Strudelify
How Soon Is Now cover art

Meat Is Murder

How Soon Is Now

The Smiths

KeyF♯ minorTempo95 bpm
0:00/0:00
// How Soon Is Now — The Smiths
// 95 bpm, 4/4, key F# minor. Source: midi.
// Generated by strudelify. One cycle = one bar.
// note: pitch bends are ignored
// note: ch 13 "main guitar" named as a guitar, played on electric guitar clean (its synth bass 1 patch is not one); ch 14 "main guitar" named as a guitar, played on electric guitar clean (its synth bass 1 patch is not one)
// note: duplicate parts dropped: ch 8 "klank runs 2" orchestral harp (copy of ch 7 "klank runs" xylophone)
// note: Full arrangement: all 163 bars on a 16-step grid, each part at one level. Source detail keeps the original performance.
// note: Guitar parts that double another keep only their own notes (fills, solos): harmonics, main guitar.
// note: The whole transcription plays 21 ms behind the beat; the grid follows it, so its parts stay together.
setcpm(95/4)

// Notation: c3@3 lasts 3 steps · ~ is a rest · [c3,e3] is a chord · [...]/2 spreads a riff over 2 bars.
// A part's distinct bars are riffs (A, B, C...) played in order, A@4 for four bars: edit a riff to change every repeat.

// bass · electric bass finger · "bass"
const bass = note(`<
  ~@4 A B C D A B C D A B C D A E F G H I J G H B C D K B C D A B C D A B C D A E F L H E F L H B C D K B C D A B C D A
  B C D A E F L H E F L H B C D K B C D A B C D A B C D A E F L H E F L H B C D K B C D A B C D A B C D A E F L H E F L
  ~@4 A B C D A B C D A B C D A E F L H E F L H B C D A B C D A B C D A B C D A C ~
>`.pickRestart({
  A: "a1@3 a1@2 ~ a1@2 a1@2 b1@4 b1@2", B: "e1 f#1 ~ f#1 ~@2 f#1@3 ~ f#1@3 f#1@2 ~",
  C: "e1 f#1@2 f#1@2 ~ f#1@3 f#1@4 ~ f#1@2", D: "[d1,e1] f#1@2 f#1@2 ~ f#1@3 f#1@3 ~@2 f#1@2",
  E: "b1@2 ~ b1@2 ~ b1@4 d2 ~ d2@4", F: "a1@2 ~ a1 ~@2 a1@4 e2 ~ e2@3 ~", G: "c#2 ~@2 c#2 ~@2 c#2@2 ~@2 e1 ~ e1@2 ~@2",
  H: "f#1@13 ~@3", I: "b1@2 ~ b1@2 ~ b1@4 d2@2 d2@4", J: "a1@2 ~ a1 ~@2 a1@4 e2@2 e2@3 ~",
  K: "a1@3 a1@2 ~ a1@2 b1@2 ~ b1@2 ~ b1@2", L: "c#2@2 ~ c#2@2 ~ c#2@2 e1@2 ~ e1@2 ~ e1@2",
})).s("gm_electric_bass_finger").gain(0.43)

// bass · slap bass 2 · "bass 2"
const bass_2 = note(`<
  ~@5 A B C D A B C D A B C D E F G H E I G H ~@4 A B C D A J C D A J C D E F G H E F G H ~@4 A J C D A B C D A J C D E
  F G H E F G H ~@5 J C D A B C D ~ B C D E F G H E F G H ~@5 B C D ~ B C D ~ B C D E F G H E F G ~@5 A B C D A B C D ~
  B C D E F G H E F G H ~@5 B C D A B C D ~ B C D K ~
>`.pickRestart({
  A: "e1@2 f#1@2 ~@2 f#1@4 f#2@3 ~ d#2 e2", B: "e1 f#1 ~ f#1@2 d#2 ~ d#2", C: "e1 f#1 ~ f#1@3 ~@2",
  D: "a1@3 a1@3 a1@4 b1@5 ~", E: "b1@2 ~ b1@2 ~ b1@4 d2@2 d2@4", F: "a1@2 ~ a1@2 ~ a1@4 e2 ~ e2@3 ~",
  G: "c#2 ~@2 c#2 ~@2 c#2@2 ~@2 e1 ~ e1@2 ~@2", H: "f#1@13 ~@3", I: "a1@2 ~ a1@2 ~ a1@4 e2@2 e2@3 ~",
  J: "e1 f#1 ~ f#1@2 d#2 ~ a2", K: "e1 f#1 ~ f#1@2 ~@3",
})).s("gm_slap_bass_2").gain(0.12)

// other · koto
const koto = note(`<
  ~@17 A B C D A B C D ~@16 A B C D A B C D ~@16 A B C D A B C D ~@16 A B C D A B C D ~@16 A B C D A B C ~@17 A B C D A
  B C D ~@18
>`.pickRestart({
  A: "c#4@2 ~ c#4@2 ~ c#4@4 a3 ~ a3@3 ~", B: "a3@2 ~ a3@2 ~ a3@4 g#3 ~ g#3@3 ~",
  C: "c#4 ~@2 c#4 ~@2 c#4@2 ~@2 e4 ~ e4@2 ~@2", D: "f#4@13 ~@3",
})).s("gm_koto").gain(0.19)

