ensoniq mr rack tuning

> Referring back to the posting about MIDI pitchbend, I have used pitchbend,
> with one note per channel for many years, yet have never been satisfied
> with only 64ths of a semitone. Such crude resolution results in beating
> "mish-mash" compared to what can be produced with guitars or other
> acoustically based instruments.

i use kyma to send a bulk tuning dump to the ensoniq mr rack. does anybody
know the tuning resolution of the rack? (are you out there, steve curtain?)
it sounds pretty darn good, especially for music consisting of relatively fast
events (like, techno).

i don't like using pitch bend...the pitch bend affects all notes on that
channel, meaning that you can really only do monophonic stuff. yuck.

the ensoniq is really smart about its tuning stuff. for example, octave
transposition really doubles the frequency. it does NOT simply add 12 to the
note number. you can have any arbitrary ordering of pitches (they don't have
to be increasing). the rack chooses the appropriate sample based on frequency,
not on notenumber. you'd be amazed how many synths claim to support alternate
tunings, but yet do not provide these little details.

marcus



SMTPOriginator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
From: DMB5561719@aol.com
Subject: Re: No pop music?
PostedDate: 17-09-97 00:52:20
SendTo: CN=coul1358/OU=AT/O=EZH
ReplyTo: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
$UpdatedBy: CN=notesrv2/OU=Server/O=EZH,CN=coul1358/OU=AT/O=EZH,CN=Manuel op de Coul/OU=AT/O=EZH
RouteServers: CN=notesrv2/OU=Server/O=EZH,CN=notesrv1/OU=Server/O=EZH
RouteTimes: 17-09-97 00:52:15-17-09-97 00:52:15,17-09-97 00:51:31-17-09-97 00:51:31
DeliveredDate: 17-09-97 00:51:31
Categories:
$Revisions:

Received: from ns.ezh.nl by notesrv2.ezh.nl (Lotus SMTP MTA v1.1 (385.6 5-6-1997)) with SMTP id
C1256514.007D9E2A; Wed, 17 Sep 1997 00:52:04 +0200
Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA04070; Wed, 17 Sep 1997 00:52:20 +0200
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 00:52:20 +0200
Received: from ella.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA04056
Received: (qmail 3002 invoked from network); 16 Sep 1997 22:34:46 -0000
Received: from localhost (HELO ella.mills.edu) (127.0.0.1)
by localhost with SMTP; 16 Sep 1997 22:34:46 -0000
Message-Id: <970916182827_-398349566@emout09.mail.aol.com>
Errors-To: madole@mills.edu
Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu

In a message dated 97-09-16 07:43:10 EDT, you write:

> > just a lot easier to tune a synth than a piano or guitar.
>
> Easier?????? to what precision????

You're right, of course - a guitar fretted specifically for a given non-ET
tuning is not hard to tune to that tuning. I should have said "re-tune"
rather than "tune." I was thinking of the scenario of experimenting with and
writing in several different tunings using the same intruments. Undeniably,
pressing a few buttons is easier that breaking out a tuning wrench or
refretting a guitar.

> > See Charles Lucy's site for a techo-ish band ostensibly using Harrison/
> Lucy
> > tuning. On the one hand, it sounds a little different than it would in
> > 12-tET; on the other, I think it could have been written in 12-tET so it
> > doesn't really seem to show the uniqueness of the tuning. It's a start,
> > though.
>
> Thanks for your enthusiasm David.

Sorry! It's true, though, you know. I listened to all of the arc-angel
pieces on your site. They are good music if you like that style, but they
don't seem to especially highlight the tuning. Not that that's a problem,
except that if one wants to hear what "tuned" pop music sounds like, he
should listen to a piece that really sounds or feels different than the same
piece would in 12-tET or what's the point? But it was the only example I
could think of to point out to Peter at the moment.

Please don't take that as a criticism of Lucy Tuning. I like it and plan to
use it some myself. I applaud your success in extending Harrison's idea and
your efforts to promote the tuning.

Hey, Peter, now that I think of it, there is a Soundgarden song on
"Superunknown" called "The 4th of July." I don't know what tuning it's in,
but it's not quite 12-tET! It's a very modal, chant-like melody with guitars
tuned about 3-steps below normal and a lot of string bending. Frightful
lyric but fascinating music.



SMTPOriginator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
From: mr88cet@texas.net
Subject: Re: JI Pop? Yeah?
PostedDate: 17-09-97 06:30:06
SendTo: CN=coul1358/OU=AT/O=EZH
ReplyTo: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
$UpdatedBy: CN=notesrv2/OU=Server/O=EZH,CN=coul1358/OU=AT/O=EZH,CN=Manuel op de Coul/OU=AT/O=EZH
RouteServers: CN=notesrv2/OU=Server/O=EZH,CN=notesrv1/OU=Server/O=EZH
RouteTimes: 17-09-97 06:29:58-17-09-97 06:29:59,17-09-97 06:29:14-17-09-97 06:29:14
DeliveredDate: 17-09-97 06:29:14
Categories:
$Revisions:

Received: from ns.ezh.nl by notesrv2.ezh.nl (Lotus SMTP MTA v1.1 (385.6 5-6-1997)) with SMTP id
C1256515.0018B4CE; Wed, 17 Sep 1997 06:29:51 +0200
Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA04335; Wed, 17 Sep 1997 06:30:06 +0200
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 1997 06:30:06 +0200
Received: from ella.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA04347
Received: (qmail 17399 invoked from network); 17 Sep 1997 04:30:00 -0000
Received: from localhost (HELO ella.mills.edu) (127.0.0.1)
by localhost with SMTP; 17 Sep 1997 04:30:00 -0000
Message-Id:
Errors-To: madole@mills.edu
Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu
Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu