File: node19.html

package info (click to toggle)
mma 16.06-2
links: PTS, VCS
area: main
in suites: buster
size: 45,212 kB
sloc: python: 14,894; sh: 26; makefile: 13; perl: 12
file content (1315 lines) | stat: -rw-r--r-- 36,288 bytes
parent folder | download | duplicates (2)
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">

<!--Converted with LaTeX2HTML 2008 (1.71)
original version by:  Nikos Drakos, CBLU, University of Leeds
* revised and updated by:  Marcus Hennecke, Ross Moore, Herb Swan
* with significant contributions from:
  Jens Lippmann, Marek Rouchal, Martin Wilck and others -->
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<TITLE>Volume and Dynamics</TITLE>
<META NAME="description" CONTENT="Volume and Dynamics">
<META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="mma">
<META NAME="resource-type" CONTENT="document">
<META NAME="distribution" CONTENT="global">

<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<META NAME="Generator" CONTENT="LaTeX2HTML v2008">
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Style-Type" CONTENT="text/css">

<LINK REL="STYLESHEET" HREF="mma.css">

<LINK REL="next" HREF="node20.html">
<LINK REL="previous" HREF="node18.html">
<LINK REL="up" HREF="mma.html">
<LINK REL="next" HREF="node20.html">
</HEAD>

<BODY  bgcolor="#ffffff">

<DIV CLASS="navigation"><!--Navigation Panel-->
<A NAME="tex2html759"
  HREF="node20.html">
<IMG WIDTH="37" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="next" SRC="next.png"></A> 
<A NAME="tex2html757"
  HREF="mma.html">
<IMG WIDTH="26" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="up" SRC="up.png"></A> 
<A NAME="tex2html751"
  HREF="node18.html">
<IMG WIDTH="63" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="previous" SRC="prev.png"></A>   
<BR>
<B> Next:</B> <A NAME="tex2html760"
  HREF="node20.html">Repeats</A>
<B> Up:</B> <A NAME="tex2html758"
  HREF="mma.html">Reference Manual</A>
<B> Previous:</B> <A NAME="tex2html752"
  HREF="node18.html">Swing</A>
<BR>
<BR></DIV>
<!--End of Navigation Panel-->
<!--Table of Child-Links-->
<A NAME="CHILD_LINKS"><STRONG>Subsections</STRONG></A>

<UL CLASS="ChildLinks">
<LI><A NAME="tex2html761"
  HREF="node19.html#SECTION001910000000000000000">Accent</A>
<LI><A NAME="tex2html762"
  HREF="node19.html#SECTION001920000000000000000">AdjustVolume</A>
<UL>
<LI><A NAME="tex2html763"
  HREF="node19.html#SECTION001921000000000000000">Mnemonic Volume Ratios</A>
<LI><A NAME="tex2html764"
  HREF="node19.html#SECTION001922000000000000000">Master Volume Ratio</A>
</UL>
<BR>
<LI><A NAME="tex2html765"
  HREF="node19.html#SECTION001930000000000000000">Volume</A>
<LI><A NAME="tex2html766"
  HREF="node19.html#SECTION001940000000000000000">Cresc and Decresc</A>
<LI><A NAME="tex2html767"
  HREF="node19.html#SECTION001950000000000000000">Swell</A>
<LI><A NAME="tex2html768"
  HREF="node19.html#SECTION001960000000000000000">RVolume</A>
<LI><A NAME="tex2html769"
  HREF="node19.html#SECTION001970000000000000000">Saving and Restoring Volumes</A>
</UL>
<!--End of Table of Child-Links-->
<HR>

<H1><A NAME="SECTION001900000000000000000"></A>
<A NAME="sec-volume"></A>
<BR>
Volume and Dynamics
</H1>

<P>
Before getting into 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  volume specifics, we'll present a short
primer on volume as it relates to MIDI devices.

