tidal

Pattern language for improvised music

http://tidalcycles.org/

LTS Haskell 23.24:1.9.5@rev:2
Stackage Nightly 2025-06-13:1.10.0@rev:2
Latest on Hackage:1.10.0@rev:2

See all snapshots tidal appears in

GPL-3.0-only licensed by Alex McLean
Maintained by Alex McLean, Matthew Kaney, Martin Gius
This version can be pinned in stack with:tidal-1.10.0@sha256:df13552a9fbfee5e59be18fd551cc4b0b2fad3faf25646d8805ab84abb156a5e,3847

Module documentation for 1.10.0

Tidal

DOI

Uzu language for live coding algorithmic patterns

For documentation, mailing list and more info see here.
You can help speed up Tidal development by contributing to the collective fund!

(c) Alex McLean and other contributors, 2025

Licensed under the GNU Public License v3.0. Ports and other projects making use of Tidal source code as a reference for e.g. algorithms and/or types are derivative works and bound by the same license.

Changes

TidalCycles log of changes

1.9.5 - Sashiko

What’s Changed

New Contributors

Full Changelog: https://github.com/tidalcycles/Tidal/compare/v1.9.4...v1.9.5

1.9.4 - Stitch

What’s Changed

New Contributors

Full Changelog: https://github.com/tidalcycles/Tidal/compare/v1.9.3...v1.9.4

1.9.3 - Kolam

What’s Changed

New Contributors

Full Changelog: https://github.com/tidalcycles/Tidal/compare/v1.9.2...v1.9.3

1.9.2 - Siteswap c

Same with 1.9.1, but now with new tidal-link version 1.0.1

1.9.1 - Siteswap b

A quick release to set specific tidal-link version 1.0 in tidal.cabal. Stack seems to want this.

1.9.0 - Siteswap

What’s Changed

General enhancements

New ableton link support

Emacs plugin updates

Tidal-parse (estuary) updates

Maintenance

New Contributors

Full Changelog: https://github.com/tidalcycles/Tidal/compare/v1.8.0...v1.9.0

1.8.1 - Sanquhar b

  • Removed executable from tidal.cabal file (while latest ghc on windows fails to build it)

1.8.0 - Sanquhar

  • move tidal-listener code by @polymorphicengine in #885
  • Fix a typo incurred (I assume) by a filename change. by @JeffreyBenjaminBrown in #886
  • Hide contexts from Events per default by @polymorphicengine in #887
  • Allow sending/receiving of broadcasted OSC control messages by @yaxu in #894
  • tidal-listener: Add minimal install notes by @gamar3is in #895
  • Add rolled function with variants by @thgrund in #820
  • Valuable instance for Note by @yaxu in #899
  • Add parsers for ints and floats that don’t consume trailing whitespace by @polymorphicengine in #900
  • Introduce echo and echoWith, deprecate stut and stutWith by @ndr-brt in #904
  • tidal-listener: Optional WITH_GHC environment variable by @mindofmatthew in #903

Commit list: https://github.com/tidalcycles/Tidal/compare/1.7.10...v1.8.0

1.7.10 - Tama b

1.7.9 - Tama

What’s Changed

New Contributors

Full Changelog: https://github.com/tidalcycles/Tidal/compare/1.7.8...1.7.9

1.7.8 - Ayatakedai

  • Add pattern id to patterns as id, and send it with /code/highlights

1.7.7 - Caramel wafer

  • Support hosc 0.19 in test suite @yaxu

1.7.6 - Tunnocks

  • Fix dot shorthand in int patterns so floating point numbers raise an error @ndr-brt
  • Support factors in ratio shorthand for rational patterns @ndr-brt
  • support hosc 0.19 @yaxu

1.7.5 - Dalbeattie

  • Minor change to _splice so that it respects if the speed parameter was already declared @onthepeakofnormal
  • Some tests for chords @cleary
  • Remove direct semigroups dependency @yaxu
  • Derive functor for pattern @yaxu
  • Handle negative ratio shorthands for rationals @ndr_brt
  • drawLine - draw non-events with periods @yaxu
  • Parse chord without root note @yaxu
  • Fix clock sharing between tidal processes @yaxu

