User:Mousemambo/Document draft: Difference between revisions

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* What specific pitch frequencies are those notes?

* Which specific controller keys, buttons, switches etc. should be assigned to each note?

if all you wish to know is what a tuning file or set of tuning files do, then now you know. You're done. If you want to know how a specific tuning file system solves those problems, things get more complicated. The journey is not brief, but many will find it rewarding. It's described here as a sequence of steps to make it easier to understand, but the actual software may follow a different order.

'''''What does the Scala scale file do?'''''

The Scala tuning system is one scheme developed to define a tuning and attach it to the controller of an musical instrument. In the Scala ~~tuning system, the~~ scale file ~~(.scl) answers~~ the first question~~. It also establishes one of those notes as the tuning base~~, ~~by defining all~~ the other notes by their relative frequency relationship (in cents or by frequency ratio) to that tuning base. Establishing a tuning base is the mechanism that will allow the other questions to be answered in the ~~technical scheme that is the Scala tuning system~~.

The Scala tuning system is one scheme developed to define a tuning and attach it to the controller of an musical instrument. Very briefly, the Scala scale file answer the first question above, and the Scala keyboard mapping file answers the second two.

The conceptual tool that is a tuning base does not directly appear in Western classical music theory~~, although it~~'s related to the concepts of tonic and key in a confusing way that will be described later. But the tuning base is just a technical tool that operates in the context of needing to attach a tuning system to a musical instrument controller.

The Scala scale file (.scl) establishes what notes are in the tuning and what are the intervals between them, without setting their absolute pitch. It also establishes one of those notes as the tuning base, by defining all the other notes by their relative frequency relationship (in cents or by frequency ratio) to that tuning base. Establishing a tuning base is the mechanism that will allow the other questions to be answered in the technical scheme that is the Scala tuning system.

The conceptual tool that is a tuning base does not directly appear in Western classical music theory. It's related to the concepts of tonic and key in a confusing way that will be described later. But the tuning base is just a technical tool that operates in the context of needing to attach a tuning system to a musical instrument controller.

The tuning base can also be correctly referred to as the tuning base note, base note (easily confused with bass note), reference note (which is vague), 1/1 (referring to its intervallic relationship with itself), or (least clearly) the "middle note" which is how it's named in the [https://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/help.htm#mappings Scala keyboard mapping file (.kbm) specification]. It is incorrect to refer to the tuning base as the tonic, root or key as will be clarified below.

It is critical to ~~note~~ that the scale file does not assign any pitch frequencies. All the Scala scale file does is declare the notes of the scale and their relative frequency relationships. That intervallic (also spelled intervalic) network can be slid along the frequency spectrum to any location, and within the controller field (e.g. keyboard span) to any location. The tuning base sets one of the notes as the anchor or handle of that network, which the Scala keyboard mapping file will expand on for the practical solution of establishing fixed pitch frequencies and fixed controller associations.

It is critical to recognize that the Scala scale file does not assign any pitch frequencies. All the Scala scale file does is declare the notes of the scale and their relative frequency relationships. That intervallic (also spelled intervalic) network can be slid along the frequency spectrum to any location, and within the controller field (e.g. keyboard span) to any location. The tuning base sets one of the notes as the anchor or handle of that network, which the Scala keyboard mapping file will expand on for the practical solution of establishing fixed pitch frequencies and fixed controller associations.

'''''What does the Scala mapping file do?'''''

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'''''Fix the tuning base defined by the scale file to a specific pitch frequency'''''

The first step performed by the Scale mapping file to establish fixed pitches, is to assign a pitch frequency to one of the notes within the tuning. That note is then defined as the tuning center. Once the tuning center and its pitch frequency is established, the intervallic network defined in the scale file infers the pitch frequency assignments of all the other notes in the tuning. It's important to be aware, though, that in the Scala mapping file system any note in the tuning can be chosen as the tuning center, not just the tuning base.

The first step performed by the Scale mapping file to establish fixed pitches, is to assign a pitch frequency to one of the notes within the tuning. That note is then defined as the tuning center, also called the reference pitch, pitch reference, pitch standard, or diapason. Once the tuning center and its pitch frequency is established, the intervallic network defined in the scale file infers the pitch frequency assignments of all the other notes in the tuning. It's important to be aware, though, that in the Scala mapping file system any note in the tuning can be chosen as the tuning center, not just the tuning base.

