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Channels

A channel line assigns one chip voice: default instrument, what to play, and optional per-channel options.

channel <N> => inst <name> seq <SeqRhs>
channel <N> => inst <name> pat <name>
channel <N> => inst <name> seq <pat1> <pat2> # inline playlist
PartMeaning
channel NChip voice index (1-based). Mapping depends on chip — see Sound Chip Plugins.
inst nameDefault instrument for this voice
seq / patWhat to play (named sequence, named pattern, or inline sequence items)
speed=Tempo multiplier relative to master bpm
lock=Scale-degree lock when a song-level scale is set — see Global directives

Pattern or sequence​

channel 1 => inst lead seq lead_seq
channel 2 => inst harm pat motif
channel 3 => inst bass seq bass_a bass_b # inline playlist

Speed​

Tempo multiplier relative to master bpm (speed=2, speed=2x, speed=0.5). Also covered under Effects — per-channel speed.

channel 2 => inst harm pat motif speed=2x
channel 3 => inst bass seq bass_p lock=root+fifth

Not supported​

  • Channel-level bpm= — rejected by the parser. Use top-level bpm plus speed= (or sequence modifiers like :fast / :slow).

Game Boy voice numbers​

ChannelTypical roleInstrument type
1Lead / sweeppulse1
2Harmonypulse2
3Bass / padwave
4Drumsnoise

Other chips expose different counts and roles — see the chip pages.

Channels with speed= and lock=

Interactive playback loads in the browser.

…
channel 1 => inst lead seq phrase lock=scale
channel 3 => inst bass seq bass_p speed=0.5 lock=root+fifth
…

See also​