User:Mousemambo/Document draft: Difference between revisions

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{{Mbox|type=notice|text=Please use this page's [[User_talk:Mousemambo/Document_draft|Discussion page]] for comments and suggestions. Or you can join the discussion in the #wiki channel of the Xenharmonic Alliance's [https://discord.com/invite/FSF5JFT Discord server]. This developing page was initially just an outline, and I have been expanding it into a proper page. I am using square brackets to enclose editing notes to myself, which will eventually all be removed.}}

{{Mbox|type=notice|text=This page is a detailed thinking-out-loud sketch of what a guide might look like for ~~detailing~~ how to use Surge XT set to alternative (non-12-EDO) tunings in Reaper. It might become a (~~retitled~~) main-area Xen wiki page. It might become part of a larger document also describing how other popular but less full-featured synths or samplers can be used for microtonal music in Reaper. It might become part of a larger document also describing how Surge XT can be used for microtonal music in other DAWs. ALERT: I am currently exploring the option of expanding it just a bit to incorporate another synth or two that has to be used differently than Surge XT, but some sections still include older text that presumes the article is just about Surge XT and Reaper. Also, I'm exploring what could/should be split out into a separate "Scala tuning system" article.}}

{{Mbox|type=notice|text=This page is a detailed thinking-out-loud sketch of what a guide might look like for teaching how to use Surge XT set to alternative (non-12-EDO) tunings in Reaper. It might become a (re-titled) main-area Xen wiki page. It might become part of a larger document also describing how other popular but less full-featured synths or samplers can be used for microtonal music in Reaper. It might become part of a larger document also describing how Surge XT can be used for microtonal music in other DAWs. ALERT: I am currently exploring the option of expanding it just a bit to incorporate another synth or two that has to be used differently than Surge XT, but some sections still include older text that presumes the article is just about Surge XT and Reaper. Also, I'm exploring what could/should be split out into a separate "Scala tuning system" article.}}

'''DRAFT''' ==== Proposed page title: '''<big>Guide to tuning a software synth in a DAW</big>''' ==== '''DRAFT'''

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## In Surge XT's Menu (found in the bottom right corner) select the Tuning option, then choose "Load .scl tuning..."

##Use the resulting file selection popup to choose one of the [ideally 12-tone for keyboard mapping simplicity] Scala scale files that come with Surge XT, e.g. [something beginners might have read about and would recognize,] like just intonation's Ptolemy_intense_diatonic.scl or meantone's WerckmeisterIII_equal_beating.scl, or instead choose [something named in condensed code like] ED3-12.scl. {I realize Scala XT at this moment only comes with two tuning files beginners will recognize by name, and one is 12-EDO.]

##* [Say something about tuning files and what they do, along with that they use various methods of establishing tunings. I might move this below to the "Method 2 Notes" section with a link to more detailed articles.]

##* [Say something here about tuning file naming standards/practices, and the extremely terse abbreviations used for some classes of tunings. This really should go in the "[[User:Mousemambo/Scala tuning system#Scala scale file|Scala scale file]]" article or that section of a "[[User:Mousemambo/Scala tuning system|Scala tuning system]]" article.]

#Load a [[User:Mousemambo/Scala tuning system#Scala keyboard mapping file|Scala keyboard mapping file]] (.kbm), for example the "Halberstadt 60-440-69.kbm" file [which *is* international ISO tuning standard]. [Note here that other keyboard layouts are supported by other keyboard mapping files.]

#*Note that without a Scala keyboard mapping file (.kbm) also loaded, the resulting tuning may not be what you expect. Surge XT like most synths will assume a default tuning center frequency and keyboard mapping that sets the first note specified in the tuning file as MIDI Note C.60 and the tuning center (diapason, reference pitch) as international ISO standard pitch (MIDI A.69=440.000Hz). [Or will it? Seems undocumented. In fact, it does not. Default in Surge XT 1.2.3 is a base note of C.60 and the reference pitch is C.60=261.626Hz, which is close to but not international standard.] However, if for example we are using a just intonation scale and music with a tonic of F (F4, MIDI note 65, 349.23 Hz), we need to ensure the base note is set to the tonic F, and ideally will use a keyboard mapping file to do that.

#*Remember that when you load a Scala scale file you should always load a keyboard mapping file to prevent mistuned surprises, if your instrument supports that. Or your instrument may let you set a base note for your tuning as described in the Method 2 Notes below, "Alternatives for setting the tuning's base note." To learn more details about how to use Scala scale and keyboard mapping files, including what to do when your instrument doesn't offer the option to load a keyboard mapping file, see [[User:Mousemambo/Tuning methods#Tuning files|Tuning methods]].

