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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 | .tex ] [outfile[.tex]]

       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 is expanded into several conventional note-spacing commands.

       If the infile argument has .tex extension, autosp will process conventional  note-spacing  commands  (but
       not \vnotes or \znotes) similarly.  This is intended to correct spacing in an extracted single-instrument
       part,  but  may  not produce satisfactory output when applied to a conventional multi-instrument MusiXTeX
       score.

       If the infile argument has neither .aspc nor .tex extension, input is taken from infile.aspc if that file
       exists, or from infile.tex otherwise.

       For \anotes commands (and, for a .tex file, all conventional  note-spacing  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 no outfile argument is provided, output goes to infile.tex if the infile name has extension .aspc,  or
       to standard output otherwise.

       If the -l ( --log ) option is used, a 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 also the non-standard command
       \Cpause in a note segment generates a bar-centered rest.

       Spacing commands \sk and \hsk in the source are discarded, but not \qsk, \hqsk or  \qqsk;  moreover  non-
       standard commands \Qsk, \HQsk and \QQsk generate "global" skips; i.e., the effect of \qsk, \hqsk or \qqsk
       in every staff.

       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.

       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 \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} and triplets introduced using any of the following
       commands (regardless of any re-definition of \txt or \tuplettxt):

         \triolet
         \uptrio
         \downtrio
         \uptuplet
         \downtuplet

       However, MusiXTeX notation does not specify the intended duration of an x-tuplet.  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 \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.
       autosp  cannot deal with simultaneous x-tuplets in multiple staffs unless the x values and note durations
       are identical. Global skips (\QQsk, \HQsk and \Qsk) are ineffective if a staff has an x-tuplet;  however,
       "local" skips (\qqsk, \hqsk, \qsk) are effective.

       User-defined macros are not processed or expanded.

       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.

SEE ALSO

       msxlint(1)

       musixdoc.pdf

AUTHOR

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

                                                   2017-04-06                                          AUTOSP(1)