<P>
A MIDI device (a keyboard, software synth, etc.) has several methods
to control how loud a sound is:

<P>

<UL>
<LI>Whenever a ``note on'' event is sent to the device it has a
  ``velocity'' byte. The velocity can be a value from 1 to 127 (in
  most cases the value 0 will turn off a note). You can think of these
  velocity values in the same way as you think of the difference in
  loudness of a piano key depending on the strength with which you
  strike a key. The harder you hit the key or the greater the velocity
  value, the louder the tone.

<P>
</LI>
<LI>MIDI devices have ``controllers'' which set the volume for a
  given channel. For example, Controller 7 is the ``Channel Volume
  MSB'' and Controller 39 is the ``Channel Volume LSB''. By sending
  different values to these controllers the volume for the specified
  channel will be modified. These changes are relative to the
  velocities of notes.

<P>
</LI>
<LI>MIDI devices have ``Master Volume'' setting. This is controlled
  by a SysEx setting. This setting is not present in all devices. It
  will effect all channels equally.

<P>
</LI>
<LI>Finally, there are various ``external'' settings such as volume
  knobs, foot pedals and amplifier settings. We'll ignore these
  completely.

<P>
</LI>
</UL>

<P>
An important difference between the ``velocity'' and ``controller''
methods is that you cannot change the volume of a note once it has
started using the ``velocity'' method. However, relying on the
``controller'' method doesn't always overcome this limitation: some
synths or playback devices don't support channel volume controllers
and having multiple notes with different volumes is impossible. So,
you might need a combination of the two methods to achive your desired
results.

<P>
In a 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  program there are a number ways to control the velocity of
each note created.<A NAME="tex2html73"
  HREF="#foot10543"><SUP><SPAN CLASS="arabic">19</SPAN>.<SPAN CLASS="arabic">1</SPAN></SUP></A>
<P>
The basic method used by 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  to affect volume is to change the
velocity of a ``note on'' event. However, you might also be interested
in accessing your MIDI device more directly to set better mixes
between channels. In that case you should read the discussion for
MIDIV<SMALL>OLUME</SMALL> (<A HREF="node24.html#channelvol">here</A>).

<P>
The rest of this chapter deals with MIDI velocity. Each note created
by in a 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  program receives an initial velocity set in the pattern
definition. It then goes though several adjustments. Here's the
overview of the creation and changes each note's velocity setting goes
though.

<P>

<OL>
<LI>The initial velocity is set in the pattern definition, see
  <A HREF="node4.html#sec-pats">patterns</A>,<A NAME="tex2html74"
  HREF="#foot10348"><SUP><SPAN CLASS="arabic">19</SPAN>.<SPAN CLASS="arabic">2</SPAN></SUP></A>
<P>
</LI>
<LI>the velocity is then adjusted by the master and track volume
  settings<A NAME="tex2html75"
  HREF="#foot10544"><SUP><SPAN CLASS="arabic">19</SPAN>.<SPAN CLASS="arabic">3</SPAN></SUP></A> (see
  <A HREF="#volume-ratio">here</A> for the discussion
  of A<SMALL>DJUST</SMALL>V<SMALL>OLUME </SMALL>RATIO),

<P>
</LI>
<LI>if certain notes are to be accented, yet another adjustment is
  made,

<P>
</LI>
<LI>and, finally, if the random volume is set, more adjustment.

<P>
</LI>
</OL>

<P>
For the most part 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  uses conventional musical score notation for
volumes. Internally, the dynamic name is converted to a percentage
value. The note velocity is adjusted by the percentage.

<P>
The following table shows the available volume settings and the
adjustment values.

<P>
<A NAME="volume-table"></A>
<DIV ALIGN="CENTER">

		<Table CellSpacing=0 Width="80%" Align="Center" CellPadding=10 BGColor="#dddddd" Border=3>
           <tr> <td>
	       <TABLE CELLPADDING=3 BORDER="1">
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT"><SPAN  CLASS="textit">Symbolic Name</SPAN></TD>
<TD ALIGN="CENTER"><SPAN  CLASS="textit">Ratio (Percentage) Adjustment</SPAN></TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">off</TD>
<TD ALIGN="CENTER">0</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">pppp</TD>
<TD ALIGN="CENTER">5</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">ppp</TD>
<TD ALIGN="CENTER">10</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">pp</TD>
<TD ALIGN="CENTER">25</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">p</TD>
<TD ALIGN="CENTER">40</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">mp</TD>
<TD ALIGN="CENTER">70</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">m</TD>
<TD ALIGN="CENTER">100</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">mf</TD>
<TD ALIGN="CENTER">110</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">f</TD>
<TD ALIGN="CENTER">130</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">ff</TD>
<TD ALIGN="CENTER">160</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">fff</TD>
<TD ALIGN="CENTER">180</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">ffff</TD>
<TD ALIGN="CENTER">200</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
  
