User:Mousemambo/Document draft
| Please use this page's Discussion page for comments and suggestions. Or you can join the discussion in the #wiki channel of the Xenharmonic Alliance's 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. |
| 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. |
DRAFT ==== Proposed page title: Tuning a Synth in a DAW ==== DRAFT
This guide describes alternative methods for making music set in microtonal or other alternative tuning systems with a software synthesizer running inside a digital audio workstation (DAW). It describes scenarios in which each of those methods are effective, and procedures for configuring the software using that method. The examples will use the Surge XT synth running inside the Reaper DAW, but similar procedures and reasoning will apply to other synths and DAWs. Therefore this guide will go into some detail to help give you the understanding needed to use these tuning methods with other synth-DAW combinations.
Just want to start playing? You can skip ahead to the section "Set a tuning using a Scala tuning file and keyboard mapping file."
There are many other ways to create music with alternative tuning, like using other software, your voice, or a physical music instrument. This guide only explores one: a synth in a DAW. Don't know what "alternative tuning" means? Please visit the Xenharmonic wiki Main page.
Introduction
[TODO: Generalize this paragraph.] Surge XT can be used within the Reaper DAW to create music set in microtonal or other uncommon tuning systems using several methods. Which method you use will depend on the larger context in which you're working and your specific needs, which will be explored below. Reaper is a popular and inexpensive DAW that fully supports all of Surge XT's possibilities for using alternative tuning systems. This tutorial was last verified using Surge XT version 1.2.3 and Reaper version 6.80 in August 2023.
You'll find links below to sections of the "Tuning methods" article [currently just a draft] that will offer you a deeper understanding of the components used here and how they work.
This tutorial's instructions assume you have Surge XT and Reaper installed on your computer. They also assume that you know how to create an instrument track in Reaper and load a plugin instrument like Surge XT onto it, but if you don't then instructions can be found below in the Appendix section "Create an instrument track in the Reaper DAW." The instructions also assume you are using a standard piano keyboard (i.e. Halberstadt format) in virtual or physical form.
However, 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, Method 1 or Method 2 given below can be used to re-tune Surge XT.
Methods for setting a tuning | Use cases | Scenarios | Configurations
[I need to think further about how I want to name these use cases. I might prefer something that says more about why rather than what or how. But there can be several different "why" use cases for each the configurations named. So I might leave them as they are, call this section "Methods" and have the first section after the title and before "Advantages" be "Scenarios" for describing typical use cases for that method. I might remove the "Method N" prefix, but its useful in this doc to quickly refer people to a method by number rather than writing out the whole name.]
There are many ways to configure a synth like Surge XT to use a non-standard tuning in a DAW like Reaper, listed here as "methods." There are advantages and disadvantages to each. There are also other much less common methods that might be appropriate for special cases. If you have one of those special cases, please review the "Tuning methods" article to explore more possibilities and go deeper.
To use this section, you might choose just to read the "Scenarios" section of each method to find something that is close to the actual scenario in which you plan to use Surge XT and Reaper. Then follow the "Procedure" for that method. Or you may want to read all the "Scenarios," "Advantages," and "Disadvantages" of every method to gain a strong understanding of all these possibilities and be prepared for many scenarios.
Method 1: Set a tuning directly in Surge XT itself
[Briefly: What is a tuning editor? Use Surge's tuning editor to recreate a custom tuning, perhaps using the example of Ptolemy's Intense Diatonic. Scenarios: TBD. Advantages: No additional complexity. Can be easy for simple tunings you're already familiar with. Disadvantages: Can be time consuming compared to using a tuning file. Needs to be redone for each new instance. Tuning can't be quickly applied to other instruments.]
Method 2: Set a tuning using a Scala tuning file and keyboard mapping file
[Briefly: A tuning file is.... A keyboard mapping file is.... The Scala format tuning files and keyboard mapping files together work to .... If you omit using a keyboard mapping file.... For more about Scala tuning and keyboard mapping files, see the Tuning methods article.]
Scenarios
[What circumstances would lead to this being the best (or at least a good) choice among the methods listed here? The "why that is" would be answered in the next two sections.]
Advantages
[Why you would want to use this method.]
