Mini Notator

Mini Notator is the built-in MML (Music Macro Language) editor for composing music compatible with the Mega Drive's sound hardware. It provides a text-based approach to music composition with real-time audio preview, syntax highlighting, and visual feedback through an oscilloscope and piano roll.

Features

• MML text editor — Full code editor with syntax highlighting, auto-completion, find/replace, and real-time compilation.
• 13-channel support — 6 FM channels, 3 FM3-extended operator channels, 3 PSG square channels, and 1 noise channel.
• Real-time preview — Hear changes as you type with WASM-based Genesis chip emulation.
• FM instrument editor — Visual algorithm diagram, feedback slider, and per-operator parameter controls.
• PSG instrument editor — Bar-based volume envelope editor.
• DAC sample support — Import WAV files for sample playback on FM channel 6.
• Piano roll — Visual note timeline color-coded by channel with playback tracking.
• Oscilloscope and level meter — Real-time audio visualization.
• Import/export — Import from Furnace, DefleMask, and FM instrument files. Export to VGM.
• Undo/redo — Full history support via the built-in code editor.

Interface Overview

Toolbar

The toolbar spans two rows at the top of the editor:

• File operations — New, Save, Load, Import (Furnace, DefleMask, FM Instruments), Export (VGM).
• Transport controls — Play (F5), Stop (F8).
• Volume slider — Adjustable from 0% to 200%.
• Progress bar — Shows playback position. Click to seek.

MML Editor

The central area is a full-featured code editor with:

• Syntax highlighting — Notes (teal), commands (green), directives (purple), channel letters (pink/bold), instrument numbers (blue).
• Real-time compilation — MML is compiled automatically as you type (300ms debounce). Errors appear as inline underlines with hover tooltips.
• Standard editor features — Undo/redo, find/replace, multi-cursor, bracket matching.

Bottom Panel

A resizable panel below the editor with four tabs:

• FM — Algorithm selector with visual routing diagram, feedback slider, and a 2x2 operator grid with sliders for all parameters.
• PSG — Bar-based volume envelope editor. Click bars to edit values.
• DAC — Load WAV files, preview waveforms, set loop points.
• Visualizer — Oscilloscope (left) and VU level meter (right), plus a piano roll showing note blocks color-coded by channel.

Channels

Mini Notator provides 16 channels mapped to the Mega Drive's sound hardware:

Channel	Letter	Chip	Description
FM1–FM6	A–F	YM2612	6 FM synthesis channels. FM6 doubles as the DAC output for sample playback.
PSG1–PSG3	G–I	SN76489	3 PSG square wave channels. Channel I may be used for FM3 special mode.
Noise	J	SN76489	1 noise channel (white or periodic noise).
PCM2–PCM3	K–L	YM2612	PCM channels 2-3 (software mixing via MDSDRV).
Dummy	M–P	—	Dummy channels for macros or FM3 special mode.

Each channel is written on its own line, prefixed by its letter. Multiple channels can share commands:

A o4 l8 c d e f g a b > c4
G o5 l16 c e g > c < g e
ABC t120 v12    ; set tempo and volume on channels A, B, C

MML Syntax

Directives

Directives configure global song properties. They start with #:

#title "My Song"
#author "Composer"

Directive	Description
#title	Song title (used in VGM metadata)
#author	Composer name (used in VGM metadata)

To set tempo, use the inline t command on a channel (see Tempo and Timing).

Notes

Notes are lowercase letters c d e f g a b (h is an alias for b). Accidentals use + (sharp), - (flat), and = (natural).

A c d+ e f g- a b=

Symbol	Meaning
c–b	Note names (C through B)
h	Alias for B
+	Sharp
-	Flat
=	Natural (explicit)
r	Rest

Note Length

Note length is specified as a number after the note. Use l to set a default length. Append . for dotted notes (multiple dots are supported). Use :N for frame-based durations in ticks.

A l8 c d e f g4 a2. b1
A c:48 r:24       ; frame-based durations (48 and 24 ticks)
A c4.. d8.        ; double-dotted quarter, dotted eighth
A l:48 c d e      ; default length in ticks

Length	Duration
1	Whole note
2	Half note
4	Quarter note
8	Eighth note
16	Sixteenth note
32	32nd note
.	Dotted (1.5x duration, stackable: .. = 1.75x)
:N	Frame-based duration (N ticks)
lN	Set default length to N
l:N	Set default length to N ticks

Octave

A o4 c d e > c < c

Command	Meaning
oN	Set octave (0–7)
>	Octave up
<	Octave down

Volume

A v12 c d v8 e f

Command	Range	Description
vN	0–15	Coarse volume
VN	0–255	Fine volume
V+N / V-N		Relative fine volume adjustment
) / (		Volume up / down by 1 (or )N / (N for N steps)

Note: ) increases volume, ( decreases volume (matching ctrmml convention).

Panning (FM Only)

A p3 c d p1 e f p2 g a

Value	Output
p0	Mute
p1	Right
p2	Left
p3	Center

Ties and Slurs

A c4 ^4      ; tie: extend C by another quarter note
A c4 ^:48    ; tie: extend by 48 ticks
A c4 & d4    ; slur/legato: connect C to D without re-triggering

Quantize

Controls how much of the note length is sustained before note-off.

A Q6 c d e f   ; sustain 6/8 of each note
A q2 c d e f   ; early release: cut 2 ticks before end

Command	Description
QN	Quantize (1–8, note length is N/8 of full duration; Q0 resets to full)
qN	Early release (1–8, ticks subtracted before note-off)

Q and q are mutually exclusive — setting one resets the other.

Portamento

A G10 c e g    ; slide between notes at speed 10

Command	Description
GN	Portamento speed (0 to disable)

Detune

A K5 c d e f   ; fine-tune up by 5

Command	Description
KN	Detune (-128 to +127)

Transpose

A _12 c d e f   ; transpose up 12 semitones (one octave)

Command	Description
_N or kN	Set transpose (-128 to +127)
__N	Set relative transpose (cumulative)

Key Signatures

A _{G} c d e f     ; G major (F is sharped)
A _{a} c d e f     ; A minor
A _{+fc} c d e f   ; sharpen F and C
A _{-be} c d e f   ; flatten B and E

Both ctrmml notation (F+, B-, E-) and standard notation (F#, Bb, Eb) are accepted.

Instruments

FM Instruments

FM instruments are defined with the @N fm directive followed by algorithm, feedback, and 4 operator rows:

@0 fm
  3 5
  31 10  5  7  2 25  0  1  3  0
  31 12  6  7  2 28  0  2  3  0
  31  5  5  7  1 35  0  1  7  0
  31  8  4  7  2 30  0  1  0  0

The first line is algorithm feedback. Each operator line contains: AR DR SR RR SL TL RS ML DT SSG-EG.

Parameter	Range	Description
Algorithm	0–7	Operator routing topology
Feedback	0–7	Self-modulation on operator 1
AR	0–31	Attack rate
DR	0–31	Decay rate
SR	0–31	Sustain rate
RR	0–15	Release rate
SL	0–15	Sustain level
TL	0–127	Total level (0 = loudest)
RS	0–3	Rate scaling
ML	0–15	Frequency multiplier
DT	-7 to +7	Detune
SSG-EG	0–15	SSG envelope mode (add 100 to enable AM)

Use @N in a channel line to select an instrument:

A @0 o4 c d e f

The FM tab in the bottom panel provides a visual editor for these parameters. Changes sync back to the MML source automatically.

2-Operator Chord Macro

Duplicates an FM instrument with modified operator multipliers and transpose:

@24 2op  2   5   5   4   4   0
;        ^   ^   ^   ^   ^   ^
;     base  ML1 ML2 ML3 ML4 TRS

PSG Instruments

PSG instruments define a volume envelope as a sequence of values (15 = max volume, 0 = silence):

@1 psg 1 4 6 8 10 12 13 14 15

Supports slides (>), holds (:length), sustain (/), and loop (|) markers.

The PSG tab provides a bar-based editor for the envelope.

DAC Samples

DAC samples are defined with the @N pcm directive:

@128 pcm "kick.wav" rate=18000 offset=4000

Parameter	Description
rate=N	Override sample rate (Hz)
offset=N	Start position offset (samples)

Envelopes

Define reusable pitch, volume, or pan envelopes with @M, @E, or @P:

@M1 -2>0:20 0         ; pitch slide from -2 semitones over 20 frames
@M2 0:20 | V0:1:5     ; vibrato with 20-frame delay
@E1 15 14 / 13>0:7    ; volume fade with sustain point
@P1 | 3 1 3 2         ; pan envelope cycling L/R

Command	Description
MN	Activate pitch envelope @M (0 = disable)
EN	Activate volume envelope @E (0 = disable)
PN	Activate pan envelope/macro track @P (0 = disable)

Loops and Flow Control

Repeat Loops

A [c d e f]4        ; repeat 4 times
A [c d e f / g a]3  ; last iteration plays g a instead of looping back

Song Loop Point

The L command marks where the song loops back to in VGM export:

A o4 c d e f
A L
A g a b > c

Macros (Subroutines)

Define reusable sequences on a numbered track with *N at the start of a line, and call them with *N inline:

*32 c8 d8 e8 f8
A o4 *32 *32 g4

Drum Mode

Maps note letters to macro calls for percussion:

A D20 c d e f    ; c=macro *20, d=*21, e=*22, f=*23...
A D0             ; disable drum mode

