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The Jam Library Cookbook jamburgr Live Docs About

The Cookbook · recipes for jamburgr

One file. Your whole brain on the song.

A recipe is a Markdown file with simple key: value lines. Open it, edit anything, generate a pack. The same file holds your patch notes, arrangement ideas, and reference tracks — your whole brain on the song, in one place.

Generate a starter recipe

jamburgr can write a recipe template for you so you don't start with a blank file.

Writes my_song.md — a baseline recipe you edit, then cook.

terminal 
python jamburgr.py --write-example-recipe my_song.md

Cook a recipe

Pass any recipe file to --config and jamburgr writes a Standard MIDI pack to the path you set in out:.

terminal 
python jamburgr.py --config my_song.md

Three example recipes

Copy any of these, save as .md, edit, cook.

A baseline pack

Compact starter — pick a key, pick a style, pack mode, off you go.

# jamburgr recipe — baseline pack

## Recipe
key: F# minor
chord: minor_add9
style: melodic_techno
progression: dark_drive
output_mode: pack
out: ./jams/my_song

A synthwave sketch

Tighter humanize, slower BPM, classic i–VI–III–VII move.

# jamburgr recipe — synthwave nightcall

## Recipe
key: A minor
chord: minor_add9
style: synthwave
progression: i,VI,III,VII
output_mode: pack
bpm: 100
humanize: 5
out: ./jams/synthwave_nightcall

## Notes
- bass plump but tight
- pad reverb tail keeps it floating
- drop comes in at bar 33

A future bass demo

Wide voicings, layered drums, and arrangement sections wired in.

# jamburgr recipe — future bass demo

## Recipe
key: F# minor
chord: minor9
style: future_bass
progression: i,VI,III,v
voicing: wide
generate_drums: true
arrangement: intro,verse,drop,breakdown,outro
output_mode: pack
out: ./jams/future_bass_demo

## Patch notes
- chord layer: Wavetable saw + soft FM bell
- bass: sub sine + mid wavetable, sidechained
- lead: Operator FM pluck for the drop

Keys you'll reach for most

The full reference lives in the manual . These are the dozen recipe keys producers use 95% of the time.

KeyWhat it does
key Musical key. e.g. "C minor", "F# minor", "Ab major".
scale Scale override. Defaults inferred from key. Supports modes, pentatonics, blues minor, chromatic.
chord Chord palette. minor7, major9, minor_add9, dominant7, quartal, cluster, or auto.
style One of 42 jamburgr styles. all to generate across the whole pantry.
progression Named progression for the style, default, all, or custom Roman numerals like i,VI,III,VII.
output_mode single, multi, both, or pack. Pack drops everything in one folder.
bpm Tempo override. Leave blank to use the style default.
humanize 0–15 nudge to timing/velocity. 5 = subtle, 12 = looser feel.
voicing closed, open, wide, drop2, rootless, shell, auto_voice_leading, and more.
generate_bass true/false. Adds a bass MIDI lane that follows key + progression.
generate_drums true/false. Adds editable General MIDI drum lanes.
arrangement Comma list of sections: intro, verse, drop, breakdown, outro.

What goes outside the recipe block

A recipe file is also a place for the rest of your song notes. jamburgr only reads lines shaped like key: value; everything else is yours. Use it for:

  • Patch notes — which synth for the bass, which preset for the lead
  • Arrangement ideas — bar 33 = drop, bar 49 = breakdown, etc.
  • Mix decisions — "sidechain harder," "more reverb on the snare"
  • Reference tracks — three tracks that point at the vibe you want
  • A diary of what you tried and what worked

The recipe is a song's first draft and its lab notebook. One file, two jobs.