Relay Retuned Roland Gr-20

Using a program called "Fractal Tune Smithy" I can play my Roland GR-20 in different tuning once I set the GR-20 to "local off".

So what happens is I play my Fender Mustang => GR-20 converts to "normal" midi => GR-20 sends midi notes to computer => FTS then adds pitch bend commands to the midi notes to change the tuning => FTS sends retuned midi back out of the computer to the GR-20 => The GR-20 plays the retuned midi data. All of this happens with no noticeable lag and is as response (once set up right) as playing the GR-20 normally.

In this case the chosen tuning is 17 equal divisions of the octave and these are excerpts from an improvisation / exploration of 17 EDO.

It sounds .. eastern in some respects.

MP3 Dizzy Heights of Ego

http://notonlymusic.com/board/download/file.php?id=174

MP3 Plowing Dust

http://notonlymusic.com/board/download/file.php?id=173

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "christopherv" <chrisvaisvil@...> wrote:
>
> Using a program called "Fractal Tune Smithy" I can play my Roland GR-20 in different tuning once I set the GR-20 to "local off".

Chris, I hope you don't mind that since you posted on both lists, I'll repeat what I said on the tuning list...

I think it is only appropriate here to give a shout to Robert Walker, the man behind FTS. Robert is a long-time member of both this list and MMM, and has done boatloads of work to help the microtonal community create sounds and music with his software. Generous to a fault, and always obliging when you're stuck on something, I wish he was around more. A genuinely nice guy, and a real positive element of the off-shoots of the Mills tuning lists.

Even though I hammered him relentlessly over the years about trying to get some semblance of a modern and useable UI on the stuff, he never complained!

Robert, your efforts continue to bear musical fruit...

Cheers,
Jon

Sure Jon I don't mind. My contact with Mr Walker has been great!

What I'm in the process of doing is deciding on how I want my first
microtonal guitar to be configured.

I am either going to be getting a new neck for my stratocastor copy - or buy
an entire cheap electric guitar (Indiana guitars sell a $99 strat copy that
is decent). One of the attributes I am deciding on is which tuning to
attempt first in the conversion - and 17 EDO is looking good to me.

Now of course this retuning method has huge flexibility. The draw backs are:

1. Not sure I can get it working with sonar (yet)
2. I've had trouble loading scala files - but this I'll probably solve.
3. Being synthesized the guitar sound is close - but not as nuanced as a
real guitar. Of course I can play sax, brass, strings, bass etc. with using
the Roland GR-20.

Any advice or questions are of course welcome!

Chris

On Thu, Apr 29, 2010 at 12:44 AM, jonszanto <jszanto@...> wrote:

>
>
> --- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com <MakeMicroMusic%40yahoogroups.com>,
> "christopherv" <chrisvaisvil@...> wrote:
> >
> > Using a program called "Fractal Tune Smithy" I can play my Roland GR-20
> in different tuning once I set the GR-20 to "local off".
>
> Chris, I hope you don't mind that since you posted on both lists, I'll
> repeat what I said on the tuning list...
>
> I think it is only appropriate here to give a shout to Robert Walker, the
> man behind FTS. Robert is a long-time member of both this list and MMM, and
> has done boatloads of work to help the microtonal community create sounds
> and music with his software. Generous to a fault, and always obliging when
> you're stuck on something, I wish he was around more. A genuinely nice guy,
> and a real positive element of the off-shoots of the Mills tuning lists.
>
> Even though I hammered him relentlessly over the years about trying to get
> some semblance of a modern and useable UI on the stuff, he never complained!
>
> Robert, your efforts continue to bear musical fruit...
>
> Cheers,
> Jon
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Very cool. I was wondering what happens if, on top of the FTS pitch bend,
you bend the string... but there's a spot early in your first piece where
sounds like you did just that and it responded appropriately. Even cooler.

I have a GI-10. Maybe I'll give this a try too.

> Using a program called "Fractal Tune Smithy" I can play my Roland GR-20 in
> different tuning once I set the GR-20 to "local off".
>
> So what happens is I play my Fender Mustang => GR-20 converts to "normal"
> midi => GR-20 sends midi notes to computer => FTS then adds pitch bend
> commands to the midi notes to change the tuning => FTS sends retuned midi
> back out of the computer to the GR-20 => The GR-20 plays the retuned midi
> data. All of this happens with no noticeable lag and is as response (once
> set up right) as playing the GR-20 normally.
>
> In this case the chosen tuning is 17 equal divisions of the octave and
> these are excerpts from an improvisation / exploration of 17 EDO.
>
> It sounds .. eastern in some respects.
>
> MP3 Dizzy Heights of Ego
>
> http://notonlymusic.com/board/download/file.php?id=174
>
> MP3 Plowing Dust
>
> http://notonlymusic.com/board/download/file.php?id=173
>
>

--
http://DoctorOakroot.com - "rough-edged songs on quirky homemade guitars..."