#Optionally, if you understand Scala scale and keyboard mapping data, you may wish to open Surge XT's Tuning editor at this time (Menu > Tuning > Open tuning editor...) to confirm the correct data was loaded from the files.

#Optionally, test the tuning to ensure it's correct.

#Optionally, [[User:Mousemambo/Document draft#How to test the tuning|test the tuning]] to ensure it's correct.

'''~~Method 2~~ Notes'''

'''Notes'''

~~'''More about Surge XT'''. Surge XT also provides a button "Tune" under~~ the ~~label "Status" along~~ the ~~top of its window. If a custom~~ tuning ~~has not yet been added during the current session~~, ~~clicking~~ the ~~button will reveal~~ the ~~same list of options as Menu > Tuning. If a custom tuning has been loaded~~, the ~~Tune button will be lit (bright not dark)~~, and ~~clicking~~ it ~~will turn that tuning off (back~~ to the ~~software's default~~ [[~~12edo~~|~~12-EDO tuning~~]]~~) or back on~~.

[This whole section needs consideration with regard to what should be moved to the [[User:Mousemambo/Tuning methods#Tuning files|Tuning methods]] article, what belongs in the [[User:Mousemambo/Scala tuning system|Scala tuning system]] article, or perhaps is best rendered in duplicate for reading simplicity. The complexity of the relationship between the scale file's base note, the tuning's tuning center, and the music's tonic if it has one is a very complex topic for a beginner and this doesn't seem to be the right place to explain it. That explanation probably belongs in [[User:Mousemambo/Tuning methods#Tuning files|Tuning methods]].]

'''''~~Anamark tuning files~~'''''. Surge XT doesn't directly support Anamark tuning files (.tun), which are an alternative to using the Scala two-file tuning system, and [[User:Mousemambo/Document draft#Anamark tuning files|described in the Appendix]].

'''''More about Surge XT'''''

~~'''''Alternatives for setting~~ the tuning~~'s base note'''''. Some software, like Garritan's Aria Player sampler system [and~~ the ~~Vital synth IIRC], support Scala scale files but do not support loading Scala keyboard mapping files. However~~, ~~they do allow you to set~~ the ~~base note of~~ the ~~Scala scale file and its pitch. This fulfills two~~ of ~~the functions of the keyboard mapping file and you should use this method if it's all your instrument supports~~. If ~~you are using~~ a ~~just intonation~~, ~~for example~~, ~~then setting the Scala scale file's base note~~ to the ~~music~~'s ~~tonic is essential~~.

Surge XT also provides a button "Tune" under the label "Status" along the top of its window. If a custom tuning has not yet been added during the current session, clicking the button will reveal the same list of options as Menu > Tuning. If a custom tuning has been loaded, the Tune button will be lit (bright not dark), and clicking it will turn that tuning off (back to the software's default [[12edo|12-EDO tuning]]) or back on.

Instead of using a keyboard mapping file, you can also set the base for your scale in Surge XT using its tuning editor as described in [[User:Mousemambo/Document draft#Method 1: Set a tuning directly in the synth itself|Method 1]]. This can be convenient for tunings with a 12-note scale that maps to a standard piano keyboard but may lead to problematic results otherwise. See [[User:Mousemambo/Tuning methods#Tuning files|Tuning methods]] for more on setting the tuning's base note, tuning center, and keyboard mapping issues, including the tuning system meanings of the terms ''base note'', ''reference pitch'', ''tuning center'', ''diapason'', and ''tonic''.

'''''Scala scale file'''''

* [Say something about tuning files and what they do, along with that they use various methods of establishing tunings. Some of this might better be located in a "[[User:Mousemambo/Scala tuning system|Scala tuning system]]" article.]

* [Say something here about tuning file naming standards/practices, and the extremely terse abbreviations used for some classes of tunings. This really should go in the "[[User:Mousemambo/Scala tuning system#Scala scale file|Scala scale file]]" article or that section of a "[[User:Mousemambo/Scala tuning system|Scala tuning system]]" article.]

