microtuning

How do you microtune? Like, if you sample something do you have to get middle C in there properly so that if you change key it is changing according to equal temperament as a starting point? if you have a sequencer that has micro tuning can you basically play anything or does the synth have to have the ability to recieve that information? confusing

Microtuning is accessing notes in between the normal 12-notes-per-octave system.

 

So, for instance, 16 notes per octave.

 

 

You can do it on normal synths by sending pitch-bend MIDI CC information. Requires a chart or a calculator to get the desired notes, though.

 

Or I guess you could just use your ears.

It would be incredibly hard to just do it by ear if you're not already acclimated to that scale. Societal norms in music scaling teaches you how to hear scale degrees from an early age.

 

Some plug-ins (like NI Kontakt) give you the option to change your scaling. Do some searches to find out how to modify those in your setup.

  On 7/24/2015 at 11:43 PM, Braintree said:

It would be incredibly hard to just do it by ear if you're not already acclimated to that scale. Societal norms in music scaling teaches you how to hear scale degrees from an early age.

 

Some plug-ins (like NI Kontakt) give you the option to change your scaling. Do some searches to find out how to modify those in your setup.

 

no i mean instead of using any system (X-notes-per-octave) just experiment, find the sounds you like and use those.

If you want scales with more than 12 notes, I'm assuming you just set up an exponential function, choose a certain range of frequencies that you want (i.e. one octave), add a variable representing how many notes you want, and then just divide or multiply it accordingly to get notes outside of that octave. You can then input numbers representing notes in the scale and have some system convert it to frequency values based on your scale that you've programmed, and have those values go into your oscillators in whatever way you want. Maybe even have overtones played on accompanying oscillators.

 

Sounds like an interesting experiment; I may just use that idea myself. It could potentially get even more interesting if you add some jumps or other inconsistencies in your scale so that it isn't perfectly exponential. It would take quite a while for it to turn out sounding right.

Edited July 25, 2015 by drillkicker

Or use a non-tempered scale. Or bluenotes.

http://www.tallkite.com/alt-tuner.html

http://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/

  On 7/25/2015 at 8:25 PM, drillkicker said:

If you want scales with more than 12 notes, I'm assuming you just set up an exponential function, choose a certain range of frequencies that you want (i.e. one octave), add a variable representing how many notes you want, and then just divide or multiply it accordingly to get notes outside of that octave. You can then input numbers representing notes in the scale and have some system convert it to frequency values based on your scale that you've programmed, and have those values go into your oscillators in whatever way you want. Maybe even have overtones played on accompanying oscillators.

 

Sounds like an interesting experiment; I may just use that idea myself. It could potentially get even more interesting if you add some jumps or other inconsistencies in your scale so that it isn't perfectly exponential. It would take quite a while for it to turn out sounding right.

 

 

that may be a quantizer in modular synthesis. you are smart

If you're using Renoise, this tool can open up .scl files;http://www.renoise.com/tools/scl-to-xrni

I do something like the quantizer thing maybe, I have an envelope/LFO or whatever and use a bitcrusher effect to make odd arpeggios, if you lowpass filter it after that you can make the values a little wonky

Once you get the "how" worked out, might I suggest jumping straight to the Harry Partch 43-tone scale?

well,, there are synths premade to accept microtuning scales. i just dont know how youd do it with a sampler. youd have to sample at the proper frequency in order to adjust it from that relative tone.

  On 7/27/2015 at 3:01 AM, marf said:

well,, there are synths premade to accept microtuning scales. i just dont know how youd do it with a sampler. youd have to sample at the proper frequency in order to adjust it from that relative tone.

 

well, you'd have to create each note tuned to the scale you want and sample each one. most microtonal scales have a different interval from note to note so just sampling one note and transposing won't necessarily work. some samplers let you detune every note individually tho so you could sample just one note and create the scale that way.

probably right. it's really acessing those harmonies of intervals that makes microtuning attractive.

Here is what I've put together in a few minutes

I would have gotten creative and made a more in-depth scale system, but I'm on vacation and don't feel like doing a lot of thinking, so I just relied on my good friend zmap to do a simple function for me. Anyway, it's a nice little system that sounds like it has some potential.

cool!

Wow, I really should have cleaned up that patch before sharing it here. That's just embarrassing. Here is what's really going on when you take out that mess of unnecessary shit I put in there for my own patching purposes:

Again, it's just a start and doesn't create a real, fleshed-out scale. It's just a completely symmetrical set of steps that can produce series of unconventional notes. But it's an idea for microtuned synths, anyway.

Edited July 28, 2015 by drillkicker

most of my microtonal melodies were composed using a kurzweil k2vx which had several microtonal scales builtin. the wendy carlos ones are extremely beautiful.

check this out:

had some good results with samples on the Analog Rytm combined with my own software for programming the sequencer.

The Rytm has coarse (semitones) and fine (cents) controls for sample pitch. so by adjusting these two values, you can go 2 octaves up/down from the original sample pitch with a decent degree of accuracy.

 

so in my software there's a function which maps floating point numbers from -24.0 to 24.0 to the coarse/fine control values, and programs them into the sequencer.

 

e.g. here, the numbers after smp.tun define the melodic sequence:

trig bd 1^16 smp.tun:0'2.2'4.666'11.5

you can also do math such as multiplication on the whole melody/scale so every note in the melody will be multiplied by 1.3:

(0'2'7'3'12)*1.3

so yeah basically you want something which does the math for i.e. computer.

im surprised there isnt a little tracker sequencer object for max. i think they have a piano roll. been thinking of giving max a go again

  On 5/6/2016 at 10:58 PM, marf said:

im surprised there isnt a little tracker sequencer object for max.

 

Vaguely remember this; http://www.maxobjects.com/?v=objects&id_objet=3025 ( http://www.maxobjects.com/?v=libraries&id_library=82 )

 

from http://www.dspaudio.com/ which eventually turned into;

 

 

which imo looks & sounds a bit clunky, payware as well.

Edited May 7, 2016 by Guest

it really does surprise me how there arent more products out there catering to microtuning since synth stuff is supposed to be where all the experimenting is.

  On 7/24/2015 at 11:46 PM, LimpyLoo said:

 

  On 7/24/2015 at 11:43 PM, Braintree said:

It would be incredibly hard to just do it by ear if you're not already acclimated to that scale. Societal norms in music scaling teaches you how to hear scale degrees from an early age.

 

Some plug-ins (like NI Kontakt) give you the option to change your scaling. Do some searches to find out how to modify those in your setup.

 

no i mean instead of using any system (X-notes-per-octave) just experiment, find the sounds you like and use those.

 

 

Yeah, but the ones "you like" are usually the ones that you've been exposed to your whole life. So you end up picking notes from a normal scale if you grew up with western music.

 

I took a composition class in college wherein the professor had us make a microtonal dance tune and one of the students chose all of the notes from a western scale naturally. It makes sense to do some research about something if you don't know anything about it...