4 Carl, etc, on Kontakt 2 microtuning

C,

OK, I installed and had a look at the tuning implementation. In the
documentation, there is a separate .pdf doc for the scripting engine,
which looks to be a powerful part of this instrument. There are
appearances that much of the instrument can be scripted, and therefore
molded to personal needs/tastes.

However...

This thing is still built on an architecture that assumes, from the
git, 12 notes per octave. I uploaded two files in the 'jon' directory
of meta: one is a graphic screen cap that shows the microtuning area,
and how things may be manipulated; the other are two scripts
concatenated into one text file. The first (smaller) is the kludge
they use to on-the-fly fake a 12 note structure into a 1/4 tone scale;
the second, longer part of the script is the microtuning script.

It looks from studying the scripting that it not only effects the
tuning, but also manages to create the microtuning edit window that
I've captured in the jpg. It *may* be possible to go completely wild
and create a larger-than-12 structure, and be able to seed the notes
with tunings. But it looks as if it would be a non-trivial task, and
is certainly a far cry from importing, directly, a .scl, .tun, or MTS
file.

That's my take on it so far, and I see a lot to like in this
instrument, but not in it's microtuning implementation. It isn't
really any different from K1 or Kompakt in the ability to handle more
than 12 discrete pitches, and if it does it will either require each
person to grunt a lot of code editing, or one truly magnanimous person
who can code up and compile a Scala/MTS -> Kontakt script conversion tool.

Cheers,
Jon

> This thing is still built on an architecture that assumes, from
> the git, 12 notes per octave. I uploaded two files in the 'jon'
> directory of meta: one is a graphic screen cap that shows the
> microtuning area, and how things may be manipulated; the other
> are two scripts concatenated into one text file. The first
> (smaller) is the kludge they use to on-the-fly fake a 12 note
> structure into a 1/4 tone scale; the second, longer part of the
> script is the microtuning script.

This isn't the script that Cody mentioned on MMM, that lets you
tune it in "any EDO", is it?

> It looks from studying the scripting that it not only effects the
> tuning, but also manages to create the microtuning edit window
> that I've captured in the jpg. It *may* be possible to go
> completely wild and create a larger-than-12 structure, and be able
> to seed the notes with tunings. But it looks as if it would be a
> non-trivial task, and is certainly a far cry from importing,
> directly, a .scl, .tun, or MTS file.
>
> That's my take on it so far, and I see a lot to like in this
> instrument, but not in it's microtuning implementation. It isn't
> really any different from K1 or Kompakt in the ability to handle
> more than 12 discrete pitches, and if it does it will either
> require each person to grunt a lot of code editing, or one truly
> magnanimous person who can code up and compile a Scala/MTS ->
> Kontakt script conversion tool.

Good work!

-Carl

> It looks from studying the scripting that it not only effects the
> tuning, but also manages to create the microtuning edit window that
> I've captured in the jpg.

If it's not to much trouble, Jon, could you detail the steps you
took to get to that tuning dialog? Thanks!

-Carl

--- In metatuning@yahoogroups.com, "Carl Lumma" <clumma@y...> wrote:
> This isn't the script that Cody mentioned on MMM, that lets you
> tune it in "any EDO", is it?

It is my belief, after a rather brief but intensive 30 minutes with
the demo :) that this scripting is _all_ that is used by Kontakt 2, or
certainly is used with the demo. I have no idea what Cody was
referring to, and I have a suspicion that Cody could be quite
mistaken. (IIRC, you seemed to think it supported full-keyboard (i.e.
128 note) tunings). I'll look up that post in my MMM box and ask Cody
again. But I don't want hearsay or "I think", I want to concretely
know if I could count on this app for complete microtonal implementations.

> Good work!

Eh, thanks, mostly copy-and-paste and mucking around. I have to split
soon, but maybe I'll try some custom code tonight and see what the
possibilities are...

Cheers,
Jon

--- In metatuning@yahoogroups.com, "Carl Lumma" <clumma@y...> wrote:
> If it's not to much trouble, Jon, could you detail the steps you
> took to get to that tuning dialog? Thanks!

Sure, but gotta be later, I'm getting ready to leave and the DAW's not
on. Had to do with a tab that said scripts, and then an edit tab...

Cheers,
Jon

> > This isn't the script that Cody mentioned on MMM, that lets you
> > tune it in "any EDO", is it?
>
> It is my belief, after a rather brief but intensive 30 minutes with
> the demo :) that this scripting is _all_ that is used by Kontakt 2,
> or certainly is used with the demo. I have no idea what Cody was
> referring to, and I have a suspicion that Cody could be quite
> mistaken. (IIRC, you seemed to think it supported full-keyboard
> (i.e. 128 note) tunings).

I was going on Cody's comment, and on the fact that Reaktor has
that functionality.

> But I don't want hearsay or "I think", I want to concretely
> know if I could count on this app

Hell, I just want to run the script.

-Carl

--- In metatuning@yahoogroups.com, "Carl Lumma" <clumma@y...> wrote:
> Hell, I just want to run the script.

Yeah, well, I want more than EDO!

J

> > Hell, I just want to run the script.
>
> Yeah, well, I want more than EDO!

It goes up to 1200-EDO. Do you want better than a 0.5 cents
accuracy?

-Carl

--- In metatuning@yahoogroups.com, "Carl Lumma" <clumma@y...> wrote:
> It goes up to 1200-EDO. Do you want better than a 0.5 cents
> accuracy?

Let's stay calm and talk about the same thing: I'm not talking about
the accuracy of the tuning that can be achieved, I'm talking about a
format where a script could be made up (heaven forbid they use one of
the few formats that are already out there!) to handle whatever manner
scale I want tuned up. Maybe a 43 note diamond. Maybe a custom,
non-equal-stepped 19 tone scale. That sort of thing.

I'm simply talking about sitting with an instrument that I can tune in
any number of a different ways that don't:

1. tie it to repeating groups of 12 notes
2. require a secondary machination of some arbitrary EDO

Is that a clearer explanation?

Cheers,
Jon

> > It goes up to 1200-EDO. Do you want better than a 0.5 cents
> > accuracy?
>
> Let's stay calm and talk about the same thing: I'm not talking
> about the accuracy of the tuning that can be achieved, I'm
> talking about a format where a script could be made up (heaven
> forbid they use one of the few formats that are already out
> there!) to handle whatever manner scale I want tuned up. Maybe
> a 43 note diamond. Maybe a custom, non-equal-stepped 19 tone
> scale. That sort of thing.

I don't know how the plugin is setup, but presumably
1200-tET would get you there.

-Carl