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Instrument Note Mapping

When using instrument names as pattern tokens (e.g. snare, hihat, kick), set a default pitch with note=. For Game Boy noise instruments, also set uge_note= so playback and hUGETracker export share the same noise clock.

Syntax​

inst <name> type=<type> [<params>...] note=<note>
inst <name> type=noise ... uge_note=C-6 note=C6

Example: Percussion Kit​

chip gameboy
bpm 140

inst kick       type=pulse1 duty=12.5 env=15,down,1 note=C2
inst snare      type=noise  gb:width=7  env=13,down,1 uge_note=C-7 note=C6
inst hihat_cl   type=noise  gb:width=15 env=6,down,1  uge_note=C-7 note=C6
inst hihat_op   type=noise  gb:width=15 env=8,down,3  uge_note=D-7 note=D6
inst tom_low    type=noise  gb:width=7  env=14,down,5 uge_note=C-6 note=C5
inst tom_high   type=noise  gb:width=7  env=12,down,3 uge_note=E-6 note=E5

pat kick_pat  = kick . . . kick . . .
pat snare_pat = . . . . snare . . .
pat hh_pat    = hihat_cl hihat_cl hihat_op hihat_cl

channel 1 => inst kick pat kick_pat
channel 4 => inst snare pat snare_pat hh_pat

How it works​

  1. Pulse / Wave with note=: The specified note is the pitch played when you use the instrument name as a token.
  2. Noise with note=: Sets the default pitch for named tokens in patterns (and contributes to export mapping when uge_note is absent).
  3. Noise with uge_note=: Uses hUGETracker display notation (e.g. C-6, C-7). BeatBax derives the LFSR clock from this value for Web Audio and PCM/WAV playback, not only for UGE export. Prefer uge_note for percussion you care about hearing correctly.
  4. Without note=: Defaults to C5 for backward compatibility in exports.
  5. Explicit note overrides: inst(kick) C3 still overrides the instrument default.

Optional divisor / shift on noise instruments can still override the clock for tests or specialised patches.

Noise channel behaviour​

The Game Boy noise channel does not use melodic pitch the way pulse/wave do. Timbre still comes from gb:width (and related LFSR settings), but the noise period / clock is selected from the hUGE note table via uge_note (or derived mapping) so BeatBax matches hUGETracker listening levels and export.

inst snare type=noise gb:width=7 env=13,down uge_note=C-7 note=C6

# Playback: LFSR clock from uge_note; timbre from width/envelope
# UGE export: stored as C-7 in hUGETracker
pat drums = snare . . .

Prefer uge_note=C-6 for kicks when using large negative pitch_env drops — the GB noise note table is non-monotonic at some high bases.

UGE display octave​

hUGETracker displays notes one octave higher than BeatBax MIDI-style note= values:

  • note=C6 → typically C-7 in hUGETracker
  • note=C2 → typically C-3 in hUGETracker

Writing uge_note=C-7 uses the tracker’s own notation directly.

RoleTypical setup
Kicks (pulse)note=C2
Kicks (noise)uge_note=C-6 (often with pitch_env)
Snares (7-bit)uge_note=C-7, note=C6
Closed hats (15-bit)uge_note=C-7–D-7
Open hatsuge_note=D-7–E-7
Tomsuge_note=C-6–E-6

Sharp notes in note=​

Avoid # inside note= values (comment parsing). Use flats or naturals: note=Db7, not note=C#7. For tracker-style sharps, use uge_note= (e.g. uge_note=C#6 where supported by the noise-note helpers).

See also​