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Score Editor

Score Editor in ComfyTV

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What this node does

Score Editor is a full in-browser piano roll for composing directly on the canvas. Instead of writing MusicXML by hand (as with the Score stage), you draw notes on a grid measured in beats and bars, organize them into up to four named parts (each with its own instrument or a percussion mode), and set the tempo and time signature. Everything you draw is stored on the node. Press ▶ Run to convert your roll into MusicXML on the backend; the score output is a COMFYTV_TEXT MusicXML document ready for Score Performer, Score Synth, or any music stage. Running with an empty roll fails with “the piano roll is empty”. You can also import a wired score (score input, COMFYTV_TEXT) into the roll to edit an existing piece.

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The editor

The card is a toolbar-plus-piano-roll. From top to bottom: Tool row.
  • Draw / Select / Step — the three editing modes.
    • Draw: click-drag on the grid to create a note; the drag sets its length, and the note beeps as you place it.
    • Select: drag a marquee to select notes (Shift adds to the selection); click a note to grab it.
    • Step: enter notes one at a time with the keyboard at a moving cursor — press a letter key A–G to insert that pitch, 0 or Space for a rest, Backspace to delete the last step, and arrow keys to transpose (Up/Down, Shift for octaves) or move the cursor (Left/Right). In Step mode a duration picker appears (1, 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32) plus a dotted toggle (·); a yellow cursor line marks the insert point.
  • Play (▶ / ■) — plays the whole roll with a built-in oscillator/drum synth; a green playhead sweeps across and the view auto-scrolls to follow.
  • Snap — grid snapping: 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32, or free.
  • Tempo — BPM (20–400).
  • Time sig — beats-per-bar (1–12) over beat-type (2, 4 or 8).
  • Bars — total length in bars (1–256).
  • Undo (↩), Clear part, and (when a score is wired) Import score.
Part row.
  • Buttons for each part (up to four); click to make one active, double-click to rename. ＋ / − add or remove parts.
  • 🥁 Percussion toggles the active part to a drum lane — the keyboard on the left switches to General MIDI drum names instead of pitches.
  • Instrument — a General MIDI instrument dropdown for the active (non-percussion) part.
  • Q Quantize snaps the selected notes to the grid.
  • Import status/warnings appear here (e.g. skipped percussion on import).
Piano roll. A scrollable grid with a piano keyboard down the left edge (click a key to audition its pitch; C notes are labelled). Notes are blocks you can:
  • move by dragging the body,
  • resize by dragging the left or right edge handle,
  • delete by double-clicking,
  • multi-select and drag/resize together. Notes in other (inactive) parts show as dim “ghost” blocks so you can align against them. A velocity lane runs along the bottom — drag across it to paint the loudness of the notes under the cursor.
Zoom & navigation. Ctrl/Cmd + mouse wheel zooms the beat grid; scroll bars pan. Keyboard shortcuts: Delete/Backspace removes selected notes, Ctrl/Cmd+Z undoes, Ctrl/Cmd+A selects all, Ctrl/Cmd+D duplicates the selection.

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Workflow / step by step

  1. Set Tempo, Time sig and Bars for the piece.
  2. Pick a Snap value; choose or add a part and set its Instrument (or toggle 🥁 for drums).
  3. Draw notes (or use Step mode to type them in); adjust length with the edge handles.
  4. Add more parts for other instruments; use the ghost notes to line them up.
  5. Shape dynamics in the velocity lane; press Play to audition.
  6. Press ▶ Run to emit the MusicXML score, then wire it to Score Performer / Score Synth.

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Inputs and outputs

The roll itself is stored on the node in a hidden notes_json field, so your work is saved with the workflow.

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Tips

  • Step mode is the fastest way to enter melodies precisely: set the duration, then type note letters — no dragging.
  • Use the ghost notes from other parts as a reference when writing counterpoint or harmony.
  • Percussion parts use drum names on the keyboard; importing a score skips percussion parts (you’ll get a warning if any were dropped).
  • Nothing reaches downstream until you press ▶ Run — the roll is the editor, the run emits the score.
  • Score — the MusicXML-first alternative (paste XML instead of drawing).
  • Score Performer — performs your exported score with feel and outputs MIDI.
  • Score Synth — renders it to audio.
  • MIDI Editor — the seconds-domain piano roll for MIDI files (not MusicXML).
  • Bridge — convert to/from native ComfyUI types. See https://github.com/jtydhr88/ComfyTV/blob/main/docs/bridges.md