1.7.4 - Symonds Yat b

  • Fixes for bipolar waveforms (sine2, etc) @mindofmatthew
  • More playback controls for OSC API @mindofmatthew
  • Disable bus variants for MIDI controls @mindofmatthew

1.7.3 - Symonds Yat

  • Signed ratio shorthands now supported @ndr_brt
  • OSC API - mute/unmute stream @mindofmatthew
  • improve performance of playFor/seqP @yaxu
  • Expand tests with autodiscovered laws @RSWilli
  • Add getState to BootTidal @mindofmatthew
  • add fadeTime / fadeInTime / fadeOutTime params for grain envelopes @yaxu
  • Fix for nrpnn and nrpnv params @yaxu
  • Disable busses for MIDI parameters @mindofmatthew

1.7.2 - IKLECTIK c

  • tidal-parse additions and improved errors, haskellish dependency fix @dktr0
  • spring cleaning and delinting, recreated Time.hs, renamed ControlMap toValueMAp @yaxu
  • start of major refactoring of chords @cleary
  • fix . mininotation operator @zudov
  • stateful event parameters, for counting @yaxu
  • Move some stuff from BootTidal.hs to the tidal library, to reduce dependencies there @yaxu

1.7.1 - IKLECTIK b

  • Fix stack build @yaxu
  • Add tidal_status command @yaxu
  • Add cVerbose config setting (default on) @yaxu
  • Fix for emacs plugin @jwaldmann
  • Snowball bugfix @yaxu
  • Migrate to github actions, tested against additional ghc versions @ndr_brt
  • Fix mininotation bug - allow leading/trailing spaces @ndr_brt
  • Make linger work with negative numbers (to linger on end of cycle rather than start) @yaxu
  • Friendlier startup messages @yaxu
  • Compatibility with ghc 9.0.1 @yaxu

1.7 - IKLECTIK

  • Added drum aliases from GM2 percussion spec to drum function @lvm
  • getcps helper function now in BootTidal.hs @yaxu
  • getnow helper function back in BootTidal.hs (returns current cycle) @bgold-cosmos
  • Developments towards tidal api, @yaxu et al
  • coarse parameter is now floating point @lwlsn
  • irand parameter now patternable @ndr-brt
  • note now produces its own type to avoid conflicts between parsing note names and duration shorthands @ndr-brt
  • Numerous tidal-parse improvements and additions @dktr0 et al
  • grain function for combining begin and end (in terms of begin and duration) @khoparzi
  • Added missing pB and pR functions @thgrund
  • Emacs plugin bugfixes @jwaldmann
  • binaryN parameters now fully patternable @ndr-brt
  • press and pressBy functions for syncopation @yaxu
  • bite’s first parameter is now patternable @ndr-brt
  • Most SuperDirt control/effect parameters can now be modified while a sound is playing, using ‘bus’ functions. @telefon + @yaxu
  • Sound.Tidal.Params is now generated by a script in bin/generate-params.hs @yaxu
  • qtrigger is now an alias for ctrigger, which now quantises to the next cycle (via ceiling) @thgund / @yaxu
  • There is now also ftrigger and rtrigger for floor (previous) and round (nearest) cycle
  • whenmod’s first two parameters are now rationals, and patternable. @th-four / @yaxu
  • brand and brandBy for continuous patterns of boolean values @yaxu
  • Two-way protocol between Tidal and SuperDirt, initially to receive available busses @telefon / @yaxu
  • bipolar waveforms - sine2, square2, tri2, saw2, cosine2 @yaxu

1.6.1 - We are not DJs

  • Patternise first parameter of chunk @lwlsn
  • Patternise fit parameter @bgold-cosmos
  • Increase upper bounds of random @yaxu
  • Switch travis to ubuntu bionic @yaxu

