/ Reference / Tidal Cheatsheet

abc2midi guide .. abc cheatsheet
Fiddle Runtime .. Fiddle Resources
Extending Fiddle .. Installing Fiddle
General MIDI .. MIDI CC .. MIDI notes
Box2D API .. Tidal Cheatsheet
Banklist File .. Sample TOC File
Audio Troubleshooting

Online Tidal Docs: Strudel Ref .. Cycles .. Patterns .. MIDI .. OSC

Some of these are less relevant in Strudel use-case.

Strudel Internal Synth Pipeline:

Sin/Sqr/Tri/SawOSC   => sig
SamplePlayer         => sig 

sig => adsr => gain
       => lpf => hpf => bpf => vowel
       => coarse => crush => shape
       => pan => lastgain => orbit (delay, reverb)

Strudel Parameters

Control	Parameters	Notes
clip	clip(0\|1)	1: contrains duration to note-length
adsr	attack, decay, sustain, release	sustain is a level, others are durations
gain	gain
lpf	cutoff, resonance
hpf	hcutoff, hresonance
bpf	bandf, bandq
vowel	vowel	a, e, i, o, u, _
coarse	coarse
crush	crush
shape	shape
pan	pan
delay	delay, delaytime, delayfeedback
room	room, roomsize
orbit	orbit
ccn	ccn (name or number)	(see special names below)
ccv	ccv
midichan	midichan
midibend	midibend	(global) +/- number of MIDI semitones

Special Tidal node CCNs

Global Controls

ccn("globalgain") - a final gain balance applied after the per-voice gain values

Special room controls courtesy NHHall

ccn("roomStereo")

ccn("roomEarlyDiffusion")

ccn("roomLateDiffusion")

ccn("roomModRate")

ccn("roomModDepth")

Mini Notation table

The information in this cheatsheet is reproduced from here (CCA share-alike license). The online tidalcycles.org version is definitive. This version might be outdated. We present this snapshot here for the convenience of offline Fiddlers.

Keep in mind that "Classic Tidal" and Strudel differ in syntax due to their underlying language platform. In Classic s "bd sd" converts to Strudel's s("bd sd").

Symbol	Description	Example	Equivalent
`~`	Create a rest	s("~ hh")
`[ ]`	Create a pattern grouping	s("[bd sd] hh")	fastcat [s "bd sd", s "hh"]
`.`	Shorthand for pattern grouping	s("bd sd . hh hh hh")	s "[bd sd] [hh hh hh]
`,`	Play multiple patterns at the same time	s("[bd sd, hh hh hh]")	stack [s "bd sd", s "hh hh hh"]
`*`	Repeat a pattern	s("bd*2 sd")	s "[bd bd] sd"
`/`	Slow down a pattern	s("bd/2")	s (slow 2 $ "bd")
`\|`	Create a random choice	s("[bd\|cp \| hh]")
`< >`	Alternate between patterns	s("bd ")	slow 3 $ s "bd sd bd hh bd cp"
`!`	Replicate a pattern	s("bd!3 sd")	s "bd bd bd sd"
`_`	Elongate a pattern	s("bd _ _ ~ sd _")	Results in pattern (0>1/2)\|s: "bd" (4/6>1)\|s: "sd"
`@`	Elongate a pattern	s("superpiano@3 superpiano")	s "superpiano _ _ superpiano"
`?`	Randomly remove events from pattern	s("bd? sd")	fastcat [degradeBy 0.5 $ s "bd", s "sd"]
`:`	Selecting samples	s("bd:3")	s "bd" # n 3
`( )`	Euclidean sequences	s("bd(3,8)")	euclid 3 8 $ s "bd"
`{ }`	Polymetric sequences	s("{bd bd bd bd, cp cp hh}")	2nd pattern wraps: stack [ s "bd*4", s "cp cp hh cp" ]
`{ }%`	Polymetric sequence subdivision	s("{bd cp hh}%8")	Pattern wraps: s "bd cp hh bd cp hh bd cp"

Euclidian Rhythms

The Euclidean Algorithm Generates Traditional Musical Rhythms by Toussaint

Pattern	Description
`(2,5)`	A thirteenth century Persian rhythm called Khafif-e-ramal.
`(3,4)`	The archetypal pattern of the Cumbia from Colombia, as well as a Calypso rhythm from Trinidad.
`(3,5,2)`	Another thirteenth century Persian rhythm by the name of Khafif-e-ramal, as well as a Rumanian folk-dance rhythm.
`(3,7)`	A Ruchenitza rhythm used in a Bulgarian folk-dance.
`(3,8)`	The Cuban tresillo pattern.
`(4,7)`	Another Ruchenitza Bulgarian folk-dance rhythm.
`(4,9)`	The Aksak rhythm of Turkey.
`(4,11)`	The metric pattern used by Frank Zappa in his piece titled Outside Now.
`(5,6)`	Yields the York-Samai pattern, a popular Arab rhythm.
`(5,7)`	The Nawakhat pattern, another popular Arab rhythm.
`(5,8)`	The Cuban cinquillo pattern.
`(5,9)`	A popular Arab rhythm called Agsag-Samai.
`(5,11)`	The metric pattern used by Moussorgsky in Pictures at an Exhibition.
`(5,12)`	The Venda clapping pattern of a South African children’s song.
`(5,16)`	The Bossa-Nova rhythm necklace of Brazil.
`(7,8)`	A typical rhythm played on the Bendir (frame drum).
`(7,12)`	A common West African bell pattern.
`(7,16,14)`	A Samba rhythm necklace from Brazil.
`(9,16)`	A rhythm necklace used in the Central African Republic.
`(11,24,14)`	A rhythm necklace of the Aka Pygmies of Central Africa.
`(13,24,5)`	Another rhythm necklace of the Aka Pygmies of the upper Sangha.