	
           </td></tr>
        </Table>

</DIV>

<P>
The setting O<SMALL>FF</SMALL> is useful for generating fades at the end of a
piece.  For example:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Volume ff  
<BR>
Decresc Off 5 
<BR>
G / Gm / * 5   </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
will cause the last 5 bars of your music to fade from a <SPAN  CLASS="textit">ff</SPAN> to
silence.

<P>
As stated before, the initial velocity of a note is set in the pattern
definition (see <A HREF="node4.html#sec-pats">patterns</A>). The
following commands set the master volume, track volume and random
volume adjustments. And, again, please note that even though this
manual calls the adjustments ``volume'', they all do the same thing:
manipulate the initial note velocity.

<P>

<H1><A NAME="SECTION001910000000000000000"></A> <A NAME="accent"></A>
<BR>
Accent
</H1> 

<P>
``Real musicians'',<A NAME="tex2html76"
  HREF="#foot10376"><SUP><SPAN CLASS="arabic">19</SPAN>.<SPAN CLASS="arabic">4</SPAN></SUP></A> in an almost
automatic manner, emphasize notes on certain beats. In popular Western
music written in <SPAN  CLASS="textbf">4/4</SPAN> time this is usually beats one and
three. This emphasis sets the pulse or beat in a piece.

<P>
In 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  you can set the velocities in a pattern so that this emphasis
is automatically adjusted. For example, when setting a walking bass
line pattern you could use a pattern definition like:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Define Walk W1234 1 4 100; 2 4 70; 3 4 80; 4 4 70  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
However, it is much easier to use a definition which has all the
velocities the same:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Define Walk W1234 1 1 90 * 4  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
and use the A<SMALL>CCENT</SMALL> command to increase or decrease the volume
of notes on certain beats:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Walk Accent 1 20 2 -10 4 -10  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
The above command will increase the volume for walking bass notes on
beat 1 by 20%, and decrease the volumes of notes on beats 2 and 4 by
10%.

<P>
You can use this command in all tracks.

<P>
When specifying the accents, you must have matching pairs of data. The
first item in the pair is the beat (which can be fractional), the
second is the volume adjustment. This is a percentage of the current
note volume that is added (or subtracted) to the volume. Adjustment
factors must be integers in the range -100 to 100.

<P>
The A<SMALL>CCENT</SMALL>s can apply to all bars in a track; as well, you can
set different accents for different bars. Just use a ``{}'' pair to
delimit each bar. For example:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Bass Accent {1 20} / / {1 30 3 30}   </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
The above line will set an accent on beat 1 of bars 1, 2 and 3; in bar
4 beats 1 and 3 will be accented.

<P>
You can use a ``/'' to repeat a setting. The ``/'' can be enclosed in
a ``{}'' delimiter if you want.

<P>
To reset to the ``no accenting'' default, just use an empty command:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Bass Accent  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>

<H1><A NAME="SECTION001920000000000000000">
AdjustVolume</A>
</H1>

<P>

<H2><A NAME="SECTION001921000000000000000">
Mnemonic Volume Ratios</A>
</H2>

<P>
The ratios used to adjust the volume can be changed from the table at
the start of this chapter. For example, to change the percentage used
for the <SMALL>MF</SMALL> setting:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>AdjustVolume MF=95 f=120   </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
Note that you can have multiple setting on the same line.