1.6.0 - Keep live coding live

  • Rollback to previous pattern on parse error @jwaldmann
  • Increased strictness to catch parse errors earlier @jwaldmann @yaxu
  • Support for superdirt ‘panic’ @yaxu
  • Increase hosc upper bounds to admin 0.18
  • New function ‘splat’ @yaxu
  • quantise now uses round, add qfloor, qceiling variants and qround alis @lwlsn
  • Add ghc 8.8.3 to travis @jwaldmann
  • Switch substruct to use binary pattern @yaxu

1.5.2 - Rivelin

  • Fix streamAll

1.5.1 - Blacka Moor

  • Bugfix splice

1.5.0 - Active travel

  • Export drawLineSz @mxmxyz
  • tidal-parse additions (bite, splice, pickF, select, squeeze; fixed slice) @dktr0
  • New, more efficient pseudorandom number generator @dktr0
  • Pattern first someCyclesBy param @bgold-cosmos
  • Refactored, more flexible OSC targetting @yaxu
  • Simplify tidal-boot-script in tidal.el @jamagin
  • Support state substitution in mininotation #530 @yaxu
  • Pattern first parameter of splice #656 @yaxu
  • Pattern first parameter of chew @yaxu
  • add ‘x’ fraction alias for 1/6 @yaxu
  • add dfb alias for delayfeedback param, dt for delaytime @yaxu
  • add unmuteAll and only to BootTidal.hs @yaxu

1.4.9 - Housebound spirit

  • Simplify ‘show’ing of patterns @yaxu
  • New draw function for drawing a pattern of single characters as a text-based diagram, with friends drawLine and drawLineSz for drawing multiple cycles @yaxu
  • Fixes and expansions of ratio aliases - s should be a sixteenth @mxmxyz, w is now 1, f is now 0.2
  • Simplify definition of accumulate using scanl @benjwadams
  • The first parameter of someCyclesBy is now patternable @bgold-cosmos

1.4.8 - Limerick

  • Add ratio shorthand to floating point patterns @yaxu
  • Support fractional scales, add Arabic scales @quakehead
  • Additions to tidal-parse including support from overgain, overshape adn rot @dktr0
  • Move prompt-cont setting to end of BootTidal.hs (older versions of Haskell crash out at this point) @ndr-brt

1.4.7 - Bleep

  • Fix BootTidal.hs - make loadable in atom @bgold-cosmos
  • More additions to tidal-parse @dktr0

1.4.6 - Megatron

  • Experimental ratio shorthand ref #573 @yaxu
  • Store mininotation source location(s) in events ref #245 @yaxu
  • Add more things to tidal-parse @dktr0 @yaxu
  • Separate out haskell parser from tidal-parse into new hackage module called ‘haskellish’ @dktr0
  • Support patterning polyrhythmic % steps in mininotation @yaxu
  • Fixes to emacs plugin (tidal.el) @xmacex
  • New parameters for freq, overgain, overshape, and missing midi params including the new nrpn ones @yaxu

1.4.5 - Porter Brook

  • Mini notation - @ (and its alias _) now accepts rational relative durations. E.g. a [email protected] c d to make b have a half step (that would be the same as a@2 b c@2 c@d). This can also be patterned a b@<0.5 2> c d @yaxu #435
  • Experimental reset function - stick in a pattern so it acts as though the cycle number was reset to 0, from the next cycle @yaxu
  • Bugfix for setR in BootTidal.hs @yaxu
  • Mini notation - !, @ and _ now work properly within {} and <>, e.g. <a b ! c!3 d> will repeat every 7 cycles @yaxu #369 #248
  • Mini notation - @ and _ are now aliases for each other, e.g. a_3 is the same as a@3 as are _ and @ @yaxu #369
  • Frame skipping on clock jumps now configurable @yaxu #567
  • Sync between tidal instances now works straight away, without having to setcps @yaxu #569
  • New while function for applying a function selectively according to a binary pattern @yaxu
  • Lowercases aliases slowappend and fastappend for slowAppend and fastAppend respectively @yaxu
  • Many tidal-parse updates @dktr0

