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<!--Table of Child-Links-->
<A ID="CHILD_LINKS"><STRONG>Subsections</STRONG></A>

<UL CLASS="ChildLinks">
<LI><A ID="tex2html688"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002810000000000000000">Translations</A>
<UL>
<LI><A ID="tex2html689"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002811000000000000000">VoiceTr</A>
<LI><A ID="tex2html690"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002812000000000000000">ToneTr</A>
<LI><A ID="tex2html691"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002813000000000000000">VoiceVolTr</A>
<LI><A ID="tex2html692"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002814000000000000000">DrumVolTr</A>
</UL>
<BR>
<LI><A ID="tex2html693"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002820000000000000000">Tweaks</A>
<UL>
<LI><A ID="tex2html694"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002821000000000000000">Default Voices</A>
<LI><A ID="tex2html695"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002822000000000000000">DrumKit</A>
<LI><A ID="tex2html696"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002823000000000000000">Diminished Chord Type</A>
<LI><A ID="tex2html697"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002824000000000000000">Plectrum Reset On Groove Change</A>
</UL>
<BR>
<LI><A ID="tex2html698"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002830000000000000000">Xtra Options</A>
<UL>
<LI><A ID="tex2html699"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002831000000000000000">NoCredit</A>
<LI><A ID="tex2html700"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002832000000000000000">Chords</A>
<LI><A ID="tex2html701"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002833000000000000000">CheckFile</A>
<LI><A ID="tex2html702"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002834000000000000000">Grooves</A>
<LI><A ID="tex2html703"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002835000000000000000">Print</A>
<LI><A ID="tex2html704"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002836000000000000000">Splitting Output</A>
<UL>
<LI><A ID="tex2html705"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002836100000000000000">Channel Split</A>
<LI><A ID="tex2html706"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002836200000000000000">Track Split</A>
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</UL>
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<LI><A ID="tex2html707"
  HREF="node28.html#SECTION002840000000000000000">Debug</A>
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<HR>

<H1><A ID="SECTION002800000000000000000"></A>
<A ID="Tweaks"></A>
<BR>
Fine Tuning and Tweaks
</H1>

<P>

<H1><A ID="SECTION002810000000000000000">
Translations</A>
</H1> 

<P>
A program such as 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  which is intended to be run on various
computers and synthesizers (both hardware keyboards and software
versions) suffers from a minor deficiency of the MIDI standards:
mainly that the standard says nothing about what a certain instrument
should sound like, or the relative volumes between instruments. The GM
extension helps a bit, but only a bit, by saying that certain
instruments should be assigned certain program change values. This
means that all GM synths will play a &ldquo;Piano&rdquo; if instrument 000 is
selected.

<P>
But, if one plays a GM file on a Casio keyboard, then on a PC
soft-synth, and then on a Yahama keyboard you will get three quite
different sounds. The files supplied in this distribution have been
created to sound good on the author's setup: A Casio WK-3000 keyboard.

<P>
But, what if your hardware is different? Well, there are solutions!
Later in this chapter commands are shown which will change the
preselected voice and tone commands and the default volumes. At this
time there are no example files supplied with 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT> , but your
contributions are welcome.

<P>
The general suggestion is that:

<P>

<OL>
<LI>You create a file with the various translations you need. For
  example, the file might be called <SPAN  CLASS="texttt"><SPAN  CLASS="textbf">yamaha.mma</SPAN></SPAN> and contain
  lines like:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>VoiceTR Piano1=Piano2 
<BR>
ToneTr SnareDrum2=SnareDrum1 
<BR>
VoiceVolTr Piano2=120 BottleBlow=80 
<BR>
DrumVolTr RideBell=90 Tambourine=120   </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
Place this file in the directory
  <SPAN  CLASS="texttt"><SPAN  CLASS="textbf">/usr/local/share/mma/includes</SPAN></SPAN>.

