How To Convert MML For The Guitar (+Cello/Violin, Vocals)

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Rydian wrote on 2014-03-13 12:21
MML Instrument Conversion Guide

This guide will show you how to take existing MML and modify it to run on the "weird" instruments, namely the Guitar, Cello, Violin, and (US/JP) vocals. This does not cover creating MML by hand or from MIDI, and assumes that you already have something that sounds acceptable on the "normal" Mabinogi instruments (along with a basic understanding of MML and 3MLE).

If your version of 3MLE does not include these instruments, then use this MSXspirit.def file, I've updated it to include all the instruments out in NA, mark which vocals are which, use the proper names, etc. Also go into 3MLE's settings and make sure that it's set to actually use Mabi's sound bank, since a lot of 3MLE distributions out there come packaged with a static sound bank (that won't be updated when your game updates).

Each step is marked for which instruments it applies to.

Step 1: N# Removal (Guitar, Violin, Cello, Vocals)
MML has a command where you can specify a note explicitly instead of within the current octave. This is used because it can shorten the length of the MML (turning something like ">>C+<<" into "n47", three less characters), but it makes editing the MML more difficult because n# notes will not follow octave changes, neither relative or absolute.

[Image: http://s28.postimg.org/9icm8oekd/n_moved.png]

Above the red line is the original stream of notes. Below is that stream, moved down. Notice how some notes 'stay behind'. Those are the notes that need to be converted back into normal ones. Unfortunately there's no automatic way to remove them, you need to do it by hand.

At least 3MLE will highlight them in red for you!

[Image: http://s28.postimg.org/ycw42qzel/n_text.png]

In most cases, just memorize where the existing n# note is positioned, then replace "n43" or whatever with ">c<" or "<c>", then adjust the "c" until the note is in the place it was before. Generally if you find a segment of the song that has a lot of n# notes that are the same, you can find just the first one then copy-paste the rest (or find-and-replace if you have a code-friendly text editor).

Step 2: Octave Shifting (Guitar, Violin, Cello, Vocals)
The main thing that makes these instruments different is that they only work in the lowest few octaves. To be honest the guitar does technically work in the higher octaves, but it uses a different sample in those octaves which makes that annoying sound people hate, and some of the notes stutter noticeably while others don't which makes composing something in that range hit-or-miss. The below screenshot marks the general area that these instruments get squeaky or fail at in red, and the general safe zone as green.

[Image: http://s17.postimg.org/7iyx0edrj/lowest_range.png]

The above is a screenshot of the full (natural, barring o0 piano samples) note range for Mabinogi instruments. Here's the MML so you can test the various instruments for yourself, as each one has slightly difference ranges (even the male and female voices differ from each other by a few notes).
[code]MML@t120v15o1l8cc+dd+eff+gg+aa+b>cc+dd+eff+gg+aa+b>cc+dd+eff+gg+aa+b>cc+dd+eff+gg+aa+b>cc+dd+eff+gg+aa+b>cc+dd+eff+gg+aa+b>cc+dd+eff+gg+aa+b>cc+dd+eff+gg+aa+b,,;[/code]
Quote from Candyrock;1082253:
- Violin: o1e ~ o4b
- Cello: o1c ~ o3a+
- Vocal (Male): o1f ~ o4c+
- Vocal (Female): o1c ~ o3a
- Choir (Male): o1d ~ o3a+
- Choir (Female): o1g ~ o4c
This part is way less work than Step 1. For each track, look for an o# near the beginning. Change it to o1 to o3, depending on what the original looked like (try to keep the colors in the same top-to-bottom order as the original). If there isn't one, add it. In the end, when zoomed out your edited MML should all be near the bottom like this.

[Image: http://s30.postimg.org/taebojywh/in_the_low.png]

Step 3: Volume Compensation (Guitar, Violin, Cello)
For most instruments in Mabinogi, the higher notes are softer while the lower notes are louder. The guitar having its normal range compressed so much will show this issue the most, but the violin and cello exhibit this to some extent too. You may need to make the track that's lower softer while making the higher ones louder to compensate, even if the lower one is the melody.

[Image: http://s11.postimg.org/isqkts1c3/volume.png]

If you're doing a jam session and some instruments (like the violin) play a single track but are still too soft, then you can try duplicating that track so it plays the same notes over itself, resulting in a louder sound.

Step 4: Overlap Removal (Guitar, Violin, Cello, Flute, Roncadora, etc.)
Mabinogi has a bug when a single instrument/player plays the same note on two tracks at different lengths. The bug causes all of the notes to cut out at the same time that the shortest one does. This bug does not show up in 3MLE, only in Mabinogi once you compose and play the scroll. This bug only notably affects instruments with sustained notes, so things like the mandolin, lyre, and hand chimes are not bothered by it.

Here's an example, along with the MML to recreate it, best seen on the guitar or flute.

[Image: http://s30.postimg.org/41bkvahdd/overlap.png]

[code]MML@l16v15o2crrrcrrrcrrrcrrr<arrrarrrarrrarrr>crrrcrrrcrrrcrrr<arrrarrrarrrarrr>arrrbrrr>crrrdrrrerrrfrrrgrrrarrr<<arrrbrrr>crrrdrrrerrrfrrrgrrrarrr,t120v15o1aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaab>cdefga<ab>cdefga,;[/code]
I suggest going into the 3MLE settings and turning the alpha/transparency setting on, then restarting 3MLE. This will make the notes semi-transparent, so it's slightly easier to tell when you have overlapping notes.

[Image: http://s16.postimg.org/n2q7ws1vp/settings.png]

If the overlapping notes contribute to the melody or overall feel, you can try shifting the overlapping section up or down an active to get it out of the way, but if that's not possible or if the overlapping notes aren't important (like some bass that would get overplayed anyways) you can just turn those overlapping notes into rests.

Step 5: Party/Jam Timing Adjustment (Violin, Cello)
This last step only applies if you're attempting to use the violin or cello in a party/jam with other non-violin/cello instruments. Unlike most of Mabinogi's instruments, the violin and cello both have an attack time (or "perceptual onset"), meaning that the instant the note starts is not always the same instant that our ears/minds would detect it as starting.

To account for this, make the violin/cello track start slightly early, like while the other tracks have "r2" after the tuner, the violin/cello track could have "r4.r10". Of course the actual timings are up to you, and may need to be adjusted more than once as the violin and cello have different timings in different ranges. Below you'll find a visual example (piano+cello duet, cello being blue), followed by the MML.

[Image: http://s2.postimg.org/47o6foya1/cello_early.png]

[code]MML@r2t90r2v13o2d8l16a>f8<a>ef<d8a>f8<a>ef<<a+8>f>f8<f>ef<<a+8>f>e8<f>d8<f8>ca8cga<f8>ca+8ca8<c8g>g8<g>fg<c8g>f8<g>e8<d8a>f8<a>ef<d8a>f8<a>ef<<a+8>f>f8<f>ef<<a+8>f>e8<f>d8<f8>ca8cga<f8>ca+8ca8<c8g>g8<g>fg<c8g>f8<g>e8<d8a>f8<a>ef<d8a>f8<a>ef<<a+8>f>f8<f>ef<<a+8>f>e8<f>d8<f8>ca8cga<f8>ca+8ca8<c8g>g8<g>fg<c8g>f8<g>e8<<a+8>>cd8<f>cd<<a+8>>cd8<f>cd<<a8>bb+8ebb+<a8>bb+8ebb+d8a>e8<a>cd<d8a>e8<a>cd<d8a>e8<a>cd<d8a>e8<a>cd<<a+8>>cd8<f>cd<<a+8>>cd8<f>cd<<a8>bb+8ebb+<a8>bb+8ebb+<g8>ab8dab<g8>ab8dab<a8>b>c+8<ea>c+d<a>e<a>f<a>e8a2.&a8.r<d8a>f8<a>ef<d8a>f8<a>ef<<a+8>f>f8<f>ef<<a+8>f>e8<f>d8<f8>ca8cga<f8>ca+8ca8<c8g>g8<g>fg<c8g>f8<g>e8<d8a>f8<a>ef<d8a>f8<a>ef<<a+8>f>f8<f>ef<<a+8>f>e8<f>d8<f8>ca8cga<f8>ca+8ca8<c8g>g8<g>fg<c8g>f8<g>e8<d8a>f8<a>ef<d8a>f8<a>ef<<a+8>f>f8<f>ef<<a+8>f>e8<f>d8<f8>ca8cga<f8>ca+8ca8<c8g>g8<g>fg<c8g>f8<g>e8<<a+8>>cd8<f>cd<<a+8>>cd8<f>cd<<a8>bb+8ebb+<a8>bb+8ebb+d8a>e8<a>cd<d8a>e8<a>cd<d8a>e8<a>cd<d8a>e8<a>cd<<a+8>>cd8<f>cd<<a+8>>cd8<f>cd<<a8>bb+8ebb+<a8>bb+8ebb+<g8>ab8dab<g8>ab8dab<a8>b>c+8<ea>c+d<a>e<a>f<a>e8a2.&a8.,v15l24o2c&c&c&c&c&c&c&c&c&c&c&c&r4.v13a8>d2.&d8l16cd<a+2&a+8>f8<a+a+>f8<f2&f8.f>fgf8c2&c8.ccdc8d2.&d8cd<a+2&a+8.r>f8<a+8f2&f8.>cfgf8c2&c8.ccdl8cd2.&dc<a+2&a+f4a+>f2&fc4fc2&cc<gb+a+2.&a+a+a4&a16.r32>ea.l32&ar<a8.&ar>d4&d16.ra8>d8.&dr<d8.&dr>d8l16<garga4&a.l32rd8.&dr<a+4&a+16.r>f8a+8.&a+r<a+8.&a+ra4&a16.r>e8a8.&ar<a8.&arg2l8&gg>d<ga2&a.l16>egag8a4&a.r32g4&g.l32re8.&erd2.&d8l16cd<a+2&a+8>f8<a+a+>f8<f2&f8.f>fgf8c2&c8.ccdc8d2.&d8cd<a+2&a+8.r>f8<a+8f2&f8.>cfgf8c2&c8.ccdl8cd2.&dc<a+2&a+f4a+>f2&fc4fc2&cc<gb+a+2.&a+a+a4&a16.r32>ea.l32&ar<a8.&ar>d4&d16.ra8>d8.&dr<d8.&dr>d8l16<garga4&a.l32rd8.&dr<a+4&a+16.r>f8a+8.&a+r<a+8.&a+ra4&a16.r>e8a8.&ar<a8.&arg2l8&gg>d<ga2&a.l16>egag8a4&a.r32g4&g.l32re8.&e,t90v13l24o2d&d&d&d&d&d&d&d&d&d&d&d&r4.r10l2.a&a8.r16f&f8.r16>c&c8.r16c&c8.r16<a2d2fl8dfa2&aa+4ag2.fed2d2f2.dfa2&aa+4ag2.fed2f4.&f16e32f32e2c4.ccdd1&d2&d.r4l16rd4f4.&fl32efe2g2&g8.&grg4d4.l16efe1&e2r4r5ra2.&a8.rf2.&f8.r>c2.&c8.rc2.&c8.rl2ddf.l8dfa2&aa+4ag2.fed2d2f2.dfa2&aa+4ag2.fed2f4.&f16e32f32e2c4.<a>cdd1&d2&d.r4l16rd4f4.&fl32efe2g2&g8.&grg4d4.l16efe1&e2.&e8.;[/code]
Cookiebunny wrote on 2014-03-13 21:25

First off, I think you should include the exact octave ranges of the instruments you're talking about, right off the bat. You should also include that MML for voice needs to be edited as well.

Quote from Candyrock;1082253:

Piano: o1c ~ o7c
Violin: o1e ~ o4b
Cello: o1c ~ o3a+
Vocal (Male): o1f ~ o4c+
Vocal (Female): o1c ~ o3a
Choir (Male): o1d ~ o3a+
Choir (Female): o1g ~ o4c

Then you should explain how "o" works in MML, because it was never made clear. Not everyone who is reading this guide will have prior experience with working in MML. In fact, it'd probably be better to start with this before introducing the octave ranges. Maybe include how the default octave is o4, so for MML that start off without an "o" at the beginning, an octave needs to be specified at the beginning, shortly after any rest that may or may not be included, and right before the actual notes begin to play.

Another thread that has addressed the octaves issue is this one.

I also think you should specify how "n" works in MML. It designates the exact key number of a note/pitch, say, on the 88-key grand piano. So in order to shift the key down by an octave, you'd just subtract 12 (or a multiple of 12 if you're moving it for more than one octave) from the original number. Reason why it's 12 is because there are 12 white and black keys in one octave.

That's how I do it, anyway. It's a lot more efficient if you understood how it works. I feel that your method is a lot more experimental. :o

Maybe in step 3, you could also advise to include two copies of one part for the softer instruments, such as violin and cello, when playing in a jam session. That also accounts for volume control. Not necessary, though. :o

Very minor issues:
Under Step 3:

Quote from Rydian;1206227:
The guitar having it's normal range compressed so much will show this issue the most

"Its" as in possessive, not "it's"!

Still reading the rest of the guide, but I think you've done a great job so far! Liking the clear images. ^^

I'm sorry if anything I've said proves invalid to this guide. :x
KingFintchz wrote on 2014-03-13 22:07

Thanks, I'll be trying to do this all night! Thanks again!
Rydian wrote on 2014-03-14 05:49

Quote from Cookiebunny;1206358:
First off, I think you should include the exact octave ranges of the instruments you're talking about, right off the bat.
I was trying not to take any info that predates the US release of Diva because a lot of info from before the release was about the KR stuff, in fact a lot of 3MLE packages you'll find floating around only have the KR voices listed and not the ones used for the US... but it looks like that info checks out (though piano can go lower I've read).

Quote from Cookiebunny;1206358:
You should also include that MML for voice needs to be edited as well.
Not sure what you mean here, vocals is listed in some of the steps, just not all because not everything applies (like note overlap is not a concern since there's only one vocal track in a scroll).

Quote from Cookiebunny;1206358:
Then you should explain how "o" works in MML, because it was never made clear. Not everyone who is reading this guide will have prior experience with working in MML.
If they don't know the basics then they should learn the basics on normal instruments before delving into these outliers. Not every tutorial should include all the basics from the beginning, because then a lot of them will be repetitive and it'll take a lot of reading and searching for the viewer to get to the tutorial's point (and this tutorial is pretty specific).

Quote from Cookiebunny;1206358:
In fact, it'd probably be better to start with this before introducing the octave ranges. Maybe include how the default octave is o4, so for MML that start off without an "o" at the beginning, an octave needs to be specified at the beginning, shortly after any rest that may or may not be included, and right before the actual notes begin to play.
Well, I did state that if there is no octave marker, to add one.

Quote from Cookiebunny;1206358:
I also think you should specify how "n" works in MML. It designates the exact key number of a note/pitch, say, on the 88-key grand piano. So in order to shift the key down by an octave, you'd just subtract 12 (or a multiple of 12 if you're moving it for more than one octave) from the original number. Reason why it's 12 is because there are 12 white and black keys in one octave.

That's how I do it, anyway. It's a lot more efficient if you understood how it works. I feel that your method is a lot more experimental. :o
N# should not be used at all in an editing environment in the first place. Nobody composes with n# directly (outside of getting o0 piano notes), but 3MLE will (by default) convert large octave jumps to n# when using it's export option, which is why so many MMLs found online have n# notes in them.

Removing n# notes means you don't need to deal with them at all, only normal notes, which is why it's the first step.

Quote from Cookiebunny;1206358:
Maybe in step 3, you could also advise to include two copies of one part for the softer instruments, such as violin and cello, when playing in a jam session. That also accounts for volume control. Not necessary, though. :o
Not a bad idea.

Quote from Cookiebunny;1206358:
Very minor issues:
Under Step 3:

"Its" as in possessive, not "it's"!
Whoops, fixed, and thanks.
Blassreiter wrote on 2014-03-14 16:16

I may have missed this but an easier way to remove the nXX notes is to do CTRL+F then add the nXX note and place the note in the octave that you want in the "Replace With" section and click "Replace All" and it will change all the nXX notes you placed in the first bar to the note in the octave you want in the "Replace With" bar.
Cookiebunny wrote on 2014-03-14 16:17

@Rydian Sorry, please disregard that post. I don't know what I'm talking about anyway. ^^;

Only reason why I mentioned you should include basic knowledge was because it'd be easier for users who have never edited MML before. xD I don't know many people who take the effort to search up multiple guides at once and cross-reference if they're too impatient and solely want to modify MML, rather than compose new MML. It's not too much of a hassle to just add in a line or two before delving into specifics.

Yes, I realize you stated to add in an octave marker, but I was just trying to read the guide as if I were someone with little knowledge of MML (I didn't realize these little things about MML until I started modifying MML when Diva came out), and thought that it would've been a bit clearer with context (like what it means for there to be no specified octave). ^^

Again, you can just disregard what I say, because... I mean, I should shut up.

Quote from Blassreiter;1206602:
I may have missed this but an easier way to remove the nXX notes is to do CTRL+F then add the nXX note and place the note in the octave that you want in the "Replace With" section and click "Replace All" and it will change all the nXX notes you placed in the first bar to the note in the octave you want in the "Replace With" bar.

:o I don't really understand how that works but that seems really efficient ^^
Rydian wrote on 2014-03-14 16:37

Nah you had some good suggestions, I made some edits to the guide.

I did mention using find-and-replace in a code-friendly editor, I just didn't name the shortcut because it's different depending on what's being used. For example in Notepad++, find-and-replace is CTRL+H. Also I didn't make that the main focus (only a mention at the end) because n# notes don't always map to the same original replacement, even the same n# used in the same track of the same song can vary.
[code]t120v15l8
o3cdefgn60
o6cdefgn60[/code]
Blassreiter wrote on 2014-03-14 17:11

Quote from Cookiebunny;1206603:

:o I don't really understand how that works but that seems really efficient ^^

Sorry, I would have a more detailed explanation if I had the 3MLE in front of me right now.

What I was trying to say is that when you have your MML in your 3MLE, you can replace certain notes with another one that you want. For instance, you have a lot of b8 notes, which is essentially an eighth note, and you want to change all the b8 into a b4, a quarter note, you can press CTRL+F in your 3MLE and type in b8 on the top text bar (I forgot what it says, I don't have access to the 3MLE right now so I can't tell you exactly) and type in b4 on the bottom text bar (which should say "Replace With") then you can click "Replace All" and it will replace all the b8 notes with the b4 notes. You can do this with the "n" notes with the notes in the octave you want.
Cookiebunny wrote on 2014-03-14 17:46

@Blassreiter XD Just tried it out since I'm composing Blumenkraz for someone else on the forums. Thank you dearly for the tip! I would rep you but I can't yet, apparently. ; u ;
Candyrock wrote on 2014-03-15 06:29
Quote from Rydian;1206518:
I was trying not to take any info that predates the US release of Diva because a lot of info from before the release was about the KR stuff, in fact a lot of 3MLE packages you'll find floating around only have the KR voices listed and not the ones used for the US... but it looks like that info checks out (though piano can go lower I've read).

