Parameters can be set in various contexts. All parameters have default values, so that you need to explicitly set them only if you want some value other than the default value.
Some parameters can be set only in the score context. Others can be set in either score or staff contexts. A few can be set in score, staff, or voice context. If a given parameter can be set in several contexts, the value is that of the parameter at the most specific context in which it is set. For example, if Mup is working on musical data for voice 2 of staff 5, and it needs to look up the value of a parameter, it will first see if that parameter has been set in context "voice 5 2". If so, it will use that value. If not, it will see if the parameter was set in context "staff 5". If that has not been set either, it will use the value from the score context. The score context initially has all parameters set to their default values.
Parameters are set by the following syntax:
parameter_name=value
Several parameters can be set on a single line by separating them with
a semicolon. For example:
staffs=2 ; key=2& ; time=2/4
The parameters are listed below in alphabetical order. For each, the description includes the parameter's name, legal values, default value, and contexts in which the parameter can be set, along with an example of its usage. If there are other related parameters, they are referenced as well.
specify in what order to stack items that are printed above a staff. The value is a comma-separated list of all the types of things that can be printed above a staff. Items are stacked in the order listed, starting from just above the staff and working upward. If you want several types to be handled as a single category, with all types in the category having the same stacking priority, separate them with an ampersand rather than a comma. The ampersand cannot be used with lyrics, ending, or reh. The dyn category applies to crescendo and decrescendo marks (from "<" and ">" statements) as well as text with the dyn modifier. The chord category applies to text with chord, analysis, or figbass modifiers. The othertext category applies to rom, bold, ital, and boldital items that do not have a chord, analysis, figbass, or dyn modifier. If you omit any categories, they will be stacked last, in their default order.
Value: mussym, octave, dyn, othertext, chord, lyrics, ending, reh
Default value: mussym, octave, dyn & othertext & chord, lyrics, ending, reh
Context: score, staff
Example:
aboveorder = mussym, lyrics, dyn, octave, othertext, chord, ending, reh
Related parameters: beloworder, betweenorder, chorddist, dist, dyndist
specify by what additional interval to transpose the music data. There is another parameter called just transpose. Typically you would use the transpose parameter to change the key of individual staffs (for transposing instruments), and then use the addtranspose parameter if you want to change the key of the entire score. But either of these parameters can be used either way. In any case, for each staff, and for the score, the values of transpose and addtranspose are "added" to find the transposition for that staff or score. The interval can be larger than an octave, but must be a valid interval (e.g., there is no such thing as a perfect 6th). It is an error to specify a transposition value which would result in a key signature with more than 7 flats or sharps. It is also an error if transposition would result in a note requiring a triple sharp or triple flat.
Value: the word "up" or "down," followed by an interval and a whole number greater than 0. The interval is one of major, minor, augmented, diminished, or perfect. The intervals can be abbreviated to their first 3 letters (maj, min, aug, dim, or per). The section on transposition lists transposition intervals and gives further details. Depending on which key signature you are transposing from, some transposition intervals may not work because they result in more than 7 flats or sharps.
Default value: up perfect 1 (i.e., no transposition)
Context: score, staff
Examples:
addtranspose = down major 3
addtranspose = up perfect 5
Related parameters: key, transpose
specifies which staffs are to have their bar lines connected together. When drawing bar lines, a continuous vertical line will be drawn from the top line of the top staff in a range to the bottom line of the bottom staff of the range. Any staff not listed will be barred by itself, with the bar line spanning only the height of the staff.
Value: a comma-separated list of staff numbers and/or ranges of staff numbers. Staff numbers can be from 1 to the value of the "staffs" parameter. A range is a pair of numbers separated by a dash. A given staff number can be specified only once, and there can be no overlapping between ranges.
Default value: each visible staff barred individually
Context: score
Example:
barstyle = 1-2, 5-8
Related parameters: staffs, visible
allows you to control the slope of beams. Two values must be given, separated by a comma. Mup calculates an appropriate slope for beams by applying a linear regression algorithm that uses the positions of the note heads within the beam. The first value supplied for the beamslope parameter is a factor by which to multiply the default slope that Mup calculates. The minimum value of 0.0 would cause all beams to be horizontal, whereas the maximum value of 1.0 will use the slope Mup calculates. Intermediate values will yield beams that are less slanted than the default slope calculation. The second value given to the beamslope parameter is the maximum angle for the beam, in degrees. If the originally calculated value multiplied by the factor yields an angle of greater than this maximum angle, the maximum angle will be used. Cross-staff beams that are between staffs are allowed to have a slope up to 1.4 times the value of the slope of the maximum angle, since they face more constraints.
