EPS for JI (revisited)

First, let me apologize: I got on the list, announced my site, then went on
vacation, and with catching up at work and numerous other distractions, I am
only now responding to your responses. But I'm back now reading the list
regularly.

I have made some improvements to the files on that site:

http://www.mbay.net/~anne/david/eps4ji
Encapsulated PostScript programs to explore musical scales in Just
Intonation

These are various graphical representations of scales (and some of fret
boards) in EPS format, written in a way to be easy to modify using any text
editor, so you can put in your own scales, change styles, etc., and just
save it in ASCII format again. The resulting EPS graphic be printed or can
be imported (and resized if necessary)into many graphics, page-layout, and
word-processing programs, for incorporation into other documents. One
essential tool for this is a program that displays PostScript on your
screen, so you can tweak your modifications before printing; the best free
one is GhostScript, available from:

http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/

These files automate various representations of scales. (Because PostScript
is a full programming language, all the necessary calculations are already
programmed into the file.) So if you want a standard lattice for some Just
scale, for example, you basically just need to input your scale (and decide
what direction each prime harmony link should go, or use the ones I use).
Those of us into harmonic lattices should find that real handy. And the
"Advanced" versions allow you to specify non-prime links, different line
styles, and whatever names for pitches you want.

As another example, one issue that comes up repeatedly is what JI intervals
are close to a given ET scale. My Scale Slide-Rule graphic can show this
visually; the "variation" on my site compares 22-ET to harmonics 16-32, so
you can see at a glance that the tempered approximation to 7/4 is not too
good (and by cutting, folding, & interlocking the slide rule you can easily
compare compound intervals, and see the 7/6 is much better). If you want to
check a different ET, change 22 to another number in the file... the
harmonic scale includes all prime harmonies up to 31 for comparison. Note:
when printed out on standard paper, a difference of 2 cents is easily
visible.

Now in response to some of your responses:

Paul Erlich wrote: I tried downloading Ghostscript by following the link
from your page but I
got a "login denied" message.
Paul, I have no idea what the problem was; the link has always worked for
me, from several different computers...?

Paul Erlich also asked for various notations for the tones in a scale (for
the lattices); the advanced version allows you to specify whatever string
you want to label each tone. (same for the harmonic-melodic diagrams)

Darren Burgess asks about printing "dofrets.eps" bigger, guitar size, for
fret placement.
If you have any graphics/drawing program that can import EPS files (many
word-processor programs will do this also), then you can stretch it out to
whatever length you need. Note that the effective string length is usually a
bit different from the actual string length. This file was not originally
intended for that purpose, but if printed at the correct size, it should
show pretty accurate fret placement.

Anyway, check it out, JI fans! I hope you find it useful, as I have.

David Canright (831) 656-2782 (or -2206)
Math. Dept., Code MA/Ca (831) 656-2355 (FAX)
Naval Postgraduate School DCanright@NPS.Navy.mil
Monterey, CA 93943 USA http://www.mbay.net/~anne/david/

David,

I'm still having trouble with this one. I am using Acrobat Distiller to
process each .ps file. I get a resultant .pdf file that is not importable
into anything I have but Acrobat Reader, which does not export into other
graphic file formats.

How do I get EPS files generated, rather than PDF?

Darren

David Canright wrote:
>Darren Burgess asks about printing "dofrets.eps" bigger, guitar size, for
>fret placement.
>If you have any graphics/drawing program that can import EPS files (many
>word-processor programs will do this also), then you can stretch it out to
>whatever length you need. Note that the effective string length is usually
a
>bit different from the actual string length. This file was not originally
>intended for that purpose, but if printed at the correct size, it should
>show pretty accurate fret placement.
>

Darren,
The files on my website are already EPS files. Just edit "dofrets.eps"
(using NotePad or some such) and save it in ASCII text format as, say,
"myfrets.eps". That is your EPS file, which you can import to other
programs.

There's no reason to use Acrobat on these (unless you really want PDF
format).

David Canright (831) 656-2782 (or -2206)
Math. Dept., Code MA/Ca (831) 656-2355 (FAX)
Naval Postgraduate School DCanright@NPS.Navy.mil
Monterey, CA 93943 USA http://www.mbay.net/~anne/david/

> -----Original Message-----
>
> Message: 15
> Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1999 19:50:14 -0400
> From: "Darren Burgess" <dburgess@acceleration.net>
> Subject: Re: EPS for JI (revisited)
>
> David,
>
> I'm still having trouble with this one. I am using Acrobat Distiller to
> process each .ps file. I get a resultant .pdf file that is not importable
> into anything I have but Acrobat Reader, which does not export into other
> graphic file formats.
>
> How do I get EPS files generated, rather than PDF?
>
> Darren
>
>
> David Canright wrote:
> >Darren Burgess asks about printing "dofrets.eps" bigger, guitar size, for
> >fret placement.
> >If you have any graphics/drawing program that can import EPS files (many
> >word-processor programs will do this also), then you can stretch it out
> to
> >whatever length you need. Note that the effective string length is
> usually
> a
> >bit different from the actual string length. This file was not originally
> >intended for that purpose, but if printed at the correct size, it should
> >show pretty accurate fret placement.
> >
>
> __________________________________________________________________________
> _____
> __________________________________________________________________________
> _____
>