Scala 1.1 online

Scala version 1.1 for PC is now online, the location is the same:

ftp://ella.mills.edu/ccm/tuning/software/pc/scala/scala.zip

It is a major update with many new features, to name some:
- The LATTICE command can now also make pseudo 3-D lattices.
- The COMPARE command can now save scale comparison results.
- The CPS command is enhanced.
- EQUAL/DATA provides more equal temperaments' info.
- There is a new DISCARD command to throw away commas or other hairy intervals.
- Polynomials can now have arbitrary powers.
- The QUANTIZE command now has optimal fitting and consistent fitting.
- More items were added to the SHOW commands.
- A new TIP command provides useful tips.
- A program to convert a text representation of a MIDI file to a MIDI file
has been added (not written by me). This allows users to assemble tuning
dumps for unsupported instruments themselves, with the new hexadecimal
output of the SEND command. If anyone will have successfully done this,
please let me know.
- More command files are included to do scale manipulations.

And some bugs were fixed, most notably the system-exclusive MIDI files
will now play correctly with the MS-Windows player.
Two backward-incompatible changes were made to the command language, to
REDUCE and COPY/PITCH.

The amount of source code has increased by 10% which may not seem much, but
it's already quite a large program. Statistics: 31393 lines of which
Ada lines: 25976, comments: 3127, empty: 2290; 157821 tokens;
14832 statements; 0.472 statements/line; 174 files; 1,167,185 bytes.

Jeff, your suggestion has been implemented: SHOW/LINE INTERVALS.

Peter, I am at a loss what can be wrong but hope it solves your
problem. Having the online help is handy, I use it all the time myself
because I can't remember everything anymore. If it doesn't we'll search on.

Manuel Op de Coul coul@ezh.nl

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> b)Reference pitch : First, a stupid question : Where is A4=440Hz on the
> piano staff? I have seen references to Yamaha using a different octave, can
> anyone clear this up?
> I find that 'A' is not a pretty note to start a scale on. Could we use
C=512cps?

A=440 is the A directly below the center line of the treble staff.

Several folks have recommended the (roughly 1/6-tone) lower C=512 tuning.
One such effort I recall was spearheaded about 8 years ago by by Lyndon LaRouche
and a fairly illustrious crew of opera stars. I don't know what ever came of
that, but they attempted to get the Italian Parliament to legislate that
absolute pitch reference.

Most people don't find a lot of concern over absolute pitch though, and a lot
of people who develop sensitivity to absolute pitch end up regretting it. When
orchestras retune themselves to other references (e.g., the Vienna
Philharmonic's favorite A=448 (God only knows what possessed ol' Herbie to pull
a stunt like that!)), it drives them bandanas!


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