<P>
</LI>
<LI>Include this file in your ~<SPAN  CLASS="texttt"><SPAN  CLASS="textbf">/.mmarc</SPAN></SPAN> file.
  Following the above example, you would have a line:

<P>

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

<P>
</LI>
</OL>

<P>
That's it! Now, whenever you compile a 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  file the translations
will be done.

<P>
All of the following translation settings follow a similar logic as to
&ldquo;when&rdquo; they take effect, and that is at the time the V<SMALL>OICE</SMALL>,
V<SMALL>OLUME</SMALL>, etc. command is issued. This may confuse the unwary if
G<SMALL>ROOVES</SMALL> are being used. But, the following sequence:

<P>

<OL>
<LI>You set a voice with the V<SMALL>OICE</SMALL> command,
</LI>
<LI>You save that voice into a G<SMALL>ROOVE</SMALL> with D<SMALL>EF</SMALL>G<SMALL>ROOVE</SMALL>,
</LI>
<LI>You create a voice translation with V<SMALL>OICE</SMALL>TR,
</LI>
<LI>You activate the previously defined G<SMALL>ROOVE</SMALL>.
</LI>
</OL>

<P>
<SPAN  CLASS="textit"><SPAN  CLASS="textbf">&nbsp;&nbsp; Wrong! This does not have the desired effect.</SPAN></SPAN>

<P>
In the above sequence the V<SMALL>OICE</SMALL>TR will have <SPAN  CLASS="textit">no</SPAN> effect.
For the desired translations to work the V<SMALL>OICE</SMALL> (or whatever)
command must come <SPAN  CLASS="textit">after</SPAN> the translation command.

<P>

<H2><A ID="SECTION002811000000000000000"></A> <A ID="set-voicetr"></A>
<BR>
VoiceTr
</H2> 

<P>
In previous section you saw how to set a voice for a track by using
its standard MIDI name. The V<SMALL>OICE</SMALL>T<SMALL>R</SMALL> command sets up a
translation table that can be used in two different situations:

<P>

<UL>
<LI>It permits creation of your own names for voices (perhaps for a
  foreign language),

<P>
</LI>
<LI>It lets you override or change voices used in standard library
  files.

<P>
</LI>
</UL>

<P>
V<SMALL>OICE</SMALL>T<SMALL>R</SMALL> works by setting up a simple translation table of
&ldquo;name&rdquo; and &ldquo;alias&rdquo; pairs. Whenever 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  encounters a voice name
in a track command it first attempts to translate this name though the
alias table.

<P>
To set a translation (or series of translations):

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>VoiceTr Piano1=Clavinet Hmmm=18   </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
Note that you can additional V<SMALL>OICE</SMALL>T<SMALL>R</SMALL> commands will add entries
to the existing table. To clear the table use the command with no
arguments:

<P>

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

<P>
Assuming the first command, the following will occur:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Chord-Main Voice Hmmm  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
The V<SMALL>OICE</SMALL> for the <SPAN  CLASS="textit">Chord-Main</SPAN> track will be set to &ldquo;18&rdquo;
or &ldquo;Organ3&rdquo;.

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Chord-2 Voice Piano1  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
The V<SMALL>OICE</SMALL> for the <SPAN  CLASS="textit">Chord-2</SPAN> track will be set to
&ldquo;Clavinet&rdquo;.

<P>
If your synth does not follow standard GM-MIDI voice naming
conventions you can create a translation table which can be included
in all your 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  song files via an RC file. But, do note that the
resulting files will not play properly on a synth conforming to the
GM-MIDI specification.

<P>
Following is an abbreviated and untested example for using an obsolete
and unnamed synth:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>VoiceTr  Piano1=3   \
<BR>
Piano2=4  \
<BR>
Piano3=5  \
<BR>    ... \
<BR>
Strings=55  \
<BR>    ...</B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
Notes: the translation is only done one time and no verification is
done when the table is created. The table contains one-to-one
substitutions, much like macros.

<P>
For translating drum tone values, see <A HREF="#set-tonetr">T<SMALL>ONE</SMALL>TR</A>.

