Making Microtonal Music is Easier Than You’d Think: Difference between revisions

This is a place where Windows users are in a better position than Mac or Linux users, but there is some hope for the latter. I'm going to go into detail for Windows. Linux users should check out this article on [http://sevish.com/category/linux/ Amsynth new] version. That article is by Sevish, a very good [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9wINwlgxRU microtonal musician]. He exemplifies how a lot of people in the xenharmonic community really go out of their ways to help, and teach, others. For free. For the love of the xenharmonic game. Check out his blog even if you're not on Linux. It's full of all sorts of cross-platform microtonal info. [https://biptunia.com/?p=4055 Simple Microtonal Synth] has a free Mac version. [https://amsynth.github.io/ Amsynth is a Linux and Mac software synth] that supports microtonal tunings in the latest versions. [https://biptunia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Amsynth.png][[undefined|link=]][[:File:Amsynth-450x338.png|[[Image:Amsynth-450x338.png|link=|300x300px]]]]

'''SFORZANDO''' This is good, free, and works in Windows and Mac. It will even work in Pro Tools on a Mac, which very little microtonal software will do. Sforzando [https://www.plogue.com/products/sforzando.html is free from Plogue]. It's not primarily microtonal, but can import .scl tuning files from Settings / Scale File / Set: [https://biptunia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/sforzando.png][[undefined|link=]][[:File:Sforzando-450x320.png|[[Image:sforzando-450x320.png|link=|300x300px]]]] You can download a bunch of .scl files [http://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/downloads.html#scales free, here]. And [http://www.huygens-fokker.org/docs/scalesdir.txt here's a list of info] on each of the files. Or you can make .scl tuning files in Scala, a free open-source program explained a little further in this article. Other than the VSTs that I make the only other Windows VST I regularly use for microtonal music is Sforzando. Mac users can check out [http://www.linplug.com/ <span class="_5yl5">LinPlug Morphox</span>]. It costs, but there's a free working demo. It has some built-in microtonal settings. FYI, they've stopped developing new versions, but you can still get it for now. Mac users can also use the cool free soft synth Sforzando. [https://en.xen.wiki/w/List_of_Microtonal_Software_Plugins Here's a list of most of the microtonal software] for all three main operating systems. Though the next two options I'll discuss here are the only ones that are stable, free, incredibly easy to use, and contain 5000+ tuning files built-in. (They're called tuning files, even though they are technically microtonal system files.)

For Windows user, here's what I use: '''MICROTONAL POLY WORMS, and MICROTONAL POLYPHONIC SHINY DIRT''' The microtonal Windows software a lot of people used to use was the VSTs from Xen-Arts. They've ceased development, but you can still get their VSTs, for now. But in my experience, they don't hold the microtonal system / tuning / scale you pick when you close your DAW. It often reverts each track to 12 TET when you close a project or close the DAW. (A few other VST synths have that issue. I'm not going to name them because they wouldn't even be good synths if that was NOT a problem.) This issue is so crazy making and project-wrecking that it's a deal breaker for me. So I made my own VSTs. Mine keep their tunings, are robust, don't sound like anything else, plus they're also a lot of fun. Both of my VSTs are 32-bit Windows synths, but both tested fine on 64-bit Reaper, and of course also on 32-bit Reaper. And tested as working well on Cubase, both 32-bit and 64-bit. And Acid. They should work on any 32-bit Windows DAW, and on many 64-bit Windows DAWs. These are such fun and versatile microtonal synths, that I'd recommend Mac and Linux users buy a used 75-dollar Windows 7 computer on eBay just to run them. Sounds crazy, but many users would think nothing of spending more than that on a Mac program, or far more than that on a hardware synth that doesn't even have microtonal capabilities. [http://reaper.fm/ Reaper] is my favorite and only recommended DAW. It's available for Windows, Mac, and is now in beta for Linux. Though my VSTs will only run on the Windows version (except my one Mac soft synth, [https://biptunia.com/?p=4055 Mac version of 'Simple Microtonal Synth'], which will run in the Mac Reaper). Reaper is free to try a full-featured version, and only 60 dollars US to register. (225 for commercial license, but it's the same program.) And it's updated far more often than the DAW you're probably using now.  

