program>
<volume>90</volume>
<pan>0</pan>
<elevation>0</elevation>
</midi>
<noteList>
<!-- note-list configuration --/>
</noteList>
</instrument>
<instrument id="4" name="Cello Pizz">
<!-- voice reference --/>
<midi>
<bank>0</bank>
<program>46</program>
<volume>90</volume>
<pan>0</pan>
<elevation>0</elevation>
</midi>
<noteList>
<!-- note-list configuration --/>
</noteList>
</instrument>
<instrument id="5" name="Piano">
<!-- voice references --/>
<midi>
<bank>0</bank>
<program>1</program>
<volume>90</volume>
<pan>0</pan>
<elevation>0</elevation>
</midi>
<noteList>
<!-- note-list configuration --/>
</noteList>
</instrument>
</ensemble>
Listing 8: MIDI mapping elements are highlighted in
blue.
Ensembles contain special-purpose components to help map score data to MIDI files.
-
Attributes which affect the MIDI expression of every note in the score include the file type (single track or multi-track),
the channel mode,
the pitch-bend range, and the ticks per unit (time granularity).
-
Attributes which affect the MIDI expression of notes in a particular voice include the track, device, and channel.
-
Attributes which affect the MIDI expression of notes played by a particular instrument include the bank, program, volume, pan, and elevation.
-
A contour finds its MIDI expression through a MIDI control such as the Modulation Wheel, Breath Controller, Foot Pedal, Slider (1-4), and so forth.
Remember that a contour defined in a particular choir applies to all voices in the choir,
or in any of its subchoirs.
Since contour/control mappings are located in the same choir where the contour is defined, MIDI control commands will be generated
across t
The channel mode is not directly a property of a MIDI file but rather a way of writing the file. When the channel mode is Static, then the
correlation between voices and channels applies. The Dynamic channel mode is available when each note needs to be subject to independent
pitch bend.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="no"?>
<ensemble xmlns="https://charlesames.net/ensemble"
xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
xsi:schemaLocation="https://charlesames.net/ensemble ensemble.xsd">
<!-- ensemble properties --/>
<native>
<!-- native configuration --/>
</native>
<midi>
<!-- midi configuration --/>
</midi>
<noteList>
<!-- note-list configuration --/>
</noteList>
<musicXml>
<enabled>true</enabled>
<staffDistance>60</staffDistance>
<shortestNeume>32nd</shortestNeume>
<part id="1" name="Melody">
<voices>1</voices>
<staff id="1" name="Melody">
<clef>Treble</clef>
</staff>
</part>
<part id="2" name="Harmony">
<voices>2</voices>
<staff id="1" name="HarmonyTreble">
<clef>Treble</clef>
</staff>
<staff id="2" name="HarmonyBass">
<clef>Bass</clef>
</staff>
</part>
<part id="3" name="Bass">
<voices>1</voices>
<staff id="1" name="Bass">
<clef>Bass</clef>
</staff>
</part>
</musicXml>
<contour mode="EXPONENTIAL" id="0" index="0" name="Tempo">
<!-- tempo contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<choir name="Melody">
<voice id="1" name="Melody">
<midi>
<!-- midi configuration --/>
</midi>
<musicXml>
<staff index="1" part="1"/>
<voice>1</voice>
</musicXml>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="1" name="Velocity">
<!-- contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="2" index="2" name="PitchBend">
<!-- contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<midi>
<!-- midi configuration --/>
</midi>
<noteList>
<!-- note-list configuration --/>
</noteList>
</choir>
<choir name="Harmony">
<voice id="2" name="HarmonyTreble">
<midi>
<!-- midi configuration --/>
</midi>
<musicXml>
<staff index="1" part="2"/>
<voice>1</voice>
</musicXml>
</voice>
<voice id="3" name="HarmonyBass">
<midi>
<!-- midi configuration --/>
</midi>
<musicXml>
<staff index="2" part="2"/>
<voice>2</voice>
</musicXml>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="3" name="Velocity">
<!-- contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<midi>
<!-- midi control configuration --/>
</midi>
<noteList>
<!-- note-list configuration --/>
</noteList>
</choir>
<choir name="Bass">
<voice id="4" name="Bass">
<midi>
<!-- midi configuration --/>
</midi>
<musicXml>
<staff index="1" part="3"/>
<voice>1</voice>
</musicXml>
</voice>
<contour mode="LINEAR" id="1" index="4" name="Velocity">
<!-- contour configuration --/>
</contour>
<midi>
<!-- midi control configuration --/>
</midi>
<noteList>
<!-- note-list configuration --/>
</noteList>
</choir>
<instrument id="1" name="Violin Arco">
<!-- voice reference --/>
<midi>
<!-- midi configuration --/>
</midi>
<noteList>
<!-- note-list configuration --/>
</noteList>
</instrument>
<instrument id="2" name="Violin Pizz">
<!-- voice reference --/>
<midi>
<!-- midi configuration --/>
</midi>
<noteList>
<!-- note-list configuration --/>
</noteList>
</instrument>
<instrument id="3" name="Cello Arco">
<!-- voice reference --/>
<midi>
<!-- midi configuration --/>
</midi>
<noteList>
<!-- note-list configuration --/>
</noteList>
</instrument>
<instrument id="4" name="Cello Pizz">
<!-- voice reference --/>
<midi>
<!-- midi configuration --/>
</midi>
<noteList>
<!-- note-list configuration --/>
</noteList>
</instrument>
<instrument id="5" name="Piano">
<!-- voice references --/>
<midi>
<!-- midi configuration --/>
</midi>
<noteList>
<!-- note-list configuration --/>
</noteList>
</instrument>
</ensemble>
Listing 9: MusicXML mapping elements are highlighted in
blue.
Ensembles contain special-purpose components to help map score data to Music XML.
These are the part and staff components.
Next topic: Score Data
| © Charles Ames |
Page created: 2013-10-16 |
Last updated: 2015-06-30 |