Richard Dobson wrote:
> 
> Yes, that is more or less it (I haven't actually tried using a
> fractional p1, though it is explicitly stated in the manual that the
> fractional parts can be used to give additional tags to identify tied
> notes).

I've done it, and it works great!

> As you say, this would all have to be handled in the instrument
> - unless the 'next-p' and 'prev-p' fields which I use for legato control
> can be adapted to look for the next or previous pfields ~for a given p1~
> rather than just the line in the score. Ideally, I would like a
> mechanism for 'static' variables ~local~ to an instrument, which
> supported multiple polyphonic instances of the instrument (what I call
> 'managing it's own polyphony'), perhaps up to some compiled limit.

Actually, you can already accomplish this by saving the p-fields into
regular instrument variables, and then in a later note that has the same
p1 (including fractional part), you can use those saved p-fields and the
new ones to generate ramp functions for slewing the pitch, amplitude, or
whatever.  It does have to be coded into the instrument, but there's no
polyphony limit that I know of.

> Perhaps 'next-p' and 'prev-p' really need to be opcodes as well as score
> directives. Either way, though, it is a bit of a hack, as you are having
> to code explicitly for polyphony within an instrument.

Well, I wouldn't say you're coding for polyphony so much as coding for
legato capability.  Even if an instrument is monophonic, wouldn't you
have to code in special provisions for good legato, like having a
parameter for portamento time, taking care to skip initialization on the
appropriate ugens if you're not on the first note of a legato run, etc.?

> If the
> instruments could be just a little more 'object-like', you could apply a
> polyphonic legato score to ~any~ instrument, and get the expected
> behaviour.

But look at real instruments -- they're pretty object-like, and *they*
have to have legato designed into *them* :-).  E.g., a voice can just
slur to another pitch, but all a piano can do is start playing the new
note before the old one is let go of.

> Something for the Csound Conference, perhasp?
> 
> Richard Dobson

				David Kirsh