'''Simple Microtonal Synth''' [https://biptunia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/64bit-SMS-VST-main.png][[undefined|link=]][[:File:64bit-SMS-VST-main-333x350.png|[[Image:64bit-SMS-VST-main-333x350.png|link=|300x300px]]]] I made this to be the easiest to use microtonal VST, ever. Plus, it's free, and it's the only free '''64-bit''' microtonal polyphonic VST. [https://biptunia.com/?p=3990 Get it here, and the simple directions are on that page too]. It's 32-bit but works on Reaper 64-bit too, as well as most Windows 64-bit DAWs. There's also a [https://biptunia.com/?p=3990 64-bit Windows version], and a [https://biptunia.com/?p=4055 Mac version]. Both are free.  

'''Microtonal Poly Worms''' The first VST soft synth I made is called '''Microtonal Poly Worms'''. You [https://biptunia.com/?p=3045 can download it free, here]. [https://biptunia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MtPw-v1point0.jpg][[undefined|link=]][[:File:MtPw-v1point0-450x246.jpg|[[Image:MtPw-v1point0-450x246.jpg|link=|300x300px]]]] This is the more straightforward in sound of the two. It sounds a lot like an old Moog. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt-LGslXAF0 Here's a YouTube video] with a run-through of the sounds. It has 5374 tuning files, (FAR more than any other VST or hardware synth, except for my other VST, which has the same tuning files.) It has 64 presets. It's polyphonic, microtonal, free, easy to use, and robust. I'm only going to do a tutorial for one of these two, because the installation and use of both is pretty much identical. Also, both of them come with a collection of PDFs by Sevish about some of the various microtonal systems / tuning files included. They're technically deep, but easy to read, and even fun. He's a good teacher. For a microtonal sampler, check out [https://biptunia.com/?p=4040 Simple Microtonal Sampler], 64-bit Windows. It's free. '''Microtonal Polyphonic Shiny Dirt''' Another free microtonal polyphonic VST I made is called Microtonal Polyphonic Shiny Dirt. [https://biptunia.com/?p=3360 You can download it here]. [https://biptunia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/MicrotnalPolyShinyDirt.jpg][[undefined|link=]][[:File:MicrotnalPolyShinyDirt-450x258.jpg|[[Image:MicrotnalPolyShinyDirt-450x258.jpg|link=|300x300px]]]] Microtonal Polyphonic Shiny Dirt is a bit more experimental and freaky than Microtonal Poly Worms'''. '''It's been called "a very musical homage to circuit-bent analog synths.' Plus, I set up the mod wheel to do something very different and very strange on every one of the 128 presets. The album [https://biptunia.com/?p=3389 ''Microtonal Cats from Alpha-Centauri''] uses '''only these two synths''', other than a couple drum samplers used for the drums. Either of these synths can also do 12 TET. Just pick the 12 EDO tuning file. For our purposes here, and largely in naming microtonal tuning systems in a board way, EDO is the same as TET. Though, as Joseph Monzo has pointed out, "T<span class="UFICommentActorAndBody"><span class="UFICommentBody">ET refers to a temperament of Just Intonation in which unison-vectors are tempered out, whereas EDO or EDn (where n is an integer or ratio) simply refers to an equal division of the octave or n without any particular reference to JI or any of its theoretical underpinning. More links on the nuance of this [http://tonalsoft.com/enc/e/edo.aspx?fbclid=IwAR0-FM1n4j5WU-j6Qt8v04XWT_rU2XwKkGg-62Zcj3iuaTKX_EC2MN8Sarw are here] with [http://tonalsoft.com/enc/e/equal-temperament.aspx more here].</span></span>) '''GETTING STARTED WITH THESE WINDOWS VSTs''' Unzip and put the folder '''\MicrotonalPolyphonicShinyDirt '''inside your DAW's VST folder. In 64-bit Reaper, the presets will show up in a second window, like this, with the pre-sets in a separate window: [https://biptunia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/seperate-Window.jpg][[undefined|link=]][[:File:Seperate-Window-450x191.jpg|[[Image:seperate-Window-450x191.jpg|link=|300x300px]]]] ''(^ If the preset window on the right isn't wide enough to see all the preset names, you can grab either side of it with your mouse, hold down the left mouse button, and drag the window wider. This is at 2:20 in my [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qt-LGslXAF0&t second run-through video].) '' If you can't even see the main colorful window with the kitties, click the button on the VST picker that says 'Show UI' (user interface): [https://biptunia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/show-UI.png][[undefined|link=]][[:File:Show-UI-450x196.png|[[Image:show-UI-450x196.png|link=|300x300px]]]]