startTime

The startTime property defines when a note begins playing, measured in seconds from the start of the composition.

Default Value

0  // Starts at the beginning

Expression Examples

Fixed Time

0       // Start immediately
1       // Start at 1 second
(5/2)   // Start at 2.5 seconds

Legacy JavaScript syntax

new Fraction(0)     // Start immediately
new Fraction(1)     // Start at 1 second
new Fraction(5, 2)  // Start at 2.5 seconds

Relative to BaseNote

// Same start as BaseNote
base.t

// One second after BaseNote
base.t + 1

Legacy JavaScript syntax

// Same start as BaseNote
module.baseNote.getVariable('startTime')

// One second after BaseNote
module.baseNote.getVariable('startTime').add(new Fraction(1))

Sequential Notes

The most common pattern chains notes sequentially:

// Start when previous note ends
[prev].t + [prev].d

Legacy JavaScript syntax

// Start when previous note ends
module.getNoteById(prev).getVariable('startTime')
  .add(module.getNoteById(prev).getVariable('duration'))

Beat-Relative Timing

// Start at beat 2 (tempo-aware)
60 / tempo(base) * 2

// Start at measure 2
measure(base) * 2

Legacy JavaScript syntax

// Start at beat 2 (tempo-aware)
new Fraction(60).div(module.findTempo(module.baseNote))
  .mul(new Fraction(2))

// Start at measure 2
module.findMeasureLength(module.baseNote)
  .mul(new Fraction(2))

Offset from Another Note

// Start 0.5 seconds after Note 3 starts
[3].t + (1/2)

// Start 1 beat after Note 3 starts
[3].t + 60 / tempo(base)

Legacy JavaScript syntax

// Start 0.5 seconds after Note 3 starts
module.getNoteById(3).getVariable('startTime')
  .add(new Fraction(1, 2))

// Start 1 beat after Note 3 starts
module.getNoteById(3).getVariable('startTime')
  .add(new Fraction(60).div(module.findTempo(module.baseNote)))

Simultaneous Notes (Chords)

// Same start time as Note 1 (plays together)
[1].t

Legacy JavaScript syntax

// Same start time as Note 1 (plays together)
module.getNoteById(1).getVariable('startTime')

Common Patterns

Building a Melody

// Note 1: starts at 0
0

// Note 2: starts when Note 1 ends
[1].t + [1].d

// Note 3: starts when Note 2 ends
[2].t + [2].d

Legacy JavaScript syntax

// Note 1: starts at 0
new Fraction(0)

// Note 2: starts when Note 1 ends
module.getNoteById(1).getVariable('startTime')
  .add(module.getNoteById(1).getVariable('duration'))

// Note 3: starts when Note 2 ends
module.getNoteById(2).getVariable('startTime')
  .add(module.getNoteById(2).getVariable('duration'))

Building a Chord

// All notes share the same start time
// Notes 2, 3, 4 reference Note 1:
[1].t

Legacy JavaScript syntax

// All notes share the same start time
// Notes 2, 3, 4 reference Note 1:
module.getNoteById(1).getVariable('startTime')

Staggered Entry (Arpeggio)

// Each note starts 0.1 seconds after the previous
[prev].t + (1/10)

Legacy JavaScript syntax

// Each note starts 0.1 seconds after the previous
module.getNoteById(prev).getVariable('startTime')
  .add(new Fraction(1, 10))

Visualization

• Horizontal position on the workspace represents time
• Notes further right start later
• The X-axis scales as: seconds * 200 * xScaleFactor
• The playhead (vertical line) shows current playback position

Dependencies

When startTime references another note, both notes are linked:

// Changing Note 1's timing affects Note 2
[1].t + [1].d

Legacy JavaScript syntax

// Changing Note 1's timing affects Note 2
module.getNoteById(1).getVariable('startTime')
  .add(module.getNoteById(1).getVariable('duration'))

This creates dependencies on both startTime and duration of Note 1.

See Also

• duration - Note length
• tempo - Speed in BPM
• Creating Notes - Adding notes
• Dependencies - Linking notes