Value: 0.0 to 1.0 for the factor, and 0.0 to 45.0 for the maximum angle
Default value: 1.0, 25.0
Context: score, staff, voice
Example:
beamslope=0.8,20
specifies how to beam eighth notes or shorter. It is specified as a list of time values. Any number of notes up to each time value will be beamed together. For example, in 4/4 time, with beamstyle=4,4,4,4 each quarter note worth of shorter notes would be beamed together. However, beams would not span across beats. As another example, for an input of 4.; 8; 8; 4.; the two eighth notes would not be beamed together, because they span beats. If beamstyle had been specified as 4,2,4 then the eighth notes would be beamed. Normally, beams also end whenever a rest or space is encountered. However, if an "r" is placed at the end of the list of time values, Mup will beams across rests of less than quarter note duration. It is possible to specify subbeams, or secondary groupings within a beam, by enclosing a list of time values in parentheses. In this case, the outer beam extends for the sum of the values in the parentheses, while inner beams extend only for the individual values within the parentheses. For example, if you set beamstyle=(4,4),(4,4) and then have a measure that consists of all 16th notes, the first 8 notes would be connected by an outer beam, as would the last 8 notes, but the second (inner) beams would cover only 4 notes each. The parentheses cannot be nested. It is possible to override this default beaming style within a specific measure. See the section on Custom Beaming for examples of how to obtain various kinds of beaming.
Value: a comma-separated list of time values that add up to a measure. Time values are specified as 4 for a quarter note, 2 for half note, etc, and can be dotted if necessary. The list can optionally be followed by an "r" to indicate beams should span rests. Two or more of the time values may be enclosed in parentheses, to indicate sub-groupings of inner (secondary) beams within outer (primary) beams. If the value is empty, automatic beaming is turned off.
Default value: no beams; each note of eighth or shorter duration is individually flagged.
Context: score, staff, and voice
Examples:
beamstyle = 4,4,4,4
beamstyle = 2.
beamstyle = 2, 2 r // beam across rests
beamstyle = (4., 4., 4.) // one outer beam per measure,
// with inner beams broken at each dotted quarter duration
beamstyle = // turn off beaming
specify in what order to stack items that are printed below a staff. The value is a comma-separated list of all the types of things that can be printed below a staff. Items are stacked in the order listed, starting from just below the staff and working downward. If you want several types to be handled as a single category, with all types in the category having the same stacking priority, separate them with an ampersand rather than a comma. The ampersand cannot be used with lyrics or pedal. The dyn category applies to crescendo and decrescendo marks (from "<" and ">" statements) as well as text with the dyn modifier. The chord category applies to text with chord, analysis, or figbass modifiers. The othertext category applies to rom, bold, ital, and boldital items that do not have a chord, analysis, figbass, or dyn modifier. If you omit any categories, they will be stacked last, in their default order.
Value: mussym, octave, dyn, othertext, chord, lyrics, pedal
Default value: mussym, octave, dyn & othertext & chord, lyrics, pedal
Context: score, staff
Example:
beloworder = mussym, lyrics, dyn, octave, othertext, chord, pedal
Related parameters: aboveorder, betweenorder, chorddist, dist, dyndist
specify in what order to stack items that are printed between two staffs. The value is a comma-separated list of all the types of things that can be printed between staffs. Items are stacked in the order listed, starting from a baseline and working upward. If you want several types to be handled as a single category, with all types in the category having the same stacking priority, separate them with an ampersand rather than a comma. The ampersand cannot be used with lyrics. The dyn category applies to crescendo and decrescendo marks (from "<" and ">" statements) as well as text with the dyn modifier. The chord category applies to text with chord, analysis, or figbass modifiers. The othertext category applies to rom, bold, ital, and boldital items that do not have a chord, analysis, figbass, or dyn modifier. If you omit any categories, they will be stacked last, in their default order.
Value: mussym, dyn, othertext, chord, lyrics,
Default value: mussym, dyn & othertext & chord, lyrics
Context: score, staff
Example:
betweenorder = mussym, lyrics, dyn & othertext, chord
Related parameters: aboveorder, beloworder, chorddist, dist, dyndist
sets the amount of white space margin to put at the bottom of each page. It is specified in inches if the units parameter is set to inches, or in centimeters if the units parameter is set to cm. This parameter can be set only before any music data has been specified. Margins are unaffected by the "scale" parameter.
Value: 0.0 to pageheight minus 0.5 inches
Default value: 0.5 inches
Context: score
Example:
botmargin = 0.8
Related parameters: leftmargin, rightmargin, topmargin pageheight units
specifies which staffs are to be grouped together with a brace to the left of the score. If there is a string given in parentheses, that string will be used as the label to print on the next score, left of the bracket at its vertical center. If there is a second string, that will be used as the label for succeeding scores.
Value: a comma-separated list of staffs and/or staff ranges, each optionally followed by one or two double-quoted strings enclosed in parentheses. If there are two strings, they are separated by a comma. Staff numbers can range from 1 to the value of the "staffs" parameter. A given staff number can be specified only once, and there can be no overlapping between ranges. Giving no value will result in no braces on any staffs.
Default value: no staffs are grouped by braces.
