beefdown

A MIDI sequencer that uses markdown syntax to define sequences.

See docs/architecture.md for a more technical overview.

Sequences

This file is a sequence. Run it with:

beefdown README.md

See docs/build.md for info on building beefdown.

Code blocks with beef prefixed language identifiers are used to specify musical information.

See docs/controls.md for application controls.

Sequence

Sequence blocks contain global configuration.

```beef.sequence
bpm:150
loop:true
sync:none
```

See docs/midi-io.md for more info on the sync setting.

Parts

Parts are collections of notes.

```beef.part name:a
c4:8

a2:6

d3:4



```

Each line represents a beat.

c4:1 would play c4 for 1 beat.

c4:1
|| |
|| +--- beats
|+--- octave
+--- note

Horizontal space is irrelevant. Do whatever makes the most sense to you visually.

```beef.part name:a'
c4:8      d3:8

     a2:6


               d5:3


```

By default parts are sent on channel 1. The next part will be sent on channel 2.

```beef.part name:b ch:2
c4:2
          c6:2


     c5:2
               c7:2


```

To omit off messages, don't include a beat value. You might want this for samplers or percussion instruments.

```beef.part name:hh-1 group:drums ch:16
gb1
gb1
gb1
gb1
gb1
gb1
gb1
gb1
```

You can change the length of each beat with div. Recognized values are 4th, 4th-triplet, 8th, 8th-triplet, 16th, and 32nd. See docs/division.md for more details on this.

```beef.part name:hh-2 group:drums ch:16 div:8th
gb1
gb1
gb1
gb1
    bb1
gb1
gb1
gb1
gb1
gb1
gb1
gb1
    bb1
gb1
gb1
gb1
```

For parts with repeated lines, you can multiply them. The next part repeats gb1 24 times.

```beef.part name:hh-3 group:drums ch:16 div:8th-triplet
gb1 *24
```

You can also use the modulo operator (%) with multiplication. Syntax is *N%M where:

• N is the multiplication factor (how many times to repeat)
• M is the modulo factor (every Mth step will contain the step)

The next part repeats gb1 12 times, then for 12 additional steps every other step will contain gb1 (13, 15, 17... gb1; 14, 16, 18... blank).

```beef.part name:hh-4 group:drums ch:16 div:8th-triplet
gb1 *12
gb1 *12%2
```

```beef.part name:hh-5 group:drums ch:16 div:16th
gb1     *4
    bb1
gb1     *7
    bb1
gb1     *7
    bb1
gb1     *7
    bb1
gb1     *3
```

```beef.part name:ks-1 group:drums ch:16 div:8th
      *10
c1
c1
   d1
c1
```

```beef.part name:ks-2 group:drums ch:16
c1

   d1

c1

   d1

```

All notes are sent with a velocity of 100.

Parts also have chord support. See examples/chords.md.

Arrangements

Arrangements are collections of parts.

```beef.arrangement name:kick-snare-hi-hat group:drums
ks-2 hh-1
ks-2 hh-2
ks-2 hh-3
ks-2 hh-4
ks-2 hh-5
```

You can also multiply arrangement steps!

```beef.arrangement name:all-the-parts group:last
ks-1 hh-1 a
ks-2 hh-1 a'   *2
ks-2 hh-2 a' b *2
ks-2 hh-3 a' b
ks-2 hh-4 a' b
ks-2 hh-5 a' b *2
```