Standard music notation software for microtonal notation and also automatically tuned sound output (currently only 31-TET)

Dear Micro-tuners,

I just wanted to quickly share some tools and approach for conveniently composing with standard music notation software, where both notation and automatically tuned sound output is done from within Sibelius. I am currently writing a composition for the Fokker organ in 31-TET, and the software attached is currently only supporting this format. However, it can likely be extended (within limits) to other formats. The provided Kontakt script already supports dynamic tunings for arbitrary temperaments at cent precision (higher precision possible in principle, but MIDI CC messages have no higher resolution).

Attached is a Sibelius 7 script (should also work in Sibelius 6) that automatically inserts MIDI tuning information into a score for 31-TET playback. Supported accidentals are quarter tones, semitones, double-semitone accidentals and their usual combinations. All these accidentals are reasonably supported in Sibelius (e.g., transposition is supported).

I do the 31-TET playback on a single MIDI channel, which is constantly retuned via MIDI CC messages. Using CC messages on only a single MIDI channel instead of pitch bends has the advantage that polyphonic instruments can be tuned and played on a single channel, and other MIDI channels are free for other instruments. For playback I am using Kontakt because its tuning can be changed programmatically via a Kontakt script. Attached is also a Kontakt script with does exactly that.

If you do not have Kontakt and only write for monophonic instruments, then the Sibelius script can be easily amended by replacing all generated CC messages with the corresponding pitch bend messages.

Installation and usage (only explained for Mac OS):

* Sibelius script

Copy the attached Sibelius script 31TET_Midi.plg into the directory ~/Library/Application\ Support/Avid/Sibelius\ 7/Plugins/Playback/ (or where ever you have the Sibelius scripts). Start/restart Sibelius. Configure some playback option using Kontakt (see documentation of Playback Devices). Select the notes you want to micro-tune (always all parts of wholes bars are processed). Run the script 31TET_Midi.plg (in the tab play, under Plug-ins). Hidden (grey) MIDI messages will be added to all notes in the selection. Play the selection.

* Kontakt script

Copy the attached Kontakt script CC-Microtuning.nkp into ~/Documents/Native\ Instruments/Kontakt\ 3/presets/scripts/Tuning (or where ever you have the Kontakt scripts). Start/restart Kontakt. Open some sound you want to microtonally tune. "Move" into the configuration of this sound, and in the script editor select this script (Preset - user - tuning - CC-Microtuning).

I defined these scripts for my own requirements (so, it only supports what I actually need :), but I share them because they may be useful for some of you as well (if only as a template for own coding)
.
Comments, improvements and questions are welcome.

Best wishes,
Torsten

--
Dr Torsten Anders
Course Leader, Music Technology
University of Bedfordshire
Park Square, Room A315
http://strasheela.sourceforge.net
http://www.torsten-anders.de

Best wishes,
Torsten

--
Dr Torsten Anders
Course Leader, Music Technology
University of Bedfordshire
Park Square, Room A315
http://strasheela.sourceforge.net
http://www.torsten-anders.de

This is good! It means Sibelius joins ABC and Lilypond in
being able to support regular tunings of standard notation.

Torsten Anders <torsten.anders@...> wrote:

> I just wanted to quickly share some tools and approach
> for conveniently composing with standard music notation
> software, where both notation and automatically tuned
> sound output is done from within Sibelius. I am currently
> writing a composition for the Fokker organ in 31-TET, and
> the software attached is currently only supporting this
> format. However, it can likely be extended (within
> limits) to other formats. The provided Kontakt script
> already supports dynamic tunings for arbitrary
> temperaments at cent precision (higher precision possible
> in principle, but MIDI CC messages have no higher
> resolution).

There's a convention for higher precision continuous
controllers (CCs) where you add 32 to the number of the MSB
to get the LSB. You'd need a chunk of 44 unused CCs for
that to work . . . but if it's your own code you can break
the convention and use whatever 24 controllers you like.

> If you do not have Kontakt and only write for monophonic
> instruments, then the Sibelius script can be easily
> amended by replacing all generated CC messages with the
> corresponding pitch bend messages.

Any chance of MIDI Tuning Standard messages for Timidity?
I suppose it could be done by adapting the script I use
with Lilypond:

http://x31eq.com/lilypond/

The problem would be if Sibelius is smart enough to use the
compressed format for a string of CC messages, or if the
pitch bends don't always immediately precede the note-on.

Graham

p.s. What's the state of the art on Lilypond and Extended
Helmholtz-Ellis JI? One of these days I'll take a look at
that.

I've heard of Sibelius supporting Sagittal notation or I guess 31 tet here
but I can't get my hands on the plugin to do this?

Could some kind soul help me out?

