RE: guide to non-tempered synthesizers

One variety of Ensoniq's VFX that Brian did not mention is the VFX-SD, which
I own. It only has one programmable _system_ tuning, but each patch can
include a pitch-table, so you can have a different tuning for each
instrument, if you like. Gary's point about the split points is well-taken,
especially if you have some low notes mapped to high keys or vice versa.

Steve Curtin of Ensoniq has informed me that the pitch resolution of the VFX
line is not 768 steps per octave, as he originally stated, but is in fact
512 steps per octave. This seems correct given my expereince that the
nominal size of an interval needs to be incremented by usually 2, sometimes
3, cents before the rate of beating changes.

In light of Brian's more recent post of the state of microprocessor
technology in the world of synthesizers, Michael Vannice's claim that Marion
Systems' synths give 512 steps per semitone (revised from 512 steps per
cent!) or 6144 steps per octave seems unlikely. Then again, Brian's reports
on technology are not always accurate (CD-R, for instance), but the tuning
resolution of sysnths seems to be one thing that he would know something
about.


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