Fathom Synth Development Thread

[monomaker]

monomaker, I will try to get the tuning in the release after this one, which format is "TUN" is that the same as the white paper spec you posted the link to?

Yes, TUN is the Anamark spec that I sent the links for.

[FathomSynth]

OK, Thanks!

I think I'll just make it read both TUN and SCALA.

If I do one it won't really be any extra time just to do both while I'm in that code.

[zzz00m]

You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish!

[Distorted Horizon]

You can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish!

No even if you pet it?

[Distorted Horizon]

Fish likes to be pet

[monomaker]

If I do one it won't really be any extra time just to do both while I'm in that code.

Both would be nice, SCL support requires more GUI (for the KBM support) plus you'll need a lot of the Anamark sample code. The joy of TUN only is it can be done in a few lines without any of that, I coded a solution for Halion 6 (that you can find in my previous posts) in about 5 lines and I'm no great programmer. It's a lot easier to deal with than 1000's of lines of sample code, most of which is redundant anyway. This may be why nobody has implemented both in either a softsynth or hardware. For users it doesn't matter much because most of us will be exporting both from Scala anyway, but if you've got the choice of inputting one file or two into a synth you'll probably opt for the simple solution.

[FathomSynth]

Just a couple question about the tuning.

Do people ever use it with different octave ratio's or mostly just to re-tune the existing notes or use scales with less notes?

In other words, is an octave always double the frequency, or can that change as well?

Also, if a scale has less than 12 tones, what do users expect to do with the unused MIDI keys?

[monomaker]

In other words, is an octave always double the frequency, or can that change as well?

That can change, my last track was in 9 ED2O which is 2 octaves equally divided by 9 notes, so there's no octave (2/1) in such a tuning only double octaves (3/1). The keys on standard keyboards are meaningless in this context.

Also, if a scale has less than 12 tones, what do users expect to do with the unused MIDI keys?

There are no unused keys, the scale just repeats over the scale size. So a 6 TET tuning will give the user twices as many octaves on the same keyboard as 12 TET does.

Essentially, for a synth the tuning is arbitrary, there are tunings that map in all sorts of strange ways (the TUN and SCL tuning archives have thousands of tunings). A common scale is Harry Partch's 43 note scale which is super just (it has a lot of perfect ratios in it), folks translate 12 TET compositions into it in order to get better (closer to the exact ratio) intervals. You don't need to worry about any of this stuff, you just need a list of cents to retune each on the 128 notes with; the values themselves and how they map are a job for Scala, Lil' Miss Scale Oven or a similar application.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Par ... tone_scale
http://xenharmonic.wikispaces.com/EDO+vs+ET

Also, on this page it's worth checking out the top right diagram of intervals and ratios : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_temperament

That diagram explains a lot about music and why we might want to use different tuning systems.

[zzz00m]

It seems that each MIDI key represents one sequential step in whatever scale is being assigned.

[FathomSynth]

monomaker, zzz00m, OK, Thanks so much, that actually sounds pretty straight forward.

[Saukar30]

I really think Fathom needs a comb filter

[FathomSynth]

I agree, I will try to get that in.

[Whywhy]

Yes, +1 first comb filter and mpe too!

[CHOOS]

I though ooh thats a good idea but I didn't wanna push it.
We're milking the features!

Everett... You Are A Beast!!!

[_al_]

I really think Fathom needs a comb filter

I was meant to mention this in my first post, and forgot, so +1