KV331 Audio

~Pd~ · Post by **~Pd~** » Mon Feb 10, 2014 2:29 pm

It's fantastic to see alternate tuning support in Synthmaster, but a couple of small enhancements would make it far more usable.

Number one, there needs to be a master tuning control that pitches the entire instrument up and down by semitones (or whatever units the currently loaded Scala file uses), and also a fine tune control. There's already a fine tune control, so a scale unit control would be easy to add, I would think. Here's how it's handled in Zebra:

Also, for some equal temperament Scala files like 5-TET, it seems like Synthmaster pitches the entire tuning way too high. A way to set the "scala center" would be extremely useful, like we see in the Sforzando plugin:

And while we're on the subject of tuning, I find Synthmaster's individual oscillator tuning controls very difficult to work with - is there really no way to make the units snap to semitones? It's very difficult and fiddly to get the oscillators tuned just right.

~Pd~ · Post by **~Pd~** » Wed Feb 19, 2014 5:01 pm

Solved my own problem. Derp!

http://www.peterdines.com/2014/02/more- ... -easy.html

~Pd~ · Post by **~Pd~** » Sat Mar 01, 2014 12:50 am

OK, hate to open this case again, but I've been learning more about alternate tunings and how other synths implement Scala support. Here's an example tuning, a 7 tone equal tempered scale:

! fj-7tet.scl
!
Franck Jedrzejewski continued fractions approx. of 7-tet
7
!
53/48
39/32
35/26
52/35
64/39
96/53
2/1

So there's an implied 1/1 as the first note in the scale. I've noticed that the most useful way to handle this is to set the 1/1 to a pitch of middle C and arrange the other notes upwards and downwards from there according to the ratios. I've found that Z3TA+ 2 does it that way, and so does Plogue Sforzando. From my experiments, the U-He synths handle it the same way, though they use .tun format files.

Anyways this would be an extremely handy way to implement Scala tuning in Synthmaster. Coarse (snapped to semitone / interval) and fine (snapped to cents) master tuning controls would be cool too.

The reason I come back to this is, I started experimenting with Harry Partch's 41 and 43 tone scales and I can't find a way to make them work properly in synthmaster. I just get some odd noise like it's interpreting the pitches as below or above hearing range.

So what do you think? Is the 1/1 interpretation as middle C do-able?

Thanks for your attention Bulent, I still love the hell out of this synth!

~Pd~ · Post by **~Pd~** » Mon Mar 03, 2014 11:39 pm

Ah, I just found out that Synthmaster works perfectly as long as you give it the kind of .scl file that usually goes with a .kbm keyboard map - one where every note from 0 to 127 is specified. The .kbm isn't required as far as I can tell.

Don't mind me, just thinking out loud here, learning about this stuff as I go. Will write a blog post on it soon and provide some .scl files optimized for Synthmaster.

BasariStudios · Post by **BasariStudios** » Thu Mar 13, 2014 2:39 am

SynthMaster does not read KBM and the MicroTuning is not really perfect, i wish Bulent can look into this and make it work with KBM too.

~Pd~ · Post by **~Pd~** » Fri Mar 14, 2014 12:46 pm

Yeah, there are things that need addressing here... Ideally, it should read regular .scl files - the kind that define a single octave, not every note in the MIDI range - and interpret 1/1 as middle C, then map the rest of the ratios upwards and downwards from there, plus give you a master semitone transpose control and a fine tune in cents. What would REALLY rock is a way to define middle C in Hz.

The only plugin that I know of that reads the regular type of .scl (like the one I posted above) is Madrona Aalto. Even then the implementation is not perfect because you can't tune in semitones and cents and it doesn't seem to map 1/1 properly, IIRC.

BasariStudios · Post by **BasariStudios** » Fri Mar 14, 2014 2:00 pm

For some reason Aalo can not read my SCLs, i mean it reads but does not interpret them, you can Load it but it will not change its tuning, i don't know why. SynthMaster reads all of them and they work, except ONE Scale, which i don't know why that scale either.

~Pd~ · Post by **~Pd~** » Sat Mar 15, 2014 1:16 pm

BasariStudios wrote:For some reason Aalo can not read my SCLs, i mean it reads but does not interpret them, you can Load it but it will not change its tuning, i don't know why. SynthMaster reads all of them and they work, except ONE Scale, which i don't know
why that scale either.

How many notes per octave are in the tuning that Synthmaster is having trouble with? It really didn't like the Harry Partch .scl files with more than 40 divisions to the octave.

For Aalto I'd try looking at the .scl files it ships with. Are yours in the same format? Come to think of it I've never tried adding more scales to the Aalto folder myself...

BasariStudios · Post by **BasariStudios** » Sat Mar 15, 2014 1:20 pm

The thing is all of the scales in Aalto, Blue, Albino and mani others to me are useless, i HAVE to use my own custom scales. Now, the Scale that does not work in SM is completely detuned, each note is up and down in the octave, from first to lat. That might be the reason and is read without the KMB File. I also have to compare the Factory Scale with my own in Aalto i guess.

~Pd~ · Post by **~Pd~** » Sat Mar 15, 2014 3:10 pm

Interesting - you mean that, for example, midi note 61 might have a lower pitch than midi note 60 in your tuning?

BasariStudios · Post by **BasariStudios** » Sat Mar 15, 2014 9:31 pm

Yup. I don't really understand scales in Scala...i mostly understand them as i used them because 90% of my music is based on User Scales, anything i produced. We use a lot of detuning on 2-3 notes per scale/octave.

~Pd~ · Post by **~Pd~** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 1:13 am

I don't mean to detract from the magnificence that is Synthmaster but I figure the best synth for those purposes might be Absynth. You can tune individual notes in the plugin, either by ratio or by Hz. And with octave lock on you can tune one octave manually and all the other ones follow in their respective ranges. And of course you can have different numbers of divisions per octave.

It's like having Scala built right into the synth. I'd bug Bulent to implement something similar in Synthmaster but I realize that's a pretty tall order...

BasariStudios · Post by **BasariStudios** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 1:19 am

Actually the best one i find and is for us is FM8, Tuning wise. The user Scales and Microtuning are implementing directly in it. I think Absynth is the same. And Reaktor completely sux for it.

~Pd~ · Post by **~Pd~** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 3:05 am

Doesn't FM8 assume you have a 12 note scale, though?

Reaktor supports Scala with user-created macros in the user library. And I've built macros that generate tunings algorithmically. Plus there are ways to populate data in tables using OSC transmitted from scripts. It's infinitely flexible. Steep learning curve tho!

BasariStudios · Post by **BasariStudios** » Sun Mar 16, 2014 3:12 am

Yes, that's exactly what we need, we only detune in a 12 note, if i detune D i need the same everywhere in the reange, its just how our music is. Want me to post some Videos of what i do? Also with Reaktor, i know all thing things it can do but i need desperate help about it, i have no clue. If i have the Modules i can probably insert them but can not build them. Reaktor with my Tunings would be awesome.

KV331 Audio

KVR Audio

Master tuning enhancement request