JSPM – chorus@0.6.1

Package Exports

chorus

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Readme

Chorus.js: Music Composition in JavaScript

Features

Compose music with Node.js
Harmony-based sequencing using scales and chord progressions
Multitrack MIDI output
- real-time MIDI - control MIDI instruments like synthesizers
- MIDI files - capture musical ideas for later use
Microtonal support

Browser support is planned at some point.

Requirements

Node.js v6 or higher
Optional: compilation tools for native dependencies
- If you want real-time MIDI output, follow node-gyp's installation instructions
- Otherwise, ignore non-fatal errors during installation. You can still use MIDI file output

Installation

  npm install chorus

Note: If you setup the native dependencies for real-time MIDI output after installation, you must reinstall chorus.

Quick Start Guide

Chorus.js (currently) does not make any sound on it's own. It outputs MIDI, a standard format for controlling music software & hardware. Let's see how it works.

Create the file simple-song.js in the folder where you installed chorus:

# simple-song.js
const { Song, Output } = require('chorus');
require('chorus/names').into(global);

const song = new Song({
  sections: [{
    parts: [{
      pitches: [C4, D4, E4, F4, G4, F4, E4, D4, C4],
    }]
  }]
});

Output.select().then(output => output.play(song));

Don't worry if this doesn't make sense yet. We'll explore everything in the tutorials below.

NOTE: require('chorus/names').into(global) adds global constants, so we can write C4 instead of PITCHES.C4. This is convenient but potentially dangerous, and not recommended in complex projects that combine chorus.js with other libraries. The {@tutorial 07-under-the-hood} tutorial will explain how to avoid this. For now, let's continue...

TODO: Need absolute url to tutorial ^

Output.select() allows us to choose real-time or file output. To see usage instructions, run it:

    node simple-song.js

Let's take a closer look at our output options.

MIDI File Output

Run

 node simple-song.js -f simple-song.mid

Open (or drag and drop) simple-song.mid to an app that supports MIDI playback, such as a DAW

For example (assuming you have not changed the default file associations on your OS): * macOS: Double-click a .mid file (or run `open simple-song.mid` in the Terminal) to open in Garage Band and play it * Windows: TODO

Real-time MIDI Output

NOTE: Real-time output requires an optional native dependency to be installed, as explained in the requirements above. If you have trouble installing that, you can use MIDI file output instead.

macOS

Download SimpleSynth and launch it
Select MIDI Source: SimpleSynth virtual input
Run the Chorus examples and select simplesynth as the port.
```
 node simple-song.js -p simplesynth
```

Windows

Run the Chorus.js examples and select Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth as the port.
```
 node simple-song.js -p wavetable
```

Tutorials

Work in progress!

Inter-App MIDI - how to connect to DAWs or standalone synthesizer apps
Rhythm - how to organize time
Pitch & Harmony - how to organize pitch
Song Structure - how to organize song structure
Advanced Features - how to avoid repetition and create variety
Microtonality - how to use more than 12 pitches per octave
Under the Hood - how to hack on chorus.js

chorus