microtonal

This video, by Justonic, visually compares interval and chords in just intonation vs standard equal temperament.

Justonic has created a system that lets musicians play in just intonation chromatically by playing the root note on a MIDI tuning channel. Their software sends MIDI tuning messages to adapt your keyboard’s tuning to be optimal for the root note.

via NoiseForAirports

This is a demo of the bizarre H-Pi Tonal Plexus microtonal control keyboard.

Not for the faint of heart – the Tonal Plexus is designed for getting your microtonal jam on.

If any readers are using the Tonal Plexus, leave a comment and a link to examples of what you’re doing with it. Read more…

This video captures a microtonal guitar synthesizer solo, an improvisation over a recording of Tibetan singing bowls.

Recorded April 16, 2009

via MaxRidgway

Scordatura is a Mac OSX sound font software synthesizer and custom control surface design tool created for microtonal composition and performance, compatible with all standard MIDI hardware controllers such as keyboards and trigger surfaces and standard MIDI sequencing and notation software such as Sibelius, Finale, Logic, Digital Performer, etc.

Features:

• creates 16 virtual MIDI input and output ports
• routes MIDI between any physical and virtual MIDI ports
• drives internal synthesizer or external gear or both
• .sf2 Sound Fonts supported
• .csv Tuning Table file format (export files from CSE and TPXE)
• synth capable of up to 256 patches and 1280 voices polyphony
• unlimited tuning tables per port
• unlimited tuning table triggers per port
• programmable held keys and trigger behavior
• custom MIDI control surface design with user definable controls:
  • knobs
  • wheels
  • sliders
  • XY touchpads
  • joysticks
  • buttons
  • switches
  • text boxes
  • trigger pads
  • polygons
• project library file system in human readable / editable XML text format
• project importing and exporting
• integrated HTML based help
• automatic bug reporting

If you’ve used Scordatura, leave a comment with your thoughts!

This video captures Lassus’ Ave Regina Coelorum, performed on the Hi-Pi Tonal Plexus keyboard.

This excerpt by Lassus (16th century composer) presents a puzzle for tuning with pure intervals, where the closing chord should be the same as the opening chord, but if strict theoretical rules are followed the closing chord will fall about a quartertone lower than the opening chord. The passage is played twice here on a 2 octave Tonal Plexus keyboard, showing how this pitch shifting occurs.

Details on the two performances below. Read more…