TimeZigs

TimeZigs is a Renoise tool that adds fast and customizable creation of patterns and phrases in multiple time signatures.

It provides a 4×4 preset grid plus a CUSTOM mode, live readouts for Lines / LPB / Beat Duration, basic presets, and quick-create keybindings for instant pattern/phrase generation.

Based on Esa Ruoho’s Paketti Slab O Patterns.

Download

Grab the latest alpha version at https://github.com/untilde/timezigs/releases/tag/Alpha

Since it's still a very experimental tool, feel free to open Issues or send Pull Requests.

Features

• Creates patterns or instrument phrases for any time signature without changing your Lines-Per-Beat (LPB) setting.
• Automatically writes ZLxx (LPB) on the first line of generated patterns and phrases.
• 4 preset slots for custom time signatures.
• Shows current Time Signature, Lines, LPB, and Beat Duration (lines per beat). Updates on LPB change.
• Optional Fill notes (experimental) mode places note markers per beat using the Delay column for fractional timing.
• Optional section naming: append current time signature and LPB to the section name.
• Safe/Integer Line mode (Allow only integer beat durations): highlights non-integer presets and blocks creation unless the bar length is a whole number of lines. Disable to allow approximation (more accurate at higher LPB).

Usage

Open via Main Menu → Tools → TimeZigs.

Available keybinds (set in Renoise preferences):

• Pattern Editor: TimeZigs: Toggle
• Global: TimeZigs: Toggle
• Create Patterns – Presets 01–16 (16 = Currently set Custom Time Signature)
• Create Patterns – Custom Preset Slots 01–04
• Create Phrases – Presets 01–16
• Create Phrases – Custom Preset Slots 01–04

Custom Time Signatures

• Use + / - to adjust Numerator (n) and Denominator (d).
• Right panel has four slots:
  • Click a slot to load its n/d into Custom.
  • Click the disk icon to save the current Custom n/d into that slot.

2025-10-23.18-46-22.mp4

Understanding Time Signatures and LPB

To use TimeZigs effectively, it helps to separate two ideas:

• Time signature (music theory):

  • n (numerator) = how many beats are in one bar.
  • d (denominator) = which note value counts as one beat: 2 = half, 4 = quarter, 8 = eighth, 16 = sixteenth, 32 = thirty-second.
  • Examples: 3/4 = three quarter‑note beats per bar; 6/8 = six eighth‑note beats per bar.

• LPB (Lines‑Per‑Beat):

  • The resolution of the tracker grid — how many lines represent one beat.
  • Changing LPB changes grid density for the pattern editor.

TimeZigs decouples these concepts: pick any n/d, and the tool computes how many lines each beat and bar should span at the current LPB, then creates patterns/phrases accordingly and writes ZLxx so the LPB travels with the content.

What about time signatures that result in float pattern sizes?

Examples

Example 1: 4/4 at 8 LPB

Lines per beat = (8 * 4) / 4 = 8
Lines per bar  = 4 * 8 = 32

Example 2: 5/8 at 8 LPB

Lines per beat = (8 * 4) / 8 = 4
Lines per bar  = 5 * 4 = 20

In the two examples above, everything lines up cleanly. Perfect integer grid, no fractional rounding.

But, wait... What if:

Example 3: 8/6 at 8 LPB

Lines per beat = (8 * 4) / 6 = 5.333...
Lines per bar  = 8 * 5.333... = 42.666...

Now we have a fractional bar length: 42.666... lines. Renoise patterns can only have whole-number line counts, because each line is a discrete grid row.

If the result isn’t a whole number of lines (e.g., some odd denominators at low LPB), Safe/Integer Line mode (default ON) will highlight and block creation. Disable it in Settings to allow approximation and generate patterns/phrases with rounded line counts (higher LPB improves accuracy). In Example 3, the pattern would round to 43 lines.

In Safe/Integer Line mode, the tool detects float beat durations and refuses to create such patterns, highlighting the “non-integer” time signatures. That’s because 42.66 lines/bar doesn’t fit cleanly on the grid — the last beat would land partway through a line.

If you want to avoid these float pattern durations, keep Safe mode enabled.

If Safe Mode is off, the tool rounds to the nearest integer:

42.666... → 43 lines/bar

That makes the time signature approximate. However, the beats are slightly stretched (each now ≈ 5.375 lines instead of 5.333), which creates a slow drift over many bars — small, but perceptible in mathematically tight material.

The higher the LPB, the smaller the rounding error per beat. For instance, at LPB = 64, the same 8/6 bar becomes:

Lines per beat = (64 * 4) / 6 = 42.666...
Lines per bar  = 8 * 42.666... = 341.333... (rounded to 341)

Now the error per beat is negligible (≈ 0.008 lines per beat), effectively inaudible and visually consistent.

See Technical notes below for exact formulas and the To Do for future improvements.

Settings (collapsible)

• Sync Denominator and LPB (default OFF): when enabled, changing the Denominator (d) sets LPB accordingly and creation uses the synced LPB (writes ZLxx with that value). Prevents fractional beat lengths; disable to keep LPB and d independent.
• Global Custom Denominator: when enabled, the preset grid uses your custom denominator.
• Custom Section Name.
• Append Time Signature and LPB to Section Name.
• Fill notes (experimental): inserts one note per beat across the created bar; uses Delay for fractional placement.
• Safe/Integer Line mode — Allow only integer beat durations (default ON):
  • Subtly marks non-integer presets in the grid.
  • Blocks Create Patterns/Phrase when the bar length is not an integer number of lines at the current LPB.
  • Disable to allow approximation; higher LPB improves accuracy.

Technical notes

Formulas:

BeatDuration(lines) = (LPB * 4) / d
LinesPerBar         = round(n * (4 / d) * LPB)

Delay column resolution:

• Renoise’s note delay column has 256 sub-line units per line (00–FF), independent of ticks-per-line (TPL). TimeZigs’ fill logic rounds to these 256 steps and carries overflow to the next line when needed.

Constraints and validation:

• A beat must be at least 1 line long. If (LPB * 4) / d < 1, the tool warns and aborts.
• Higher denominators (e.g., d = 24, 32) generally require higher LPB to avoid sub-line beats.
• When Safe Mode is disabled, some combinations round to the nearest whole line due to the discrete grid.
• Denominator range: 2–32.
• Numerator range: 1–32.
• Pattern creation writes ZLxx on Master to carry LPB with the pattern; Phrase creation sets phrase.lpb and mirrors ZL for parity.

To Do

• Enhance delay column calculation and fill marker placement. Example:

  • d = 13 at LPB = 4 → ~1.23 lines/beat
  • Delay offsets ≈ 00, 3B, 76, B1, …
  • Pattern “slides” over time, since it doesn’t divide the grid evenly

• Change fill options: give different resolutions based on current time signature (half, double, etc).

• Show next delay value for current beat length and create a keybind to automatically insert it (for example, if you have a float line count, read the previous and current line in the editor and print the next needed delay column value to stay on grid).

-- Custom metronome: instrument with different sound options.

• Metronome sequencer: use the canvas to sequence metronome patterns or derive them from current timesig. Store sequences in JSON (e.g., o = strong beat, x = weak, - = silence; append delay info if needed).
• Refactor the UI code for clarity.
• Refactor fill function based on the metronome settings.
• Adapt the Paketti keyhandlers to make the UI fully controllable from keyboard.

Credits

Based on Esa Ruoho's work in Paketti Slab O Patterns.