User:Mousemambo/Scala tuning system

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 is initially just an outline, but will be expanded into a proper page. Please note that I used square brackets to indicate personal notes to myself for article development, but these will all be removed in the final document.

This page is being explored as a possible new main space article. Much of its content might best be split out into a "Scala scale file" page and a "Scala keyboard mapping file" page, but part of the reason to explore this page is to figure that out. This page is part of a set of pages intended to work together, including "Tuning methods," and "Guide to Tuning a Software Synth in a DAW." The proposed article title "Scala tuning system" is not entirely ideal because "tuning system" is also used to mean a musical tuning, but this seems the best compromise to me. The alternative "Scala tuning files system" or "Scala tuning files" is unattractive because "Scala tuning file" is used as a synonym for the more correct term "Scala scale file."

[I am strongly leaning toward renaming this article "SCALA TUNING FILE SYSTEM" and referring in general to "tuning file systems" to reduce the ambiguity with the term "tuning system" that refers to something related but significantly different. The "12edo tuning system" and "Scala tuning system" don't belong to the same category of things.]

The Scala tuning system is a standard specification for establishing a periodic tuning system or music scale, which can be interpreted by software and electronic musical instruments that use MIDI data. Musical instruments that support this standard allow flexible tuning beyond 12-EDO. Complete support for the standard requires using two files, a scale file and a keyboard mapping file. Some instruments support only the Scala scale file, and therefore require manually setting the tuning base or tonic and a tuning reference note and its pitch frequency.

A Scala scale file defines the number of notes in the tuning, and their intervallic relationship with the note serving as the tuning base (which may be a tonic). The scale file does not anchor the tuning base to a specific MIDI note, nor set absolute pitch frequencies for any notes in the tuning. A Scala mapping file states the range of MIDI notes to be retuned, identifies a MIDI note anchor for the tuning base, and also identifies a tuning reference note and sets its absolute pitch. The mapping file can also assign notes of the tuning to specific MIDI notes, which maps the tuning's notes to a standard piano keyboard or more unusual controller.

Temporary Outline

1. Overview
2. Scala scale file
   1. What the scale file does
      1. Defines the notes of the tuning by their intervallic relationships
      2. Provides a brief description and optional comments
   2. Alternative methods for specifying a tuning
      1. By frequency ratio with the tuning base
      2. By cents from the tuning base
   3. Scala scale file format
3. Scala keyboard mapping file
   1. What the keyboard mapping file does
      1. Selects a MIDI note for the tuning base
      2. Selects a MIDI note as the tuning reference note
      3. Sets the tuning reference note to a reference pitch
      4. Identifies which MIDI notes will be retuned
      5. Maps notes of the tuning (scale degrees) to MIDI notes of the controller
      6. Provides optional comments
   2. Scala keyboard mapping file format
4. Scala tuning in practice
   1. Tuning systems vs. scales
   2. Scales vs. MIDI notes
   3. Tonic vs. tuning base
   4. Just intonation tunings and their tonic
   5. Linear keyboard mapping
   6. Tunings with fewer or more than 12 pitches per octave or equave
   7. Uncommon controller formats
5. Scala tuning system vs. Anamark v2 tuning system
6. Software for creating Scala tuning system files
7. Sources for Scala tuning system files
8. See also
9. External links

Overview

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Scala scale file

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Scala keyboard mapping file

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Scala tuning in practice

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Scala tuning system vs. Anamark v2 tuning system

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Software for creating Scala tuning system files

Software is listed only if it is able to read and write both Scala scale files and keyboard mapping files. This list is not exhaustive.

• Scala
• Scale Workshop (and User Guide)
• Universal Tuning Editor

Sources for Scala tuning system files

• Mizzan Microtonal Piano scale archive
• Huygens-Fokker Foundation scale archive
• Tuning Files collection from Sevish

See also

• Anamark tuning file format
• Tuning methods

External links

• Scala
• Scala scale file format. Huygens-Fokker Foundation. The official file format specification.
• A simple and detailed documentation of Scala Tuning Format. Mizzan Microtonal Piano.
• Scala (software). Wikipedia.
• Scala keyboard mapping file (.KBM) format specification. Huygens-Fokker Foundation.