<P>
The values used have the same format as those used for the
V<SMALL>OLUME</SMALL> command, below. For now, a few examples:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>AdjustVolume Mf=mp+200  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
will set the adjustment factor for <SPAN  CLASS="textit">mf</SPAN> to that of <SPAN  CLASS="textit">mp</SPAN>
plus 200%.

<P>
And,

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>AdjustVolume mf=+20  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
will increase the current <SPAN  CLASS="textit">mf</SPAN> setting by 20%.

<P>
You might want to do these adjustment in your MMArc file(s).

<P>

<H2><A NAME="SECTION001922000000000000000"></A>
<A NAME="volume-ratio"></A>
<BR>
Master Volume Ratio
</H2>

<P>

<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  uses its master and track volumes to determine the final
velocity of a note. By default, the track volume setting accounts for
60% of the adjustment and the master volume for the remaining
40%. The simple-minded logic behind this is that if the user goes to
the effort of setting a volume for a track, then that is probably more
important than a volume set for the entire piece.

<P>
You can change the ratio used at anytime with the A<SMALL>DJUST</SMALL>V<SMALL>OLUME
  </SMALL>R<SMALL>ATIO=</SMALL>&lt;<SMALL>VALUE</SMALL>&gt;
directive. &lt;Value&gt; is the percentage to use for
the <SPAN  CLASS="textit">Track</SPAN> volume. A few examples:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>AdjustVolume Ratio=60  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
This duplicates the default setting.

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>AdjustVolume Ratio=40  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
Volume adjustments use 40% of the track volume and 60% of the master
volume.

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>AdjustVolume Ratio=100  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
Volume adjustments use only the track volume (and ignore the master
volume completely).

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>AdjustVolume Ratio=0  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
Volume adjustments use only the master volume (and ignore the track
volumes completely).

<P>
Any value in the range 0 to 100 can be used as an argument for this
command. This setting is saved in G<SMALL>ROOVE</SMALL>s.

<P>
C<SMALL>RESC</SMALL> and D<SMALL>E</SMALL>C<SMALL>RESC</SMALL> commands can give unexpected results,
depending on the value of the current ratio. For example, you might
think that you can fade to silence with a command like:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Decresc m pppp 4  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
However, since the ratio, by default, is set to 60 you are only
changing the master volume. Two ways you can fix this are:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>AdjustVolume Ratio=0 
<BR>
Decresc m pppp 4  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
which changes the ratio. If you are also changing G<SMALL>ROOVE</SMALL>s you
might want to use:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>AllGrooves AdjustVolume Ratio=0  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
or, change the volumes for the master and tracks:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Alltracks Decresc m pppp 4 
<BR>
Decresc m pppp 4  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
Feel free to experiment with different ratios.

<P>

<H1><A NAME="SECTION001930000000000000000"></A> <A NAME="volume"></A>
<BR>
Volume
</H1> 

<P>
The volume for a track and the master volume, is set with the
V<SMALL>OLUME</SMALL> command. Volumes can be specified much like standard
sheet music with the conventional dynamic names. These volumes can be
applied to a track or to the entire song. For example:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Arpeggio-Piano Volume p  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
sets the volume for the Arpeggio-Piano track to something
approximating <SPAN  CLASS="textit">piano</SPAN>.

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Volume f  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
sets the master volume to <SPAN  CLASS="textit">forte</SPAN>.

<P>
In most cases the volume for a specific track will be set within the
G<SMALL>ROOVE</SMALL> definition; the master volume is used in the music file
to adjust the overall feel of the piece.

<P>
When using V<SMALL>OLUME</SMALL> for a specific track, you can use a different
value for each bar in a sequence:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Drum Volume mp ff / ppp  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
A ``/'' can be used to repeat values.

<P>
In addition to the ``musical symbols'' like <SPAN  CLASS="textit">ff</SPAN> and
<SPAN  CLASS="textit">mp</SPAN> you can also use numeric values to indicate a
percentage. In this case you can use intermediate values to those
specified in the table above. For example, to set the volume between
<SPAN  CLASS="textit">mf</SPAN> and <SPAN  CLASS="textit">f</SPAN>, you could do something like:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Volume 87  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
But, we don't recommend that you use this!

