LinPlug Octopus User Manual

Page 54

Scala may be used to create the TUN format microtuning files needed to

explore microtunings with this software instrument.

The Scala home page is

http://www.xs4all.nl/~huygensf/scala/

Specifying the Reference Frequency of a Microtuning

One of the powerful capabilities of the TUN file format and Scala, is the

ability to specify the frequency and MIDI-Note which will become the

reference pitch, or starting note for a microtuning. This becomes a very

important consideration when one is using a number of different

synthesizers and wishes to keep them in all tune with a given base

frequency. It is very common for a musician to need to specify a certain

concert pitch such as A440 Hz (MIDI-Note 69) or C261.6256 Hz (MIDI-Note

60) as a reference for a microtuning, however, the flexibility of the TUN

format and Scala enables one to specify this frequency arbitrarily, so that

any chosen starting frequency may be assigned to any desired MIDI-Note.

In Scala this reference is called the Map Frequency.

Being able to specify a particular MIDI-Note reference and its associated

Map Frequency on the MIDI controller, provides a way to map a microtuning

to begin on any desired MIDI key, making it easier to navigate the

instrument when there may be more or less than 12 tones per octave, or

where one may have a musical need to map the notes of a microtuning to

fall on certain physical keys.

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