Yahoo Tuning Groups Ultimate Backup makemicromusic Numerology 2.0

http://www.five12.com/n2sneak.html

Numerology is software that was originally designed to emulate the
hardware sequencers that drove modular analog synths via control
voltage. It's been evolving quite a bit since then. The version that
I used to improvise in JI had a Note Sequencer with 12 steps,
enforcing a 12-note/octave orientation, though with the receiving
synth having an alternate tuning loaded, Numerology playing the synth
at the time was just like playing the synth from a standard 12-tET
keyboard.

I see in the preview screenshots, the 2.0 Note Sequencer no longer has
the +12 and -12 pitch steps.

From the above page:

"High Definition MIDI: Numerology 2 uses 32 bit floating point values
for internal storage and processing of all "MIDI" event parameters:
Pitch, Velocity, CC, etc. So what do you get for all those bits? Well,
alternate tunings, high-precision scaling, and some cool new MIDI
modules for a start (like the upcoming Cloud Generator). "

I have no idea whether it can load Scala tunings or anything like that.

🔗paolovalladolid <phv40@...>

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "paolovalladolid" <phv40@...>
wrote:
>
> http://www.five12.com/n2sneak.html

I was able to get some clarification from Jim, the developer about the
tuning support he's planning to add to Numerology in 2.0. He plans to
create a new Tuning Module to take care of alternate tunings. If
there is any shot of Scala support, it will probably go into the
Tuning Module.

"Forcing" microtunings on AU softsynths hosted in Numerology may not
entail the same issues as forcing microtunings on external synths over
MIDI via MIDI Pitch Bend, apparently. The reason is Core Audio has
built-in fractional pitch support:

http://developer.apple.com/documentation/MusicAudio/Reference/CAFSpec/CAF_spec/chapter_3_section_8.html

From the spec:

"mBaseNote

The MIDI note number, and fractional pitch, for the base note of the
MIDI instrument. The integer portion of this field indicates the base
note, in the integer range 0 to 127, where a value of 60 represents
middle C and each integer is a step on a standard piano keyboard (for
example, 61 is C# above middle C). The fractional part of the field
specifies the fractional pitch; for example, 60.5 is a pitch halfway
between notes 60 and 61."

MIDI Pitch Bend, as I understand it , has a max resultion of 14 bits
compared to Core Audio's mBaseNote's 32-bits.

🔗Gene Ward Smith <genewardsmith@...>

🔗paolovalladolid <phv40@...>

🔗Gene Ward Smith <genewardsmith@...>

🔗paolovalladolid <phv40@...>

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "Gene Ward Smith"
<genewardsmith@...> wrote:
>
> --- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "Gene Ward Smith"
> <genewardsmith@> wrote:
> >
> > --- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "paolovalladolid" <phv40@>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > MIDI Pitch Bend, as I understand it , has a max resultion of 14 bits
> > > compared to Core Audio's mBaseNote's 32-bits.
> >
> > MIDI Tuning Standard is a 21 bit system, MIDI pitch bend uses 19 bits.
>
> It occurs to me you may mean resolution of a semitone (100 cents.) That
> would be 14 bits for MTS, and 12 bits for pitch bend.

The mBaseNote field in Core Audio, the audio subsystem of Mac OSX, is
just the absolute pitch of a note. That if, of course, just my
interpretation of the Music Metadata portion of the Core Audio Format
Specification.

So theoretically, any Audio Unit synth plugin could/should be
microtunable, because it must conform to the Core Audio spec.

🔗monz <monz@...>

Hi Paolo,

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "Gene Ward Smith"
<genewardsmith@...> wrote:
>
> --- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "Gene Ward Smith"
> <genewardsmith@> wrote:
> >
> > --- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "paolovalladolid" <phv40@>
> > wrote:
> >
> > > MIDI Pitch Bend, as I understand it , has a max
> > > resultion of 14 bits compared to Core Audio's
> > > mBaseNote's 32-bits.
> >
> > MIDI Tuning Standard is a 21 bit system, MIDI pitch bend
> > uses 19 bits.
>
> It occurs to me you may mean resolution of a semitone
> (100 cents.) That would be 14 bits for MTS, and 12 bits
> for pitch bend.

I explain what Gene says here:

http://sonic-arts.org/monzo/miditune/miditune.htm

-monz
http://tonalsoft.com
Tonescape microtonal music software

🔗paolovalladolid <phv40@...>

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "monz" <monz@...> wrote:
> > It occurs to me you may mean resolution of a semitone
> > (100 cents.) That would be 14 bits for MTS, and 12 bits
> > for pitch bend.
>
>
> I explain what Gene says here:
>
> http://sonic-arts.org/monzo/miditune/miditune.htm

Thanks, Joe.

I got some more clarification from Jim Coker as well, on how Audio
Unit (AU) synths work with OSX's Core Audio system.:

"There are two separate API's for sending notes to an AU Synth: a MIDI
api, and the 'extended note' api that you link to above. AU's are
required to respond to both, but are not required to support the
fractional part of the extended pitch spec. There is also an
important semantic difference: MIDI Pitch Bend affects all notes on a
MIDI Channel, so if you want to use that technique polyphonically, you
have to split the notes across multiple MIDI Channels. The AU pitch
extension is on a per-note basis, so each note can be 'detuned'
individually.