For simplicity, many people creating Scala keyboard mapping files assign the tuning center to the same note as the tuning base and then specify its pitch frequency. The main reason people chose to assign the tuning center to a different note is because the ISO 16:1975 tuning standard defines the note concert A4 as 440.0 Hz precisely. In 12-EDO tuning that means the frequency of concert C4 (middle C) must be calculated to be 440.0 * (the twelfth root of 2, raised to the negative ninth power) giving 261.625566... and the digits continue. That's not so tidy as 440 exact. So unless your tuning base is A4, placing your tuning precisely according to the ISO standard requires defining A4 as the tuning center and giving it a pitch frequency of 440.0 Hz exactly, regardless of what note is the tuning base. In practice, many people define C4 as 261.63 Hz exactly and ignore the error.

~~For simplicity, many people creating Scala keyboard mapping files~~ assign ~~the tuning center to the same note~~ as ~~the~~ tuning base and ~~then specify its pitch frequency. The main reason people chose to assign the~~ tuning center to ~~a different note is because the ISO 16:1975 tuning standard defines the note concert A4 as 440~~.0 Hz ~~precisely. In 12~~-EDO ~~tuning~~ that ~~means the frequency of concert C4 (middle C) must be calculated as 440 * (the twelfth root of 2, raised~~ to ~~the negative ninth power) giving 261.625566...~~ and the ~~digits continue~~. ~~That's not so tidy as 440 exact. So unless your tuning base is A4, placing your tuning precisely according to~~ the ~~ISO standard requires defining A4 as the tuning center and giving it~~ a ~~pitch frequency of 440.0 Hz exactly. In practice, many people define C4 as 261.63 Hz exactly and ignore the error~~.

Why not always assign C4 as tuning base and tuning center, equal to 261.63 Hz, and call it done? Because this only works for EDO tunings, since in non-EDO tunings the unequal intervals mean that it matters greatly which notes gets assigned to what pitch and what control on the controller. This will be examine more when we explore how the concept of a tonic fits into all this.

'''''Attach the tuning base defined by the scale file to a control on the controller'''''