<P>

<H2><A ID="SECTION002812000000000000000"></A> <A ID="set-tonetr"></A>
<BR>
ToneTr
</H2> 

<P>
It is possible to create a translation table which will substitute one
Drum Tone for another. This can be useful in a variety of situations,
but consider:

<P>

<UL>
<LI>Your synth lacks certain drum tones&mdash;in this case you may want
  to set certain T<SMALL>ONE</SMALL>TR commands in a <SMALL>MMA</SMALL>RC file.

<P>
</LI>
<LI>You are using an existing G<SMALL>ROOVE</SMALL> in a song, but don't
  like one or more of the Drum Tones selected. Rather than editing the
  library file you can set a translation right in the song. Note, do
  this <SPAN  CLASS="textit">before any</SPAN> G<SMALL>ROOVE</SMALL> commands.
</LI>
</UL>

<P>
To set a translation (or set of translations) just use a list of
drumtone values or symbolic names with each pair separated by white
space. For example:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>ToneTR SnareDrum2=SnareDrum1 HandClap=44   </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
will use a &ldquo;SnareDrum1&rdquo; instead of a &ldquo;SnareDrum2&rdquo; and the value
&ldquo;44&rdquo; (actually a &ldquo;PedalHiHat&rdquo;) instead of a &ldquo;HandClap&rdquo;.

<P>
You can turn off all drum tone translations with an empty line:

<P>

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

<P>
The syntax and usage of T<SMALL>ONE</SMALL>TR is quite similar to
<A HREF="#set-voicetr">V<SMALL>OICE</SMALL>TR</A>.

<P>

<H2><A ID="SECTION002813000000000000000"></A> <A ID="set-voicevoltr"></A>
<BR>
VoiceVolTr
</H2> 

<P>
If you find that a particular voice, i.e., Piano2, is too loud or soft
you can create an entry in the &ldquo;Voice Volume Translation Table&rdquo;. The
concept is quite simple: 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  checks the table whenever a
track-specific V<SMALL>OLUME</SMALL> command is processed. The table is
created in a similar manner to the V<SMALL>OICE</SMALL>T<SMALL>R</SMALL> command:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>VoiceVolTr Piano2=120 105=75  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
Each voice pair must contain a valid MIDI voice (or numeric value), an
&ldquo;=&rdquo; and a volume adjustment factor. The factor is a percentage value
which is applied to the normal volume. In the above example two
adjustments are created:

<P>

<OL>
<LI>Piano2 will be played at 120% of the normal value,

<P>
</LI>
<LI>Banjo (voice 105) will be played at 75% of the normal value.
</LI>
</OL>

<P>
The adjustments are made when a track V<SMALL>OLUME</SMALL> command is
encountered. For example, if the above translation has be set and

<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  encounters the following commands:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Begin Chord
<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Voice Piano2
<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Volume mp
<BR>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Sequence 1 4 90
<BR>
End   </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
the following adjustments are made:

<P>

<OL>
<LI>A look up is done in the global volume table. The volume &ldquo;mf&rdquo;
  is determined to be 85% for the set MIDI velocity,

<P>
</LI>
<LI>the adjustment of 120% is applied to the 85%, changing that to
  102%.

<P>
</LI>
<LI>Assuming that no other volume adjustments are being made
  (probably there will be a global volume and, perhaps, a
  R<SMALL>VOLUME</SMALL>) the MIDI velocity in the sequence will be changed
  from 90 to 91. Without the translation the 90 would have been
  changed to 76.

<P>
</LI>
</OL>

<P>
This is best illustrated by a short example. Assume the following in
an input file:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Solo Voice TenorSax 
<BR>
Solo Volume f 
<BR>
Print Solo Volume set to $_Solo_Volume 
<BR>
VoiceVolTr TenorSax=90 
<BR>
Solo Volume f 
<BR>
Print Solo Volume set to $_Solo_Volume   </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
which will print out:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Solo Volume set to 130 
<BR>
Solo Volume set to 117   </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
The second line reflects that 90% of 130 is 117.

