sense of no limitations!

I'm really feeling that the combination of Sonar with the z3ta+
microtonal softsynth gives a since of limitless possibilities! I
don't have to write for particular instrumental sounds anymore: I
just make my own! Sounds are so much more suitable to the structures
of a composition. And, additionally, one doesn't have to deal with
fickle performers who don't want to do contemporary music and
microtonality in the first place! :) This is a great tool.

I still have one complaint about the Blackjack tuning system. I know
the inventors are going to jump all over me for this, but I say this
as somebody who has had some experience (like 30 years) composing
about every day and trying to do creative projects: Blackjack is not
entirely an *aural* scale but is, to a certain degree, a
*theoretical* one.

In other words, because the small steps are only 33 cents apart and
there are frequently two that can be part of a consonant triad (one
is a *wrong* one and the other one the "correct" just one) it's
possible to make "mistakes" that later have to be corrected in a
theoretical appraisal. That is not an entirely aural process. You
can say what you will. It's not entirely aural in the way that some
other scales are aural, including 12-tET. One *knows* when
the "wrong" note is played immediately. They are distinct enough in
terms of distance.

However, Blackjack has so many other attractive qualities, including
the extreme notational ease, that I suppose this is just a quibble...
but here I am quibbling... :)

J. Pehrson

P.S. Hope to be more involved in the lists again soon. Out for
various reasons too mundane to recount.

Joe,

{you wrote...}
>I'm really feeling that the combination of Sonar with the z3ta+ microtonal >softsynth gives a since of limitless possibilities! ... This is a great tool.

I'm really pleased you've found a platform and tools to help you create some new music. And even more so that you've shown some restraint and have taken the time to learn just a couple (Sonar, z3) in depth. Somehow you've managed to avoid the problem I have, which is to want another instrument, and another, and.. :)

Looking forward to some of your newer music. I'm having a good time right now, and feel that I've gotten a lot of the pieces of the puzzle in place. When the time is right I'll post some noises.

Cheers,
Jon

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Jon Szanto <jszanto@c...>
wrote:
> Joe,
>
> {you wrote...}
> >I'm really feeling that the combination of Sonar with the z3ta+
microtonal
> >softsynth gives a since of limitless possibilities! ... This is a
great tool.
>
> I'm really pleased you've found a platform and tools to help you
create
> some new music. And even more so that you've shown some restraint
and have
> taken the time to learn just a couple (Sonar, z3) in depth. Somehow
you've
> managed to avoid the problem I have, which is to want another
instrument,
> and another, and.. :)
>
> Looking forward to some of your newer music. I'm having a good time
right
> now, and feel that I've gotten a lot of the pieces of the puzzle in
place.
> When the time is right I'll post some noises.
>
> Cheers,
> Jon

***I just mentioned to my wife last night at a really great outdoor
restaurant here in Manhattan (yes outdoors is possible!) what a help
you were in selecting these incredible tools. My feeling is that as
a "real" musician (not always the ... ahem... case with some of the
otherwise delightful members of these fora) you knew what was
necessary... That was obvious...

best,

JP

P.S. I'm about 7 minutes into a new 10 minute work. When it's
finished, I'm also going to transcribe it for two percussionists and
electronics, since I was asked to make such a piece...

What does this thing cost? 149 what? What's that currency sign? Euros?

--
* David Beardsley
* microtonal guitar
* http://biink.com/db

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, David Beardsley <db@b...>
wrote:
> What does this thing cost? 149 what? What's that currency sign?
Euros?
>
> --
> * David Beardsley
> * microtonal guitar
> * http://biink.com/db

***Hi David,

That's correct. You can also buy it from the Cakewalk people now:

http://store.yahoo.com/cakewalkdirect/downloads.html

Don't forget that when you start working with it, you really have
to "freeze up" a lot of the synth copies and just "unfreeze" the one
you are working on, or your computer will cough and spit.... that is
unless you have an amazingly fast computer as made on mars...

JP

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "Joseph Pehrson"
<jpehrson@r...> wrote:
> --- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, David Beardsley <db@b...>
> wrote:
> > What does this thing cost? 149 what? What's that currency sign?
> Euros?
> >
> > --
> > * David Beardsley
> > * microtonal guitar
> > * http://biink.com/db
>
>
> ***Hi David,
>
> That's correct. You can also buy it from the Cakewalk people now:
>
> http://store.yahoo.com/cakewalkdirect/downloads.html
>
> Don't forget that when you start working with it, you really have
> to "freeze up" a lot of the synth copies and just "unfreeze" the
one
> you are working on, or your computer will cough and spit.... that
is
> unless you have an amazingly fast computer as made on mars...
>
> JP

***Oh... I should add... the obvious advantage of buying it from
Cakewalk as you've already undoubtedly intuited, is that if you are
using it with Sonar you can address their tech support with "Hey, I
bought this to work with Sonar...and all the rest... :)"

That's not going to happen, though. It works very smoothly for such
a relatively new development in technology...

JP

David,

{you wrote...}
>What does this thing cost? 149 what? What's that currency sign? Euros?

Yep, that's a Euro symbol.