<P>
A better option is to increment or decrement an existing volume by a
percentage. A numeric value prefaced by a ``+'' or ``-'' is
interpreted as a change. So:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Drum-Snare Volume -20  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
would decrement the existing volume of the D<SMALL>RUM-</SMALL>S<SMALL>NARE</SMALL> track by
20%. If an adjustment creates a negative volume, the volume will be
set to 0 and a warning message will be displayed.

<P>
And, finally, for fine tuning you can adjust a ``musical symbol''
volume by a percentage. The volume ``mf-10'' will generate a volume
10% less than the value of ``mf''; ``f+20'' will generate a volume
20% greater than ``f''.

<P>

<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  volume adjustments are velocity adjustments. If a note has an
initial velocity of 127 you really can't make it louder. So, we
recommend that you start off notes with a middle-of-the-road velocity
setting (we use 90) which leaves room for 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT> 's volume commands to
make adjustments.

<P>

<H1><A NAME="SECTION001940000000000000000"></A> <A NAME="track-cresc"></A>
<BR>
Cresc and Decresc
</H1>

<P>
If you wish to adjust the volume over one or more bars use the
C<SMALL>RESC</SMALL> or D<SMALL>ECRESC</SMALL><A NAME="tex2html77"
  HREF="#foot10442"><SUP><SPAN CLASS="arabic">19</SPAN>.<SPAN CLASS="arabic">5</SPAN></SUP></A> commands. These
commands work in both the master context and individual tracks.

<P>
For all practical purposes, the two commands are equivalent, except
for a possible warning message. If the new volume in less than the
current volume in a C<SMALL>RESC</SMALL> a warning will be displayed; the
converse applies to a D<SMALL>ECRESC</SMALL>. In addition, a warning will be
displayed if the effect of either command results in no volume change.

<P>
The command requires two or three arguments. The first argument is an
optional initial volume followed by the new (destination) volume and
the number of bars the adjustment will take.

<P>
For example:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Cresc fff 5  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
will gradually vary the master volume from its current setting to a
``triple forte'' over the next 5 bars. Note that the very next bar
will be played at the current volume and the fifth bar at <SPAN  CLASS="textit">fff</SPAN>
with the other three bars at increasing volumes.

<P>
Similarly:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Drum-Snare Decresc mp 2  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
will decrease the ``drum-snare'' volume to ``mezzo piano'' over the
next 2 bars.

<P>
Finally, consider:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Cresc pp mf 4  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
which will set the current volume to <SPAN  CLASS="textit">pp</SPAN> and then increase it
to <SPAN  CLASS="textit">mf</SPAN> over the next 4 bars. Again, note that the very next
bar will be played at <SPAN  CLASS="textit">pp</SPAN> and the fourth at <SPAN  CLASS="textit">mf</SPAN>.

<P>
You can use numeric values (not recommended!) in these directives:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Cresc 20 100 4  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
As well as increment/decrement:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Volume ff
<BR>  ...
<BR>
Decresc -10 -40 4  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
The above example will first set the volume to 10% less than the
current <SPAN  CLASS="textit">ff</SPAN> setting. Then it will decrease the volume over the
next 4 bars to a volume 40% less than the new setting for the first
bar.

<P>
A S<SMALL>EQ</SMALL>C<SMALL>LEAR</SMALL> command will reset all track volumes to the default
<SMALL>M</SMALL>.

<P>
When applying C<SMALL>RESC</SMALL> or D<SMALL>E</SMALL>C<SMALL>RESC</SMALL> at the track level the
volumes for each bar in the sequence will end up being the same. For
example, assuming a two bar sequence length, you might have:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Chord Volume MP F  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
which alternates the volume between successive bars in the
C<SMALL>HORD</SMALL> track. Now, if you were to:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Chord Cresc M FF 4  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
The following actions take effect:

<OL>
<LI>A warning message will be displayed,
</LI>
<LI>The volume for the chord track will be set to <SPAN  CLASS="textit">m</SPAN>,
</LI>
<LI>The volume for the chord track will increment to <SPAN  CLASS="textit">ff</SPAN>
  over the next four bars,
</LI>
<LI>The volume for the sequence will end up being <SPAN  CLASS="textit">ff</SPAN> for
  all the bars in the remaining sequence. You may need to reissue the
  initial chord volume command.
</LI>
</OL>

