Scala File Naming Conventions, TBX1 Files

(Cross-posted: TL and MMM) A list of the Scala files which have been used for TBX1 presets is now posted here, along with a list of native TBXE .tbx files:

http://www.h-pi.com/downloads.html

The presets are intended to represent a sampling of different types of tunings, and includes about 150 tunings. TBX1 can hold 512 full range MIDI tunings at once. Scala files are easily imported and converted to .tbx format. Tbx files can be uploaded to TBX1 in a batch. Once uploaded, they are all accessible at the push of a button. The process of deciding on preset tunings included an analysis of the Scala archive. The chosen files were renamed according to the TBX1 tuning naming convention, which is as follows:

(1) The most important thing a newcomer needs to know about a tuning is how many notes it contains, so begin the name of the file with the number of notes in the scale, followed by a dash; e.g. 12-
(2) Filenames should be concise and should not include spaces or underscores or other characters which simply take up space, so use uppercase and lowercase letters, putting words together as is often done in computer programming; e.g. ThisTuning
(3) Limit the name to 16 characters (this is a current limitation of the TBX1 LCD display, which is a 16x2 character display. The 16 character limitation does not include the 3 letter file extension).
(4) Convey the most important information about the tuning in the name itself, with priorities in this order:
structure
geography
Proper Name (e.g. of the scale's attributed inventor)
history

An example file name using these conventions is 12-5LimitJI, or 7-Boethius

These are the conventions used for .tbx files. I propose that these conventions, or something very close to them, should be adopted for the naming of Scala files. If the Scala archive were to have all of its files renamed according to this convention, it would be much, much easier to navigate. Over 3000 files is a lot to deal with, but the task of converting names could be accomplished by dividing the responsibility amongst tuning list member volunteers. A person works on, say 100 files and submit the results, some alternatives may be suggested, alterations may be made, and final names are decided upon.

Yours,
Aaron Hunt
H-Pi Instruments
http://www.h-pi.com