v1.0
2022-08-01 draft (Leon van Kammen/coderofsalvation)
2022-09-01 ASCIISTEP16 implemented in milkytracker
It's a pckeyboard standard & translation of popular hardware 16-step drum/midisequencers (electribe MX, electribe SX, mc303, tr909,tr808, mc707, arturia beatstep). The goal of ASCIISTEP16 is to offer a pckeyboard mode (usually for tracker software) which:
- can act as a substitute for a hardware stepsequencer (on a pckeyboard)
- allows 'grid'-like liveperformance on pckeyboards
- allows people coming from the hardware stepsequencer scene to easily use ASCIISTEP16 compatible music-software
- allows any unix character-device, or implementation to send 16 stepsequencer-buttons over ascii
please comment on this gist if your software implements ASCIISTEP16
The table below focuses on QWERTY keyboards, but other keyboard layouts can follow the exact same logic of using the first 2x8 (rows-x-cols) alphabet keys (see image above).
the uppercase character is preferred ('Q' instead of 'q' e.g.) to not interfere with normal keymappings of the software.
| step | character | comment |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Q | |
| 1 | W | |
| 2 | E | |
| 3 | R | |
| 4 | T | |
| 5 | Y | international equivalent 'Z' e.g. |
| 6 | U | |
| 7 | I | |
| 8 | A | |
| 9 | S | |
| 10 | D | |
| 11 | F | |
| 12 | G | |
| 13 | H | |
| 14 | J | |
| 15 | K |
| channel/track | ascii key for muting/selecting |
|---|---|
| 1 | '1' |
| 2 | '2' |
| 3 | '3' |
| 4 | '4' |
| 5 | '5' |
| 6 | '6' |
| 7 | '7' |
| 8 | '8' |
| 9 | '9' |
| 10 | '0' |
| 11 | '-' |
| 12 | '=' |
/*
example usage:
int stepsize = trackerGridSettings.getStepIncrement(); // optional: allow variable stepsizes
int bar = cursor.row / (16*stepsize);
int steprow = ASCIISTEP16(character,bar) * stepsize;
int ch = ASCIISTEP16_channel(character); // ctrl +1 jumps to ch 1 (cursor)
if( ch != -1 ) muteOrSelectChannel( ch, CTRLpressed() ); // shift+1 (un)mutes ch 1
if( steprow != -1 ) writeNote( 'c-4', steprow, getCurrentChannel() ); // write step
else writeNote( lowercaseKeyToNote(i), getCursorRow(), getCurrentChannel() ); // write keyjazz note
*/
int ASCIISTEP16(char ascii, unsigned int bar)
{
int number = -1;
switch (ascii)
{
// ASCIISTEP16 standard (https://gist.github.com/coderofsalvation/8d760b191f4bb5465c8772d5618e5c4b)
case 'Q': number = 0; break;
case 'W': number = 1; break;
case 'E': number = 2; break;
case 'R': number = 3; break;
case 'T': number = 4; break;
case 'Y': number = 5; break;
case 'U': number = 6; break;
case 'I': number = 7; break;
case 'A': number = 8; break;
case 'S': number = 9; break;
case 'D': number = 10; break;
case 'F': number = 11; break;
case 'G': number = 12; break;
case 'H': number = 13; break;
case 'J': number = 14; break;
case 'K': number = 15; break;
}
return number == -1 ? -1 : number + (bar*16);
}
int ASCIISTEP16_channel(char ascii)
{
int number = -1;
switch (ascii)
{
// ASCIISTEP16 standard (https://gist.github.com/coderofsalvation/8d760b191f4bb5465c8772d5618e5c4b)
case '1': number = 0; break;
case '2': number = 1; break;
case '3': number = 2; break;
case '4': number = 3; break;
case '5': number = 4; break;
case '6': number = 5; break;
case '7': number = 6; break;
case '8': number = 7; break;
case '9': number = 8; break;
case '0': number = 9; break;
case '-': number = 10; break;
case '=': number = 11; break;
}
return number;
}Most trackers already support octave-switching, transposing-selected note(s), and instrument-switching using keyboard shortcuts. This creates very interesting ASCIISTEP16 workflows by simply implementing ASCIISTEP16.
ASCIISTEP16 does not interfere with most trackers/keyjazz enabled daws, since the uppercase characters ('Q' not 'q') are usually unused (or simply translated to lowercase).
Hint: CAPS-LOCK & SHIFT act as an ASCIISTEP16 enable/disable-toggle for free!
Most stepsequencer support multiple bars (for example: the electribes offer 4), which allow for editing longer patterns by repurposing the same 16 step-buttons.
| bar page | step value |
|---|---|
| 0 | 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 |
| 1 | 17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27 |
| .. | and so on |
Basically, each stepvalue is relative based on the current bar-page, and evaluated as
stepvalue * (page*16)(page starting at 0).
The ASCIISTEP16 standard is to use increment/decrement shortcuts to navigate pages:
*page-up/down (to switch to next/previous page, which turns step 1-16 into 17-24 e.g. )
- and/or
arrow up/downinpage-downin combination with shift/ctrl/alt etc.
This is easy to implement in 99% of trackers, which already support cursor-navigation. So the implementation is deadsimple to determine & apply the current bar-page:
when entering a key ('E' which translates to asciistep16 value 2 e.g.):
row = getCurrentRow()
bar = row / 16
editrow = asciistep16('Q') + (bar*16) // replace 'Q' with user input
if( editrow > 0 ) writeNote( note, editrow) // step was entered
ASCIISTEP16 v1 is very simple/limited (therefore an easy standard to implement):
- ASCIISTEP16 focuses on laptop-friendly shortcuts (first 3 alphanumeric rows + CTRL and SHIFT)
- ASCIISTEP16 does not dictate how to change metadata of a step (note-value, volume-value) (see
Quick winabove) - ASCIISTEP16 does not dictate how to control the transport / clock (start/stop/record) e.g.
- ASCIISTEP16 does not dictate how to change keyboard mappings
- ASCIISTEP16 does not dictate how to toggle/control userinterface elements
Most trackers/daws already have a default way of doing these things, therefore ASCIISTEP16 stay simple to implement. Ideas for ASCIISTEP16-NOTE, ASCIISTEP16-VOLUME, ASCIISTEP16-TRANSPORT extensions are welcome though.
- leonvankammen|gmail.com
Great idea! Thanks for sharing.