'''''Scala keyboard mapping file'''''

*Note that without a Scala keyboard mapping file (.kbm) also loaded, the resulting tuning may not be what you expect. Surge XT like most synths will assume a default tuning center frequency and keyboard mapping that sets the first note specified in the tuning file as MIDI Note C.60 and the tuning center (diapason, reference pitch) as international ISO standard pitch (MIDI A.69=440.000Hz). [Or will it? Seems undocumented. In fact, it does not. Default in Surge XT 1.2.3 is a base note of C.60 and the reference pitch is C.60=261.626Hz, which is close to but not international standard.] However, if for example we are using a just intonation scale and music with a tonic of F (F4, MIDI note 65, 349.23 Hz), we need to ensure the base note is set to the tonic F, and ideally will use a keyboard mapping file to do that.

*Remember that when you load a Scala scale file you should always prevent mistuned surprises by loading a keyboard mapping file, if your instrument supports that. Or your instrument may let you set a base note for your tuning as described in the Method 2 Notes below, "Alternatives for setting the tuning's base note and tuning center." To learn more details about how to use Scala scale and keyboard mapping files, including what to do when your instrument doesn't offer the option to load a keyboard mapping file, see [[User:Mousemambo/Tuning methods#Tuning files|Tuning methods]].

'''''Alternatives for setting the tuning's base note and tuning center'''''

* Some software, like Garritan's Aria Player sampler system [and the Vital synth IIRC], support Scala scale files but do not support loading Scala keyboard mapping files. However, they do allow you to set the base note of the Scala scale file and its pitch. This fulfills two of the functions of the keyboard mapping file and you should use this method if it's all your instrument supports. If you are using a just intonation, for example, then setting the Scala scale file's base note to the music's tonic is essential.

* Instead of using a keyboard mapping file, you can also set the base for your scale in Surge XT using its tuning editor as described in [[User:Mousemambo/Document draft#Method 1: Set a tuning directly in the synth itself|Method 1]]. This can be convenient for tunings with a 12-note scale that maps to a standard piano keyboard but may lead to problematic results otherwise. See [[User:Mousemambo/Tuning methods#Tuning files|Tuning methods]] for more on setting the tuning's base note, tuning center, and keyboard mapping issues, including the tuning system meanings of the terms ''base note'', ''reference pitch'', ''tuning center'', ''diapason'', and ''tonic''.

'''''Anamark tuning files'''''

Surge XT doesn't directly support Anamark tuning files (.tun), which are an alternative to using the Scala two-file tuning system, and [[User:Mousemambo/Document draft#Anamark tuning files|described in the Appendix]].