This is a product in transition, as rgc:audio was an independent developer who have now licensed z3ta+ to be sold through Cakewalk as one of their products (boxed, etc). The euro conversion at the rgc:audio site shows it at about $189 for the download, and Cakewalk has it 'on sale' for $199. I believe they are still the same product.

db, I can't remember which platform you use for music, but the z is PC only at this point.

Cheers,
Jon

Joseph Pehrson wrote:

>--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, "Joseph Pehrson" ><jpehrson@r...> wrote:
> >
>>--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, David Beardsley <db@b...>
>>wrote:
>> >>
>>>What does this thing cost? 149 what? What's that currency sign?
>>> >>>
>>Euros?
>> >>
>>>-- >>>* David Beardsley
>>>* microtonal guitar
>>>* http://biink.com/db
>>> >>>
>>***Hi David,
>>
>>That's correct. You can also buy it from the Cakewalk people now:
>>
>>http://store.yahoo.com/cakewalkdirect/downloads.html
>>
>>Don't forget that when you start working with it, you really have >>to "freeze up" a lot of the synth copies and just "unfreeze" the >> >>
>one > >
>>you are working on, or your computer will cough and spit.... that >> >>
>is > >
>>unless you have an amazingly fast computer as made on mars...
>>
>>JP
>> >>
>
>
>***Oh... I should add... the obvious advantage of buying it from >Cakewalk as you've already undoubtedly intuited, is that if you are >using it with Sonar you can address their tech support with "Hey, I >bought this to work with Sonar...and all the rest... :)"
>
>That's not going to happen, though. It works very smoothly for such >a relatively new development in technology...
>
Thanks JP, I'll order it later this week.

As for tech issues, they're so important.

--
* David Beardsley
* microtonal guitar
* http://biink.com/db

Joseph Pehrson wrote:

>Don't forget that when you start working with it, you really have >to "freeze up" a lot of the synth copies and just "unfreeze" the one >you are working on, or your computer will cough and spit.... that is >unless you have an amazingly fast computer as made on mars...
>
I have a pretty quick machine, Win XP, 3.7 gHz, 1 gig RAM. I think I'm OK.

--
* David Beardsley
* microtonal guitar
* http://biink.com/db

db,

{you wrote...}
>I have a pretty quick machine, Win XP, 3.7 gHz, 1 gig RAM. I think I'm OK.

That will work fine, I'm on a 3.4 and it all works out. There are a lot of tricks with the z to optimize cpu usage, just one option being that there are draft, medium, and high quality settings; use draft while working on a few tracks, and then turn on high quality when you go to render a track/piece.

What is your main audio/sequence app?

Cheers,
Jon

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, Jon Szanto <jszanto@c...>
wrote:
> db,
>
> {you wrote...}
> >I have a pretty quick machine, Win XP, 3.7 gHz, 1 gig RAM. I think
I'm OK.
>
> That will work fine, I'm on a 3.4 and it all works out. There are a
lot of
> tricks with the z to optimize cpu usage, just one option being that
there
> are draft, medium, and high quality settings; use draft while
working on a
> few tracks, and then turn on high quality when you go to render a
track/piece.
>
> What is your main audio/sequence app?
>
> Cheers,
> Jon

***Oh! Well, it figures why I have to "freeze and unfreeze" so
much. Mine is only 2.4 gHz! But, I got it for "free..." or rather
for a myriad of piano lessons... :) Only 256 MB ram too.

But, still I have no serious problems. I just freeze and unfreeze
stuff I'm working with when the choking starts. It really hasn't
been a big problem. I guess I leave a couple of synths "unfrozen" at
a time... along with the percussion for which I use the Cakewalk TTS-
1 softsynth...

I try to freeze most everything back up before I play back my work
for the day...

JP

Jon Szanto wrote:

>db,
>
>{you wrote...}
> >
>>I have a pretty quick machine, Win XP, 3.7 gHz, 1 gig RAM. I think I'm OK.
>> >>
>
>That will work fine, I'm on a 3.4 and it all works out. There are a lot of >tricks with the z to optimize cpu usage, just one option being that there >are draft, medium, and high quality settings; use draft while working on a >few tracks, and then turn on high quality when you go to render a track/piece.
>
>What is your main audio/sequence app?
>
Sonar 4

--
* David Beardsley
* microtonal guitar
* http://biink.com/db

--- In MakeMicroMusic@yahoogroups.com, David Beardsley <db@b...>
wrote:
> Jon Szanto wrote:
>
> >db,
> >
> >{you wrote...}
> >
> >
> >>I have a pretty quick machine, Win XP, 3.7 gHz, 1 gig RAM. I
think I'm OK.
> >>
> >>
> >
> >That will work fine, I'm on a 3.4 and it all works out. There are
a lot of
> >tricks with the z to optimize cpu usage, just one option being
that there
> >are draft, medium, and high quality settings; use draft while
working on a
> >few tracks, and then turn on high quality when you go to render a
track/piece.
> >
> >What is your main audio/sequence app?
> >
> Sonar 4
>
> --
> * David Beardsley
> * microtonal guitar
> * http://biink.com/db

***You'll be in heaven... if you're experience is anything like mine!

JP