autosp

AUTOSP(1)                                                            AUTOSP(1)

NAME
       autosp  -  preprocessor  to generate note-spacing commands for MusiXTeX
       scores

SYNOPSIS
       autosp [-v | --version | -h | --help]

       autosp [-d | --dotted] [-l | --log] infile[.aspc] [outfile[.tex]]

DESCRIPTION
       This program makes it easier to create MusiXTeX  scores  by  converting
       (non-standard)  commands  of  the form \anotes ... \en into one or more
       conventional note-spacing commands (\notes \Notes \NOtes  ...),  deter-
       mined  by the actual note values, with \sk spacing commands inserted as
       necessary.  The coding for an entire measure can be entered one part at
       a  time,  without  concern  for note-spacing changes within the part or
       spacing requirements of other parts.

       For example, if applied to

           \anotes\qa J\qa K&\ca l\qa m\ca n\en

       autosp generates

           \Notes\qa J\sk\qa K\sk&\ca l\qa m\sk\ca n\en

       Typically, an \anotes command generates several conventional note-spac-
       ing commands.

       If the infile argument does not have an .aspc extension, input is taken
       from infile.aspc if that file exists.

       If the outfile argument does not have a .tex extension, output is  sent
       to  outfile.tex.  If no outfile argument is provided, output will go to
       infile.tex (or to infile.ltx if a \documentclass declaration is encoun-
       tered).

       For \anotes commands, line breaks and spaces may precede note segments,
       allowing more flexible source formatting; the line  breaks  and  spaces
       will be elided from the output.

       For example,

         \anotes
           \ibl0K0\qb0K\nbbl0\qb0{.K}\tbbbl0\tbbl0\tql0L&
           \ibbl1m{-2}\qb1{.m}\tbbbl1\tbbl1\qb1l\tql1k\en

       is acceptable and generates

         \notesp\ibl0K0\qb0K&\ibbl1m{-2}\qb1{.m}\en
         \nnotes\sk&\tbbbl1\tbbl1\qb1l\en
         \notesp\nbbl0\qb0{.K}&\tql1k\en
         \nnotes\tbbbl0\tbbl0\tql0L&\sk\en

       If  the -l ( --log ) option is used, a very detailed log infile.alog is
       generated.

       If the -d ( --dotted ) option is used, dotted beam notes  of  the  form
       \qb{n}{.p} are not given extra space; it is assumed that the subsequent
       note will be shifted by a \roff-like command or a spacing command  such
       as  \qsk  or  \hqsk.   Commands  of  the  form  \qlp{p}, \qlpp{p}, ...,
       \qpb{n}{p} and \qppb{n}{p} are always spaced as indicated.

       If there is a single staff, consecutive whole-bar rest bars are  merged
       into  a multi-bar rest. Bar-centered rests can be coded using the stan-
       dard \def\atnextbar notation but the non-standard command \Cpause in  a
       note segment also generates a bar-centered rest.

       Spacing  commands  \sk  and  \bsk  in the source are discarded, but not
       "small" skips \hsk, \qsk, \tqsk, \hqsk or \qqsk, or  the  small  "back-
       ward" skips \hbsk, \bqsk, \btsk, or \bhsk.  Moreover, non-standard com-
       mands \QQsk, \HQsk \TQsk and  \Qsk  in  the  source  generate  "global"
       skips;  i.e.,  the effect of \qqsk, \hqsk, \tqsk or \qsk, respectively,
       in every staff. These ensure that staffs remain synchronized  if  addi-
       tional spacing is needed in any staff(s).

       Global skips may also be obtained within collective-coding sequences by
       using up to four successive commas to get the effects of \QQsk,  \HQsk,
       \TQsk or \Qsk, respectively.  Global skips \tqsk (or, for double-flats,
       \qsk) are automatically inserted before  accidentals  ('^',  '_',  '=',
       '<', '>') on collective-coding notes (except when the preceding note is
       "virtual"; i.e., a skip).  If this automatic additional spacing is  not
       wanted  in  some context, it may be avoided by replacing the accidental
       in the collective-coding sequence by any  of  the  explicit  accidental
       commands: \sh, \fl, \na, \smallsh, \bigsh, etc.  If the automatic spac-
       ing is insufficient, the spacing may be increased by adding  sufficient
       commas or using a conventional notes command instead of \anotes.