You tagged that right - all of the vibrato is from my fingers.

If I can help left me know.

On Thu, Apr 29, 2010 at 10:32 AM, <doctor@...> wrote:
>
>
>
> Very cool. I was wondering what happens if, on top of the FTS pitch bend,
> you bend the string... but there's a spot early in your first piece where
> sounds like you did just that and it responded appropriately. Even cooler.
>
> I have a GI-10. Maybe I'll give this a try too.
>
> > Using a program called "Fractal Tune Smithy" I can play my Roland GR-20 in
> > different tuning once I set the GR-20 to "local off".
> >

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Chris Vaisvil <chrisvaisvil@...> wrote:
> I am either going to be getting a new neck for my stratocastor copy - or buy
> an entire cheap electric guitar (Indiana guitars sell a $99 strat copy that
> is decent). One of the attributes I am deciding on is which tuning to
> attempt first in the conversion - and 17 EDO is looking good to me.

If you like 17-EDO in general, you'll like it on guitar. The learning curve is really soft, it's just SO similar to how a 12-tET guitar works that you might even forget you're playing in 17! You've done good stuff with 17, so I say go for it! Too bad you don't live in Northern California, or I'd invite you over to play my 17-tone acoustic to see how you like it.

-Igs

Hi Igs,

I appreciate the offer - I might be able to borrow a 17 edo acoustic when I
go over to Andrew's Oddmusic in Urbana which is a bit closer. I have yet to
find a microtonal scene in Indianapolis and I find that odd.

17 edo so far seems to be a good compromise. It has more notes but not so
many more as to be really hard to keep track of.
Though I really like 22 edo as well. No doubt I'll end up with a 22edo
guitar as well :-)

Also I'm really intrigued by the double tuning experiment. I think I'm going
to try tuning my 12-string to something other than unison and octaves as
well - I'm thinking 2nd, 7ths, and 5ths - but if someone has a microtonal
interval(s) to suggest I'm game.

Chris

On Mon, May 3, 2010 at 3:56 PM, cityoftheasleep <igliashon@...>wrote:

>
>
> --- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com <MakeMicroMusic%40yahoogroups.com>,
> Chris Vaisvil <chrisvaisvil@...> wrote:
> > I am either going to be getting a new neck for my stratocastor copy - or
> buy
> > an entire cheap electric guitar (Indiana guitars sell a $99 strat copy
> that
> > is decent). One of the attributes I am deciding on is which tuning to
> > attempt first in the conversion - and 17 EDO is looking good to me.
>
> If you like 17-EDO in general, you'll like it on guitar. The learning curve
> is really soft, it's just SO similar to how a 12-tET guitar works that you
> might even forget you're playing in 17! You've done good stuff with 17, so I
> say go for it! Too bad you don't live in Northern California, or I'd invite
> you over to play my 17-tone acoustic to see how you like it.
>
> -Igs
>
>
>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Chris Vaisvil <chrisvaisvil@...> wrote:
> I appreciate the offer - I might be able to borrow a 17 edo acoustic when I
> go over to Andrew's Oddmusic in Urbana which is a bit closer. I have yet to
> find a microtonal scene in Indianapolis and I find that odd.

Well, I'm in Oakland, and there's not even a hint of a microtonal scene here--despite the fact that this is the home of Mills College, where the Tuning List originated! So I wouldn't be surprised that there's no micro scene in Indianapolis. That said, you're lucky to be close enough to visit Mr. AndR and Jacob...one of these days I'm gonna have to trek out there to have a little 17-EDO jam session.

> Though I really like 22 edo as well. No doubt I'll end up with a 22edo
> guitar as well :-)

Well, maybe you could talk Bill Sethares into selling you the one I sold to him? I've yet to hear him produce any music with it, so I'm beginning to wonder if he even plays it. I bet you could do some good stuff with it!

-Igs

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "cityoftheasleep" <igliashon@...> wrote:
>
> --- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Chris Vaisvil <chrisvaisvil@> wrote:
> > I appreciate the offer - I might be able to borrow a 17 edo acoustic when I
>>I have yet to
> > find a microtonal scene in Indianapolis and I find that odd.
>
> Well, I'm in Oakland, and there's not even a hint of a microtonal scene here--despite the fact that this is the home of Mills College, where the Tuning List originated! So I wouldn't be surprised that there's no micro scene in Indianapolis.

Mark Barnes:
When I'm performing at gigs in Oxfordshire and Berkshire, England, I usually the only one with an instrument deliberately designed for tunings other than 12 edo. The main exception is a friend of mine who makes and plays renaissance and baroque style lutes and guitars. He usually performs in pythagorean intonation, quarter comma meantone or sixth comma meantone. It was him that reminded me of pythagorean intonation and introduced me to quarter and sixth comma.