KVR Audio

rachmiel · Post by **rachmiel** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 2:24 pm

KVR,

I'm working on an article on using computers to make microtonal music.

There will be several hands-on procedures in which readers create microtonal tuning systems and use them to create melodic lines and chords. So I need to find a free (donationware, open source, etc.) synth and/or melodic sequencer that lets users create microtonal tuning systems. Understandably, the magazine doesn't like forcing readers to spend money before they can perform a hands-on task.

The ideal solution would be to find a free instrument that let users load Scala scales. But, if such a thing doesn't exist, any instrument that supports microtonal tuning systems is a solid alternative.

Thanks very much!

rachMiel

Diego_C · Post by **Diego_C** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 2:40 pm

About free solutions:
http://xen-arts.net/vsti/
Greets

dformd · Post by **dformd** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 2:50 pm

Plogue's sforzando is a free, flexible, cross-platform (Windows & Mac) sample player that loads Scala Files, would it be appropriate?
https://www.plogue.com/products/sforzando/
Last version release: November 26, 2015

whyterabbyt · Post by **whyterabbyt** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 3:07 pm

In 32-bit-land, TobyBear MicroTuner could tweak MIDI notes with additional pitchbend messages to follow Scala scales. Took the onus off the host/sequencer/synth.

Not sure of a 64-bit equivalent, unfortunately.

rachmiel · Post by **rachmiel** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 3:10 pm

Thanks guys, I'll check these out.

Anyone else?

In the meantime I tried the free VSTi version of Synthmaster 2.7, but it doesn't seem to support Scala files like the for-pay version. Unless I just can't figure out how to load a Scala file into it? I looked at the manual, but it didn't help.

R.A.W. · Post by **R.A.W.** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 3:31 pm

U-He uses and ships tuning files.
I'm not sure (and can't check right now) if that includes their free plug-ins (Zebralette, Triple Cheese, TyrellN6, Podolski).

Zombie Queen · Post by **Zombie Queen** » Mon Jan 11, 2016 6:36 pm

AnaMark : http://www.mark-henning.de/am_about_eng.php
If has been set free in 2014.

rachmiel · Post by **rachmiel** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 2:16 am

Thanks everyone. I think it's best that I use Scala, since it's the industry standard. Or isn't it?

MadBrain · Post by **MadBrain** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 4:21 am

The ONLY thing that's guaranteed to work everywhere is pitch bend with a known pitch bend range and with only 1 note at the time. If you set the bend range to 1 semitone and have a bit of agility, you can play pretty much any synth microtonally this way.

Some VSTs support scala. Generally, support for scala files with 12 notes per octave works okay, other mappings not always so well (since it's a rarely used feature).

There's a MIDI tuning sysex standard but it's typically only implemented on Romplers:
http://www.midi.org/techspecs/midituning.php
Afaik most implementations only support the "[SCALE/OCTAVE TUNING 1-BYTE FORM (REAL-TIME)]" format (tunes the 12 notes of the octave from -64 to +63 cents). You can generally program it directly on the keyboard (this is how Arabic and Turkish musicians do it, along with tons of pitch wheel).

For the special case of if you're using a Tracker to make music (which is probably a good idea on Linux since Linux has no good DAWs anyways), you can simply bend every note by putting an EFx (slide down by x 16ths of a semitone) or FFx (slide up by x 16ths of a semitone) on each note, with the added benefit that you're never locked down in any key (unlike scala or MIDI tuning which basically paints you into a corner harmonically).

R.A.W. · Post by **R.A.W.** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 9:03 am

MadBrain wrote:...(which is probably a good idea on Linux since Linux has no good DAWs anyways)...

???
Ardour, Bitwig Studio, Renoise (which is a tracker, but hey..

)

rachmiel · Post by **rachmiel** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 2:45 pm

MadBrain wrote:The ONLY thing that's guaranteed to work everywhere is pitch bend with a known pitch bend range and with only 1 note at the time. If you set the bend range to 1 semitone and have a bit of agility, you can play pretty much any synth microtonally this way.

So if you're using a sequencer to make a chord in one MIDI channel, you can't "fool" the sequencer into using different pitch bend values for each chord note? Instead, you need to have one note per MIDI channel?

anomandaris1 · Post by **anomandaris1** » Tue Jan 12, 2016 6:16 pm

You need vst 3.5 for different pitch values per note.
There is a microtonal piano roll in Blue for Csound and Max.

Also Reaper:

http://forum.cockos.com/showthread.php?t=146780

BipTunia · Post by **BipTunia** » Thu Apr 04, 2019 2:37 pm

I make microtonal VST synths, and a microtonal sampler.
Free here: https://biptunia.com/?page_id=2070

jancivil · Post by **jancivil** » Fri Apr 05, 2019 2:46 am

My standpoint on this is microtonal as a product of pitch bend in the piano roll editor is going to communicate that to whatever receives pitch bend.
EG: you can get ahold of scala MIDI files (for free) and you'll find it's just pitch bend. So you can do basic division into the 14-bit pitch bend editor (8192 +/-) from your desired set of tones.

You can make anything VST 2.4 and up into a Note Expression part if your sequencer supports that. I believed you needed VST 3.5 supporting instruments but it's not true per se. Cubendo and I believe Bitwig support NE. So you may have multiple parts inside the one MIDI event/part with differing pitch bend data, which does work with an MPE supporting instrument anyway. I have no experience with that otherwise (except CC, which I have not run into conflicts with).

Cinebient · Post by **Cinebient** » Fri Apr 05, 2019 2:52 am

Microtonal via pitchbends is absolute terrible.
.tun or .scl plus .kbm files. Everything else does not work really.
Also you still would want to pitch bend inside your microtonal tuning manually.

Looking for free microtonal synths and/or melodic sequencers