<P>
You may find that certain volume adjustments don't create the volumes
you are expecting. In most cases this will be due to the fact that

<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  uses a master and track volume to determine the final
result. So, if you want a fade at the end of a piece you might do:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Decresc m pppp 4  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
and find that the volume on the last bar is still too loud. There are
two simple solutions:

<P>

<UL>
<LI>Add a command to decrease the track volumes. For example:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Alltracks Decresc m pppp 4  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
in addition to to the master setting.

<P>
</LI>
<LI>Change the ratio between track and master settings:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>AdjustVolume Ratio=0  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
or some other small value.

<P>
</LI>
</UL>

<P>
These methods will produce similar, but different results.

<P>
The adjustments made for C<SMALL>RESC</SMALL> and D<SMALL>ECRESC</SMALL> are applied
over each bar effected. This means that the first note or notes in a
bar will be louder (or softer) than the last. You can use this effect
for interesting changes by using a single bar for the range. Assuming
a current volume of <SPAN  CLASS="textit">mp</SPAN>:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Cresc fff 1  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
will set the final notes in the following bar to be <SPAN  CLASS="textit">fff</SPAN>, etc.

<P>
If you have a number of bars with the same chord and the track you are
modifying has U<SMALL>NIFY</SMALL> enabled the volume will not
change. U<SMALL>NIFY</SMALL> creates long notes sustained over a number of
bars for which the volume is only set once.

<P>
Sometimes a C<SMALL>RESC</SMALL><A NAME="tex2html78"
  HREF="#foot10547"><SUP><SPAN CLASS="arabic">19</SPAN>.<SPAN CLASS="arabic">6</SPAN></SUP></A> command will span a groove change. 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT> 
handles this in two different ways:

<P>

<UL>
<LI>Master C<SMALL>RESC</SMALL> commands can continue over a new
  G<SMALL>ROOVE</SMALL>. For example:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Groove One
<BR>
Cresc mp ff 8 
<BR>
C * 4 
<BR>
Groove Two 
<BR>
Dm * 4   </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
will work just fine. This makes sense since library files and groove
  definitions normally do not have master volume settings.

<P>
</LI>
<LI>However, volume changes at a track level cannot span
  G<SMALL>ROOVE</SMALL> changes (except S<SMALL>OLO</SMALL> and A<SMALL>RIA</SMALL> tracks
  which don't get saved in the G<SMALL>ROOVE</SMALL>). Using a similar example:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Groove One
<BR>
Chord Cresc mp ff 8 
<BR>
C * 4 
<BR>
Groove Two 
<BR>
Dm * 4   </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
In this case 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  will truncate the C<SMALL>RESC</SMALL> after 4 bars and
  issue a warning message. The C<SMALL>HORD</SMALL> volume will never reach
  <SPAN  CLASS="textit">ff</SPAN>. Since groove definitions and library files normally do
  set individual volumes for each track it would be counter intuitive
  to permit a previous C<SMALL>RESC</SMALL> to continue its effect.

<P>
</LI>
</UL>

<P>

<H1><A NAME="SECTION001950000000000000000">
Swell</A>
</H1>

<P>
Often you want a crescendo to be followed by a decrescendo (or, less
commonly, a decrescendo followed by a crescendo). Technically, this is
a <SPAN  CLASS="textit">messa di voce</SPAN>.<A NAME="tex2html79"
  HREF="#foot10548"><SUP><SPAN CLASS="arabic">19</SPAN>.<SPAN CLASS="arabic">7</SPAN></SUP></A> You'll see the notation in sheet music with
opposed ``hairpins''.