Thanks,

Chris

(Sibelius 6.2)

On Tue, Aug 9, 2011 at 6:55 AM, Graham Breed <gbreed@...> wrote:

> **
>
>
> This is good! It means Sibelius joins ABC and Lilypond in
> being able to support regular tunings of standard notation.
>
> Torsten Anders <torsten.anders@...> wrote:
>
> > I just wanted to quickly share some tools and approach
> > for conveniently composing with standard music notation
> > software, where both notation and automatically tuned
> > sound output is done from within Sibelius. I am currently
> > writing a composition for the Fokker organ in 31-TET, and
> > the software attached is currently only supporting this
> > format. However, it can likely be extended (within
> > limits) to other formats. The provided Kontakt script
> > already supports dynamic tunings for arbitrary
> > temperaments at cent precision (higher precision possible
> > in principle, but MIDI CC messages have no higher
> > resolution).
>
> There's a convention for higher precision continuous
> controllers (CCs) where you add 32 to the number of the MSB
> to get the LSB. You'd need a chunk of 44 unused CCs for
> that to work . . . but if it's your own code you can break
> the convention and use whatever 24 controllers you like.
>
> > If you do not have Kontakt and only write for monophonic
> > instruments, then the Sibelius script can be easily
> > amended by replacing all generated CC messages with the
> > corresponding pitch bend messages.
>
> Any chance of MIDI Tuning Standard messages for Timidity?
> I suppose it could be done by adapting the script I use
> with Lilypond:
>
> http://x31eq.com/lilypond/
>
> The problem would be if Sibelius is smart enough to use the
> compressed format for a string of CC messages, or if the
> pitch bends don't always immediately precede the note-on.
>
> Graham
>
> p.s. What's the state of the art on Lilypond and Extended
> Helmholtz-Ellis JI? One of these days I'll take a look at
> that.
>
>

Hi,
please let me know if this method can be used for Johnston's JI notation in Sibelius. I am currently using Finale for that (with pitchbends plus synth pre-tuned to the just root scale). As I dislike Finale I would very much like to switch but so far I've always been told that Sibelius can't handle this kind of microtonal notation with playback.
JN
--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Torsten Anders <torsten.anders@...> wrote:
>
> Dear Micro-tuners,
>
> I just wanted to quickly share some tools and approach for conveniently composing with standard music notation software, where both notation and automatically tuned sound output is done from within Sibelius. I am currently writing a composition for the Fokker organ in 31-TET, and the software attached is currently only supporting this format. However, it can likely be extended (within limits) to other formats. The provided Kontakt script already supports dynamic tunings for arbitrary temperaments at cent precision (higher precision possible in principle, but MIDI CC messages have no higher resolution).
>
> Attached is a Sibelius 7 script (should also work in Sibelius 6) that automatically inserts MIDI tuning information into a score for 31-TET playback. Supported accidentals are quarter tones, semitones, double-semitone accidentals and their usual combinations. All these accidentals are reasonably supported in Sibelius (e.g., transposition is supported).
>
> I do the 31-TET playback on a single MIDI channel, which is constantly retuned via MIDI CC messages. Using CC messages on only a single MIDI channel instead of pitch bends has the advantage that polyphonic instruments can be tuned and played on a single channel, and other MIDI channels are free for other instruments. For playback I am using Kontakt because its tuning can be changed programmatically via a Kontakt script. Attached is also a Kontakt script with does exactly that.
>
> If you do not have Kontakt and only write for monophonic instruments, then the Sibelius script can be easily amended by replacing all generated CC messages with the corresponding pitch bend messages.
>
> Installation and usage (only explained for Mac OS):
>
> * Sibelius script
>
> Copy the attached Sibelius script 31TET_Midi.plg into the directory ~/Library/Application\ Support/Avid/Sibelius\ 7/Plugins/Playback/ (or where ever you have the Sibelius scripts). Start/restart Sibelius. Configure some playback option using Kontakt (see documentation of Playback Devices). Select the notes you want to micro-tune (always all parts of wholes bars are processed). Run the script 31TET_Midi.plg (in the tab play, under Plug-ins). Hidden (grey) MIDI messages will be added to all notes in the selection. Play the selection.
>
> * Kontakt script
>
> Copy the attached Kontakt script CC-Microtuning.nkp into ~/Documents/Native\ Instruments/Kontakt\ 3/presets/scripts/Tuning (or where ever you have the Kontakt scripts). Start/restart Kontakt. Open some sound you want to microtonally tune. "Move" into the configuration of this sound, and in the script editor select this script (Preset - user - tuning - CC-Microtuning).
>
> I defined these scripts for my own requirements (so, it only supports what I actually need :), but I share them because they may be useful for some of you as well (if only as a template for own coding)
> .
> Comments, improvements and questions are welcome.
>
> Best wishes,
> Torsten
>
> --
> Dr Torsten Anders
> Course Leader, Music Technology
> University of Bedfordshire
> Park Square, Room A315
> http://strasheela.sourceforge.net
> http://www.torsten-anders.de
>
>
>
>
> Best wishes,
> Torsten
>
> --
> Dr Torsten Anders
> Course Leader, Music Technology
> University of Bedfordshire
> Park Square, Room A315
> http://strasheela.sourceforge.net
> http://www.torsten-anders.de
>

Hi Chris,

Jacob Barton is the expert on using Sagittal with Sibelius. If you visit http://sagittal.org or failing that, http://dkeenan.com/sagittal/ and search in the page for "Sibelius" you will find Jacob's old "Sagibelius" scripts. We managed to break them by updating the font, but the old font is still available in TrueType format as http://dkeenan.com/sagittal/oldSagittalSAT.ttf. However I understand Jacob is working on a new version of the scripts to work with the new font. You can contact him by clicking on the link with his name in it.

-- Dave Keenan

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Chris Vaisvil <chrisvaisvil@...> wrote:
>
> I've heard of Sibelius supporting Sagittal notation or I guess 31 tet here
> but I can't get my hands on the plugin to do this?
>
> Could some kind soul help me out?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Chris

Link was broken by trailing dot.
http://dkeenan.com/sagittal/oldSagittalSAT.ttf