Echo

A \=2,3 c4 d \4 e \4    ; echo with 2-note delay, volume -3

Command	Description
\=N,V	Set echo delay (N notes back) and volume reduction (V). Positive N clears buffer; negative preserves it.
\[duration]	Insert echo note with optional explicit duration

Conditional Blocks

Apply different commands per channel when using multi-channel addressing:

ABC {c/d+/g} {d/f/a}    ; A gets c,d — B gets d+,f — C gets g,a

Grace Notes and Reverse Rests

A ~c16 d4     ; grace note C before D
A c4 R8 d4    ; borrow time from C for sync

Tempo and Timing

A t150 c d e f     ; set tempo to 150 BPM
A C96 c d e f      ; set measure length to 96 ticks (default)
A s6 c d e f       ; set shuffle offset to 6 ticks

Command	Description
tN	Set tempo in BPM (0–255)
TN	Set tempo using native hardware timer value (0–255)
CN	Set measure length in ticks (default 96)
sN	Set shuffle offset in ticks (signed, alternates +/- per note)

Platform Commands

Hardware-specific commands enclosed in apostrophes:

A 'lfo 1 5'         ; set AM sensitivity 1, PM sensitivity 5
A 'lforate 3'       ; set global LFO rate
A 'fm3 0011'        ; enable FM3 extended mode (operators 1-2)
A 'write 0xB0 0x3A' ; direct FM register write
A 'tl1 +5'          ; adjust operator 1 total level
A 'mode 1'          ; PSG noise: use tone channel 3 as source
A 'pcmrate 4'       ; set PCM pitch rate
A 'pcmmode 3'       ; set 3-channel PCM mixing mode
A 'carry'           ; macro track carry mode

Command	Description
'lfo AMS PMS'	Set per-channel AM/PM sensitivity (0–3, 0–7)
'lforate N'	Set global LFO rate (0 = off, 1–9)
'fm3 MASK'	FM3 extended mode (binary mask e.g. 0011, or 1111/0 to disable)
'mode N'	PSG noise mode (0–1)
'pcmrate N'	PCM pitch rate (1–8)
'pcmmode N'	PCM mixing mode (2 = 2ch@17.5kHz, 3 = 3ch@13kHz)
'write REG DATA'	Direct FM register write
'tl1-4 [±]VAL'	Set/adjust operator total level
'dtml1-4 VAL'	Set operator DT/MUL register
'ksar1-4 VAL'	Set operator KS/AR register
'amdr1-4 VAL'	Set operator AM/D1R register
'sr1-4 VAL'	Set operator sustain rate register
'slrr1-4 VAL'	Set operator SL/RR register
'ssg1-4 VAL'	Set operator SSG-EG register
'fbal VAL'	Set feedback/algorithm register
'carry'	Macro track carry mode (don't reset on new note)

Import and Export

Import Formats

Format	Extensions	Description
MML	.mml, .txt	Direct text load
Furnace	.fur	Zlib-compressed tracker format. Supports Genesis 10-channel and Ext CH3 13-channel configurations.
DefleMask	.dmf	Zlib-compressed tracker format. Supports Genesis configurations.
FM Instruments	.tfi, .tyi, .y12, .opm	Individual instrument files inserted into the song.

You can also drag and drop files onto the editor to import them.

Export Formats

Format	Extension	Description
MML	.mml	Human-readable text file
VGM	.vgm	Video Game Music binary with GD3 metadata and loop point support

Keyboard Shortcuts

Playback

Shortcut	Action
F5 / Ctrl+Enter	Play from start
F8	Stop
Left / Right	Seek ±1 second
Shift+Left / Shift+Right	Seek ±5 seconds
Home	Seek to beginning
End	Seek to end

File

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+N	New
Ctrl+S	Save
Ctrl+O	Open

Editor

Shortcut	Action
Ctrl+Z	Undo
Ctrl+Y	Redo
Ctrl+C	Copy
Ctrl+X	Cut
Ctrl+V	Paste
Ctrl+A	Select all
Ctrl+F	Find
Ctrl+H	Find and replace
F1 / ?	Toggle shortcuts help

Mini Notator vs. Mini Tracker

Both tools compose music for the same Mega Drive hardware, but take different approaches:

	Mini Notator	Mini Tracker
Input	Text-based MML code	Grid-based pattern editor
Workflow	Type commands, hear changes instantly	Fill cells in a pattern grid
Best for	MML-experienced composers, scripted music, fine control over commands	Visual composers, tracker-style workflows
Instruments	Text definitions with visual editor for parameters	Full GUI editor with presets
Effects	Inline MML commands	Dedicated effect columns per cell

Both share the same underlying audio engine and produce output compatible with the XGM2 sound driver.