Ensoniq

>Ah. Isn't the VFX ultimately sample-based, as opposed to a true
>from-scratch sort of synthesis, like analog, additive, or FM?

The VFX-SD has something like 100 basic waveforms, and while some are
sample-based, some are purely synthetic (you've got all your standard
waveforms here). The Yamaha's synthetic waveforms are interesting but
could hardly be said to represent more of a "synthesis from scratch"
philosophy than the VFX.

>Most Ensoniq's have an "extrapolate" function that creates a scale in
this
>manner and compiles it to the full keyboard tuning. I think that's the
>best way rather than having some third method of storing scales, if
that's
>what you're suggesting.

There's also an "interpolate" function which should allow you to program
any equal tuning as follows: Tune a note N keys above a starting note to
a pitch an octave (or non-octave) higher than the orignal note,
interpolate, and then extrapolate. That's all! However, the procedure
will alter the pitch of the higher note so that all the steps are equal,
whole numbers of cents (or something like that), which can be very
annoying. Even worse, the interpolation will sometimes turn inside-out,
so that the pitches will decrease as one goes up the keyboard from the
lower note, very low notes giving way to bleeps and blurps near the
middle of the interpolation zone, and these giving way to some very high
pitches which decrease until one reaches the higher note.