How It Works

Introduction

Think of an SPSQ file as a score. You first name sound states, then place those states on a timeline. SynapSeq renders the movement from one state to the next into stereo audio.

A preset describes a sound state. The timeline decides when and how that state changes.

The method changes how rhythm is created: by channel difference, mixing, or gating.

SourceTones, noise, ambiance, or music define what is heard.

PresetA preset gathers one or more tracks into a reusable sound state.

TimelineTimeline entries decide when a preset begins and which curve leads to the next one.

Binaural, monaural, and isochronic tracks can all express rhythm, but they create it differently. Binaural tracks use a left/right frequency difference; monaural tracks mix nearby tones into an audible pulse; isochronic tracks repeatedly gate one carrier tone.

Syntax

Syntax panels show the permitted shape of a line. Read them from left to right: literal words are typed as shown, while the notation identifies the values you need to provide or may leave out.

Notation	Meaning	Example
`<value>`	A required value you provide.	`<carrier>` becomes `220`.
`[value]`	An optional part. Omit the whole bracketed group when it is not needed.	`[waveform <name>]`
`a\|b`	Choose one of the listed alternatives.	`white\|pink\|brown`
`...`	Continues with the source form described by that topic.	`waveform sine tone ...`
Literal word	Type the keyword exactly as shown.	`tone`, `binaural`, `amplitude`
`0..100`	An inclusive numeric range.	`amplitude <0..100>`
Named placeholder	A label for the kind of value expected; its rule appears below the syntax line.	`<rate>`, `<effect>`

Sequence Structure

A playable sequence reads from top to bottom: options, presets with their indented tracks, then timeline entries. Blank lines and comments can appear anywhere.

# Options
@option <value>

# Presets
<preset-name>
  <track>

# Timeline
HH:MM:SS <preset-name> [transition] [steps]
HH:MM:SS <preset-name> [transition] [steps]

Options

Options begin with @ and belong at the top of the file. They configure the whole sequence or define reusable resources before any preset or timeline entry is read.

Option	Allowed values	Purpose
`@samplerate`	`<positive integer>`; prefer standard rates such as `44100` or `48000`.	Sets the audio sample rate for rendering.
`@volume`	`0..100`	Sets the global output volume.
`@ambiance`	`<name> [path-or-url]`. Names have 1–20 characters, start with a letter, and then use letters, digits, `_`, or `-`. Local paths have no extension.	Names an ambience source for use in tracks.
`@music`	`<name> [path-or-url]`. Names have 1–20 characters, start with a letter, and then use letters, digits, `_`, or `-`. Local paths have no extension.	Names a music source for use in tracks.
`@waveform`	`<name> <point> <point> [...]`. Names follow the same rule; use 2–16,384 decimal points from `0` to `100`.	Defines a reusable custom waveform.
`@transition`	`<name> 0 <point> [...] 100`. Names follow the same rule; use 2–256 non-decreasing decimal points from `0` to `100`.	Defines a reusable custom transition curve.
`@extends`	`<path>`. Relative path without an extension; forward slashes only, with no absolute path or `..` traversal.	Loads options, presets, and reusable definitions from an SPSC file.

@samplerate 44100
@volume 80
@ambiance rain sounds/rain
@music bed music/soft-bed

Local paths use forward slashes, stay relative to the sequence, and do not include a file extension. SynapSeq rejects absolute paths and parent-directory traversal.

Presets and Tracks

A preset is a top-level name. The lines directly below it are its tracks, and each track must start with exactly two spaces. Tracks can be tones, noise, ambiance, or music.

focus
  tone 240 binaural 12 amplitude 16
  noise pink smooth 35 amplitude 9
  ambiance rain amplitude 12

silence is always available without declaring it. It is useful as a quiet starting point or destination because it creates a fade-compatible boundary with an active preset.

Rule	Requirement
Preset name	Use 1–20 characters. The first character must be a letter; the remaining characters may be letters, digits, `_`, or `-`.
Reserved name	`silence` is the built-in preset and cannot be declared as a custom preset.
Uniqueness	Preset names are case-insensitive and must be unique within a sequence.

Timeline

A timeline is the schedule for a sequence. Each top-level entry names the sound state that begins at a timestamp; its optional transition and step count shape the period leading to the next entry.