<P>
To disable all volume translations:

<P>

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

<P>

<H2><A ID="SECTION002814000000000000000"></A> <A ID="set-drumvoltr"></A>
<BR>
DrumVolTr
</H2> 

<P>
You can change the volumes of individual drum tones with the
D<SMALL>RUM</SMALL>V<SMALL>OL</SMALL>T<SMALL>R</SMALL> translation. This command works just like the
V<SMALL>OICE</SMALL>V<SMALL>OL</SMALL>T<SMALL>R</SMALL> command described above. It just uses drum tones
instead of instrument voices.

<P>
For example, if you wish to make the drum tones &ldquo;SnareDrum1&rdquo; and
&ldquo;HandClap&rdquo; a bit louder:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>DrumVolTr SnareDrum1=120 HandClap=110  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
The drum tone names can be symbolic constants, or MIDI values as in
the next example:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>DrumVolTr 44=90 31=55  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
All drum tone translations can be disabled with:

<P>

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

<P>

<H1><A ID="SECTION002820000000000000000"></A> <A ID="tweaks"></A>
<BR>
Tweaks
</H1> 

<P>
Some minor values can be adjusted via the T<SMALL>WEAKS</SMALL> command. Each
item is set as an OPTION=VALUE pair. Currently the following are
valid:

<P>

<H2><A ID="SECTION002821000000000000000">
Default Voices</A>
</H2>
<DL>
<DT><STRONG>D<SMALL>EFAULT</SMALL>D<SMALL>RUM</SMALL> or D<SMALL>EFAULT</SMALL>T<SMALL>ONE</SMALL></STRONG></DT>
<DD>Set the default
  (initial) voice to use in D<SMALL>RUM</SMALL>, S<SMALL>OLO</SMALL> and M<SMALL>ELODY</SMALL>
  tracks. You can use a numeric value, a mnemonic name, or even an
  extended voice name (see
  <A HREF="node25.html#extended-patch">here</A>). Examples:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Tweaks DefaultDrum=22  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>
 or 
      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Tweaks DefaultDrum=8.9.22  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
and, assuming you have set up a P<SMALL>ATCH </SMALL>S<SMALL>ET</SMALL> (see
  <A HREF="node25.html#patch-set">here</A>):

<P>

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

<P>
<SPAN  CLASS="textbf">Be careful</SPAN> when using this option with Solo/Melody tracks
  set to D<SMALL>RUM</SMALL>T<SMALL>YPE</SMALL>. If you set a V<SMALL>OICE</SMALL> (to use a
  different drum set) before setting a S<SMALL>OLO</SMALL> or M<SMALL>ELODY</SMALL>
  track as D<SMALL>RUM</SMALL>T<SMALL>YPE</SMALL> this option will overwrite your changes.

<P>
</DD>
<DT><STRONG>DefaultVoice</STRONG></DT>
<DD>Sets the default (initial) voice to use in tracks
  other than drum. The same extended voicing options as detailed for
  D<SMALL>EFAULT</SMALL>D<SMALL>RUM</SMALL> apply. Examples:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Tweaks DefaultVoice=99  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>
 or 
      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Tweaks
    DefaultVoice=MyFunkyPiano  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

</DD>
</DL>

<P>

<H2><A ID="SECTION002822000000000000000"></A>
<A ID="setdrumkit"></A>
<BR>
DrumKit
</H2>
This option sets the default D<SMALL>RUM</SMALL>K<SMALL>IT</SMALL> to use for this 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT> 
file. For a list of the known mnemonic names, please refer
<A HREF="node36.html#sec-drumkitnames">to the appendix</A>. For
consistency with the V<SMALL>OICE</SMALL> command (see
<A HREF="node25.html#set-voice">here</A>) you can append &ldquo;Kit&rdquo; to a
name.

<P>
You can also use an integer value from 0 to 127.

