I think the problem is that you have compiled it for MusicTeX, and
your system only has MusiXTeX installed. (They are quite
different---MusicTeX
was the original version, MusiXTeX is the current version, and they handle
the tex code differently. Abc2mtex can write code for both.) Try
compiling
it for MusiXTeX, which you can do by using the -x option.
To do that: if the file is named test.abc, type on the command
line
prompt> abc2mtex -x test
prompt> tex music
prompt> musixflx music
prompt> tex music
and then look at the resulting file music.dvi with a dvi viewer.
(You don't really need to do the last two passes for
this example, but you will in general. See the MusiXTeX users manual for
the explanation. Oh, yes---if you're going to make changes and
re-compile, better also do
prompt> rm *.mx.*
sometime before, or else you'll get some truly confusing warning
messages!).
=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Atte_Andr=E9_Jensen?= writes:
>Ok, that makes sense. Now musixtex eats a bit more, but then chokes:
>
>[EMAIL PROTECTED] abc2mtex]$ musixtex music.tex
>This is TeX, Version 3.14159 (Web2C 7.4.5)
>(./music.tex (/usr/share/texmf/tex/musixtex/abc2mtex/header.tex
>(/usr/share/texmf/tex/musixtex/base/musixtex.tex
>MusiXTeX(c) T.112 <3 Jan. 2003>
>))
>********** Test
>***************************************************************
>! Undefined control sequence.
>l.17 \normal
> \elemskip=8.5pt%
>?
>
>Seems that something fundamental is broken, right? One clue could be to
>figure out why the ifs in header.tex go wrong. My knowledge of tex is
>virtually nonexisting, but based on the following (from header.tex)
>
>\if Y\abcmusix% MusiXTeX version
>
>it seems that there's some variable by the name of \abcmusix that should
>have been true, but isn't set.
>
Yep, the variable is indeed \abcmusix. As an experiment, you
could try just changing \def\abcmusix{N} to \def\abcmusix{Y} in music.tex.
You'll still have to fight thru a couple warnings since the code for the
two is slightly different: "\elemskip" is in MusicTeX but not in
MusiXTeX---just hit "return" when this warning comes up---and MusicTeX
\include's some files that aren't in MusiXTeX, tho I think you said you'd
removed those calls. But it's easier to simply rerun abc2mtex with the -x
option.
>Anyways I'm not sure this is even the right list to go on with this, but
>I'd like to know three things:
>
>>1) does the print quality of musixtex make it worth persuing?
>
Yes, definitely, particularly MusiXTeX, which does a good job of
automatic line-breaking and adjusting the note-spacing in the output. It's
fussier than most other abc tools, but it will do things the others can't.
>2) how maintained/unmaintained and used/unused is musixtex anyways?
>
A very good quesion. It had been continuously developed until
last year, when Daniel Taupin, the main developer, died tragically in a
climbing accident. Others were involved in the development, but I don't
know if anyone else has stepped forward to continue. It's still used,
tho. There are some extensions, like musixlyr, and front-ends and
preprocessors like PMX that make the code easier to write. (As does
abc2mtex, for that matter.)
3) where do I go for more info (including installation instructions and
a community) if I decide to dig deeper into musixtex?
The MusiXTeX user manual is a pretty good start. It mentions a
list, about which I know nothing :-( Tex, of course, has an active
community, and email lists which offer plenty of help.
Cheers,
John Walsh
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