00:00:00 silence
00:00:30 focus
00:02:00 focus ease-in
00:04:00 high-focus
00:08:00 high-focus
00:09:00 silence

Rule	Requirement
Timestamp format	Use exactly `HH:MM:SS`, with two digits per field. Hours run from `00` to `23`; minutes and seconds run from `00` to `59`.
First and final structure	Define timelines after presets. The first entry must be `00:00:00`, and a sequence needs at least two entries.
Order	Timestamps must be unique and strictly increasing. Two entries cannot share a time or move backward.
Preset	Use an existing playable preset, or the built-in `silence` preset. Template presets cannot appear in the timeline.
Transition	The transition belongs to the entry that starts an interval. For example, `00:02:00 focus ease-in` shapes the change from `00:02:00` until the following timestamp.

Comments

Use # for a note the parser ignores. Use ## when you also want the text stored as sequence metadata and available through the loaded context.

# Working note: keep this track quiet
## Session introduction
00:00:00 silence

Sound Sources

Every tone track begins with tone <carrier>. Choose a beat method when you want rhythmic behavior, or go straight to amplitude for a pure tone.

Binaural

A binaural track places related frequencies in the left and right channels. The value after binaural is the total difference between those channels, while the carrier is their pitch center.

alpha
  tone 240 binaural 10 amplitude 18

Headphones help keep the two channels distinct. Use a comfortable carrier and treat the beat value as a sound-design setting rather than a promised outcome.

Monaural

Monaural tracks combine nearby frequencies before playback, so the pulse is already present in the waveform.

alpha
  tone 180 monaural 8 amplitude 16

The result tends to sound more obviously pulsed than a binaural track and does not rely on left/right separation in the same way.

Isochronic

An isochronic track switches a carrier on and off at a regular rate. The number after isochronic controls that gate rate.

theta
  tone 200 isochronic 7 amplitude 14

The pulse is directly audible, so start with a comfortable rate and amplitude. You can later adjust the sound shape and movement in the advanced sections.

Noises

Noise adds texture beneath a session. Choose white for a brighter texture, pink for a more balanced texture, or brown for a deeper low-weighted texture.

texture
  noise white amplitude 10
  noise pink amplitude 14
  noise brown amplitude 18

Smoothness

smooth is optional. When present, it rounds the moment-to-moment roughness of the selected noise color; it does not turn white, pink, or brown noise into another color.

bed
  noise pink smooth 45 amplitude 18

Place smooth <value> after the noise color and before amplitude. Leave it out when you want the default texture.

Ambiance and Music

Declare a named resource with an option, then reference that name from a track. Ambiance loops its source; music plays until its source ends.

@ambiance rain sounds/rain
@music bed music/soft-bed

scene
  ambiance rain amplitude 20
  music bed amplitude 28

A global option can also point directly to a remote audio file. Give the resource a local name, then use its HTTPS URL as the source:

@ambiance rain https://example.com/audio/rain.wav
@music bed https://example.com/audio/soft-bed.mp3

WAV is the preferred format for looping ambiance. Music and ambiance can use the same supported effects as tones, with waveform prefixes shaping effect movement rather than the source PCM itself.

“Pure” tones

A pure tone has a carrier and amplitude, with no beat method. The carrier is the frequency you hear, and amplitude controls its level.

drone
  tone 174 amplitude 10

Advanced topics

Advanced syntax changes how a track moves, sounds, or is reused. Add it after the source declaration and before the final amplitude setting.

Effects

Effects animate an existing source. Their rate comes after effect; intensity controls how much of the effect is applied.

motion
  tone 240 effect pan 0.25 intensity 60 amplitude 18

Modulation

Modulation moves a track’s gain over time, creating a breathing or pulsing layer without changing its fundamental source.

  noise pink effect modulation 4 intensity 35 amplitude 16

Shift

Shift creates a wet stereo pair by moving the combined signal up on the left and down on the right. The value is the total frequency separation; intensity blends dry and shifted sound.

  tone 220 effect shift 10 intensity 35 amplitude 14

Shift works with tones, noise, ambiance, and music. It adds spectral divergence; it is not the same as creating a simple binaural beat.