Context: score
Examples:
brace = 3-4
brace = 1, 2-3, 4, 5-6
brace = 1-2 ("piano"), 3 ("cello")
brace = 1-2 ("Primo", "I")
brace = // no braces at all (the default)
Related parameters: bracket, label, label2, staffs
specifies which staffs are to be grouped together with a bracket to the left of the score. If there is a string given in parentheses, that string will be used as the label to print on the next score, left of the bracket at its vertical center. If there is a second string, that will be used as the label for succeeding scores.
Value: a comma-separated list of staffs and/or staff ranges, each optionally followed by one or two double-quoted strings enclosed in parentheses. If there are two strings, they are separated by a comma. Staff numbers can range from 1 to the value of the "staffs" parameter. A bracket range can overlap another bracket range, as long as one range is a proper subset of the other. Giving no value will result in no brackets on any staffs.
Default value: no staffs are grouped by brackets.
Context: score
Examples:
bracket = 6-7
bracket = 17, 21-23
bracket = 8-9 ("SATB")
bracket = 10-12 ("Strings", "Str")
bracket = // no brackets at all (the default)
Related parameters: brace, label, label2, staffs
When set to y, when a key changes, any sharps or flats in the previous key that are not part of the new key will be canceled by printing natural signs, before printing the new key signature. When set to n, the naturals will only be printed if the new key has no sharps or flats.
Value: y or n
Default value: n
Context: score, staff
Example:
cancelkey=y
Related parameters: key
sets minimum distance from staff to place chords. When chord marks are printed, they will be placed no closer to the staff than the value of this parameter. This can be used to reduce the ragged effect of having some chord marks much higher than others, because other things were in their way. If a specific chord mark has to be moved farther away than this parameter to avoid running into something, that will still happen, but any others will come out at the level specified by this parameter. This parameter may be overridden on specific items. The section on tempo, dynamic marks, ornaments, etc gives details on how to do this.
Value: a whole number between 0 and 50 inclusive, given in stepsizes.
Default value: 3
Context: score, staff
Example:
chorddist = 4
Related parameters: dyndist, dist, scorepad, scoresep
sets the clef to use. Changing a clef may also change the default octave (see the "defoct" parameter below).
Value: treble, treble8, 8treble, frenchviolin, soprano, mezzosoprano, alto, tenor, baritone or bass. The treble8 clef looks like a treble clef with an 8 below it, and refers to notes that are an octave lower than a normal treble clef. The 8treble clef looks like a treble clef with an 8 above it, and refers to notes that are an octave higher than a normal treble clef. If the stafflines parameter includes the "drum" keyword, then the value of this clef parameter is only used for determining the placement of notes on the staff, with the drum (or "neutral") clef actually printed.
Default value: treble
Context: score, staff
Example:
clef = alto
Related parameters: defoct, stafflines
This parameter is obsolete; it has been replaced by the dyndist parameter.
sets the default octave for any note which does not have an explicit octave specified. An octave goes from C up to the next B, with octave 4 being the octave beginning on middle C. If the clef is changed on a staff, the default octave is changed to match the new clef.
Value: a number from 0 to 9 inclusive. Octave 4 is the octave beginning at middle C.
Default value: the octave containing the note represented by the middle line of the staff given the current clef. (Octave 5 for frenchviolin and 8treble; octave 4 for treble, soprano, mezzosoprano, and alto clefs; octave 3 for treble8, tenor, baritone and bass clefs).
Context: score, staff, voice
Example:
defoct = 3
sets minimum distance from staff to place rom, bold, ital, and boldital items, and rehearsal marks. When these items are printed, they will be placed no closer to the staff than the value of this parameter. This can be used to reduce the ragged effect of having some items much higher than others, because other things were in their way. If a specific item has to be moved farther away than this parameter to avoid running into something, that will still happen, but any others will come out at the level specified by this parameter. If an item is also a chord, the chorddist parameter will be used instead of dist. This parameter may be overridden on specific items. The sections on tempo, dynamic marks, ornaments, etc and on rehearsal marks give details on how to do this.
Value: a whole number between 0 and 50 inclusive, given in stepsizes.
Default value: 2
Context: score, staff
Example:
dist = 6
Related parameters: chorddist, dyndist, scorepad, scoresep
sets MIDI division (number of clock ticks per quarter note). This typically has a value of 192 or 384.
Value: 1 to 1536
Default value: 192
Context: score
Example:
division = 384
sets minimum distance from staff to place crescendo and decrescendo marks. and text that is marked "dyn." When these items are printed, they will be placed no closer to the staff than the value of this parameter. This can be used to reduce the ragged effect of having some items much higher than others, because other things were in their way. If a specific item has to be moved farther away than this parameter to avoid running into something, that will still happen, but any others will come out at the level specified by this parameter. This parameter may be overridden on specific items. The section on tempo, dynamic marks, ornaments, etc gives details on how to do this.
Value: a whole number between 0 and 50 inclusive, given in stepsizes.
Default value: 2
Context: score, staff
Example:
dyndist = 4
Related parameters: chorddist, dist, scorepad, scoresep
controls how first and second endings are placed. This parameter also controls where measure numbers and rehearsal marks are placed. A value of "top" means that the endings and similar marks will be shown only above the top visible staff. A value of "barred" means these marks will be shown above each set of staffs that is barred together. Each staff that is barred individually will also have the ending shown above it. (See the "barstyle" parameter above.) A value of "grouped" means the marks will be shown above the top visible staff of each range of staffs that are joined by a brace or bracket. In all cases, at least the top visible staff will have endings shown above it.
Value: top, barred, or grouped
Default value: top
Context: score
Example:
endingstyle = grouped
Related parameters: barstyle, brace, bracket, measnum, rehstyle, visible
specifies what to number the first page. This value can be overridden by the -p command line option.
Value: 1 to 5000
Default value: 1
Context: score
Example:
firstpage = 12
specifies which font to use for print, left, right, center, and title statements, and "with" lists (i.e., strings that are associated with a particular chord).
Value: rom, ital, bold, or boldital
Default value: rom
Context: score, staff, header, footer, header2, footer2
Example:
font = boldital
Related parameters: fontfamily, lyricsfont, lyricsfontfamily, size
specifies what font family to use for print, left, right, center, and title statements and "with" lists (i.e., strings that are associated with a particular chord).
Value: avantgarde, bookman, courier, helvetica, newcentury, palatino, times
Default value: times
Context: score, staff, header, footer, header2, footer2
Example:
fontfamily=palatino
Related parameters: font, lyricsfont, lyricsfontfamily
specifies when to print fret numbers on grids. Normally, the top line of a grid represents the nut. However, if the fingering for a chord is rather far up the neck, it is customary to have the top line of the grid represent some other fret, and print a fret number and "fr" next to the grid, showing the actual fret of the rightmost fret mark. This parameter controls when Mup begins using this alternate format. Whenever all the frets of a chord are greater than or equal to the value specified for this parameter, and there are no strings marked "o", the "fr" notation is used. If no value is set for this parameter, the grid will just be made as tall as necessary to accommodate the chord's frets.
Value: 2 to 99, or not set
Default value: 4
Context: score, staff
Example:
gridfret = 3
gridfret =
Related parameters: gridsatend, gridscale, gridswhereused,
specifies whether to print guitar grids at the end of the song. If set to "y" grids for all of the chords used in the song will be printed.
Value: y or n
Default value: n
Context: score
Example:
gridsatend = y
Related parameters: gridfret, gridscale, gridswhereused
specifies how large to make grids, relative to their default size. For example, a value of 0.5 will make them 1/2 their default size. The default size for grid printed for grids summarized at the end of the song (the gridsatend parameter) is larger than the default size for those printed with the music (the gridswhereused parameter).
Value: 0.1 to 10.0
Default value: 1.0
Context: score, staff
Example:
gridscale = 0.5
Related parameters: gridsatend, gridfret, gridswhereused, scale, staffscale
specifies whether to print guitar grids along with chords where they appear in the song. If set to "y" each text item with the chord modifier will have a grid printed below its name.
Value: y or n
Default value: n
Context: score, staff
Example:
gridswhereused = y
Related parameters: gridfret, gridsatend, gridscale
sets the key to the specified number of sharps (#) or flats (&).
Value: a number from 0 to 7, followed by # or &, optionally followed by "major" or "minor" or their abbreviations "maj" or "min". 0& and 0# are equivalent. The "major" or "minor" is only used for MIDI file purposes.
Default value: 0# major
Context: score, staff
Example:
key = 3&
Related parameters: stafflines, transpose, addtranspose
specify a label to be printed to the left of the staff on the next score. If there is also a brace or bracket label, that label will be to the left of this label. There is a label2 parameter that is used on subsequent scores. In addition to being used for the very first score of a song, this label parameter might be used to clearly mark a change in instrumentation or voices for a particular staff. The label2 would typically be changed at the same time, giving a more abbreviated label. For example, you might set label="Tenor/Bass" and label2="TB"
Value: a text string enclosed in double quotes.
Default value: enough spaces to produce an indent of 1/2 inch
Context: score, staff
Example:
label = "oboe"
Related parameters: brace, bracket, label2
specify a label to be printed to the left of the staff on all scores after the first. If there is also a brace or bracket label, that label will be to the left of this label. If the label parameter is set somewhere, that label will be used for the immediately following score, with this label2 value then used again for subsequent scores.
Value: a text string enclosed in double quotes
Default value: no label
Context: score, staff
Example:
label2 = "Solo"
Related parameters: brace, bracket, label
sets the amount of white space margin to put at the left side of each page. It is specified in inches if the units parameter is set to inches, or in centimeters if the units parameter is set to cm. This parameter can be set only before any music data has been specified. Margins are unaffected by the "scale" parameter.
Value: 0.0 to pagewidth minus 0.5 inches
Default value: 0.5 inches
Context: score
Example:
leftmargin = 0.3
Related parameters: botmargin, rightmargin, topmargin, pagewidth, units
specifies how to align lyric syllables with chords. Its value is the proportion of each syllable to place to the left of the syllable's chord. Thus for example, a value of 0.0 causes the left edge of syllables to be aligned with the chords, whereas a value of 0.5 causes syllables to be centered with the chord, and 1.0 causes the right edge of the syllables to be aligned with the chord.
Value: 0.0 to 1.0
Default value: 0.25
Context: score, staff
Example:
lyricsalign = 0.1
Related parameters: sylposition
sets which font to use for lyrics.
Value: rom, ital, bold, boldital
Default value: rom
Context: score, staff
Example:
lyricsfont = ital
Related parameters: font, lyricssize
specifies what font family to use for lyrics.
Value: avantgarde, bookman, courier, helvetica, newcentury, palatino, times
Default value: times
Context: score, staff
Example:
lyricsfontfamily=helvetica
Related parameters: font, fontfamily, lyricsfont
sets point size to use for lyrics.
Value: a number from 1 to 100
Default value: 12
Context: score, staff
Example:
lyricssize = 10
Related parameters: lyricsfont, lyricsfontfamily, size
specifies whether or not to print measure numbers. If set to "y," the current measure number will be printed at the beginning of each score other than the first. The number will be printed above any scores that would receive ending marks (see "endingstyle" parameter). If set to "n," no measure numbers will be printed. This parameter does not affect rehearsal numbers, which are equal to measure numbers when "mnum" is used.
Value: y or n
Default value: n
Context: score
Example:
measnum = y
Related parameters: endingstyle, .eP
If set to 'y' measure repeats are numbered; if set to 'n' they aren't.
Value: y or n
Default value: y
Context: score, staff
Example:
numbermrpt = n
specifies whether notes for voices 1 and 2 on a 1-line staff are to be placed on the line. If this is set to n, notes with stem up will be placed above the line and notes with stem down will be placed below the line, otherwise both will be placed on the line. For notes that don't have a stem, the rules are applied using the direction the stem would be if there were a stem. This parameter has no effect on 5-line staffs or tablature staffs. Notes for voice 3 are always placed on the line on 1-line staffs, regardless of the value of this parameter.
Value: y or n
Default value: y
Context: score, staff, voice
Example:
ontheline=n
Related parameters: stafflines
sets note expansion factor. This factor controls spacing of notes relative to their time values. If set to 1.0, Mup will try to give a half note twice as much space as a quarter note, a whole note twice as much as a half note, etc. If set to 0.0, a chord's time value will have no impact on its placement. Intermediate values will cause relative spacing between the two extremes. Note that individual chords may get more space than they would theoretically "deserve" if they happen to need extra space to accommodate accidentals, dots, etc.
Value: a number from 0.0 to 1.0 inclusive
Default value: 0.8
Context: score
Example:
packexp = 0.95
Related parameters: packfact, pad
specifies how tightly to pack notes together on output. The smaller the value, the more tightly notes are packed together.
Value: a number from 0.0 to 10.0
Default value: 1.0
Context: score
Example:
packfact = 1.4
Related parameters: packexp, pad
specifies the amount of padding to be added to notes. This can be used to control how tightly things are packed together. Especially if packexp and packfact are very small, notes can get placed very close together. This parameter can be used to always force a minimum amount of space between horizontally adjacent note groups. A value of zero means notes will be allowed to just touch. More positive values cause more space around notes. A negative value will let things actually overlap, so most people will probably never want to use a negative value, but the option is there if you want to do something unusual. This parameter works somewhat like the "pad" value that can be specified for individual note groups, except that it applies to all groups.
Value: a floating point number of stepsizes, -5.0 to 50.0
Default value: 0.3333
Context: score, staff, voice
Example:
pad = 1.76
Related parameters: packexp, packfact
Set the page height. If the units parameter is inches, the value of pageheight is given in inches, or if the units parameter is cm, it is given in centimeters. This can only be set before music data is entered. If the pagewidth and pageheight parameters are set to values that match a standard paper size in landscape mode, the Mup output will be rotated to print properly in landscape mode.
Value: 2.0 to 24.0 inches or 5.0 to 61.0 cm
Default value: 11.0 inches
Context: score
Example:
pageheight = 9
Related parameters: pagewidth, botmargin, topmargin, units
Set the page width. If the units parameter is inches, the value of pagewidth is given in inches, or if the units parameter is cm, it is given in centimeters. This can only be set before music data is entered. If the pagewidth and pageheight parameters are set to values that match a standard paper size in landscape mode, the Mup output will be rotated to print properly in landscape mode.
Value: 2.0 to 24.0 inches or 5.0 to 61.0 cm
Default value: 8.5 inches
Context: score
Example:
pagewidth = 6.5
Related parameters: pageheight, leftmargin, rightmargin, units
Specifies how many pages of music to print on each physical page. This can only be specified before any music input. Note that the pageheight and pagewidth parameters still apply to the physical paper size viewed in portrait mode, even when the panelsperpage value causes the printing to be landscape mode, so you should continue to leave those set as you normally would. The -o command line option may be useful for getting pages printed in desired order. For example, to make a 4-page booklet from a single sheet of paper folded in half, you can use panelsperpage=2, then use -o4,1 to print one side of the paper, and -o2,3 to print the other side.
Value: 1 or 2
Default value: 1
Context: score
Example:
panelsperpage=2
Related parameters: pageheight, pagewidth
Specifies whether to display piano pedal marks with lines or with the word "Ped" and "*". With the "pedstar" style, a "bounce" of the pedal is shown by a "* Ped" whereas with the "alt pedstar" style, only a "Ped" is printed.
Value: line, pedstar, or alt pedstar
Default value: line
Context: score, staff
Example:
pedstyle = pedstar
If set to 'y' multirests are labeled with the number of measure of rest they represent; if set to 'n' they aren't. This would allow you to print some other commentary in place of the number, print it in a different style, etc.
Value: y or n
Default value: y
Context: score, staff
Example:
printmultnum = n
Specifies whether to enclose rehearsal marks inside box, inside a circle, or just as plain text.
Value: boxed, circled, or plain
Default value: boxed
Context: score, staff
Example:
rehstyle = circled
Related parameters: endingstyle
Specifies how soon (in milliseconds) before the full time value of note to release the note when generating MIDI output. This controls how legato (smooth) the music is. A value of 0 will make it very legato. The larger the value, the more detached notes will be. This parameter specifies a maximum amount to shorten notes; a note will never be shortened to less than 75% of its full value.
Value: 0 to 500
Default value: 20
Context: score, staff, voice
Example:
release = 40
If the given number of measures of rest occur in a row, they will be replaced by a multirest. This parameter can be overridden by the -c command line option. See the description of the -c option for more complete information on how the combining is done.
Value: 2 to 1000 or nothing
Default value: not set
Context: score
Example:
restcombine = 5
restcombine = // turn off combining
sets the amount of white space margin to put at the right side of each page. It is specified in inches if the units parameter is set to inches, or in centimeters if the units parameter is set to cm. This parameter can be set only before any music data has been specified. Margins are unaffected by the "scale" parameter.
Value: 0.0 to pagewidth minus 0.5 inches
Default value: 0.5 inches
Context: score
Example:
rightmargin = 0.3
Related parameters: botmargin, leftmargin, topmargin, pagewidth, units
Scale the printed output by the specified factor. For example, scale=2 prints everything twice as large as normal, while scale=0.5 prints everything at half size. This parameter can only be set before any music data has been specified.
Value: A number between 0.1 and 10.0
Default value: 1.0
Context: score
Example:
scale=0.95
Related parameters: packfact, packexp, staffscale
sets the minimum amount of space to leave between scores, accounting for all the things that protrude from both scores. If a negative value is specified, some overlap may occur, although it will still be limited by the value of the scoresep parameter. Specifying a negative value may be particularly useful when things protrude downward from the top score and upward from the bottom score, but at different places horizontally, such that it is actually safe to put the scores closer together without collision, even though Mup can't tell that it is safe. Note, however, that this overrides Mup's protection against real collisions, so this must be used with care to avoid undesired overlaps.
Value: a whole number between negative the height of the page and the height of a page, in stepsizes.
Default value: 2
Context: score
Example:
scorepad = 5
Related parameters: scoresep, staffpad, staffsep
specifies how much space to leave between scores, i.e., between the bottom line of the bottom staff of one score and the top line of the top staff of the following score. Either a single number, giving a minimum amount, or two numbers, giving a minimum and maximum, can be specified. They are specified in stepsizes. If only the minimum is specified, and it is larger than the default maximum of 20, the maximum will be adjusted to equal the minimum. The "minimum" number is used for determining how many scores will go on each page. Then, on each page, scores are spread out as far as the "maximum" number allows. However, the actual distance between a given pair of scores may turn out to be larger than the specified maximum if necessary in order to avoid collisions between items protruding from adjacent scores, or to ensure the amount of white space specified by the "scorepad" parameter is maintained.
Value: one or two whole numbers, in the range from 6 to the height of the page in stepsizes. If there are two numbers, they are separated by a comma, and the second must be greater than or equal to the first.
Default value: 12,20
Context: score
Examples:
scoresep = 25
scoresep = 9,15
Related parameters: scorepad, staffpad, staffsep
specifies what point size to use for text in print, title, left, right, and center statements, and "with" lists (i.e., strings that are associated with a particular chord).
Value: a number from 1 to 100 inclusive
Default value: 12
Context: score, staff, header, footer, header2, footer2
Example:
size = 9
Related parameters: font, fontfamily, lyricssize
specifies how many lines to draw for the staff. Normally, there are 5 lines per staff, but a single line staff is sometimes used for percussion, and tablature staffs for various instruments may have different numbers of lines. Setting this parameter to 1 will produce a single line staff. The number of lines can be followed by "n" to indicate that clef and key signature are not to be printed. The "n" also implies that accidentals are to be ignored and that notes are never to be transposed. If the number of lines is 1, the clef and key signature are never printed, regardless of whether or not you add the "n," so the "n" is really only meaningful when used with 5. When stafflines=1, you can only have one note per chord, and the pitch of that note is irrelevant, except for MIDI output. Alternately, rather than specifying "n" you can specify "drum" which means to use the drum clef (also sometimes called the "neutral" clef). With the drum clef, no key signature is printed, accidentals are ignored, and notes are never transposed. The value used for the clef parameter is used to determine the pitch for placement of notes in this case, but the drum clef of two vertical lines is printed. For a tablature staff, rather than specifying a number of staff lines as the value, the keyword "tab" is used, optionally followed by a list of strings in parentheses. The strings are listed in order from the top line of the tablature staff to the bottom. Each item in the list has at least a string pitch, which is a letter from a to g, optionally followed by # or &. If there is more than one string having the same letter/accidental, they are distinguished by adding one or more single quote marks ("ticks"). An octave number can also be specified. If the list of strings is omitted, standard guitar strings are used, which is tab( e5 b4 g4 d4 a3 e'3 ). Tablature can only be specified in staff context, not score or voice, and when a tablature staff is specified, the staff above it becomes a "tabnote" staff which is a normal 5-line staff containing music derived from the tablature staff.
Value: 1 or 5, optionally followed by "n" or "drum"; or for tablature staff, the keyword "tab" optionally followed by a list of strings, in parentheses.
Default value: 5
Context: score, staff
Examples:
stafflines=1
stafflines=5n
stafflines = tab // standard guitar tablature staff
stafflines = tab ( g3 d3 a2 e2 ) // standard bass guitar
stafflines = tab (d# g b3 g'3)
Related parameters: clef, key, transpose, addtranspose
sets the minimum amount of space to leave between staffs, accounting for all the things that protrude from both staffs. If a negative value is specified, some overlap may occur, although it will still be limited by the value of the staffsep parameter. Specifying a negative value may be particularly useful when things protrude downward from the top staff and upward from the bottom staff, but at different places horizontally, such that it is actually safe to put the staffs closer together without collision, even though Mup can't tell that it is safe. Note, however, that this overrides Mup's protection against real collisions, so this must be used with care to avoid undesired overlaps.
Value: a whole number between negative the height of the page and the height of a page, in stepsizes.
Default value: 0
Context: score, staff
Example:
staffpad = -2
Related parameters: scorepad, scoresep, staffsep
specifies the number of staffs. It is possible that not all of these staffs will be printed (see the "visible" parameter below and the -s command line argument). Changing the number of staffs causes all parameters that had been set in staff and voice context to be set back to their default values. It is usually preferable to only set the staff parameter once at the beginning of a song, and use the "visible" parameter when you want to change which staffs are actually printed, rather than changing the number of staffs.
Value: a number between 1 and 40 inclusive.
Default value: 1
Context: score
Example:
staffs = 12
Related parameters: visible
Specifies how to scale the size of a staff relative to the size of other staffs. A value of 1.0 yields the normal size, whereas 0.5 yields a staff that is half as high, and 2.0 one that is twice as high as normal, and so forth. This might be used, for example, for a piece written for two instruments, say piano and violin, where you want the piano part to be written in normal size, but want to show the violin part in smaller size, such that while the pianist will have the violin part available for reference, it won't take up a lot of space.
Value: 0.1 to 10.0
Default value: 1.0
Context: score, staff
Example:
staffscale=0.75
Related parameters: scale
specifies the minimum amount of space to leave between any two adjacent staffs within the same score. It is specified in stepsizes, and is measured from the bottom line of the staff above to the top line of the staff below. Staffs will be spread wider than this minimum if necessary to prevent things from colliding.
Value: a number from 6 to the height of the page in stepsizes
Default value: 10
Context: score, staff
Example:
staffsep = 14
Related parameters: scorepad, scoresep, staffpad
A | can be used in lyrics at the beginning of a syllable (after anything in angle brackets) to indicate syllable alignment. This will override the lyricsalign parameter, and may be useful for aligning verse numbers or to make syllables at the beginning of poetic lines line up. If the | is not preceded by a number, the sylposition parameter specifies the default alignment value to use. It is the number of points (1 point is 1/72 of an inch) from the horizontal "middle" of the chord to place the left edge of the syllable. Negative values are to the left of the middle, positive to the right, so this value is usually negative.
Value: -100 to 100
Default value: -5
Context: score, staff
Example:
sylposition = -4
Related parameters: lyricsalign
says whether or not to put a small white box behind each fret number on tablature staffs. This may make the music a little easier to read, since the staff lines won't be going through the middle of the fret numbers.
Value: y or n
Default value: n
Context: score, staff, voice
Examples:
tabwhitebox = y
Related parameters: stafflines
sets the time signature. Music data for each measure is checked to ensure that the total time in the measure for each voice and verse adds up to exactly the time signature. Changing the time signature will also change the timeunit parameter.
Value: either a ratio of the form N/D or the word "cut" or "common." If the ratio form is used, N must be between 1 and 99 inclusive, and D must be 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, or 64. The D can optionally be followed by the letter "n" to specify that the time signature is not to be printed. See the section on mixed time signatures for information on how to simulate multiple simultaneous time signatures.
Default value: 4/4
Context: score
Examples:
time = 6/8
time = cut
time = 13/16n
Related parameters: timeunit
sets the default time unit. If the first note of a measure has no time value specified, the value of the timeunit parameter will be used. If the time signature is changed, the timeunit parameter reverts back to its default value of the denominator (bottom number) of the new time signature.
Value: 1/4, 1/2, 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, 64, 128, or 256 representing quadruple whole, double whole, whole, half, quarter, eighth, sixteenth, thirty-second, sixty-fourth, 128th, or 256th, followed by zero or more dots. Each dot adds 50% of the previous note or dot to the time. The time value must be less than or equal to the time signature.
Default value: The denominator (bottom number) of the time signature
Context: score, staff, voice
Examples:
timeunit = 2
timeunit = 4.
Related parameters: time
sets the amount of white space margin to put at the top of each page. It is specified in inches if the units parameter is set to inches, or in centimeters if the units parameter is set to cm. This parameter can be set only before any music data has been specified. Margins are unaffected by the "scale" parameter.
Value: 0.0 to pageheight minus 0.5 inches
Default value: 0.5 inches
Context: score
Example:
topmargin = 0.8
Related parameters: botmargin, leftmargin, rightmargin, pageheight, units
specify by what interval to transpose the music data. The interval can be larger than an octave, but must be a valid interval (e.g., there is no such thing as a perfect 6th). It is an error to specify a transposition value which would result in a key signature with more than 7 flats or sharps. It is also an error if transposition would result in a note requiring a triple sharp or triple flat.
Value: the word "up" or "down," followed by an interval and a whole number greater than 0. The interval is one of major, minor, augmented, diminished, or perfect. The intervals can be abbreviated to their first 3 letters (maj, min, aug, dim, or per). The section on transposition lists transposition intervals and gives further details. Depending on which key signature you are transposing from, some transposition intervals may not work because they result in more than 7 flats or sharps. There is also another parameter called addtranspose. Typically you would use the transpose parameter to change the key of individual staffs (for transposing instruments), and then use the addtranspose parameter if you want to change the key of the entire score. But either of these parameters can be used either way. In any case, for each staff, and for the score, the values of transpose and addtranspose are "added" to find the transposition for that staff or score.
Default value: up perfect 1 (i.e., no transposition)
Context: score, staff
Examples:
transpose = up minor 3
transpose = down perfect 4
Related parameters: addtranspose, key
Specifies whether margin and page size parameters are specified in inches or in centimeters.
Value: inches or cm
Default value: inches
Context: score
Example:
units = cm
Related parameters: topmargin, botmargin, leftmargin, rightmargin, pageheight, pagewidth
specifies whether a staff or voice is actually to be printed. This can be useful for printing a subset of a full score. The value is either y or n, for yes or no. At least one staff must be visible at all times. When an individual voice is made invisible, but the other voice(s) on that staff remains visible, all the tempo, dynamics, and similar marks associated with the staff will still be printed, since Mup cannot know for sure whether you meant them to be associated with a particular voice or with the staff as a whole. When MIDI output is generated, this parameter controls whether the staff or voice is audible, so you can control which voices are played. The -s command line argument can also be used to control which staffs are printed or played.
Value: y or n
Default value: y
Context: score, staff, voice
Example:
visible = n
Related parameters: brace, bracket, endingstyle, staffs
sets voice scheme. A value of 1 means there is only a single voice on a staff. The direction of note stems will be determined based on how high or low the notes are on the staff. A value of 2o means there are two voices with "opposing" stems. In other words, the stems of voice 1 will always point upward, and the stems of voice 2 will always point downward. A value of 2f means there are two voices with "free" or "floating" stems. That means in places where there are notes or rests in both voices, stem directions will be as if 2o were set. However, if one of the voices has "space" where there are no notes or rests, the stem directions of the other voice will be determined as if there were only a single voice. 2o is useful if you want to force stem directions a certain way. 2f is generally preferable when there are two voices only part of the time. The values 3o and 3f are like 2o and 2f except that a third voice is allowed. The third voice's stem defaults to up, but the direction can be changed at any chord. The stem direction remains in effect on subsequent chords of voice 3 until explicitly changed. While there can be voice crossings, in general voice 1 should be the "top" voice, voice 2 the "bottom" voice, and voice 3 the "middle" or "extra" voice. Mup does not use voice 3 when associating things like phrase marks and lyrics with chords.
Value: 1, 2o, 2f, 3o, or 3f
Default value: 1
Context: score, staff
Example:
vscheme = 2f
specifies whether to print warning messages or not. Normally, Mup will print warnings when it encounters input that it considers somewhat dubious. Sometimes, however, that input will really be what you want, so this parameter allows you to turn off warning messages.
Value: y or n
Default value: y
Context: score
Example:
warn = n