<P>
A S<SMALL>WELL</SMALL> is set with a command like:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Swell pp ff 4  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
or

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Chord Swell ff 4  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
In the first case the master volume will be increased over 2 bars from
<SPAN  CLASS="textit">pp</SPAN> to <SPAN  CLASS="textit">ff</SPAN> and then back to <SPAN  CLASS="textit">pp</SPAN>. In the second
case the C<SMALL>HORD</SMALL> volume will be increased to <SPAN  CLASS="textit">ff</SPAN> over 2
bars, then back to the original volume.

<P>
You can achieve the same results with a pair of C<SMALL>RESC</SMALL> and
D<SMALL>ECRESC</SMALL> commands (and you might be safer to do just this since
S<SMALL>WELL</SMALL> doesn't issue as many warnings).

<P>
Note that, just like in C<SMALL>RESC</SMALL>, you can skip the first argument
(the initial volume setting). Also, note that the final argument is
the total number of bars to effect (and it must be 2 or more).

<P>

<H1><A NAME="SECTION001960000000000000000"></A>
<A NAME="rvolume"></A>
<BR>
RVolume
</H1>

<P>
Not even the best musician can play each note at the same volume. Nor
would he or she want to--the result would be quite unmusical ...
so 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  tries to be a bit human by randomly adjusting note volume
with the R<SMALL>VOLUME</SMALL> command.

<P>
The command can be applied to any specific track. Examples:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Chord RVolume 10 
<BR>
Drum-Snare RVolume 5  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
The RV<SMALL>OLUME</SMALL> argument is a percentage value by which a volume is
adjusted. A setting of 0 disables the adjustment for a track (this is
the default).

<P>
When set, the note velocity (after the track and master volume
adjustments) is randomized up or down by the value. Again, using the
above example, let us assume that a note in the current pattern gets a
MIDI velocity of 88. The random factor of 10 will adjust this by 10%
up or down--the new value can be from 78 to 98.

<P>
The idea behind this is to give the track a more human sounding
effect. You can use large values, but it's not recommended. Usually,
values in the 5 to 10 range work well. You might want slightly larger
values for drum tracks.

<P>
You can further fine-tune the RV<SMALL>OLUME</SMALL> settings by using a minimum and
maximum value in the form M<SMALL>INIMUM,</SMALL>M<SMALL>AXIMUM</SMALL>. Note the
<SMALL>COMMA</SMALL>! For example:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Chord RVolume 0,10 -10,0 -10,20  8  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
Would set different minimum and maximum adjustment values for different sequence
points. In the above example the adjustments would be in the range 0 to
10, -10 to 0, -10 to 20 and -8 to 8.

<P>
Notes:

<P>

<UL>
<LI>No generated value will be out of the valid MIDI velocity range
  of 1 to 127.

<P>
</LI>
<LI>A different value can be used for each bar in a sequence:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Scale RVolume 5,10 0 / 20  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
</LI>
<LI>A ``/'' can be used to repeat values.

<P>
</LI>
</UL>

<P>

<H1><A NAME="SECTION001970000000000000000">
Saving and Restoring Volumes</A>
</H1>

<P>
Dynamics can get quite complicated, especially when you are adjusting
the volumes of a track inside a repeat or other complicated sections
of music. In this section attempts to give some general guidelines and
hints.

<P>
For the most part, the supplied groove files will have balanced
volumes between the different instruments. If you find that some
instruments or drum tones are consistently too loud or soft, spend
some time with the chapter on <A HREF="node28.html#finetuning">Fine Tuning</A>.

<P>
Remember that G<SMALL>ROOVE</SMALL>s save all the current volume settings.
This includes the master setting as well as individual track settings.
So, if you are using the mythical groove ``Wonderful'' and think that
the <SPAN  CLASS="textit">Chord-Piano</SPAN> volume should be louder in a particular song
it's easy to do something like:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Groove Wonderful
<BR>
Chord-Piano Volume ff
<BR>
DefGroove Wonderful   </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
Now, when you call this groove the new volume will be used. Note that
you'll have to do this for each variation of the groove that you use
in the song.

