MewMMLPad

This page reads through real MML pieces, one at a time, and explains which commands produce which effects. For the spec of each command on its own, see the MML Reference.

Ubiquitous Letters

A demo piece by mewlist. It uses 8 channels (A–H), interleaving bass, lead, pad, and arpeggio. Source: Gist

Full text

# Ubiquitous Letters - mewlist
A T135

ABCDEFGH {=*} PC $glissando=32 $BendRange=2

A L16 Q1 PL64 $Accent=On V100 v60
B L16 Q8 LV12 $accent=on V60  v30
C L16 Q8 LV12 $accent=on V50  v30
D L1  Q8                 V127 
E L1  Q8                 V100
F L1  Q8                 V64
G L1  Q8                 V32  K7
H L16 Q1                 V127 PR64 

% SeqA !Xxrx ) rxXx ) rrXr ) rxXr ( Xxrx ( rxXx ( rxxr rXxr

A o3 [C ^g >d E <E ^b >g  D<]4
A o3 [C ^g >d E <E ^b >g  D<]4
A o3 [C-^g >d E <E ^b >a  G<]4
A o3 [C-^g >d E <E ^b >g- D<]4
B o5 !X{D}  [%SeqA]4
C o5 !X{E}  [%SeqA]2
C o5 !X{G}  [%SeqA]1
C o5 !X{G-} [%SeqA]1
D o2 a1+1  x_4>c1+1 <b1+1  x_4>d1+1
E o3 e1+1  x_4 g1+1  g1+1  x_4 a1+1
F o4 <a2  x_4>c1+1  x_4e1+1  d1+1 ~ f#&x2
G o4 <a2  x_4>c1+1  x_4e1+1  d1+1 ~ g&x2
H o4 [ v100 [ {g^>cef#gb<}2   (50 ]2 r1 ]2
H o4 [ v100 [ {d^g>df#a>d<<}2 (50 ]2 r1 ]2

Let’s read through it from the top.

Line 1: comment

# Ubiquitous Letters - mewlist

Lines that start with # are ignored. Useful for the title or author. Comments after ; work the same way.

Tempo

A T135

Channel A sets T135 — tempo 135 BPM. T moves the BPM slider for standalone playback. It is ignored inside a DAW, where the DAW’s tempo wins.

Common initialization across all channels

ABCDEFGH {=*} PC $glissando=32 $BendRange=2

This is the key idea: concatenating channel letters applies the same commands to all of them. Anything following ABCDEFGH (with a space) takes effect on channels A through H.

Per-channel initial settings

A L16 Q1 PL64 $Accent=On V100 v60
B L16 Q8 LV12 $accent=on V60  v30
C L16 Q8 LV12 $accent=on V50  v30
D L1  Q8                 V127 
E L1  Q8                 V100
F L1  Q8                 V64
G L1  Q8                 V32  K7
H L16 Q1                 V127 PR64 

Each channel sets its “default length / gate / pan / velocity” in one line.

A few places use lowercase $accent=on; the value is interpreted the same way.

Alias (macro) definition

% SeqA !Xxrx ) rxXx ) rrXr ) rxXr ( Xxrx ( rxXx ( rxxr rXxr

Lines starting with % are alias (macro) definitions. SeqA packs a 16-note rhythm pattern under one name.

Breaking the body down:

So the pattern alternates “X / x / r” while pushing velocity ) ) ) ( ( ( — a crescendo into a decrescendo across the same rhythm.

Channel A: main melody + slurs

A o3 [C ^g >d E <E ^b >g  D<]4
A o3 [C ^g >d E <E ^b >g  D<]4
A o3 [C-^g >d E <E ^b >a  G<]4
A o3 [C-^g >d E <E ^b >g- D<]4

• o3 sets the starting octave to 3 (lowercase o also works).
• [ ... ]4 repeats four times.
• ^ is slur: C ^g means “play C, then go to g without re-attacking”.
• > and < raise/lower the octave per note.
• C- is C♭ (flat). The - goes after the note name (e.g. g- is g♭).
• Lining up four similar lines with small variations gives subtle motion within a longer phrase.

Channels B, C: rhythmic parts using variables and macros

B o5 !X{D}  [%SeqA]4
C o5 !X{E}  [%SeqA]2
C o5 !X{G}  [%SeqA]1
C o5 !X{G-} [%SeqA]1

This expands !X inside SeqA to that channel’s note name (D / E / G / G♭). Variables are per-channel, so X on B and X on C are independent.

Channel C cycles [%SeqA]2 → [%SeqA]1 → [%SeqA]1, swapping the variable between E → G → G♭ to vary the phrase across four rounds.

Channels D, E: long tones + pitch bend

D o2 a1+1  x_4>c1+1 <b1+1  x_4>d1+1
E o3 e1+1  x_4 g1+1  g1+1  x_4 a1+1

New tokens here:

So it alternates “hold for 2 bars → bend into the next note → hold for 2 bars” — a bass-line shape.

The pitch-bend syntax is source(delay) _ (transition) target(total_length):

• x = source (re-trigger previous pitch)
• _4 = delay = quarter note (you can also read it as “spend the remaining time bending”)
• >c1+1 = target

For the full syntax, see the pitch bend section of the MML Reference.

Channels F, G: pads with glissando

F o4 <a2  x_4>c1+1  x_4e1+1  d1+1 ~ f#&x2
G o4 <a2  x_4>c1+1  x_4e1+1  d1+1 ~ g&x2

New symbols:

Channel G had K7 set at the start, so the notes you read are shifted up 7 semitones. F and G share the same melodic shape, but F is in the original key and G stacks a perfect fifth above — they overlap deliberately.

Channel H: fast arpeggios with tuplets

H o4 [ v100 [ {g^>cef#gb<}2   (50 ]2 r1 ]2
H o4 [ v100 [ {d^g>df#a>d<<}2 (50 ]2 r1 ]2

The key idea here is the tuplet { }.

The outer [ ... ]2 double loop runs “arpeggio ×2 → decrescendo → whole rest” twice. Writing a slightly different second line on the same pattern gives you A-section / B-section style alternation.

Quick reference of features used here

If you’ve followed along, you have hands-on exposure to the following commands. For the full spec, see the MML Reference.

Structural

• Multi-channel writing (ABCDEFGH ...)
• Repeat [...]N, nestable
• Alias % Name body, expand with %Name
• Variable !X{value} inline, expand with !X (per-channel)

Pitch and length

• Octave: On / < / >
• Accidentals: C+ C# C- C=
• Length arithmetic: 1+1, 4-32, etc.
• Re-trigger same pitch: X / x (accent-aware)
• Rest: R / r

Expression

• Slur ^ — connect at full gate
• Tie & — behavior set by $TieMode
• Pitch bend _ — flexible source / transition / total length
• Glissando ~ — chromatic interpolation
• Tuplet {...}N

Settings

• Default length L, gate Q, pan P / PL / PR / PC
• Key shift K, key signature {=*} {+f} {-eab}
• Accent $Accent=On + uppercase / lowercase V / v
• Nudge step LV (= lv), ( ) to nudge
• Bend range $BendRange
• Default glissando $glissando

Next steps

Once you’ve copied the sample and gotten it running, try these:

• Change the tempo: turn T135 into T90 or T180.
• Change the tone: open Settings in the header and pick a different waveform and ADSR per channel.
• Change the key: shift K7 to K3 or K-5 and listen to the difference.
• Rewrite the macro: change the body of % SeqA ... to alter the rhythm of all four channels at once.

Once you’re comfortable, start by building your own short macros and variables to make rhythm patterns — that’s the path to writing structured MML.