1.4.4 - Chee Dale

  • wrandcat (weighted randcat) @yaxu
  • MIDI Sysex support #558 @yaxu
  • Elements in an Open Sound Control path address can now be patterned #557
  • ‘once’ now chooses a random cycle to play. To get the old behaviour of playing the first cycle, use ‘first’ @yaxu #476
  • Make random choices in mini-notation behave independently @yaxu #560
  • Add [a|b|c] syntax to mini notation for randomly choosing between subsequences @yaxu #555
  • Add power pattern operators |**, | and || @yaxu

1.4.3 - Stanage Edge

  • Fix for xfade / xfadein transition
  • New function plyWith

1.4.2 - Higger Tor

  • Fix for ‘nudge’

1.4.1 - Carl Wark

  • improvements to handling of cps changes @yaxu #501
  • fix for parameter patterning in ‘range’ @yaxu #547

1.4.0 - Padley Gorge

  • fix representation to handle continuous and analog events properly @yaxu

1.3.0 - rolled back to 1.1.2

1.2.0 - Hunters Bar

  • Simplify <* and *>, removing any distinction between analogue and digital patterns

1.1.2 - Eccy Road

  • Usability fix for binary / binaryN (use squeezeJoin on input pattern)

1.1.1 - Chelsea Park

  • Usability fixes for binary / binaryN / ascii @yaxu

1.1.0 - Brincliffe Edge

  • binary and ascii functions for playing with bit patterns @yaxu
  • support chord inversions in chord parser @bgold-cosmos
  • skip ticks when system clock jumps @yaxu
  • fix crash bugs in mini notation parser and grp @yaxu
  • new stitch function @yaxu
  • |++, ++| and |++| for combining patterns of strings by concatenation @yaxu
  • send best effort of a sound id to dirt / superdirt if sendParts is on, allowing parameter adjustment of previously triggered sound (without chopping) @yaxu
  • qtrigger - quantise trigger to nearest cycle @yaxu
  • add setI, setF et al to BootTidal.hs for setting state variables @yaxu
  • BootTidal.hs now sends d1 .. d12 to orbits 0 .. 11 respectively @yaxu
  • markov chain support with runMarkov and markovPat @bgold-cosmos
  • simplify / fix mask and sew @yaxu
  • Adjust <* and > (and therefore |+, +| etc) to be closer to <>, explanation here: https://penelope.hypotheses.org/1722 @yaxu
  • extract minitidal into its own package tidal-parse (using cabal multipackages), renaming to Sound.Tidal.Parse @yaxu @dktr0
  • benchmarking @nini-faroux
  • minitidal refactor, support for parsing more of tidal, tests @dktr0

1.0.14 - IICON

  • ‘chew’ - like bite, but speeds playback rate up and down
  • variable probability for ? in mini notation
  • chooseBy takes modulo of index to avoid out of bounds errors
  • ‘rate’ control param
  • Fix dependencies for parsec/colour

1.0.13 - 🐝⌛️🦋 #2

  • Simplify espgrid support - @yaxu

1.0.12 - 🐝⌛️🦋

  • Fix ESPGrid support - @dktr0
  • Add ‘snowball’ function - @XiNNiW

1.0.11 - Cros Bríde

2019-04-17 Alex McLean [email protected]

  • Add bite function for slicing patterns (rather than samples)
  • Tweak tidal.el to attempt to infer location of default BootTidal.hs
  • Skip time (forward or backward) if the reference clock jumps suddenly
  • Fix fit - @bgold-cosmos
  • Remove ‘asap’
  • Add cB for boolean control input
  • pickF for choosing between functions with a pattern of integers
  • select for choosing between list of patterns with a floating point pattern
  • squeeze for choosing between list of patterns with a pattern of integers, where patterns are squeezed into the integer event duration
  • splice for choosing between slices of a pattern, where the slices are squeezed into event duration
  • Ord and Eq instances for value type @bgold-cosmos
  • trigger - support for resetting envelopes on evaluation
  • Support for rational event values
  • Tweak how *> and <* deal with analog patterns
  • Caribiner link bridge support

