Sessions

Import an instrument or effect from an external library.

Examples

Use piano from core library:

session.use('core.instrument.piano');

Use piano from core library and name it "piano-1":

session.use('core.instrument.piano').as('piano-1');

Proxied syntax:

session.use.instrument('piano').from.library('core');
session.use.instrument('piano').from.library('core').as('piano-1');

Low-level syntax:

session.use({
  name: 'piano',
  collection: 'instruments',
  source: 'library',
  libraryName: 'core',
  composer: 'instrument'
});

Compose an instrument.

Compose a track.

Compose a musical phrase.

Compose an effect.

Route the output of one node to the input of another.

Each session requires at least 2 types of sends in order to produce audio-- instruments to tracks, and tracks to main.

Examples

Send an instrument to a track:

session.send.instrument('electric-guitar').to.track('lead-guitar');

Send a track to main:

session.send.track('lead-guitars').to.main();

Send two instruments to the same track to play the same notes:

session.send.instrument('electric-guitar').to.track('lead-guitars');
session.send.instrument('acoustic-guitar').to.track('lead-guitars');

Add reverb to a track:

session.effect('lead-guitars-reverb', ...);

session.send.track('lead-guitars').to.effect('lead-guitars-reverb');
session.send.effect('lead-guitars-reverb').to.main();

Chain multiple effects to a single track:

session.effect('lead-guitars-reverb', ...);
session.effect('lead-guitars-phaser', ...);
session.effect('lead-guitars-delay', ...);

session.send.track('lead-guitars').to.effect('lead-guitars-reverb');
session.send.effect('lead-guitars-reverb').to.effect('lead-guitars-phaser');
session.send.effect('lead-guitars-phaser').to.effect('lead-guitars-delay');
session.send.effect('lead-guitars-delay').to.main();

Create a master effect chain by adding an intermediary track before main:

session('master-effect-chain', ({session}) => {

  // ...instruments
  // ...tracks

  // Main effects
  session.effect('main-reverb', () { // ... });
  session.effect('main-phaser', () { // ... });
  session.effect('main-delay', () { // ... });

  // This track contains no notes; it's for routing only
  session.track('main-fx', () => {});

  session.send.track('lead-guitar').to.track('main-fx');
  session.send.track('bass').to.track('main-fx');
  session.send.track('drums').to.track('main-fx');
  session.send.track('xylophone').to.track('main-fx');
 
  session.send.effect('main-fx').to.effect('main-phaser');
  session.send.effect('main-phaser').to.effect('main-delay');
  session.send.effect('main-delay').to.main();

});

Alternatively, patches can be created using send() directly:

session.send({
  inputType: 'track',
  input: 'drums',
  outputType: 'effect',
  output: 'drums-reverb'
})

Name a specific place on the timeline.

session('example', ({ session }) => {
  session.at(0).annotate('intro');

  session.track('drums', ({ track }) => {
    track.at('intro').play.phrase('jam-beat');
  });
});

Set meter (time signature).

Examples

Set meter to 4/4:

session.at(0).meter([4, 4])

Change to 6/8 at measure 25:

session.at(25).meter([6, 8])

Set swing amount.

Examples

Traditional swing:

session.at(0).swing(0.5);

Mellower swing for vibin':

session.at(0).swing(0.25);

Set tempo in beats per minute.

session.at(0).tempo(160);

Set root note of key signature. Accepts any valid ABC note.

Examples:

Play song in key of D:

session.at(0).key('D');

Play song in key of D, but in octave 2 instead of 4 (default):

session.at(0).key('D2');

Change key signatures throughout composition:

session.at(0).key('D').scale('major');
session.at(20).key('Eb').scale('minor');
session.at(30).key('G').scale('minor');

Set the scale part of the key signature. Accepts any valid mode:

• Major (Ionian)
• Dorian
• Phrygian
• Lydian
• Mixolydian
• Minor (Aeolian)
• Locrean

Examples

Play song in D minor:

session.at(0).key('D').scale('minor');

Play song in A major, but in octave 2 instead of 4 (default):

session.at(0).key('A2').scale('major');

Change key signatures throughout composition:

session.at(0).key('D').scale('major');
session.at(20).key('Eb').scale('minor');
session.at(30).key('G').scale('minor');

Select a position on the timeline by measure, beat and subdivision.

Positions begin from 0, meaning that "measure 1, beat 1" in spoken word implies "measure 0, beat 0" in Harmonicon.

Examples

Set tempo to 120 at the beginning of song:

session('my-song', ({ session }) => {
  session.at(0).tempo(120);
})

Play a C# on beat 2 of measure 1:

track('my-song', ({ session }) => {
  track.at(1, 2).play(quarter.note('C#'));
})

Trigger multiple actions at the same position:

track('my-song', ({ session }) => {
  session.at(0)
    .meter([ 4, 4 ])
    .tempo(120)
    .key('C')
})