===Method 3: Set a tuning using a tuning plugin===

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{Mbox|type=notice|text=Please use this page's [[User_talk:Mousemambo/Document_draft|Discussion page]] for comments and suggestions. Or you can join the discussion in the #wiki channel of the Xenharmonic Alliance's [https://discord.com/invite/FSF5JFT Discord server]. This developing page was initially just an outline, and I have been expanding it into a proper page. I am using square brackets to enclose editing notes to myself, which will eventually all be removed.}}
-{{Mbox|type=notice|text=This page is a detailed thinking-out-loud sketch of what a guide might look like for detailing how to use Surge XT set to alternative (non-12-EDO) tunings in Reaper. It might become a (retitled) main-area Xen wiki page. It might become part of a larger document also describing how other popular but less full-featured synths or samplers can be used for microtonal music in Reaper. It might become part of a larger document also describing how Surge XT can be used for microtonal music in other DAWs. ALERT: I am currently exploring the option of expanding it just a bit to incorporate another synth or two that has to be used differently than Surge XT, but some sections still include older text that presumes the article is just about Surge XT and Reaper. Also, I'm exploring what could/should be split out into a separate "Scala tuning system" article.}}
+{{Mbox|type=notice|text=This page is a detailed thinking-out-loud sketch of what a guide might look like for teaching how to use Surge XT set to alternative (non-12-EDO) tunings in Reaper. It might become a (re-titled) main-area Xen wiki page. It might become part of a larger document also describing how other popular but less full-featured synths or samplers can be used for microtonal music in Reaper. It might become part of a larger document also describing how Surge XT can be used for microtonal music in other DAWs. ALERT: I am currently exploring the option of expanding it just a bit to incorporate another synth or two that has to be used differently than Surge XT, but some sections still include older text that presumes the article is just about Surge XT and Reaper. Also, I'm exploring what could/should be split out into a separate "Scala tuning system" article.}}
 '''DRAFT''' ==== Proposed page title: '''<big>Guide to tuning a software synth in a DAW</big>''' ==== '''DRAFT'''
@@ Line 66: / Line 66: @@
 ## In Surge XT's Menu (found in the bottom right corner) select the Tuning option, then choose "Load .scl tuning..."
 ##Use the resulting file selection popup to choose one of the [ideally 12-tone for keyboard mapping simplicity] Scala scale files that come with Surge XT, e.g. [something beginners might have read about and would recognize,] like just intonation's Ptolemy_intense_diatonic.scl or meantone's WerckmeisterIII_equal_beating.scl, or instead choose [something named in condensed code like] ED3-12.scl. {I realize Scala XT at this moment only comes with two tuning files beginners will recognize by name, and one is 12-EDO.]
-##* [Say something about tuning files and what they do, along with that they use various methods of establishing tunings. I might move this below to the "Method 2 Notes" section with a link to more detailed articles.]
-##* [Say something here about tuning file naming standards/practices, and the extremely terse abbreviations used for some classes of tunings. This really should go in the "[[User:Mousemambo/Scala tuning system#Scala scale file|Scala scale file]]" article or that section of a "[[User:Mousemambo/Scala tuning system|Scala tuning system]]" article.]
 #Load a [[User:Mousemambo/Scala tuning system#Scala keyboard mapping file|Scala keyboard mapping file]] (.kbm), for example the "Halberstadt 60-440-69.kbm" file [which *is* international ISO tuning standard]. [Note here that other keyboard layouts are supported by other keyboard mapping files.]
-#*Note that without a Scala keyboard mapping file (.kbm) also loaded, the resulting tuning may not be what you expect. Surge XT like most synths will assume a default tuning center frequency and keyboard mapping that sets the first note specified in the tuning file as MIDI Note C.60 and the tuning center (diapason, reference pitch) as international ISO standard pitch (MIDI A.69=440.000Hz). [Or will it? Seems undocumented. In fact, it does not. Default in Surge XT 1.2.3 is a base note of C.60 and the reference pitch is C.60=261.626Hz, which is close to but not international standard.] However, if for example we are using a just intonation scale and music with a tonic of F (F4, MIDI note 65, 349.23 Hz), we need to ensure the base note is set to the tonic F, and ideally will use a keyboard mapping file to do that.
-#*Remember that when you load a Scala scale file you should always load a keyboard mapping file to prevent mistuned surprises, if your instrument supports that. Or your instrument may let you set a base note for your tuning as described in the Method 2 Notes below, "Alternatives for setting the tuning's base note." To learn more details about how to use Scala scale and keyboard mapping files, including what to do when your instrument doesn't offer the option to load a keyboard mapping file, see [[User:Mousemambo/Tuning methods#Tuning files|Tuning methods]].
 #Optionally, if you understand Scala scale and keyboard mapping data, you may wish to open Surge XT's Tuning editor at this time (Menu > Tuning > Open tuning editor...) to confirm the correct data was loaded from the files.
-#Optionally, test the tuning to ensure it's correct.
+#Optionally, [[User:Mousemambo/Document draft#How to test the tuning|test the tuning]] to ensure it's correct.
-'''Method 2 Notes'''
+'''Notes'''
-'''More about Surge XT'''. Surge XT also provides a button "Tune" under the label "Status" along the top of its window. If a custom tuning has not yet been added during the current session, clicking the button will reveal the same list of options as Menu > Tuning. If a custom tuning has been loaded, the Tune button will be lit (bright not dark), and clicking it will turn that tuning off (back to the software's default [[12edo|12-EDO tuning]]) or back on.
