MAGDA DSL Reference

The MAGDA DSL is a functional scripting language for DAW operations. The AI Assistant translates natural language into DSL, and the DSL tab lets you write it directly.

Syntax

Commands are written one per line. Track statements return a context that can be extended with a method chain. Comments start with //.

// This is a comment
track(name="Bass", new=true)
  .clip.new(bar=1, length_bars=4)
  .notes.add_chord(root=C4, quality=major, beat=0, length=4)

Project

Project-wide timing settings.

project.set(bpm=128)
project.set(time_signature="7/8")
project.set(bpm=128, time_signature="3/4")

Parameter	Type	Description
bpm	number	Project tempo. tempo is accepted as a synonym.
time_signature	string	Written as numerator/denominator, e.g. "7/8"

At least one of the two must be given.

Tracks

Creating & referencing tracks

Command	Description
track()	Create a new unnamed track
track(name="Bass")	Reference existing track by name, or create if none exists
track(name="Bass", new=true)	Always create a new track (even if name exists)
track(id=1)	Reference track by 1-based index

Modifying tracks

track(name="Bass").track.set(name="Sub Bass", volume_db=-3, pan=0.5, mute=true, solo=true)

Parameter	Type	Description
name	string	Rename the track
colour	string	Track colour as a hex string, e.g. "#ff5a36"
volume_db	number	Volume in dB
pan	number	Pan position (-1.0 left to 1.0 right)
mute	bool	Mute the track
solo	bool	Solo the track

Grouping and ordering

track(id=1).track.group(name="Drums", tracks="1,2,3")   // Group tracks by 1-based id
track(id=4).track.move(index=1)                          // Move to first position

track.group switches the context to the new group, so you can keep chaining onto it. track.move positions the track among its siblings — top-level tracks, or the children of its parent group.

Other track operations

track(id=1).select()    // Select track in UI
track(id=1).delete()    // Delete track

Clips

Creating clips

track(name="Bass").clip.new(bar=1, length_bars=4)     // At specific bar
track(name="Bass").clip.new(length_bars=4)             // Auto-place after last clip

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
bar	number	auto	Bar position (omit to auto-place)
length_bars	number	4	Clip length in bars

Managing clips

track(name="Bass").clip.rename(index=0, name="Intro")  // Rename clip at index
track(name="Bass").clip.rename(name="Part {i}")         // Rename selected clips (auto-number)
track(name="Bass").clip.delete(index=0)                 // Delete clip at index

Enabling and disabling clips

track(name="Bass").clip.set(enabled=false, index=0)     // Disable clip at index
track(name="Bass").clip.set(enabled=false)              // Disable the selected clips

clip.set currently takes enabled only. Without index it acts on the current selection, which makes it natural to chain after a clips.select(...) in the same statement. See Enabling and Disabling Clips.

Selecting clips

track(id=1).clips.select(clip.length_bars >= 2)
track(id=1).clips.select(clip.start_bar == 1)
track(id=1).clips.select(clip.name == "Intro")
track(id=1).clips.select()                              // Every clip on the track

Field	Type	Description
clip.length_bars	number	Clip length in bars
clip.start_bar	number	Clip start position, in bars, 1-based
clip.start_beats	number	Clip start position in beats
clip.length	number	Clip length in seconds
clip.start	number	Clip start position in seconds
clip.id	number	Clip id
clip.track_id	number	Owning track id
clip.name	string	Clip name
clip.type	string	Clip type

Prefer the bar and beat fields. clip.length and clip.start are seconds derived from the current tempo, so a predicate written against them stops matching if the tempo changes.

Operators: ==, !=, >, >=, <, <=. String fields accept == and != only. Omitting the condition entirely selects every clip on the track.

Notes

Note operations require a selected clip. Chain them on a clip.new() call or use a track reference when a clip is already selected.

Adding notes

.notes.add(pitch=C4, beat=0, length=1, velocity=100)

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
pitch	note/number	—	Note name (C4, F#3, Bb2) or MIDI number
beat	number	—	Beat position within the clip
length	number	1	Duration in beats
velocity	number	100	Velocity (0–127)

Tip

To add multiple notes to the same clip, chain .notes.add() calls on a single statement. Do not create a separate clip.new() for each note.