       A  note  segment  can be completely empty, but if a note segment should
       start with or contain a "space," the note-value of that space  must  be
       made  explicit  with  a  command  of  the form \ha{*}, \qa{.*}, \qa{*},
       \ca{*}, etc.

       From version 2017-06-14, the effects of \TransformNotes calls  are  im-
       plemented  by the autosp pre-processor. This enables use of musixlyr in
       autosp scores; musixlyr.tex is incompatible with the  musixtnt.tex  im-
       plementation of \TransformNotes.

       All other conventional MusiXTeX commands are output exactly as given in
       the input.

OPERATION
       autosp determines the spacing for ordinary notes from the note commands
       themselves; for example,

       +  \qa, \qu, \ql, \qp result in \NOtes;

       +  \ca, \cu, \cl, \ds result in \Notes;

       and so on.

       The spacing for beamed notes is determined by the beam multiplicity, so
       that \ib... results in \Notes, \ibb... results in \notes, etc.

       Collective coding of note sequences (including accidentals and dots) is
       handled  by  expanding  the sequence into a sequence of individual note
       commands.

LIMITATIONS
       autosp  assumes  that  &  and  |  (rather  than   \nextinstrument   and
       \nextstaff) are used to separate instruments and staffs.

       Appoggiaturas  and  grace notes are recognized by the use of \tinynote-
       size; note-spacing of 1.45\elemskip is used. If this isn't suitable and
       can't  be  corrected  with a small skip, a \vnotes command with any de-
       sired spacing can be used.

       autosp  supports  x-tuplets  introduced  using  \xtuplet{x}  or  \xxtu-
       plet{x:y}  and  triplets introduced using any of the following commands
       (regardless of any re-definition of \txt or \tuplettxt):

         \triolet
         \uptrio
         \downtrio
         \uptuplet
         \downtuplet

       autosp assumes that an x-tuplet is to be played in (x-1)/x of  the  ap-
       parent x-tuplet duration.  So, for example, a triplet in eighths is as-
       sumed to be played in the time of one quarter note.  If this assumption
       isn't  valid,  the  x-tuplet  must be coded explicitly using a suitable
       \vnotes command; see the first measure of barsant2.aspc for an  example
       of  a  non-standard  x-tuplet: a 5-tuple of 64th notes with an intended
       duration of six 64ths.

       In some polyrhythmic scores, the \txt numeral may be displaced, even if
       the notes themselves are correctly spaced. In these cases, it is possi-
       ble to suppress the normal output of \txt  by  using  the  non-standard
       commands  \Triolet (no arguments) or \Xtuplet{k}\ and placing a numeral
       at the correct location using \zcn (i.e., \zcharnote).

       autosp can deal with simultaneous x-tuplets in multiple staffs provided
       the x values and total note durations are identical.

       In  some  baroque scores, particularly by J.S. Bach, a beamed sixteenth
       note is vertically aligned with the third note of a triplet  of  eighth
       notes in another staff (implying that they should be sounded simultane-
       ously); e.g.,

           \ibl0L0\qb0{.L}\tqql0L

       would be played as if notated

           \uptrio{b}10\ql L\hroff{\cl L}

       The following coding will align the  beamed  sixteenth  note  with  the
       third note of a triplet in another staff:

           \ibl0L0\qb0{.L}\hbsk\tqql0L

       and, similarly, for triplets of sixteenth notes:

           \ibbu0J0\qb0{.J}\hbsk\nqqqu0J\qb0{.J}\hbsk\tqqqu0J

       Generally,  user-defined macros are not processed or expanded; however,
       definitions of the form

           \def\atnextbar{\znotes ... \en}

       generate definitions that do take account of \TransformNotes.

       All staffs are assumed to have the same meter; see kinder2.aspc for  an
       example of how to work around this.

       autosp  may  not  be  effective for music with more than one voice in a
       single staff. It might be advisable to use a separate  staff  for  each
       voice,  to avoid \anotes when necessary, or to omit certain voices ini-
       tially and add them into the resulting TeX file.

EXAMPLES
       See files quod2.aspc, kinder2.aspc,  geminiani.aspc  and  barsant2.aspc
       for  scores  suitable for input to autosp.  The program tex2aspc can be
       used to convert "legacy" MusiXTeX scores to .aspc format.

SEE ALSO
       msxlint(1) tex2aspc(1)

       musixdoc.pdf

AUTHOR
       This  program  and  manual   page   were   written   by   Bob   Tennent
       <rdt@cs.queensu.ca>.

                                  2018-02-14                         AUTOSP(1)