K2000 and ASR-10

Probably the main consideration when it comes to choosing between the K2000
and the ASR-10 especially for unusual tunings, based upon a collegue's
experience, is power vs. ease of use. The K2000 is very powerful, but it's not
very easy to do exotic things on. The ASR-10 is not as capable as the K2000
(although certainly not to be underestimated), but is FAR easier to use than the
K2000.

When it comes to using traditional keyboards for nontraditional tunings,
that's a big question. As I think I've mentioned before, most people just map a
tuning to the keyboard linearly (adjacent keys on the keyboard going to adjacent
pitches in the tuning), mismatching octave boundaries of the keyboard to the
octave boundaries of the tuning. I am in awe of people who can function that
way, because I just can't imagine being able to ignore the 7 ivory/5 ebony
structure that keyboard imposes. Then again, I never claimed to be such a great
keyboardist; I've done a lot more with woodwinds and guitar than keyboards.
But a lot of people do that quite well.

I prefer, personally, to map the keyboard so that (somehow) octave boundaries
in the tuning match octave boundaries on the keyboard, preferably in some
meaningful way. (This sort of thing is very easy to do on the ASR-10, but
somewhat more difficult on the K2000, according to my informant.) For example,
in 10TET, I map the keyboard so that adjacent Es and Fs play the same pitch, and
similarly with adjacent Bs and Cs. That effectively gives the keyboard a 5
ivory/5 ebony structure, which is very natural for 10TET.


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