Indeed some instruments do go into the octave 0 range, I never really bothered with that octave since not being able to see those notes can be quite annoying. I admit, I still have a lot to learn and this thread here is another step in helping out. Let me go ahead and give you a more detailed list that you can use for the guide if you want.

----------

Instrument range issues can basically be sorted into 4 categories:

1. Plays a wide range of notes with no distortion issues.
- Lute/Ukulele/Mandolin: o1e ~ o7e
- Lyre: o0a ~ o6g+
- Hand Chimes: o0a ~ o6g+
- Piano: o0c ~ o7c
2. Also plays a wide range of notes, but has an optimum range with the instrument sounding off when outside it, but within the audible range.
- Flute: o4c ~ o6b (Also plays the o4 range in o1d+ ~ o3b and the o6 range in o7c ~ o7e.)
- Whistle: o5c ~ o7e (Also plays the o5 range in o1c ~ o4b.)
- Chalumeau: o2c ~ o4b (Also plays the o2 range in o1e ~ o1b and the o4 range in o5c ~ o7e.)
- Roncadora: o2c ~ o6b (Also plays the o2 range in o1e ~ o1b and the o6 range in o7c ~ o7e.)
- Physis Tuba: o1c ~ o4b (Also plays the o4 range in o5c ~ o7b.)
- Electric Guitar: o0e ~ o4d+ (Also plays in o4e ~ o8d+ with o5a and o5a+ having a slight delay in the notes.)
- Kingfisher: 0_c ~ o_b (Audible range is o1c ~ o7c, but all the notes play the same no matter what octave except for o7c.)
- Pitta/Goldfinch: 0_c ~ o_b (Audible range is o1c ~ o6b, but all the notes play the same no matter what octave.)
3. Plays a limited audible range of notes.
- Violin: o1e ~ o4b
- Cello: o0c ~ o3a+ (o0d+ sounds the same as o0d while o0f+ sounds bugged.)
- Vocal (Male, All Regions): o1f ~ o4c+
- Vocal (Female, All Regions): o1c ~ o3a
- Chorus (Male): o1d ~ o3a+
- Chorus (Female): o1g ~ o4c
4. Only plays one note within its audible range, no matter the note or octave.
- Snare Drum/Music Bottle/Handbell: o1c ~ o7c
- Bass Drum/Cymbals: o1c ~ o7c (The exception is o2d+.)
Disclaimer: Note ranges have been tested with 3MLE using an msxspirit.def file from around the time of NA's Starlet update with some some quick research in the Mabinogi World Wiki for confirmation.

----------

P.S. Thank you so much for explaining the bug issue with overlapping notes. I remember having a song long ago that gave me that issue, but I wasn't sure why.
Rydian wrote on 2014-03-15 17:44

I updated the guide to link to the MSXspirit.def file I updated and to mention using Mabi's sound bank (since there's so many 3MLE distributions that include static banks and outdated definitions).

But I can't fit anything else. This forum has a per-post character limit and I actually had to remove a sentence just to get that edit to fit.
Zelfa wrote on 2014-03-17 15:16

I just want to say thanks for the MSXspirit.def file.
ikemari wrote on 2014-03-21 18:39

I've got a question, figured I'd post it in here, because it has to do with guitars ...and piano, I think.

In 3mle, when I'm writing stuff for the 0th octave, I can't use > and then < to bring the note back down. Down shifting the octave doesn't work. Is there any way around this that doesn't involve constantly retyping o0?
Rydian wrote on 2014-03-21 21:08

Quote from ikemari;1208659:
I've got a question, figured I'd post it in here, because it has to do with guitars ...and piano, I think.

In 3mle, when I'm writing stuff for the 0th octave, I can't use > and then < to bring the note back down. Down shifting the octave doesn't work. Is there any way around this that doesn't involve constantly retyping o0?
As far as I know o0 and n## are the only ways to use notes in that range.
ikemari wrote on 2014-03-22 04:29

Ah, darn. Well thank you. xD I'll just have to change it in FL studio instead of changing instruments in 3ml. o.e;