<P>
Valid examples, all resulting in the same setting, include:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Tweaks DrumKit=Jazz  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>
 
      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Tweaks DrumKit=JazzKit  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>
 
      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Tweaks
  DrumKit=32  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>

<H2><A ID="SECTION002823000000000000000"></A>
<A ID="tweak-dim"></A>
<BR>
Diminished Chord Type
</H2>
<DL>
<DT><STRONG>Dim</STRONG></DT>
<DD>Set the type of chord produced with the &ldquo;dim&rdquo; chordtype.
  By default a diminished chord is a &ldquo;dim7&rdquo;. However you can toggle
  this behaviour with:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Tweaks Dim=3  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>
 or 
      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Tweaks Dim=7  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
</DD>
</DL>

<P>

<H2><A ID="SECTION002824000000000000000">
Plectrum Reset On Groove Change</A>
</H2>
<DL>
<DT><STRONG>PlectrumDoRest</STRONG></DT>
<DD>By default a P<SMALL>LECTRUM</SMALL> track will not turn
  off its sounding strings when a G<SMALL>ROOVE</SMALL> is changed. This can
  be toggled with:

<P>

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

<P>
Use <SPAN  CLASS="textit">False</SPAN> to restore the default.

<P>
</DD>
</DL>

<P>

<UL>
<LI>You can place several T<SMALL>WEAK</SMALL> commands on a single line;
  they are processed in order.

<P>
</LI>
<LI>In most cases the best place to apply these tweaks, if needed, is in
  your <SPAN  CLASS="texttt"><SPAN  CLASS="textbf">mmarc</SPAN></SPAN> file.
</LI>
</UL>

<P>

<H1><A ID="SECTION002830000000000000000"></A> <A ID="sec-xtras"></A>
<BR>
Xtra Options
</H1> 

<P>

<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  has a number of options designed to help you in discovering the
chords in your file, aid in debugging files, and massaging the form of
the final MIDI file. These options are all accessed from the command
line in the format -<SMALL>X</SMALL>C<SMALL>OMMAND OPTIONS</SMALL>.

<P>

<H2><A ID="SECTION002831000000000000000"></A>

<A ID="xtra-nocredit"></A>
<BR>
NoCredit
</H2>

<P>
By default, each MIDI file created by 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  has the text &ldquo;Generated
my MMA. Input filename: ...&rdquo; in the MIDI Meta data. Not only does
this information give credit to our favorite little program, it can
also help you in the future to see where the file came from! However,
there are times when it may be appropriate to suppress this (for
example, you may be combining a series of separate tracks into one).

<P>
We request that you not use this option and give credit where credit
is due. Thanks.

<P>

<H2><A ID="SECTION002832000000000000000"></A>

<A ID="sect-xtra-chords"></A>
<BR>
Chords
</H2>

<P>

<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  has a large internal vocabulary of chord names, and it is quite
easy to extend using the D<SMALL>EF</SMALL>C<SMALL>HORD</SMALL> command,
<A HREF="node14.html#defchord">details here</A>. But, it's
sometimes nice to check before entering chord names into a file. This
command takes each chord name listed and checks to see if 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT> 
recognizes it. For example:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>$ mma -x chords C B A q   </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
will generate:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Error:   Illegal/Unknown chord name: 'q' 
<BR>
VALID: A, B, C   </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
You could easily incorporate this into a program which automatically
generates 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  files.

<P>

<H2><A ID="SECTION002833000000000000000"></A>

<A ID="sect-xtra-file"></A>
<BR>
CheckFile
</H2>

<P>
This command will open the input filename and attempt to find all the
chord names it contains and check each found to see if it is
recognized by 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT> . As it progresses any chord names not found are
displayed in the format:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>$ mma -x checkfile test 
<BR>
Error: &lt;Line 143&gt;  Illegal/Unknown chord name: 'q' 
<BR>
Valid chords: Ab, Ab6, Abm6, Abm7  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
At the end of run, valid chords are listed in alphabetical order. This
can be a great aid in seeing what chords are in the file (and seeing
if any look &ldquo;odd&rdquo;). <SPAN  CLASS="textbf">This command does not verify other
  commands and syntax in the file.</SPAN>

