User:Mousemambo/Document draft: Difference between revisions
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Mousemambo (talk | contribs) →Tuning development environment: Changed "Tuning development environment" to "Scale design software" and fixed in-page links |
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* No additional components, so less complexity. | * No additional components, so less complexity. | ||
* Can be quick and easy to set up for simple tunings that you're very familiar with. | * Can be quick and easy to set up for simple tunings that you're very familiar with. | ||
* May include a [[User:Mousemambo/Document draft# | * May sometimes include a [[User:Mousemambo/Document draft#Scale design software|scale designer]] to assist with developing new scales or tunings. | ||
'''Disadvantages''' | '''Disadvantages''' | ||
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* Requires finding a Scala scale file and keyboard mapping file for your desired tuning, else... | * Requires finding a Scala scale file and keyboard mapping file for your desired tuning, else... | ||
* Requires development of a Scala scale file and keyboard mapping file(s), and learning how to prepare them. | * Requires development of a Scala scale file and keyboard mapping file(s), and learning how to prepare them. | ||
* Generally doesn't include | * Generally doesn't include [[User:Mousemambo/Document draft#Scale design software|scale design software]]. | ||
'''Instructions''' | '''Instructions''' | ||
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** Support for many synths that can't be re-tuned any other way. | ** Support for many synths that can't be re-tuned any other way. | ||
** When new technologies become available, new plugins can provide a supporting bridge to older instruments. | ** When new technologies become available, new plugins can provide a supporting bridge to older instruments. | ||
** May include | ** May include [[User:Mousemambo/Document draft#Scale design software|scale design software]] to assist with developing new scales and tunings. | ||
* '''Disadvantages''' | * '''Disadvantages''' | ||
** Added complexity. | ** Added complexity. | ||
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'''Advantages''' | '''Advantages''' | ||
* MPE-ESP source plugins often include | * MPE-ESP source plugins often include [[User:Mousemambo/Document draft#Scale design software|scale design software]] to assist with creating new tunings. | ||
* Convenient quick switching between different tunings through the source plugin. | * Convenient quick switching between different tunings through the source plugin. | ||
* Can tune an entire ensemble of instruments with one controller, the source plugin. | * Can tune an entire ensemble of instruments with one controller, the source plugin. | ||
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Surge XT can also run in standalone mode, without any DAW. A significant drawback to that configuration is you won't be able to record your playing as MIDI notes, unless you have some additional component doing the recording. The common use cases for running Surge XT in standalone mode are for live performance where you don't want the extra complexity of running a DAW, or when you're just playing casually and don't need to record MIDI. In standalone mode, only [[User:Mousemambo/Document draft#Method 1: Set a tuning directly in the synth itself|Method 1]] or [[User:Mousemambo/Document draft#Method 2: Set a tuning using a Scala tuning file and keyboard mapping file|Method 2]] given above can be used to re-tune Surge XT. | Surge XT can also run in standalone mode, without any DAW. A significant drawback to that configuration is you won't be able to record your playing as MIDI notes, unless you have some additional component doing the recording. The common use cases for running Surge XT in standalone mode are for live performance where you don't want the extra complexity of running a DAW, or when you're just playing casually and don't need to record MIDI. In standalone mode, only [[User:Mousemambo/Document draft#Method 1: Set a tuning directly in the synth itself|Method 1]] or [[User:Mousemambo/Document draft#Method 2: Set a tuning using a Scala tuning file and keyboard mapping file|Method 2]] given above can be used to re-tune Surge XT. | ||
=== | ===Scale design software === | ||
Scale design software, or a scale designer, is a suite of tools for exploring the properties of scales and sometimes also tuning systems, for creating entirely new scales and tuning, and for semi-guided scale and tuning development based on principles discovered by theorists. The tools provided by a scale designer may include tables showing the scale's pitches in decimal cents, ratios and named intervals formats; interval analysis; circular or other graphical mappings; scale or tuning transformations; comparisons between alternatives; and many more. | |||
[[Scala]] is one of the most popular, long-standing, and powerful tuning development environments and worth exploring. However, its learning curve is steep and its text-based roots make it less enjoyable to use for some people. More recently developed | [[Scala]] is one of the most popular, long-standing, and powerful scale and tuning development environments and worth exploring. However, its learning curve is steep and its text-based roots make it less enjoyable to use for some people. More recently developed scale designers are centered on graphical tools that clearly show relationships between scale notes. They are frequently built into tuning plugins, so your preferred scale design software may just be the one that fits your preferred retuning workflow. Other scale designers are standalone apps like Scala, web browser-based, or built into an instrument (e.g. Surge XT). | ||
A few currently popular | A few currently popular or notable scale designers are listed below. You'll find more complete and up-to-date lists in the [[List of music software#Tuning manipulation software|Tuning manipulation software]] section of the "List of music software" page, and the [[List of microtonal software plugins#Tuner plugins|Tuner plugins]] section of the "List of microtonal software plugins" page. Note that not all tuner plugins include a well developed scale designer. | ||
* [https://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/ Scala], from Manuel Op de Coul (standalone) | * [https://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/ Scala], from Manuel Op de Coul (standalone) | ||