+[This whole section needs consideration with regard to what should be moved to the [[User:Mousemambo/Tuning methods#Tuning files|Tuning methods]] article, what belongs in the [[User:Mousemambo/Scala tuning system|Scala tuning system]] article, or perhaps is best rendered in duplicate for reading simplicity. The complexity of the relationship between the scale file's base note, the tuning's tuning center, and the music's tonic if it has one is a very complex topic for a beginner and this doesn't seem to be the right place to explain it. That explanation probably belongs in [[User:Mousemambo/Tuning methods#Tuning files|Tuning methods]].]
-'''''Anamark tuning files'''''. Surge XT doesn't directly support Anamark tuning files (.tun), which are an alternative to using the Scala two-file tuning system, and [[User:Mousemambo/Document draft#Anamark tuning files|described in the Appendix]].
+'''''More about Surge XT'''''
-'''''Alternatives for setting the tuning's base note'''''. Some software, like Garritan's Aria Player sampler system [and the Vital synth IIRC], support Scala scale files but do not support loading Scala keyboard mapping files. However, they do allow you to set the base note of the Scala scale file and its pitch. This fulfills two of the functions of the keyboard mapping file and you should use this method if it's all your instrument supports. If you are using a just intonation, for example, then setting the Scala scale file's base note to the music's tonic is essential.
+Surge XT also provides a button "Tune" under the label "Status" along the top of its window. If a custom tuning has not yet been added during the current session, clicking the button will reveal the same list of options as Menu > Tuning. If a custom tuning has been loaded, the Tune button will be lit (bright not dark), and clicking it will turn that tuning off (back to the software's default [[12edo|12-EDO tuning]]) or back on.
-Instead of using a keyboard mapping file, you can also set the base for your scale in Surge XT using its tuning editor as described in [[User:Mousemambo/Document draft#Method 1: Set a tuning directly in the synth itself|Method 1]]. This can be convenient for tunings with a 12-note scale that maps to a standard piano keyboard but may lead to problematic results otherwise. See [[User:Mousemambo/Tuning methods#Tuning files|Tuning methods]] for more on setting the tuning's base note, tuning center, and keyboard mapping issues, including the tuning system meanings of the terms ''base note'', ''reference pitch'', ''tuning center'', ''diapason'', and ''tonic''.
+'''''Scala scale file'''''
+* [Say something about tuning files and what they do, along with that they use various methods of establishing tunings. Some of this might better be located in a "[[User:Mousemambo/Scala tuning system|Scala tuning system]]" article.]
+* [Say something here about tuning file naming standards/practices, and the extremely terse abbreviations used for some classes of tunings. This really should go in the "[[User:Mousemambo/Scala tuning system#Scala scale file|Scala scale file]]" article or that section of a "[[User:Mousemambo/Scala tuning system|Scala tuning system]]" article.]
+'''''Scala keyboard mapping file'''''
+*Note that without a Scala keyboard mapping file (.kbm) also loaded, the resulting tuning may not be what you expect. Surge XT like most synths will assume a default tuning center frequency and keyboard mapping that sets the first note specified in the tuning file as MIDI Note C.60 and the tuning center (diapason, reference pitch) as international ISO standard pitch (MIDI A.69=440.000Hz). [Or will it? Seems undocumented. In fact, it does not. Default in Surge XT 1.2.3 is a base note of C.60 and the reference pitch is C.60=261.626Hz, which is close to but not international standard.] However, if for example we are using a just intonation scale and music with a tonic of F (F4, MIDI note 65, 349.23 Hz), we need to ensure the base note is set to the tonic F, and ideally will use a keyboard mapping file to do that.
+*Remember that when you load a Scala scale file you should always prevent mistuned surprises by loading a keyboard mapping file, if your instrument supports that. Or your instrument may let you set a base note for your tuning as described in the Method 2 Notes below, "Alternatives for setting the tuning's base note and tuning center." To learn more details about how to use Scala scale and keyboard mapping files, including what to do when your instrument doesn't offer the option to load a keyboard mapping file, see [[User:Mousemambo/Tuning methods#Tuning files|Tuning methods]].
+'''''Alternatives for setting the tuning's base note and tuning center'''''
+* Some software, like Garritan's Aria Player sampler system [and the Vital synth IIRC], support Scala scale files but do not support loading Scala keyboard mapping files. However, they do allow you to set the base note of the Scala scale file and its pitch. This fulfills two of the functions of the keyboard mapping file and you should use this method if it's all your instrument supports. If you are using a just intonation, for example, then setting the Scala scale file's base note to the music's tonic is essential.
+* Instead of using a keyboard mapping file, you can also set the base for your scale in Surge XT using its tuning editor as described in [[User:Mousemambo/Document draft#Method 1: Set a tuning directly in the synth itself|Method 1]]. This can be convenient for tunings with a 12-note scale that maps to a standard piano keyboard but may lead to problematic results otherwise. See [[User:Mousemambo/Tuning methods#Tuning files|Tuning methods]] for more on setting the tuning's base note, tuning center, and keyboard mapping issues, including the tuning system meanings of the terms ''base note'', ''reference pitch'', ''tuning center'', ''diapason'', and ''tonic''.
+'''''Anamark tuning files'''''
+Surge XT doesn't directly support Anamark tuning files (.tun), which are an alternative to using the Scala two-file tuning system, and [[User:Mousemambo/Document draft#Anamark tuning files|described in the Appendix]].
 ===Method 3: Set a tuning using a tuning plugin===