<P>
In most songs you will not need to do major changes. But, it is nice
to use the same volume each time though a section. In most cases
you'll want to do a explicit setting at the start of a section. For
example:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Repeat 
<BR>
Volume mf 
<BR>  ...
<BR>
Cresc ff 5 
<BR>  ...
<BR>
EndRepeat   </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
Another useful technique is the use of the $_L<SMALL>AST</SMALL>V<SMALL>OLUME</SMALL>
macro. For example:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Volume pp 
<BR>  ...
<BR>
Cresc f 5 
<BR>  ...
<BR>  $_LastVolume // restores to pp  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
<BR><HR><H4>Footnotes</H4>
<DL>
<DT><A NAME="foot10543">... created.</A><A
 HREF="node19.html#tex2html73"><SUP><SPAN CLASS="arabic">19</SPAN>.<SPAN CLASS="arabic">1</SPAN></SUP></A></DT>
<DD>We'll try to be consistent and refer to a
  MIDI ``volume'' as a ``velocity'' and internal 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  adjustments to
  velocity as volumes.

</DD>
<DT><A NAME="foot10348">...sec-pats,</A><A
 HREF="node19.html#tex2html74"><SUP><SPAN CLASS="arabic">19</SPAN>.<SPAN CLASS="arabic">2</SPAN></SUP></A></DT>
<DD>Solo and
    Melody track notes use an initial velocity of 90.

</DD>
<DT><A NAME="foot10544">... settings</A><A
 HREF="node19.html#tex2html75"><SUP><SPAN CLASS="arabic">19</SPAN>.<SPAN CLASS="arabic">3</SPAN></SUP></A></DT>
<DD>Please don't confuse the concept of 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  master
    and track volumes with MIDI channel volumes.

</DD>
<DT><A NAME="foot10376">... musicians'',</A><A
 HREF="node19.html#tex2html76"><SUP><SPAN CLASS="arabic">19</SPAN>.<SPAN CLASS="arabic">4</SPAN></SUP></A></DT>
<DD>as opposed to mechanical.

</DD>
<DT><A NAME="foot10442">...D<SMALL>ECRESC</SMALL></A><A
 HREF="node19.html#tex2html77"><SUP><SPAN CLASS="arabic">19</SPAN>.<SPAN CLASS="arabic">5</SPAN></SUP></A></DT>
<DD>We use the term
  ``decrescendo'', others prefer ``diminuendo''.

</DD>
<DT><A NAME="foot10547">...C<SMALL>RESC</SMALL></A><A
 HREF="node19.html#tex2html78"><SUP><SPAN CLASS="arabic">19</SPAN>.<SPAN CLASS="arabic">6</SPAN></SUP></A></DT>
<DD>This applies to D<SMALL>ECRESC</SMALL> and
  S<SMALL>WELL</SMALL> as well.

</DD>
<DT><A NAME="foot10548">... voce.</A><A
 HREF="node19.html#tex2html79"><SUP><SPAN CLASS="arabic">19</SPAN>.<SPAN CLASS="arabic">7</SPAN></SUP></A></DT>
<DD>Some references indicate that
  <SPAN  CLASS="textit">messa di voce</SPAN> applies to a single tone, and 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  is not
  capable of doing this.

</DD>
</DL>
<DIV CLASS="navigation"><HR>
<!--Navigation Panel-->
<A NAME="tex2html759"
  HREF="node20.html">
<IMG WIDTH="37" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="next" SRC="next.png"></A> 
<A NAME="tex2html757"
  HREF="mma.html">
<IMG WIDTH="26" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="up" SRC="up.png"></A> 
<A NAME="tex2html751"
  HREF="node18.html">
<IMG WIDTH="63" HEIGHT="24" ALIGN="BOTTOM" BORDER="0" ALT="previous" SRC="prev.png"></A>   
<BR>
<B> Next:</B> <A NAME="tex2html760"
  HREF="node20.html">Repeats</A>
<B> Up:</B> <A NAME="tex2html758"
  HREF="mma.html">Reference Manual</A>
<B> Previous:</B> <A NAME="tex2html752"
  HREF="node18.html">Swing</A></DIV>
<!--End of Navigation Panel-->
<ADDRESS>
Bob van der Poel
2016-06-11
</ADDRESS>
</BODY>
</HTML>