@@ Line 196: / Line 196: @@
 * What specific pitch frequencies are those notes?
 * Which specific controller keys, buttons, switches etc. should be assigned to each note?
+if all you wish to know is what a tuning file or set of tuning files do, then now you know. You're done. If you want to know how a specific tuning file system solves those problems, things get more complicated. The journey is not brief, but many will find it rewarding. It's described here as a sequence of steps to make it easier to understand, but the actual software may follow a different order.
 '''''What does the Scala scale file do?'''''
-The Scala tuning system is one scheme developed to define a tuning and attach it to the controller of an musical instrument. In the Scala tuning system, the scale file (.scl) answers the first question. It also establishes one of those notes as the tuning base, by defining all the other notes by their relative frequency relationship (in cents or by frequency ratio) to that tuning base. Establishing a tuning base is the mechanism that will allow the other questions to be answered in the technical scheme that is the Scala tuning system.
+The Scala tuning system is one scheme developed to define a tuning and attach it to the controller of an musical instrument. Very briefly, the Scala scale file answer the first question above, and the Scala keyboard mapping file answers the second two.
-The conceptual tool that is a tuning base does not directly appear in Western classical music theory, although it's related to the concepts of tonic and key in a confusing way that will be described later. But the tuning base is just a technical tool that operates in the context of needing to attach a tuning system to a musical instrument controller.
+The Scala scale file (.scl) establishes what notes are in the tuning and what are the intervals between them, without setting their absolute pitch. It also establishes one of those notes as the tuning base, by defining all the other notes by their relative frequency relationship (in cents or by frequency ratio) to that tuning base. Establishing a tuning base is the mechanism that will allow the other questions to be answered in the technical scheme that is the Scala tuning system.
+The conceptual tool that is a tuning base does not directly appear in Western classical music theory. It's related to the concepts of tonic and key in a confusing way that will be described later. But the tuning base is just a technical tool that operates in the context of needing to attach a tuning system to a musical instrument controller.
 The tuning base can also be correctly referred to as the tuning base note, base note (easily confused with bass note), reference note (which is vague), 1/1 (referring to its intervallic relationship with itself), or (least clearly) the "middle note" which is how it's named in the [https://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/help.htm#mappings Scala keyboard mapping file (.kbm) specification]. It is incorrect to refer to the tuning base as the tonic, root or key as will be clarified below.
-It is critical to note that the scale file does not assign any pitch frequencies. All the Scala scale file does is declare the notes of the scale and their relative frequency relationships. That intervallic (also spelled intervalic) network can be slid along the frequency spectrum to any location, and within the controller field (e.g. keyboard span) to any location. The tuning base sets one of the notes as the anchor or handle of that network, which the Scala keyboard mapping file will expand on for the practical solution of establishing fixed pitch frequencies and fixed controller associations.
+It is critical to recognize that the Scala scale file does not assign any pitch frequencies. All the Scala scale file does is declare the notes of the scale and their relative frequency relationships. That intervallic (also spelled intervalic) network can be slid along the frequency spectrum to any location, and within the controller field (e.g. keyboard span) to any location. The tuning base sets one of the notes as the anchor or handle of that network, which the Scala keyboard mapping file will expand on for the practical solution of establishing fixed pitch frequencies and fixed controller associations.
 '''''What does the Scala mapping file do?'''''
@@ Line 213: / Line 216: @@
 '''''Fix the tuning base defined by the scale file to a specific pitch frequency'''''
-The first step performed by the Scale mapping file to establish fixed pitches, is to assign a pitch frequency to one of the notes within the tuning. That note is then defined as the tuning center. Once the tuning center and its pitch frequency is established, the intervallic network defined in the scale file infers the pitch frequency assignments of all the other notes in the tuning. It's important to be aware, though, that in the Scala mapping file system any note in the tuning can be chosen as the tuning center, not just the tuning base.
+The first step performed by the Scale mapping file to establish fixed pitches, is to assign a pitch frequency to one of the notes within the tuning. That note is then defined as the tuning center, also called the reference pitch, pitch reference, pitch standard, or diapason. Once the tuning center and its pitch frequency is established, the intervallic network defined in the scale file infers the pitch frequency assignments of all the other notes in the tuning. It's important to be aware, though, that in the Scala mapping file system any note in the tuning can be chosen as the tuning center, not just the tuning base.
+For simplicity, many people creating Scala keyboard mapping files assign the tuning center to the same note as the tuning base and then specify its pitch frequency. The main reason people chose to assign the tuning center to a different note is because the ISO 16:1975 tuning standard defines the note concert A4 as 440.0 Hz precisely. In 12-EDO tuning that means the frequency of concert C4 (middle C) must be calculated to be  440.0 * (the twelfth root of 2, raised to the negative ninth power) giving 261.625566... and the digits continue. That's not so tidy as 440 exact. So unless your tuning base is A4, placing your tuning precisely according to the ISO standard requires defining A4 as the tuning center and giving it a pitch frequency of 440.0 Hz exactly, regardless of what note is the tuning base. In practice, many people define C4 as 261.63 Hz exactly and ignore the error.
-For simplicity, many people creating Scala keyboard mapping files assign the tuning center to the same note as the tuning base and then specify its pitch frequency. The main reason people chose to assign the tuning center to a different note is because the ISO 16:1975 tuning standard defines the note concert A4 as 440.0 Hz precisely. In 12-EDO tuning that means the frequency of concert C4 (middle C) must be calculated as  440 * (the twelfth root of 2, raised to the negative ninth power) giving 261.625566... and the digits continue. That's not so tidy as 440 exact. So unless your tuning base is A4, placing your tuning precisely according to the ISO standard requires defining A4 as the tuning center and giving it a pitch frequency of 440.0 Hz exactly. In practice, many people define C4 as 261.63 Hz exactly and ignore the error.
+Why not always assign C4 as tuning base and tuning center, equal to 261.63 Hz, and call it done? Because this only works for EDO tunings, since in non-EDO tunings the unequal intervals mean that it matters greatly which notes gets assigned to what pitch and what control on the controller. This will be examine more when we explore how the concept of a tonic fits into all this.
 '''''Attach the tuning base defined by the scale file to a control on the controller'''''