Disadvantages
[Why you would not want to use this method.]
Procedure
- Create a new instrument track in Reaper.
- Add Surge XT as a plugin on that instrument track.
- Load a Scala tuning file (.scl) into Surge XT as follows:
- 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 tuning 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.
- Note that without a Scala keyboard mapping file (.kbm) also loaded, Surge XT might assume a default tonic frequency and keyboard mapping that sets the first note specified in the tuning file as MIDI Note C.60 and the 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 tonic of C.60 and the reference pitch is C.60=261.626Hz, which is close but not international standard.] However, if we are using a just intonation scale and music with a tonic of F (F4, MIDI 65, 349.23 Hz), we need to use a keyboard mapping file to ensure the tuning is correct.
- Remember that when you load a Scala tuning file you should always load a keyboard mapping file to prevent mistuned surprises. To learn more about how to use Scala tuning and keyboard mapping files, including what to do when your instrument doesn't offer the option to load a keyboard mapping file, see Tuning methods.
- Load a Scala keyboard mapping file (.kbm), for example the "Halberstadt 60-440-69.kbm" file [which *is* international ISO tuning standard].
- Optionally, if you understand Scala tuning and 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 is correct.
Notes
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 12-EDO tuning) or back on.
Scala does not support Anamark format (.tun) tuning files, which some other synths do support. However, if you have only an Anamark file for your tuning, there are several tools that can seamlessly use that file to generate a tuning file in Scala format along with a keyboard mapping file if the .tun file includes the needed mapping data. [Do .tun files always include keyboard mapping data?] [Name some good converters and provide links here and below in External links.]
Method 3: Set a tuning using a tuning plugin
[What is a tuning plugin, also called a re-tuning plugin?]
There is no convincing case for using this tuning method with Surge XT, AFAIK. If you want to set a custom tuning, or load a tuning file, or respond to an MTS-ESP tuning source, you can do all those in Surge XT without any need for an additional plugin to provide those functionalities.
[Rather than provide instructions for using a tuning plugin here, I could instead do that in a different Guide for using a synth that requires it like Vital, which can load a Scala tuning file but not a keyboard mapping file, and supports MPE tuning. If I expand this doc to include another synth, I might need to split this Method into 3a ... using MPE, and 3b ... using pitch bend. For more about tuning plugins, see the Tuning methods article.]
Method 4: Set a tuning using MTS-ESP
[Briefly: Add an MTS-ESP tuning source plugin on one track, and Surge XT on another. Load a tuning file into the MTS-ESP source plugin. Set Surge XT to listen to MTS-ESP. Confirm that the MTS-ESP source has connected. Note that, unlike Surge XT, most available electronic instruments at this time (August 2023) don't support MTS-ESP tuning although some do. Note that if I choose to expand by mentioning other synths, I need to say that some of those can be re-tuned by adding a tuning plugin that **does** support MTS-ESP... Method 4a: using a tuning plugin. Other ways to structure this are possible and will be considered.]
How to test the tuning
[Briefly: If you're familiar enough with the tuning to recognize its correctness by ear, play the scale. Otherwise, test the frequency of played notes using the tuner that comes with your DAW, or an external (e.g. phone-based) tuner. This may require using a prepared data sheet or making one using an appropriate utility like Scala or the simpler Scale Workshop. In Reaper do this....]
Appendix
Create an instrument track in the Reaper DAW
[How to create an instrument track in Reaper. How to use it... load a VST virtual instrument.]
See also
External links
- Reaper. A low-cost, powerful and popular DAW with excellent support for microtuning and other xenharmonic tunings.
- Scala. The Swiss army knife of alternative tunings, Scala is a powerful tool but with a steep learning curve. Scala can be used to create custom tuning files.
- Scale Workshop. A very effective tool for creating and analyzing tunings, and creating tuning files for them, Scale Workshop is much simpler to learn and use than Scala. [That doesn't make it intuitively obvious to use, though! I guess there needs to be a page, "How to make a note-frequency chart" of your tuning, for confirming your musical instrument's correctness.]
- Surge XT. A soft synth with outstanding support for non-standard tunings, supporting a variety of tuning methods.