I expect that most [AU] synths just round pitch values to the nearest
note number, but some do support fractional pitch. All AU synths do
seem to support MIDI PitchBend, but may not support setting of the
bend range (Apple's DLS synth does not, it is fixed at 2 semitones)."

🔗Gene Ward Smith <genewardsmith@...>

🔗paolovalladolid <phv40@...>

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "Gene Ward Smith"
<genewardsmith@...> wrote:
>
> --- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "paolovalladolid" <phv40@>
> wrote:
>
> > I got some more clarification from Jim Coker as well, on how Audio
> > Unit (AU) synths work with OSX's Core Audio system.:
>
> This still does not explain if AU will support MTS.

I don't recall you asking that question. Not that I would know the
answer. The impressions I have gotten so far is that each AU synth
has its own MIDI implementation. Jim so far has only found FM7 and
one of the ARP 2600 emulators to be MTS-compatible, among the AU
synths out there.

> Does Jim Coker know?

Can't answer for him. His Yahoo id is jtcoker. Numerology is an AU
host, and it's had bug fixes/enhancements over the years to work with
certain AU synths, so he probably knows the Core Audio system (which
includes Audio Units) as well as any AU developer.

Paolo

🔗paolovalladolid <phv40@...>

Here's the starting point to Apple's documentation on Core Audio:

http://developer.apple.com/documentation/MusicAudio/CoreAudio-date.html

From Audio Unit Programming Guide->Audio Unit Development
Fundamentals->Audio Units As Plug-ins->Plug-in API Requirements for
Audio Units:

"Note: The *Audio Unit Specification document is currently in
development*. The following header files contain information relevant
to the Audio Unit Specification: AUComponent.h, AudioUnitProperties.h,
MusicDevice.h, and OutputUnit.h.

In addition, the following tutorial files contain information relevant
to the Audio Unit Specification: AUPannerUnits.text,
OfflineRendering.rtf, and OfflineAPIAdditions.text.

The Audio Unit Specification describes:

The various Apple types defined for audio units, as listed in
the "AudioUnit component types and subtypes" enumeration in the
AUComponent.h header file in the Audio Unit framework
*

The functional and behavioral requirements for each type of
audio unit
*

The plug-in API for each type of audio unit, including required
and optional properties

You develop your audio units to conform to the Audio Unit
Specification. You then test this conformance with the auval
command-line tool, described in the next section.

The Audio Unit Specification defines the plug-in API for the following
audio unit types:

Effect units ('aufx'), such as volume controls, equalizers, and
reverbs, which modify an audio data stream
*

Music effect units ('aumf'), such as loopers, which combine
features of instrument units (such as starting and stopping a sample)
with features of effect units
*

Offline effect units ('auol'), which let you do things with
audio that aren't practical in real time, such as time reversal or
look-ahead level normalization
*

Instrument units ('aumu'), which take MIDI and soundbank data as
input and provide audio data as outputletting a user play a virtual
instrument
*

Generator units ('augn'), which programmatically generate an
audio data stream or play audio from a file
*

Data format converter units ('aufc'), which change
characteristics of an audio data stream such as bit depth, sample
rate, or playback speed
*

Mixer units ('aumx'), which combine audio data streams
*

Panner units ('aupn'), which distribute a set of input channels,
using a spatialization algorithm, to a set of output channels"

Jim has access to the API docs, of course. He is convinced Core
Audio's internal fractional pitch support is the best way to load
tuning tables into AU synths. Remember, absolute pitch in Core Audio
is a 32-bit value - higher resolution than MTS. If a Numerology user,
however, really, really, really needed MTS to be somehow built into
Numerology instead of just using an AU that already implements MTS,
I'm sure Jim is willing to listen.

🔗Phi <phi@...>

Hi Paolo!

> I expect that most [AU] synths just round pitch values to the nearest
> note number, but some do support fractional pitch. All AU synths do
> seem to support MIDI PitchBend, but may not support setting of the
> bend range (Apple's DLS synth does not, it is fixed at 2 semitones)."

Specifications don't tell us, software authors, what we have to do.
That's just a base to start from.
Apple's DLS is based on the QuickTime architecture in which the
pitch-bend range has been implemented as a variable, from 0 to 127.
The AU "DLSMusicDevice" that comes shipped with Mac OS X is just a very
little part of the global architecture.
Sometimes, CoreAudio's gurus are not aware of QT spec, and vice-versa.

So long ;-)
Philippe

🔗Phi <phi@...>

🔗paolovalladolid <phv40@...>

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "Phi" <phi@...> wrote:
>
> --- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "paolovalladolid" <phv40@> wrote:
>
> > absolute pitch in CoreAudio is a 32-bit value - higher resolution
than MTS.
>
> You're right, and this is how works microtuning in all synths of
Logic Pro.
> Most of people who have switched to Logic for its full-featured built-in
> microtuning support are now very quiet about that! :-)
>
> Cheers,
> Philippe

I'm certainly saving my pennies for Logic Pro. The fractional pitch
support is great, and there is also the distributed processing feature
(need more power? Get a Gigabit-Ethernet equipped Mac Mini and
connect it to your main Mac). There is one drawback of which I am
aware - only Logic plugins may benefit from distributed processing -
third party AUs are not so fortunate.

