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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  ...),  determined  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-spacing 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 encountered).

       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 standard \def\atnextbar notation  but  the
       non-standard  command  \Cpause  (or  \Cp)  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 "backward" skips \hbsk, \bqsk, \btsk, or \bhsk.
       Moreover, non-standard commands \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 additional 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 spacing 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 implemented by the
       autosp pre-processor. This enables use of  musixlyr  in  autosp  scores;  musixlyr.tex  is
       incompatible with the musixtnt.tex implementation 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.

       autosp scales notes by the relevant instrument-size value.

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 \tinynotesize; 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 desired spacing can be used.

       autosp  supports  x-tuplets  introduced  using  \xtuplet{x} or \xxtuplet{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 apparent x-tuplet
       duration.  So, for example, a triplet in eighths is assumed 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 possible  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 simultaneously); 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 initially 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>.

                                            2021-01-07                                  AUTOSP(1)