NNT Explorer

The NNT Explorer (nnt.midimaze.com/explore↗) is a browser tool for composing in NNT shorthand notation and exporting to engraving software. It pairs NNT input with live abcjs score rendering and one-click MIDI clipboard hand-off.

Features

Live score rendering (abcjs) — type NNT, see staff notation
Contour view — solfège climbing up/down visually as you type, useful for melodic shape feedback
Arrow-key octave control — ↑ / ↓ at cursor to increment/decrement octave at the cursor position
Copy as MIDI → DAW/engraver — single button, then paste in Sibelius (Option+Shift+V Mac / Alt+Shift+V Windows, or Home → Paste dropdown → Paste MIDI). Requires Sibelius 2024.3+.
Download .mid — fallback when clipboard MIDI isn't supported
Instrument picker — bassoon, clarinet, flute, oboe, trumpet, horn, etc., with corresponding playback timbre
BPM control — set tempo for playback only (doesn't affect notation)

Workflow: Explorer → Sibelius

Type or load a preset in the Explorer
Click Copy as MIDI
In Sibelius: select the target staff + first measure, paste with Option+Shift+V
Repeat for additional voices on additional staves
Iterate: edit in Explorer, re-copy, re-paste

Presets

The Explorer ships with composition-pedagogy presets. Notable for orchestration class:

Bassoon Bassline — Tonic/Dominant — walking bassline in C major, tenor register. See Bassoon Bassline Demo for the full notation and analysis.
3rd Species Counterpoint — eighth-note upper voice paired with the bassoon bassline
C Major Scale — sanity check for the MIDI export workflow

When to Use It

Live composition demos in class — type, hear, paste, refine
Quick sketches before opening Sibelius — less ceremony than a full notation project
Teaching counterpoint — type two voices, hear them against each other, modify in real time

Limitations

Single voice per Explorer instance (split tabs for multi-voice composition, or compose voices serially and combine in Sibelius)
abcjs rendering simplifies complex rhythms — use Sibelius for final notation
MIDI clipboard requires a modern browser + Sibelius 2024.3+