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Components and Design Modules

Each of the DirectMusic Producer design modules contributes a type of component to the compositions in your project. Some components are a part of every composition, while others are optional. This section describes the DirectMusic Producer components and how they relate to the composing process and interrelate to create interactive music.

A project can contain the types of components shown in the following table.

Component File extensions
(Editable/Run-time)
Description Design Module
Audiopath .aup/.aud Setup for routing playback through synthesizers, buffers, and effects. Audiopath Designer
Band .bnp and .bnd Collection of instrument mappings, including PChannel, pan, and volume settings. Band Editor
Chordmap .cdp/.cdm Collection of variable chord progressions. Chordmap Designer
Container .cop/.con Container for multiple components. Edited only in the project tree.
DLS Collection .dlp/.dls Collection of downloadable sounds available as instrument sounds. DLS Designer
Script .spp/.spt Scripted routines. Script Designer
Segment .sgp/.sgt Main framework for organizing multiple music elements—MIDI sequences, waves, styles, chords, and bands—in a playable form. Segment Designer
Style .stp/.sty Collection of melodic and rhythmic patterns with variations. Also includes a list of band choices. Style Designer
Toolgraph .tgp/.tgr Configuration of tools to manipulate data before it reaches the synthesizer. Toolgraph Designer
Wave .wvp/.wav Digitally recorded (sampled) sound. Wave Editor

In the previous table, each component type is shown with two file extensions. The first extension is used when the file is under construction in DirectMusic Producer (authoring mode), and appears as part of the file name in the project tree. The second extension is used when the file is ready to play in an application or Web page (run-time mode). DirectMusic Producer can load files in both forms; it converts a run-time file into an authoring file. For more information, see Delivering Content.

Components are not necessarily saved in individual files. For example, a container can be saved as part of a segment file, and a band can be part of a style or segment.

Some components contain subcomponents, as shown in the following table.

Subcomponent Component Description Design Module
Pattern Style or Segment Collection of individual instrument parts containing melodic and rhythmic figures that can adjust to different chords. Pattern Editor or Pattern Track
Motif Style A type of pattern that serves as a melodic figure, usually brief, to layer over other music. Pattern Editor
Embellishment Style A type of pattern designed to serve a special purpose such as to introduce or end a segment. Pattern Editor
Sequence Segment MIDI notes and data for fixed playback of notes. Sequence Track in Segment Designer

Note   Sequences, and patterns in pattern tracks, are not visible in the project tree.

As you edit components, the editing changes are reflected in other components that refer to them. For example, if you have made changes to a style in Pattern Editor, and then play a segment that uses the style, the segment draws on the new patterns, even if they have not yet been saved.

See Also


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