// other · xylophone · "klank runs"
const xylophone = note("<~@76 A B@2 ~@5 A B@2 ~@17 A B@2 ~@25 A B@2 ~@13 A B@2 ~@3 A C A B@2 ~@4>".pickRestart({
  A: "~@14 c#5!2", B: "[c#5 ~ a4 ~ g#4 ~ f#4 c#5 ~ c#5 a4 ~ g#4 ~ f#4 e5@15 ~@2]/2", C: "c#5 ~ a4 ~ g#4 ~ f#4 ~@9",
})).s("gm_xylophone").gain(0.4)

// other · guitar harmonics · "harmonics"
const guitar_harmonics = note("<~@24 A@3 B ~@20 A@3 B ~@44 A ~ A B ~@44 C@3 ~@16>".pickRestart({
  A: "~@7 d#5", B: "~ a#4 ~@6", C: "~@6 a#5 ~ a#4@2 ~@6",
})).s("gm_guitar_harmonics").gain(0.13)

// chords · electric guitar clean · "main guitar"
const electric_guitar_clean = note(`<
  ~ A B A C A@2 B C A B A C A B A C D E F A D E F A@2 B A C A@2 B C A@2 B C A@2 B C D E F A D E F A@2 B A C A@2 B C A@2
  B C A@2 B C D E F A D E F A B A B C A@3 C A@2 B C A@3 C D E F A D E F A@2 B A C A@2 B C A@2 B C A@2 B C D E F A D E F
  A@2 B A C A@2 B C A@2 B C A@2 B C D E F A D E F A@2 B A C A@2 B C A@2 B C A B@2 C B ~
>`.pickRestart({
  A: "[f#2,c#3,f#3]!16", B: "[e2,c#3,f#3]!2 [f#2,c#3,f#3]!14", C: "[a2,e3,a3]!10 [b2,f#3,b3]!6",
  D: "[b2,f#3,b3]!10 [d3,a3,d4]!6", E: "[a2,e3,a3]!10 [e2,b2,e3]!6", F: "[c#3,g#3,c#4]!10 [e2,b2,e3]!6",
})).s("gm_electric_guitar_clean").gain(0.07)

// drums · kick
const kick = s("bd").struct(`<
  ~@4 A@32 B A@3 B A@35 B A@7 B A@19 B A@3 B A@3 B A@7 C ~@2 A B A B@3 A@3 B A@3 B A@15 B A@7 B A ~
>`.pickRestart({
  A: "x ~@2 x ~@2 x ~@3 x ~@5", B: "x!2", C: "x",
})).gain(0.56)

// drums · snare
const snare = s("sd").struct(`<
  ~@4 A@15 B A@3 B A@19 B A@23 B A@3 B A@23 B A@19 B A@3 B ~@3 A@5 B A@10 B A@22 ~
>`.pickRestart({
  A: "~ x ~ x", B: "~@4 x ~@7 x!4",
})).gain(0.64)

// drums · hihat
const hihat = s("hh").struct("<~@4 [x!16]!116 ~@3 [x!16]!39 ~>").gain(0.48)

// drums · low tom
const low_tom = s("lt").struct("<~@47 [~@14 x!2] ~@115>").gain(0.48)

// drums · mid tom
const mid_tom = s("mt").struct("<~@47 A ~@43 B ~@51 B ~@17 B ~>".pickRestart({
  A: "~@12 x!2 ~@2", B: "~@12 x!4",
})).gain(0.48)

// drums · open hat
const open_hat = s("oh").struct(`<
  ~@4 A ~@3 A ~@3 A ~@3 A ~@3 A ~@7 A ~@3 A ~@7 A ~@3 A ~@7 A ~@3 A ~@3 A ~@3 A ~@3 A ~@11 A ~@7 A ~@3 A ~@7 A ~@11 A
  ~@3 A ~@6 A ~@12 A ~@3 A ~@7 A ~@7 A ~@6
>`.pickRestart({
  A: "~@5 x ~@2",
})).gain(0.56)

// drums · high tom
const high_tom = s("ht").struct("<~@47 A ~@43 B ~@51 B ~@17 B ~>".pickRestart({
  A: "~@10 x!2 ~@4", B: "~@9 x!3 ~@4",
})).gain(0.48)

// drums · splash
const splash = s("cr").struct(`<
  ~@4 A@2 ~@11 A ~@6 A ~@11 B ~@4 A ~@6 A ~@16 A ~@6 A ~@3 B ~@7 B ~@4 A ~@6 A ~@7 B ~@3 B ~@3 A@2 ~@10 B A ~ A B A ~@2
  B A ~@2 A@2 ~@5 C A ~@2 A ~@4 B ~@7 B ~@2
>`.pickRestart({
  A: "x", B: "x!2", C: "~@13 x ~@2",
})).gain(0.56)

// drums · shaker
const shaker = s("sh").struct("<~ [x!4]!3 ~@116 [x!4]!3 ~@40>").gain(0.64)

stack(
  bass, bass_2, koto, xylophone, guitar_harmonics, electric_guitar_clean, kick, snare, hihat, low_tom, mid_tom,
  open_hat, high_tom, splash, shaker
)