<P>

<H2><A ID="SECTION002834000000000000000"></A>

<A ID="sect-xtra-grooves"></A>
<BR>
Grooves
</H2>

<P>
This command will display all the G<SMALL>ROOVES</SMALL> known to 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT> . For
this to work, the 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  library database must be up-to-date via the
-g (or -G) command line option. For example:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>$ mma -x Grooves 
<BR>
alexis/hiphop:HIPHOP 
<BR>
alexis/hiphop:HIPHOPEND 
<BR>
alexis/hiphop:HIPHOPINTRO 
<BR>   .... many, many more! 
<BR>
zoom/trip:TRIP02 
<BR>
zoom/trip:TRIP03 
<BR>
zoom/trip:TRIP04   </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
-<SMALL>X </SMALL>G<SMALL>ROOVES</SMALL> (from a terminal) will display each groove name
found in alphabetical order. This list can be quite long, you you
might want to spool it to a scratch file or use a pager like &ldquo;grep&rdquo;.

<P>
If an optional <SPAN  CLASS="textit">name</SPAN> is included, only those G<SMALL>ROOVES</SMALL>
matching that name will be displayed.

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>$ mma -x Grooves trip
<BR>
casio/triphop:TRIPHOP
<BR>
casio/triphop:TRIPHOPEND
<BR>   .... lots more 
<BR>
zoom/trip:TRIP03 
<BR>
zoom/trip:TRIP04   </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
The names are listed in extended groove notation
(<A HREF="node6.html#extended-groove">here</A>). These names can
be easily cut/pasted into the 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  -V option.

<P>

<H2><A ID="SECTION002835000000000000000"></A>

<A ID="sect-xtra-print"></A>
<BR>
Print
</H2>

<P>
This command will display all the value of any system variable at
initialization. Please note that this is processed <SPAN  CLASS="textit">before</SPAN>
reading any RC files (ie. <SPAN  CLASS="texttt"><SPAN  CLASS="textbf">.mmarc</SPAN></SPAN>). The use of a leading $ is
optional (but if you use it you will need to escape it to protect it
from the underlying shell). Example:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>mma -xPrint _libpath \$_Volume  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
will display something like:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>$_LIBPATH = /home/bob/src/bv/mma/lib 
<BR>  $_VOLUME = 100   </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>

<H2><A ID="SECTION002836000000000000000">
Splitting Output</A>
</H2>

<P>

<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  can split the generated MIDI into separate files for later
processing using other user supplied programs. This can be useful if,
for example, you wish to set volume levels for specific tracks or use
different synth engines for channels ... the choices are
limitless.

<P>

<UL>
<LI>Please note that when using either channel or track splitting, no
options other than the filename and the actual option are permitted.
</LI>
</UL>

<P>

<H3><A ID="SECTION002836100000000000000"></A>

<A ID="sect-xtra-csplit"></A>
<BR>
Channel Split
</H3>

<P>
Using the -<SMALL>X</SMALL>C<SMALL>SPLIT</SMALL> command causes 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  to generate a
different MIDI file for each generated channel. Assuming your file
<SPAN  CLASS="texttt"><SPAN  CLASS="textbf">wonders.mma</SPAN></SPAN> generates data in channels 9, 10 and 16 the files
<SPAN  CLASS="texttt"><SPAN  CLASS="textbf">wonders09.mid</SPAN></SPAN>, <SPAN  CLASS="texttt"><SPAN  CLASS="textbf">wonders10.mid</SPAN></SPAN> and <SPAN  CLASS="texttt"><SPAN  CLASS="textbf">wonders16.mid</SPAN></SPAN>
will be created.

<P>

<H3><A ID="SECTION002836200000000000000"></A>

<A ID="sect-xtra-tsplit"></A>
<BR>
Track Split
</H3>

<P>
Using the -<SMALL>X</SMALL>T<SMALL>SPLIT</SMALL> command causes 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  to generate a
different MIDI file for each internal track. So, for your file
<SPAN  CLASS="texttt"><SPAN  CLASS="textbf">wonders.mma</SPAN></SPAN> you may end up with files such as
<SPAN  CLASS="texttt"><SPAN  CLASS="textbf">wonders-DRUM-SNARE.mid</SPAN></SPAN>, <SPAN  CLASS="texttt"><SPAN  CLASS="textbf">wonders-DRUM-KICK.mid</SPAN></SPAN>,
<SPAN  CLASS="texttt"><SPAN  CLASS="textbf">wonders-BASS.mid</SPAN></SPAN>, etc.

<P>

<UL>
<LI>Note that the splitting is done by repeatedly calling 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  for each
track. The program name given on the command line (sys.argv[0]) is used as
the executable name. Since the file is processed multiple times, we
recommend that you include a command to make all randomizations
predictive. The command &ldquo;R<SMALL>ND</SMALL>S<SMALL>EED 1</SMALL>&rdquo;<A HREF="node13.html#sec-rndseed">, here,</A> works nicely.
</LI>
</UL>

<P>

<H1><A ID="SECTION002840000000000000000"></A> <A ID="debug"></A> 
<A ID="debugging"></A>
<BR>
Debug
</H1>

<P>
To enable you to find problems in your song files (and, perhaps, even
find problems with 
<FONT Face="Serif"  Color="Navy"><I>MMA</I></FONT>  itself) various debugging messages can be
displayed. These are normally set from the command line
<A HREF="node2.html#sec-running">command line</A>.

<P>
However, it is possible to enable various debugging messages
dynamically in a song file using the D<SMALL>EBUG</SMALL> directive. In a
debug statement you can enable or disable any of a variety of
messages. A typical directive is:

<P>

      <Table Hspace="40%" CellSpacing=0 CellPadding=10 BGColor="OldLace" Border=3>
        <tr><td>
    <B>Debug Debug=On Expand=Off Patterns=On  </B> 
   
	    </td></tr>
      </Table>

<P>
Each section of the debug directive consists of a <SPAN  CLASS="textit">mode</SPAN> and the
command word ON or O<SMALL>FF</SMALL>. The two parts must be joined by
a single &ldquo;<SPAN  CLASS="textit"><SPAN CLASS="MATH">=</SPAN></SPAN>&rdquo;. You may use the values &ldquo;0&rdquo; for &ldquo;Off&rdquo; and
&ldquo;1&rdquo; for &ldquo;On&rdquo; if desired.

<P>
The available modes with the equivalent command line switches are:

<P>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<TABLE CELLPADDING=3 BORDER="1">
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT"><SPAN  CLASS="textit">Mode</SPAN></TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT" COLSPAN=2><SPAN><SPAN  CLASS="textit">Command Line Equivalent</SPAN></SPAN></TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">Debug</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">-d</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">debugging messages</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">Filenames</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">-o</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">display file names</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">Patterns</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">-p</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">pattern creation</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">Sequence</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">-s</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">sequence creation</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">Runtime</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">-r</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">running progress</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">Warnings</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">-w</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">warning messages</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">Expand</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">-e</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">display expanded lines</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">Plectrum</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">display Plectrum chord shapes</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">Roman</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">display Roman numeral chord conversions</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN="LEFT">Groove</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">&nbsp;</TD>
<TD ALIGN="LEFT">issue a warning when a Groove is redefined</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</BLOCKQUOTE>

<P>
The modes and command are case-insensitive (although the command line
switches are not). The options for P<SMALL>LECTRUM</SMALL>, G<SMALL>ROOVE</SMALL> and
R<SMALL>OMAN</SMALL> are not accessible from the command line.

<P>
The current state of the debug flags is saved in the variable
$_Debug and the state prior to a change is saved in $_LastDebug.

<P>

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