Native Instruments' Generator supports microtunings

I'm happy to add another software synthesizer to the microtuning category.
Initially I thought Native Instruments' Generator could support only equal
tempered scales, but they came up with a clever macro that allows 12 note
per octave just intonation. Using a similar approach to their macro, full
keyboard microtuning scales are possible as well.

Using "snapshots" up to 128 scales are possible per instrument. Using
virtual switch modules in a custom macro an unlimited number of scales can
be used.

Perhaps the best news for some is that all operations are floating point,
therefore virtually unlimited pitch resolution is possible, for those chords
that beat once a year. The interface would be a little cumbersome, as each
knob or slider is limited to 128 steps of resolution. You'd achieve better
resolution by ganging knobs together. For instance, one knob can tune in 1
cent increments, the next can be 0.01 cent increments, and the next can be
0.0001 cent increments. So you'd need to adjust three knobs per note for
0.0001 cent resolution.

For those of you not familiar with Generator, it is a software emulation of
an analog modular synthesizer than runs on Pentium MMX and Pentium II
systems. It has a user friendly interface, endlessly customizable controls
and tons of modules that let you emulate almost any preset or modular analog
synthesizer. It plays samples as well. Two warnings: polyphony count is
fairly low, around 8-20 notes for a 266 MHz PII, and latency is enough that
realtime MIDI note playing is not very practical. Use with a sequencer and
add an offset to correct for this problem. A Macintosh version is being
prepared for the end of 1998.

Price is US$298, putting this much closer in reach than a Kyma system.
Native Instruments' web site is located at
http://www.native-instruments.com/ .

By the way, I am still investigating the claim in a recent Keyboard letter
column that Emu's E-Synth has a user tuning table. I am dubious at this
point, but will check it out anyway.

John Loffink
jloffink@pdq.net
http://freeweb.pdq.net/jloffink