1.0.10 - This machine also kills fascists

  • Add exports to Sound.Tidal.Scales for getScale and scaleTable

1.0.9 - This machine kills fascists

  • sec and msec functions for converting from seconds to cycles (for stut etc) @yaxu
  • template haskell upper bounds @yaxu
  • fix for multi-laptop sync/tempo sharing @yaxu
  • fix toScale so it doesn’t break on empty lists @bgold-cosmos
  • deconstruct function for displaying patterns stepwise @yaxu
  • djf control ready for new superdirt dj filter @yaxu
  • getScale for handrolling/adding scales to scale function * Add djf control for upcoming superdirt dj filter @yaxu

1.0.8 (trying to get back to doing these)

See also https://tidalcycles.org/index.php/Changes_in_Tidal_1.0.x for earlier stuff)

  • Add ‘to’, ‘toArg’ and ‘from’ controls for new superdirt routing experiments - @telephon
  • Fixes for squeezeJoin (nee unwrap’) - @bgold-cosmos
  • Simplify cycleChoose, it is now properly discrete (one event per cycle) - @yaxu
  • The return of <>, infix alias for overlay - @yaxu
  • Fix for wedge to allow 0 and 1 as first parameter - @XiNNiW
  • Support for new spectral fx - @madskjeldgaard
  • Fix for _euclidInv - @dktr0
  • chordList for listing chords - @XiNNiW
  • new function soak - @XiNNiW
  • tempo fixes - @bgold-cosmos
  • miniTidal developments - @dktr0
  • potentially more efficient euclidean patternings - @dktr0
  • unit tests for euclid - @yaxu
  • fix for sometimesBy - @yaxu

0.9.10 (and earlier missing versions from this log)

  • arpg, a function to arpeggiate
  • within’, an alternate within with a different approach to time, following discussion here https://github.com/tidalcycles/Tidal/issues/313
  • sine et al are now generalised so can be used as double or rational patterns
  • New Sound.Tidal.Simple module with a range of simple transformations (faster, slower, higher, lower, mute, etc)
  • slice upgraded to take a pattern of slice indexes
  • espgrid support
  • lindenmayerI
  • sew function, for binary switching between two patterns
  • somecycles alias for someCycles
  • ply function, for repeating each event in a pattern a given number of times within their original timespan
  • patternify juxBy, e, e’, einv, efull, eoff

0.9.7

Enhancements

  • The note pattern parameter is no longer an alias for midinote, but an independent parameter for supercollider to handle (in a manner similar to up)

0.9.6

Enhancements

  • Added chord for chord patterns and scaleP for scale patterns
  • The n pattern parameter is now floating point

0.9.5

Enhancements

  • Added hurry which both speeds up the sound and the pattern by the given amount.
  • Added stripe which repeats a pattern a given number of times per cycle, with random but contiguous durations.
  • Added continuous function cosine
  • Turned more pattern transformation parameters into patterns - spread’, striateX, every’, inside, outside, swing
  • Added experimental datatype for Xenakis sieves
  • Correctly parse negative rationals
  • Added breakUp that finds events that share the same timespan, and spreads them out during that timespan, so for example (breakUp “[bd,sn]”) gets turned into the “bd sn”
  • Added fill which ‘fills in’ gaps in one pattern with events from another.

0.9.4

Fixes

  • Swapped - for .. in ranges as quick fix for issue with parsing negative numbers
  • Removed overloaded list thingie for now, unsure whether it’s worth the dependency

0.9.3

Enhancements

  • The sequence parser can now expand ranges, e.g. "0-3 4-2" is equivalent to "[0 1 2 3] [4 3 2]"
  • Sequences can now be described using list syntax, for example sound ["bd", "sn"] is equivalent to sound "bd sn". They aren’t lists though, so you can’t for example do sound (["bd", "sn"] ++ ["arpy", "cp"]) – but can do sound (append ["bd", "sn"] ["arpy", "cp"])
  • New function linger, e.g. linger (1/4) will only play the first quarter of the given pattern, four times to fill the cycle.
  • discretise now takes time value as its first parameter, not a pattern of time, which was causing problems and needs some careful thought.
  • a rel alias for the release parameter, to match the att alias for attack
  • _fast alias for _density
  • The start of automatic testing for a holy bug-free future

Fixes

  • Fixed bug that was causing events to double up or get lost, e.g. where rev was combined with certain other functions.