Doppler

Doppler varies playback speed or oscillator advance, so pitch moves gently up and down. It is available on tones, ambiance, and music, but not noise.

  ambiance rain effect doppler 0.4 intensity 40 amplitude 20

Pan

Pan moves energy across the stereo field. It changes where the sound appears to sit, rather than changing the source pitch.

  music bed effect pan 0.15 intensity 55 amplitude 24

Waveforms

A waveform gives generated tones their oscillator shape. Use a waveform prefix before tone, ambiance, or music tracks. It defaults to sine.

bright
  waveform triangle tone 220 amplitude 14

Sine

Sine is the default: a smooth, single-frequency oscillator shape. It is a good neutral starting point for pure and beat-based tones.

sine-tone
  waveform sine tone 220 amplitude 14

Square

Square switches sharply between extremes, adding strong harmonic content and a more assertive tone.

square-tone
  waveform square tone 220 amplitude 10

Triangle

Triangle rises and falls linearly. It is brighter than sine but softer than square or sawtooth.

@ambiance rain sounds/rain

atmosphere
  waveform triangle ambiance rain effect pan 0.2 intensity 50 amplitude 20

Sawtooth

Sawtooth ramps in one direction and resets sharply, producing a bright harmonic-rich character.

@music bed music/soft-bed

movement
  waveform sawtooth music bed effect modulation 0.2 intensity 30 amplitude 18

Custom

Define a named cycle with points from 0 to 100. Points are evenly spaced, joined linearly, and the final point connects back to the first.

@waveform softpulse 0 0 20 60 100 60 20 0

soft
  waveform softpulse tone 200 amplitude 12

Use between 2 and 16,384 points. Sharp corners can emphasize harmonics and aliasing at higher carrier frequencies.

Transitions

A transition shapes the path from one timeline state to the next. It can move compatible track values such as amplitude and carrier, or fade to and from silence.

steadyconstant pace

ease-ingentle start

ease-outgentle finish

smoothgentle at both ends

00:00:00 silence
# Default is "steady"
00:00:30 focus
00:02:00 focus ease-in
00:04:00 relax ease-out
00:06:00 low-freqs smooth
00:09:00 alpha steady
00:10:00 silence

Steady

steady changes at a constant rate. Use it when you want an even, direct progression.

Ease in

ease-in begins gently and gains speed later in the period.

Ease out

ease-out moves more quickly early on and settles toward its destination.

Smooth

smooth eases in, moves through the middle, and eases out. It is the most rounded built-in curve.

Custom

Define a named curve with non-decreasing points from 0 to 100. The first point must be 0, and the last must be 100.

@transition soft-land 0 2 12 42 78 96 100

00:00:00 silence soft-land
00:00:30 focus

Steps

Append a non-negative integer after the transition to add back-and-forth movement inside the period. Steps create alternating legs before the final arrival; they do not simply split time into blocks.

00:00:30 focus smooth 2
00:01:00 rest

Templating Presets

Templates let you define a reusable track layout once, then create variants without repeating every track. A template itself is not playable in the timeline.

@ambiance rain ambiance/rain
@music bed music/soft-bed

calm-bed as template
  waveform sine tone 220 binaural 8 amplitude 14
  noise brown smooth 35 amplitude 10
  waveform triangle ambiance rain effect pan 0.04 intensity 30 amplitude 12
  waveform sawtooth music bed effect modulation 0.15 intensity 20 amplitude 10

calm-deep from calm-bed
  track 1 binaural 6
  track 2 smooth 50
  track 3 intensity 45
  track 4 amplitude 16

The template above combines a tone, noise, ambiance, and music. The derived preset keeps those four tracks in the same order while changing the beat rate, noise smoothness, an effect intensity, and music level.

Relative values

Numeric overrides accept a leading + or - to adjust the inherited value rather than replace it. The adjustment is measured from the corresponding value in the source template.

base-focus as template
  tone 240 binaural 10 amplitude left 16 right 12
  noise brown smooth 30 amplitude 10
  waveform triangle ambiance rain effect pan 0.08 intensity 40 amplitude 14

focus-variant from base-focus
  track 1 tone +20
  track 1 binaural -2
  track 1 left +4
  track 1 right -3
  track 2 smooth +15
  track 3 pan +0.02
  track 3 intensity -10

Here the tone becomes 260 Hz, its binaural difference becomes 8 Hz, and its channel amplitudes become 20 and 9. The noise smoothness changes from 30 to 45; the ambiance pan changes from 0.08 to 0.10 and intensity from 40 to 30.

SPSC Files

An .spsc file is a reusable extension file. Reference it with @extends to bring in options, custom waveforms/transitions, templates, and presets.

@extends presets/base

00:00:00 preparation
00:10:00 preparation

SPSC files use the same parser for options, presets, tracks, and overrides, but they cannot contain timeline entries or extend another file themselves.

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