I was glad to hear from Jim that he _is_ receiving feedback from
microtonal musicians for 2.0. I wish I'd been able to seem some of
that feedback, but its their choice to keep communications private.

🔗paolovalladolid <phv40@...>

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "Phi" <phi@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Paolo!
>
> > I expect that most [AU] synths just round pitch values to the nearest
> > note number, but some do support fractional pitch. All AU synths do
> > seem to support MIDI PitchBend, but may not support setting of the
> > bend range (Apple's DLS synth does not, it is fixed at 2 semitones)."
>
> Specifications don't tell us, software authors, what we have to do.
> That's just a base to start from.
> Apple's DLS is based on the QuickTime architecture in which the
> pitch-bend range has been implemented as a variable, from 0 to 127.
> The AU "DLSMusicDevice" that comes shipped with Mac OS X is just a very
> little part of the global architecture.
> Sometimes, CoreAudio's gurus are not aware of QT spec, and vice-versa.
>
> So long ;-)
> Philippe

Phi,

Is there a list somewhere of AU plugins that support Core Audio's
fractional pitch, instead of just rounding the pitch to the nearest
MIDI Note Number?

Paolo

🔗Phi <phi@...>

Paolo,

> Is there a list somewhere of AU plugins that support Core Audio's
> fractional pitch, instead of just rounding the pitch to the nearest
> MIDI Note Number?

Nope.
I don't think that any 3rd-party AU plug embeds a such MIDI feature.
Probably too much platform-specific when most of softsynths are cross-platform.
AFAIK, 'fractional pitch' are mostly used in audio tool such pitch-shifter, granular (re-)
synthesis, etc. Something like:
MIDI note = 69.5 + 12 * log2(freq / A440)

However, The QuickTime spec have some nifty tools to play with such the Extended Note
Event. For info:

0-127 standard pitch, 60 = middle C 0x01.00 ... 0x7F.00 allowing 256 microtonal
divisions between each notes in the traditional equal tempered scale.

If the pitch bit field is less than 128, it is interpreted as an integer pitch where 60 is
middle C. If the pitch is 128 or greater, it is treated as a fixed pitch.

Microtonal pitch values are produced when the 15 bits of the pitch field are split. The
upper 7 bits define the standard equal tempered note and the lower 8 bits define 256
microtonal divisions between the standard notes.

Best,
Philippe

🔗paolovalladolid <phv40@...>

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "Phi" <phi@...> wrote:
>
> Paolo,
>
> > Is there a list somewhere of AU plugins that support Core Audio's
> > fractional pitch, instead of just rounding the pitch to the nearest
> > MIDI Note Number?
>
> Nope.
> I don't think that any 3rd-party AU plug embeds a such MIDI feature.
> Probably too much platform-specific when most of softsynths are
cross-platform.
> AFAIK, 'fractional pitch' are mostly used in audio tool such
pitch-shifter, granular (re-)
> synthesis, etc. Something like:
> MIDI note = 69.5 + 12 * log2(freq / A440)
>
> However, The QuickTime spec have some nifty tools to play with such
the Extended Note
> Event. For info:
>
> 0-127 standard pitch, 60 = middle C 0x01.00 ... 0x7F.00 allowing 256
microtonal
> divisions between each notes in the traditional equal tempered scale.
>
> If the pitch bit field is less than 128, it is interpreted as an
integer pitch where 60 is
> middle C. If the pitch is 128 or greater, it is treated as a fixed
pitch.
>
> Microtonal pitch values are produced when the 15 bits of the pitch
field are split. The
> upper 7 bits define the standard equal tempered note and the lower 8
bits define 256
> microtonal divisions between the standard notes.
>
> Best,
> Philippe

Interesting. So only the Logic AU synths support Core Audio's
Extended Note API? Oh well, at least one of them happens to be the
uber-powerful Sculpture. :)

Numerology 2.0 implements fractional pitch within its internal MIDI
implementation.

🔗Gene Ward Smith <genewardsmith@...>

🔗Phi <phi@...>

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "paolovalladolid" <phv40@...> wrote:

>So only the Logic AU synths support Core Audio's Extended Note API?

This is not CoreAudio. This is part of the QuickTime API.
And Logic synths are not anymore AU plug-ins since they are
modules of Logic.
(An AudioUnit plug-in is a system-wide component. This is not the case of
synths and effects of Logic.)
The answer is: any dev' who wants to include this MIDI feature is free to do it,
for *any* AU host software on Mac.
I absolutely don't know if a VST plug-in can compile this feature.
(Since Yamaha's Cubase 4 doesn't work on Mac, who takes care of VST compatibility ;-)

> Numerology 2.0 implements fractional pitch within its internal MIDI
> implementation.

Meaning a support for plug-ins embedding this feature?
I will take a look how it works.

Thanks,
Philippe