Adding chords

.notes.add_chord(root=C4, quality=major, beat=0, length=1, velocity=100, inversion=0)

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
root	note	—	Root note
quality	string	—	Chord quality (see table below)
beat	number	0	Beat position
length	number	1	Duration in beats
velocity	number	100	Velocity
inversion	number	0	0 = root, 1 = first, 2 = second

Chord qualities:

Category	Qualities
Triads	major / maj, minor / min, dim, aug, sus2, sus4, power / 5
Sevenths	dom7 / 7, maj7, min7, dim7, min7b5 / half_dim
Extended	dom9 / 9, maj9, min9, dom11 / 11, min11, maj11, dom13 / 13, min13, maj13
Added tone	add9, add11, add13, madd9
Sixth	6 / maj6, min6
Altered	7b5, 7sharp5, 7b9, 7sharp9

Adding arpeggios

.notes.add_arpeggio(root=C4, quality=major, beat=0, step=0.5,
                    note_length=0.5, velocity=100, inversion=0, pattern=up, fill=true)

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
root	note	—	Root note
quality	string	—	Same chord qualities as add_chord
beat	number	0	Start beat
step	number	—	Beat interval between notes
note_length	number	= step	Duration of each note
velocity	number	100	Velocity
inversion	number	0	Chord inversion
pattern	string	up	up, down, or updown
fill	bool	false	Repeat pattern to fill the entire clip
beats	number	—	Fill a specific number of beats instead of the whole clip

Selecting notes

.notes.select(note.pitch == C4)
.notes.select(note.velocity > 100)
.notes.select(note.start_beat >= 4)
.notes.select(note.length_beats < 0.5)

Field	Description
note.pitch	Note pitch (note name or MIDI number)
note.velocity	Note velocity
note.start_beat	Note start position in beats
note.length_beats	Note length in beats

Editing notes

All editing operations apply to currently selected notes.

.notes.delete()                    // Delete selected notes
.notes.transpose(semitones=5)      // Transpose (positive=up, negative=down)
.notes.set_pitch(pitch=F1)         // Set absolute pitch
.notes.set_velocity(value=80)      // Set velocity
.notes.quantize(grid=0.25)         // Quantize (0.25=16th, 0.5=8th, 1.0=quarter)
.notes.resize(length=0.5)          // Set note length in beats

Effects

track(name="Vocals").fx.add(name="reverb")
track(name="Vocals").fx.add(name="Pro-Q 3", format="VST3")

Parameter	Type	Description
name	string	Device name or alias
format	string	Optional: VST3, AU, or VST to disambiguate

MAGDA devices are added by exact display name or by a canonical alias — eq, compressor, reverb, delay, chorus, phaser, filter, utility, pitch shift, ir reverb and the rest of the device registry. The alias list is generated from the registry itself, so it follows whatever is installed rather than a fixed set.

Third-party plugins are referenced by their scanned name, or by an alias token such as <pro_q_3> or <surge_xt>. Use the @alias syntax in the AI chat to autocomplete plugin names.

Racks

Rack operations act on the track in context. Each one remembers the rack (and chain) it just touched, so a following call can omit the ids.

track(id=1).rack.new(name="Parallel").rack.chain_new(name="Wet")
track(id=1).rack.set(id=12, bypassed=true, volume_db=-3)
track(id=1).rack.chain_set(rack_id=12, chain_id=34, volume_db=-6, pan=0.2)
track(id=1).rack.chain_delete(rack_id=12, chain_id=34)
track(id=1).rack.delete(id=12)

Method	Parameters
rack.new	name (default "Rack"). Creates the rack with its default chain.
rack.delete	id — defaults to the rack just created
rack.set	id, plus bypassed and/or volume_db
rack.chain_new	rack_id (defaults to the current rack), name (default "Chain")
rack.chain_delete	rack_id, chain_id
rack.chain_set	rack_id, chain_id, plus any of name, muted, solo, bypassed, volume_db, pan, output

rack.set and rack.chain_set need at least one property to change, and report an error otherwise. Rack and chain ids come from the state snapshot — see FX Chain & Racks.

While a rack chain is in scope, fx.add puts the device inside that chain rather than on the track's top-level chain. That is what makes a single statement able to build a rack and fill it.

Filter Operations

Bulk operations on tracks matching a condition.

filter(tracks, track.name == "Drums").track.set(mute=true)
filter(tracks, track.name == "Drums").delete()
filter(tracks, track.name == "Drums").select()
filter(tracks, track.name == "Drums").track.group(name="Group")
filter(tracks, track.name == "Drums").for_each(.clip.new(bar=1, length_bars=4))
filter(tracks, track.name == "Drums").for_each(.fx.add(name="reverb").track.set(volume_db=-6))

The only supported predicate is an exact name match, track.name == "...". Omitting the condition entirely targets every track:

filter(tracks).track.set(mute=true)
filter(tracks).track.group(name="All Tracks")

Groove / Swing

Groove templates control playback timing feel — they shift note positions at playback without modifying the source MIDI. These are not drum patterns.

In the AI chat, prefix your message with /groove to ensure the AI generates groove commands instead of note patterns.

Creating custom grooves

groove.new(name="Funky 16ths", notesPerBeat=4,
           shifts="0.0,0.15,-0.05,0.4,0.0,0.2,-0.1,0.35")

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
name	string	—	Template name
notesPerBeat	number	2	Grid resolution: 2 = 8th notes, 4 = 16th notes
shifts	string	—	Comma-separated lateness values (-1.0 to 1.0, 0 = on grid)
parameterized	bool	true	Whether the strength slider scales the groove

The shifts string defines one value per grid position in a single beat. Positive values push notes late (behind the beat), negative values push notes early (ahead of the beat).

Extracting groove from audio

groove.extract(clip=0, resolution=16, name="Drum Loop Feel")

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
clip	number	—	Clip index on the current track
resolution	number	16	Grid resolution: 8 or 16
name	string	"Extracted Groove"	Template name

Reads transient positions from an audio clip and computes timing deviations from the grid.

Applying groove to a clip

groove.set(template="Basic 8th Swing", strength=0.7)

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
template	string	—	Groove template name
strength	number	—	Amount of groove to apply (0.0–1.0)

Applies to the currently selected MIDI clip.

Listing available grooves

groove.list()

Returns all available groove template names (built-in and custom).

Built-in Functions

track(id=1).clip.new(length_bars=random(1, 4))

random(min, max) returns a value between min and max inclusive — an integer when both arguments are integers, a float otherwise.

Examples

Simple track with clip

track(name="Bass", new=true).clip.new(bar=1, length_bars=4)

Chord progression

track(name="Synth", new=true)
  .clip.new(bar=1, length_bars=4)
  .notes.add_chord(root=C4, quality=major, beat=0, length=4)
  .notes.add_chord(root=F4, quality=major, beat=4, length=4)
  .notes.add_chord(root=G4, quality=major, beat=8, length=4)
  .notes.add_chord(root=A3, quality=minor, beat=12, length=4)

Arpeggiated lead with swing

track(name="Lead", new=true)
  .clip.new(bar=1, length_bars=4)
  .notes.add_arpeggio(root=C4, quality=major, step=0.25, pattern=updown, fill=true)
track(name="Lead").fx.add(name="reverb").track.set(volume_db=-6)
groove.set(template="Basic 8th Swing", strength=0.6)

Split arpeggios across a clip

track(name="Arp", new=true)
  .clip.new(length_bars=4)
  .notes.add_arpeggio(root=E4, quality=min, beat=0, step=0.5, beats=8)
  .notes.add_arpeggio(root=C4, quality=major, beat=8, step=0.5, beats=8)

Parallel rack

track(name="Drums")
  .rack.new(name="Parallel")
  .rack.chain_new(name="Crushed")
  .fx.add(name="compressor")

Set the session up in 3/4 at 96 BPM

project.set(bpm=96, time_signature="3/4")

Disable every clip shorter than a bar

track(id=1).clips.select(clip.length_bars < 1).clip.set(enabled=false)

Bulk operations

// Mute all drum tracks
filter(tracks, track.name == "Drums").track.set(mute=true)

// Add compressor to every track named "Vocals"
filter(tracks, track.name == "Vocals").for_each(.fx.add(name="compressor"))

// Delete all tracks named "Scratch"
filter(tracks, track.name == "Scratch").delete()

Custom groove from scratch

groove.new(name="Lazy Swing", notesPerBeat=2, shifts="0.0,0.33")
groove.set(template="Lazy Swing", strength=0.8)