The <sound> element
Parent elements: <direction>, <measure> (partwise), <part> (timewise)
The <sound> element contains general playback parameters. They can stand alone within a part/measure, or be a component element within a direction.
Instrument changes, MIDI devices, MIDI instruments, and playback techniques are changed using the <instrument-change>, <midi-device>, <midi-instrument>, and <play> elements. When there are multiple instances of these elements, they should be grouped together by instrument using the id attribute values.
The <offset> element is used to indicate that the sound takes place offset from the current score position. If the <sound> element is a child of a <direction> element, the sound <offset> element overrides the direction <offset> element if both elements are present. Note that the offset reflects the intended musical position for the change in sound. It should not be used to compensate for latency issues in particular hardware configurations.
Content
In this order
-
In this order (Zero or more times)
- <instrument-change> (Optional)
- <midi-device> (Optional)
- <midi-instrument> (Optional)
- <play> (Optional)
- <swing> (Optional)
- <offset> (Optional)
Attributes
| Name | Type | Required? | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| coda | token | No | Indicates the end point for a forward jump to a coda sign. If there are multiple jumps, the value of these parameters can be used to name and distinguish them. |
| dacapo | yes-no | No | Indicates to go back to the beginning of the movement. When used it always has the value "yes". By default, a dacapo attribute indicates that the jump should occur the first time through. The times that jumps occur can be changed by using the time-only attribute. |
| dalsegno | token | No | Indicates the starting point for a backward jump to a segno sign. If there are multiple jumps, the value of these parameters can be used to name and distinguish them. By default, a dalsegno attribute indicates that the jump should occur the first time through. The times that jumps occur can be changed by using the time-only attribute. |
| damper-pedal | yes-no-number | No | Effects playback of the the common right piano pedal and its MIDI controller equivalent. The yes value indicates the pedal is depressed; no indicates the pedal is released. A numeric value from 0 to 100 may also be used for half pedaling. This value is the percentage that the pedal is depressed. A value of 0 is equivalent to no, and a value of 100 is equivalent to yes. |
| divisions | divisions | No | If the segno or coda attributes are used, the divisions attribute can be used to indicate the number of divisions per quarter note. Otherwise sound and MIDI generating programs may have to recompute this. |
| dynamics | non-negative-decimal | No | Dynamics (or MIDI velocity) are expressed as a percentage of the default forte value (90 for MIDI 1.0). |
| elevation | rotation-degrees | No | Allows placing of sound in a 3-D space relative to the listener, expressed in degrees ranging from -180 to 180. 0 is level with the listener, 90 is directly above, and -90 is directly below. Deprecated as of Version 2.0. The <elevation> element in the <midi-instrument> element should be used instead. If both are present, the <elevation> element takes priority. |
| fine | token | No | Follows the final note or rest in a movement with a da capo or dal segno direction. If numeric, the value represents the actual duration of the final note or rest, which can be ambiguous in written notation and different among parts and voices. The value may also be "yes" to indicate no change to the final duration. |
| forward-repeat | yes-no | No | Indicates that a forward repeat sign is implied but not displayed. It is used for example in two-part forms with repeats, such as a minuet and trio where no repeat is displayed at the start of the trio. This usually occurs after a barline. When used it always has the value of "yes". |
| id | ID | No | Specifies an ID that is unique to the entire document. |
| pan | rotation-degrees | No | Allows placing of sound in a 3-D space relative to the listener, expressed in degrees ranging from -180 to 180. 0 is straight ahead, -90 is hard left, 90 is hard right, and -180 and 180 are directly behind the listener. Deprecated as of Version 2.0. The <pan> element in the <midi-instrument> element should be used instead. If both are present, the <pan> element takes priority. |
| pizzicato | yes-no | No | Affects all following notes. Yes indicates pizzicato, no indicates arco. |
| segno | token | No | Indicates the end point for a backward jump to a segno sign. If there are multiple jumps, the value of these parameters can be used to name and distinguish them. |
| soft-pedal | yes-no-number | No | Effects playback of the the common left piano pedal and its MIDI controller equivalent. The yes value indicates the pedal is depressed; no indicates the pedal is released. A numeric value from 0 to 100 may also be used for half pedaling. This value is the percentage that the pedal is depressed. A value of 0 is equivalent to no, and a value of 100 is equivalent to yes. |
| sostenuto-pedal | yes-no-number | No | Effects playback of the the common center piano pedal and its MIDI controller equivalent. The yes value indicates the pedal is depressed; no indicates the pedal is released. A numeric value from 0 to 100 may also be used for half pedaling. This value is the percentage that the pedal is depressed. A value of 0 is equivalent to no, and a value of 100 is equivalent to yes. |
| tempo | non-negative-decimal | No | Tempo is expressed in quarter notes per minute. If 0, the sound-generating program should prompt the user at the time of compiling a sound (MIDI) file. |
| time-only | time-only | No | Indicates which times to apply the sound element if the <sound> element applies only particular times through a repeat. |
| tocoda | token | No | Indicates the starting point for a forward jump to a coda sign. If there are multiple jumps, the value of these parameters can be used to name and distinguish them. By default, a tocoda attribute indicates the jump should occur the second time through. The times that jumps occur can be changed by using the time-only attribute. |
Examples
This element is used in the following examples: