MidiToAIMS - Revision history

Adam ant at 22:22, 8 November 2026

2026-11-08T22:22:15Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 14:22, 8 November 2026
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	! Setting !! Default !! Meaning		! Setting !! Default !! Meaning
	\|-		\|-
	\| Song \|\| the MIDI's file name \|\| The song's title.		\| Song \|\| the MIDI's file name (underscores as spaces) \|\| The song's title.
	\|-		\|-
	\| Composer \|\| (blank) \|\| Who wrote the music. It's recorded in the composition.		\| Composer \|\| (blank) \|\| Who wrote the music. It's recorded in the composition.
	\|-		\|-
	\| Arranged by \|\| ~~MidiToAims~~ \|\| '''You.''' This becomes the book's author, the name the Music Box shows. Set it to your character's name.		\| Arranged by \|\| (blank) \|\| '''You.''' This becomes the book's author, the name the Music Box shows. Set it to your character's name. Left blank, whoever transcribes the books is credited.
	\|-		\|-
	\| Timer \|\| Anchored \|\| The AIMS timer. Anchored keeps every pause exactly on time.		\| Timer \|\| Anchored \|\| The AIMS timer. Anchored keeps every pause exactly on time.

Adam ant at 16:49, 4 November 2026

2026-11-04T16:49:38Z

Adam ant at 15:00, 4 November 2026

2026-11-04T15:00:46Z

Show changes

Adam ant at 20:20, 3 November 2026

2026-11-03T20:20:41Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:20, 3 November 2026
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	=== Naming a Song ===		=== Naming a Song ===
	You don't have to type a whole file name. Any words from it will do: ''minuet'' finds ''Minuet in A minor'', and ''too sweet'' finds ''Hozier - Too Sweet (piano arrangement)''. Quotes are optional. A song's pieces (see [[#Long Songs: Several ~~Pastes~~\|Long Songs]]) count as one song. If several songs match, MidiToAims lists them: type more of the name. A name that matches a song exactly wins.		You don't have to type a whole file name. Any words from it will do: ''minuet'' finds ''Minuet in A minor'', and ''too sweet'' finds ''Hozier - Too Sweet (piano arrangement)''. Quotes are optional. A song's pieces (see [[#Long Songs: Several Posts\|Long Songs]]) count as one song. If several songs match, MidiToAims lists them: type more of the name. A name that matches a song exactly wins.

	MidiToAims looks in the folder you're in, and in its own folder. To use another folder, name it: ''songs\minuet''.		MidiToAims looks in the folder you're in, and in its own folder. To use another folder, name it: ''songs\minuet''.
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	== Getting It Into the Game ==		== Getting It Into the Game ==
	# Open the .rzr file in Notepad and copy all of the text (Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C).		# Open the .rzr file in Notepad and copy all of the text (Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C).
	# In game, ~~open~~ a blank music composition book, click ~~on its first page~~ and paste (Ctrl+V). The whole ~~text~~ goes in at once ~~and flows across the pages. The client wraps long lines for you~~.		# In game, put a blank music composition book in your backpack, right-click it and choose '''Paste'''.
			# Click '''Post Message''', click in the message box, paste (Ctrl+V) and click '''Post'''. The whole composition goes into the book at once, line by line.
	# Preview it with '''[play preview''', or with '''Start''' in the book's context menu. '''Stop''' ends the preview.		# Preview it with '''[play preview''', or with '''Start''' in the book's context menu. '''Stop''' ends the preview.
	# Edit in the book as you would any composition, and preview again.		# Edit in the book as you would any composition, and preview again.
	# When you're happy with it, use [[Sheet Music\|manuscript paper]] on the book to make sheet music.		# When you're happy with it, use [[Sheet Music\|manuscript paper]] on the book to make sheet music.

	The header at the top of the composition (# Song:, # Author:) gives ~~the~~ book its title and author.		The header at the top of the composition (# Song:, # Author:) gives a new book its title and author.

	=== Long Songs: Several ~~Pastes~~ ===		=== Long Songs: Several Posts ===
	~~The game client crashes if a single paste is too big (more than about 12 pages). So~~ MidiToAims cuts a long book into pieces~~, each one safe to paste~~:		One post takes up to 250 lines, so MidiToAims cuts a long book into pieces:

	Long Song.~~paste1~~.rzr ~~paste~~ 1 of 3		Long Song.post1.rzr post 1 of 2
	Long Song.~~paste2~~.rzr ~~paste~~ 2 of 3		Long Song.post2.rzr post 2 of 2
	~~Long Song.paste3.rzr paste 3 of 3~~

	~~Paste~~ them into the same book, in order. ~~After~~ a ~~paste, the cursor waits at the end of what you pasted, so don~~'t ~~click~~ in the book ~~between pastes. Open the next file~~, ~~copy all of it~~, and ~~paste again. Pieces always break between phrases~~.		Post them into the same book, in order: each one goes in after the last. Pieces always break between phrases. If a post won't fit in the book, nothing is written, and you're told how many pages it needs.

	If an older conversion left other .rzr files for the song, MidiToAims tells you. Don't paste those.		If an older conversion left other .rzr files for the song, MidiToAims tells you. Don't paste those.

	=== Songs Longer Than One Book ===		=== Songs Longer Than One Book ===
	A book holds 96 pages. MidiToAims fills at most 95 of them, which leaves room for your own lines: lyrics, extra settings, notes to yourself.		A book holds 96 pages. MidiToAims fills at most 95 of them, which leaves room for your own lines: lyrics, extra settings, notes to yourself.
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	When a song needs more than one book, each book gets its own files:		When a song needs more than one book, each book gets its own files:

	Long Song.book1.~~paste1~~.rzr book 1, ~~paste~~ 1 of 2		Long Song.book1.post1.rzr book 1, post 1 of 2
	Long Song.book1.~~paste2~~.rzr book 1, ~~paste~~ 2 of 2		Long Song.book1.post2.rzr book 1, post 2 of 2
	Long Song.book2.rzr book 2 (one ~~paste~~)		Long Song.book2.rzr book 2 (one post)

	Use a new book for each book number. Each book starts with its place in the song, for example ''# Book: 2/3''. Books always break between phrases. Keep all of a song's books together in your backpack or in one bag. Previewing or transcribing any of them uses the whole song. A song can span up to 9 books.		Use a new book for each book number. Each book starts with its place in the song, for example ''# Book: 2/3''. Books always break between phrases. Keep all of a song's books together in your backpack or in one bag. Previewing or transcribing any of them uses the whole song. A song can span up to 9 books.

	=== Sharing the Text ===		=== Sharing the Text ===
	To share an arrangement, share the MIDI and your .m2a: anyone with MidiToAims can make the same books from them. If you want ~~a book's text~~ as one file, ~~join~~ its ~~pieces at a command prompt~~, ~~for example~~:		To share an arrangement, share the MIDI and your .m2a: anyone with MidiToAims can make the same books from them. If you want the whole song as one file, set '''Format: whole''' in the .m2a, or add ''--format whole'': MidiToAims writes ''Long Song.rzr'', all of its books one after another, each starting with its ''# Book: n/m'' line.

	~~copy /b "Long Song.paste1.rzr" + "Long Song.paste2.rzr" + "Long Song.paste3.rzr" "Long Song (whole).rzr"~~		Don't paste a whole file into the game if it's bigger than one post. MidiToAims says when it is.

	Don't paste ~~the joined~~ file into the game: it is ~~too big for one paste~~.

	== The Arrangement Settings (.m2a) ==		== The Arrangement Settings (.m2a) ==
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	\|-		\|-
	\| Book pages \|\| 95 \|\| Pages filled per book (1 to 96). The rest is room for your own lines.		\| Book pages \|\| 95 \|\| Pages filled per book (1 to 96). The rest is room for your own lines.
			\|-
			\| Format \|\| post \|\| '''post''': files for the book's Paste (see [[#Getting It Into the Game\|Getting It Into the Game]]). '''whole''': the song in one file (see [[#Sharing the Text\|Sharing the Text]]).
	\|}		\|}

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	MidiToAims "Minuet in A minor.mid" --arranger "Mira" --composer "J. S. Bach" --notes 2		MidiToAims "Minuet in A minor.mid" --arranger "Mira" --composer "J. S. Bach" --notes 2

	Available options: --song, --composer, --arranger, --notes, --bars, --pages. You can also name the output file: ''MidiToAims "Minuet in A minor.mid" "My Minuet.rzr"''.		Available options: --song, --composer, --arranger, --notes, --bars, --pages, --format. You can also name the output file: ''MidiToAims "Minuet in A minor.mid" "My Minuet.rzr"''.

	== Reading the Report ==		== Reading the Report ==
	Each conversion prints a summary:		Each conversion prints a summary:

	Minuet in A minor: 165 notes (165 kept, 0 dropped, 14 folded by octave); melody: track 1; melody octave -1, accompaniment 0; 22 [play lines, 63 s, 1.7 KB; 1 book (11 pages; 1 ~~paste~~)		Minuet in A minor: 165 notes (165 kept, 0 dropped, 14 folded by octave); melody: track 1; melody octave -1, accompaniment 0; 22 [play lines, 63 s, 1.6 KB; 1 book (12 pages; 1 post)
	Song: Minuet in A minor; Composer: J. S. Bach; Arranged by: Mira; Timer: Anchored; Notes at once: 3; Bars per block: 2; Book pages: 95		Song: Minuet in A minor; Composer: J. S. Bach; Arranged by: Mira; Timer: Anchored; Notes at once: 3; Bars per block: 2; Book pages: 95

	* '''Dropped''' notes didn't fit within Notes at once.		* '''Dropped''' notes didn't fit within Notes at once.
	* '''Pages''' and '''~~pastes~~''' are per book: a longer song might say ''4 books (30, ~~29, 30, 4~~ pages; ~~3, 3, 3~~, 1 ~~pastes~~)''.		* '''Pages''' and '''posts''' are per book: a longer song might say ''2 books (93, 40 pages; 2, 1 posts)''.
	* '''Folded''' notes were outside AIMS's two octaves, so MidiToAims moved them by an octave.		* '''Folded''' notes were outside AIMS's two octaves, so MidiToAims moved them by an octave.
	* After the summary, the report lists the bars where notes were dropped or folded, so you know where to listen and where to edit.		* After the summary, the report lists the bars where notes were dropped or folded, so you know where to listen and where to edit.
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	* '''--list''': list sounds without playing them (sound).		* '''--list''': list sounds without playing them (sound).
	* '''--uo "folder"''': where your Ultima Online client is (remembered).		* '''--uo "folder"''': where your Ultima Online client is (remembered).
	* '''--song, --composer, --arranger, --notes, --bars, --pages''': override the .m2a for one conversion.		* '''--song, --composer, --arranger, --notes, --bars, --pages, --format''': override the .m2a for one conversion.

	== Credit Where It's Due ==		== Credit Where It's Due ==

Adam ant at 15:55, 3 November 2026

2026-11-03T15:55:30Z

Show changes

Adam ant: /* Download */

2026-11-02T20:23:07Z

Download

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:23, 2 November 2026
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	MidiToAims is a single Windows program. Nothing needs to be installed.		MidiToAims is a single Windows program. Nothing needs to be installed.

	* [Download MidiToAims.zip]		* [https://drive.google.com/uc?export=download&id=1T1Cwe1xYW6lYOcVWll764rvyXGrMSQRt Download MidiToAims.zip]

	Unzip it wherever you like, for example in Documents. The MidiToAims folder contains:		Unzip it wherever you like, for example in Documents. The MidiToAims folder contains:

Adam ant: Created page with "TOC == Overview == '''MidiToAims''' turns a MIDI file into an AIMS composition that you paste into a music composition book. It is a workbench for musicians, not a song generator: it does the transcription, and you make the musical decisions. It chooses the melody and accompaniment, fits the music into AIMS's range, and writes every note and pause with exact timing. You decide what to change, then refine the result in the book like any other co..."

2026-11-02T20:21:29Z

Created page with "__TOC__ == Overview == '''MidiToAims''' turns a MIDI file into an AIMS composition that you paste into a music composition book. It is a workbench for musicians, not a song generator: it does the transcription, and you make the musical decisions. It chooses the melody and accompaniment, fits the music into AIMS's range, and writes every note and pause with exact timing. You decide what to change, then refine the result in the book like any other co..."

New page

__TOC__

== Overview ==
'''MidiToAims''' turns a MIDI file into an AIMS composition that you paste into a [[Music Composition|music composition book]]. It is a workbench for musicians, not a song generator: it does the transcription, and you make the musical decisions. It chooses the melody and accompaniment, fits the music into AIMS's range, and writes every note and pause with exact timing. You decide what to change, then refine the result in the book like any other composition.

The finished book follows the usual path: preview it, transcribe it to [[Sheet Music]], and submit it to the [[Music Box]].

You don't need any UO skills. MidiToAims runs on your own computer, and you choose the MIDI files.

== Download ==
MidiToAims is a single Windows program. Nothing needs to be installed.

* [Download MidiToAims.zip]

Unzip it wherever you like, for example in Documents. The MidiToAims folder contains:
* '''MidiToAims.exe''', the program.
* '''Minuet in A minor.mid''', by J. S. Bach (public domain), to try first.
* '''README.txt''', a quick start.

Put the MIDI files you want to arrange in the same folder.

The first time you run it, Windows may say "Windows protected your PC". Click '''More info''', then '''Run anyway'''.

== Quick Start ==
The fastest way: drag a MIDI file onto '''MidiToAims.exe'''. Try it with the minuet. '''Minuet in A minor.rzr''' appears next to the MIDI. That is your composition.

For more control, use the command line. Open the folder, type '''cmd''' in the address bar and press Enter, then:

MidiToAims init "Minuet in A minor.mid"
MidiToAims "Minuet in A minor.mid"

The first command writes '''Minuet in A minor.m2a''', the arrangement settings, next to the MIDI. Open it in Notepad, set '''Arranged by''' to your character's name, and change anything else you like. The second command converts the MIDI using those settings. Edit the .m2a and convert again as often as you like.

== Getting It Into the Game ==
# Open the .rzr file in Notepad and copy all of the text (Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C).
# In game, open a blank music composition book, click on its first page and paste (Ctrl+V). The whole text goes in at once and flows across the pages. The client wraps long lines for you.
# Preview it with '''[play preview''', or with '''Start''' in the book's context menu. '''Stop''' ends the preview.
# Edit in the book as you would any composition, and preview again.
# When you're happy with it, use [[Sheet Music|manuscript paper]] on the book to make sheet music.

The header at the top of the composition (# Song:, # Author:) gives the book its title and author.

=== Long Songs: Several Pastes ===
The game client crashes if a single paste is too big (more than about 12 pages). So MidiToAims cuts a long book into pieces, each one safe to paste:

Long Song.paste1.rzr paste 1 of 3
Long Song.paste2.rzr paste 2 of 3
Long Song.paste3.rzr paste 3 of 3

Paste them into the same book, in order. After a paste, the cursor waits at the end of what you pasted, so don't click in the book between pastes. Open the next file, copy all of it, and paste again. Pieces always break between phrases.

If an older conversion left other .rzr files for the song, MidiToAims tells you. Don't paste those.

=== Songs Longer Than One Book ===
A book holds 96 pages. MidiToAims fills at most 95 of them, which leaves room for your own lines: lyrics, extra settings, notes to yourself.

When a song needs more than one book, each book gets its own files:

Long Song.book1.paste1.rzr book 1, paste 1 of 2
Long Song.book1.paste2.rzr book 1, paste 2 of 2
Long Song.book2.rzr book 2 (one paste)

Use a new book for each book number. Each book starts with its place in the song, for example ''# Book: 2/3''. Books always break between phrases. Keep all of a song's books together in your backpack or in one bag. Previewing or transcribing any of them uses the whole song. A song can span up to 9 books.

=== Sharing the Text ===
To share an arrangement, share the MIDI and your .m2a: anyone with MidiToAims can make the same books from them. If you want a book's text as one file, join its pieces at a command prompt, for example:

copy /b "Long Song.paste1.rzr" + "Long Song.paste2.rzr" + "Long Song.paste3.rzr" "Long Song (whole).rzr"

Don't paste the joined file into the game: it is too big for one paste.

== The Arrangement Settings (.m2a) ==
The .m2a file is plain text, one setting per line. Write your value right after the colon: ''Arranged by: Mira''. A blank value keeps the default.

A # starts a comment when it begins a line, or when it stands on its own with a space on each side (''Notes at once: 2 # fewer''). A # inside a word is kept, so ''Song: Prelude in C# minor'' works.

Each conversion's report lists the settings it used, so you can see at a glance whether a change took effect. The report also warns you if a name has a word that starts with #, or is "say" or "wait", because the book may start a new line there and the shard would cut the name.

{| class="wikitable"
! Setting !! Default !! Meaning
|-
| Song || the MIDI's file name || The song's title.
|-
| Composer || (blank) || Who wrote the music. It's recorded in the composition.
|-
| Arranged by || MidiToAims || '''You.''' This becomes the book's author, the name the Music Box shows. Set it to your character's name.
|-
| Timer || Anchored || The AIMS timer. Anchored keeps every pause exactly on time.
|-
| Notes at once || 3 || At most 1 to 6 notes together. The melody comes first, then the bass, then inner notes from the top.
|-
| Bars per block || 2 || How many bars go into each phrase block (1 to 8). Each block ends with a wait of exactly its length.
|-
| Book pages || 95 || Pages filled per book (1 to 96). The rest is room for your own lines.
|}

=== Tracks ===
The starter .m2a lists every track in the MIDI with its name, note count and range, and shows what MidiToAims chose for it:

Track 2: # Violin; 312 notes, G3 to E6
Role: auto # melody (the highest track)
Instrument: auto
Octave: auto

{| class="wikitable"
! Setting !! Choices !! Meaning
|-
| Role || auto, melody, harmony, bass, off || '''melody''' is the line that leads. '''bass''' is preferred as the low note. '''off''' leaves the track out.
|-
| Instrument || auto, harp, lapharp, lute || By default the melody is on the lap harp and everything else on the harp.
|-
| Octave || auto, or -4 to +4 || Moves the track by whole octaves.
|}

By default, the track with the highest notes is the melody. A MIDI with only one track uses the top note at each moment as the melody. Drums are left out.

=== Command-Line Overrides ===
These options override the .m2a for one conversion:

MidiToAims "Minuet in A minor.mid" --arranger "Mira" --composer "J. S. Bach" --notes 2

Available options: --song, --composer, --arranger, --notes, --bars, --pages. You can also name the output file: ''MidiToAims "Minuet in A minor.mid" "My Minuet.rzr"''.

== Reading the Report ==
Each conversion prints a summary:

Minuet in A minor: 165 notes (165 kept, 0 dropped, 14 folded by octave); melody: track 1; melody octave -1, accompaniment 0; 22 [play lines, 63 s, 1.7 KB; 1 book (11 pages; 1 paste)
Song: Minuet in A minor; Composer: J. S. Bach; Arranged by: Mira; Timer: Anchored; Notes at once: 3; Bars per block: 2; Book pages: 95

* '''Dropped''' notes didn't fit within Notes at once.
* '''Pages''' and '''pastes''' are per book: a longer song might say ''4 books (30, 29, 30, 4 pages; 3, 3, 3, 1 pastes)''.
* '''Folded''' notes were outside AIMS's two octaves, so MidiToAims moved them by an octave.
* After the summary, the report lists the bars where notes were dropped or folded, so you know where to listen and where to edit.

== What AIMS Can Play ==
* Three instruments: harp, lap harp and lute.
* Two octaves, from low C to high C (25 notes).
* Up to 2,000 lines per song, across up to 9 books.

Music written for a full orchestra will be simplified. Pieces with a clear melody and accompaniment, such as dances, folk tunes and keyboard pieces, often sound good straight away. Try lowering Notes at once, turning off busy tracks, or moving a track an octave.

== Credit Where It's Due ==
Arranging a piece doesn't make you its composer. Put the original composer in '''Composer''' and your own name in '''Arranged by'''. The arrangement is your work, and the composition is theirs.

Use music you have the right to arrange: your own, or music in the public domain. The [https://www.mutopiaproject.org Mutopia Project] has a large library of free, public-domain MIDI files.

== See Also ==
* [[Music Composition]]
* [[Sheet Music]]
* [[Music Box]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:49, 4 November 2026
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	== Overview ==		== Overview ==
	'''MidiToAims''' turns a MIDI file into an AIMS composition that you paste into a [[Music Composition\|music composition book]]. It is a workbench for musicians, not a song generator: it does the transcription, and you make the musical decisions. It chooses the melody and accompaniment, fits the music into AIMS's range, and writes every note and pause with exact timing. You decide what to change, then refine the result in the book like any other composition.		'''MidiToAims''' turns a MIDI file into an AIMS composition that you paste into a [[Sheet Music#Composition Book\|music composition book]]. It is a workbench for musicians, not a song generator: it does the transcription, and you make the musical decisions. It chooses the melody and accompaniment, fits the music into AIMS's range, and writes every note and pause with exact timing. You decide what to change, then refine the result in the book like any other composition.

	MidiToAims also plays your music on your own computer, the way the game will: a whole song before you paste it, or a single [play line while you try ideas.		MidiToAims also plays your music on your own computer, the way the game will: a whole song before you paste it, or a single [play line while you try ideas.
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	== Getting It Into the Game ==		== Getting It Into the Game ==
	# Open the .rzr file in Notepad and copy all of the text (Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C).		# Open the .rzr file in Notepad and copy all of the text (Ctrl+A, Ctrl+C).
	# In game, put a blank music composition book in your backpack, ~~right~~-click it and choose '''Paste'''.		# In game, put a blank music composition book in your backpack, single-click it and choose '''Paste'''.
	# Click '''Post Message''', click in the message box, paste (Ctrl+V) and click '''Post'''. The whole composition goes into the book at once, line by line.		# Click '''Post Message''', click in the message box, paste (Ctrl+V) and click '''Post'''. The whole composition goes into the book at once, line by line.
	# Preview it with '''[play preview''', or with '''Start''' in the book's context menu. '''Stop''' ends the preview.		# Preview it with '''[play preview''', or with '''Start''' in the book's context menu. '''Stop''' ends the preview.
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	# When you're happy with it, use [[Sheet Music\|manuscript paper]] on the book to make sheet music.		# When you're happy with it, use [[Sheet Music\|manuscript paper]] on the book to make sheet music.

	The header at the top of the composition (# Song:, # Author:) gives a new book its title and author.		The header at the top of the composition (# Song:, # Author:) gives a new book its title and author. See [[Sheet Music#Composition Book\|Composition Book]] for more about Paste, and [[Sheet Music#Settings\|Settings]] for every # setting.

	=== Long Songs: Several Posts ===		=== Long Songs: Several Posts ===
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	Long Song.book2.rzr book 2 (one post)		Long Song.book2.rzr book 2 (one post)

	Use a new book for each book number. Each book starts with its place in the song, for example ''# Book: 2/3''. Books always break between phrases. Keep all of a song's books together in your backpack or in one bag. Previewing or transcribing any of them uses the whole song. A song can span up to 9 books.		Use a new book for each book number. Each book starts with its place in the song, for example ''# Book: 2/3''. Books always break between phrases. Keep all of a song's books together in your backpack or in one bag. Previewing or transcribing any of them uses the whole song. A song can span up to 9 books, but written out it must fit the game's limit of 64 KB, about four full books (see [[Music Composition#Rules and Limits\|Rules and Limits]]). MidiToAims doesn't check this yet, so for a very long song, check the report's size.

	=== Sharing the Text ===		=== Sharing the Text ===
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	* Three instruments: harp, lap harp and lute.		* Three instruments: harp, lap harp and lute.
	* Two octaves, from low C to high C (25 notes).		* Two octaves, from low C to high C (25 notes).
	* Up to 2,000 lines ~~per song, across up to 9~~ books.		* Up to 9 books per song, but at most 2,000 lines and 64 KB once written out: about four full books (see [[Music Composition#Rules and Limits\|Rules and Limits]]).
	* The same note on the same instrument can't sound again within about 0.2 seconds (see [[#Hear It Before You Paste It\|Skipped notes]]).		* The same note on the same instrument can't sound again within about 0.2 seconds (see [[#Hear It Before You Paste It\|Skipped notes]]).