xi2 is a plain text language that compiles to MIDI.

Usage

Notes are expressed as numbers. By default, an offset of 60 is applied, so 0 is 60 in MIDI, which is c3.

Beats are separated by comma:

0: 0,2,4,5,7,9,11,12,

You can leave a beat empty or use - to hold the previous note:

0: 0, ,0,0,7,-,-,-,

Beats can be subdivided using parens. Notes that are grouped this way are evenly spaced, so e.g. grouping 3 notes gives you triplets:

0: (0,0),(4,4,4),(7,7,7,7),12,

Notes can also be played at the same time (chords) using curly braces:

0: {0,4,7},{0,4,9},{0,5,9},{2,7,11},

Each track has its own line. Sections are separated by a blank line. Whitespace inside lines is ignored, so you can align the tracks:

0: 12,      (16, 21), -,       (23,19,14),
8: {0,4,7}, {0,4,9},  {0,5,9}, {2,7,11},

0: (16,19), (16,21), (-,17),  (19,23),
8: {0,4,7}, {0,4,9}, {0,5,9}, {2,7,11},

Macros allow you to reuse patterns without having to write them again and again. xi2 supports both single-line and multi-line patterns:

[C]: {0,4,7}
[G]: {7,11,14}

[intro]:
0: [C],[C],[G],[C],
[end]

[intro]
[intro]

Instead of notes you can also include strings for lyrics. Be aware that whitespace will be ignored, so you should use _ instead:

0: (9   ,,),(2    ,-,5   ),4  ,0   ,
l: (Pop_,,),(goes_,-,the_),Wea,sel.,

similar projects

• drumscript
• lilypond