Hello Dirk,
the fact that I respond to your question does not imply that I really
understand the vertical spacing mechanics better than you do :-), but
nevertheless I've got some thoughts about that. Please object on each of
them if they turn out to be wrong.
As far as I can see, there are two fundamentally separate factors
influencing the vertical spacing:
(1) PMX distributes the available vspace of a page evenly between all
present staves, between systems as well as within systems. You can
influence this with AI and Ai, but I don't know a way to enforce
really fixed interstaff/interinstrument distances. I've therefore no
idea how to implement your mentioned "Space: 2 4" function through PMX.
(2) Vertical layout differences between TeX and LaTeX may be caused by
the ways how both programs calculate the net vertical room available for
the page content. Beyond \textheight, vertical room in LaTeX depends
on parameters \headheight, \headsep, \footskip, and probably still more;
how is this mapped to TeX's vertical spacing rules? I don't know
exactly. But I believe that, once you manage to control the vertical
layout parameters of TeX and LaTeX coherently to each other, you'll
obtain the same layout results in both systems.
Maybe you can set a challenge by giving an example score with annoyingly
different spacing results in TeX and LaTeX?
Best regards,
Rainer
On Wed, Jan 14, 2004 at 01:12:00PM +0200, Dirk Laurie wrote:
> This e-mail is addressed mainly to people that understand MusiXTeX,
> especially the brand of it that comes out of PMX, and LaTeX, better
> than I do. That's quite a lot of people, I hope.
>
> I spend maybe half my music typesetting time trying to tweak vertical
> spacing with the aid of commands that all seem to conflict in practice.
>
> What I want is simple: full control over the exact distance between staves
> in a system, but with the distance between systems adjusted automatically
> to fill the page.
>
> Thus, the M-Tx command (for a system with two staves)
> Space: 2 4
> should mean: make the staves exactly 2\Interligne further apart than some
> fixed default, one that does not change depending on how full the page is;
> and separate each system from the next by at least 4\Interligne more
> than some other fixed default.
>
> The Space command translates (via intermediate macros \mtxInterInstrument
> and \mtxStaffBottom in mtx.tex) to
> \setinterinstrument{1}{2\Interligne}
> \staffbotmarg 4\Interligne
>
> Both these macros could be improved: I think that the first only
> works properly for single-staff instruments (not a problem because the
> piano is usually at the bottom) and the second maybe should rather be
> \def\atnextline{\stafftopmarg 4\Interligne}
> (or should that \def be \gdef?). Maybe neither macro says what I mean.
> And maybe one could fiddle with redefining \alaligne. I'm getting
> a little out of my depth here.
>
> Now I can usually (having had some experience) get things to come
> out OK with plain MusiXTeX, by fiddling with the numbers in Space.
> Unfortunately, if I fiddle with those numbers I also have to change
> the position of the lyrics. There is not too much predictability in
> the process, unless the score happens to have exactly the same layout,
> including number of lyrics lines, as another one that already is debugged.
>
> But the moment that the score goes into LaTeX things no longer look the same.
>
> My current technique for LaTeX is to use an environment "score" defined
> this way (simplified from mtxlatex.sty):
>
> \newcommand{\startscore}{\let\SmuF\startmuflex\let\EmuF\endmuflex
> \textwidth 193mm\textheight 270mm
> \oddsidemargin -15mm\evensidemargin -15mm\topmargin -20mm
> \let\startmuflex\relax\let\endmuflex\relax\let\bye\relax%
> \let\nopagenumbers\relax\musicparskip}
>
> \newenvironment{score}{\startscore}{}
>
> Inside \begin{score}...\end{score} I then input the files produced by PMX.
>
> I am doubtful about several things here: how effective are attempts
> to change page layout parameters inside an environment, should I have
> \musicparskip or not, etc. And mainly: why does the LaTeX vertical
> spacing come out so very different from the plain TeX spacing, and
> how can I avoid that?
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