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blind tuning taste test

🔗John A. deLaubenfels <jdl@...>

7/23/2001 7:27:07 AM

A list member has suggested that a blind comparison of tunings might
be interesting. I agree! So, I've taken a sequence of Albeniz-Godowsky
"Tango", sequenced by Robert Finley, and made two sequences for
comparison.

I'm not saying what tuning(s) are in use; I _might_ have even used the
same tuning in both files, just to see whether the ear is fooled ;-> .

Please participate! There'll be a poll where you can register your
preference, or call the two a toss-up. I'm posting this to more than
one group; if you belong to two or more, please vote only once.

To download the small zip of two General MIDI (GM) tunings, go to the
file area of this group, change into the JdL directory, and download
tango.zip. The file tango.txt explains more, and is included below.

Thanks!!

JdL

[contents of tango.txt:]
This .zip file contains two tunings of Albeniz-Godowsky "Tango",
sequenced by Robert Finley:

tango_m.mid
tango_x.mid

The letter suffixes were chosen randomly, and should not be construed
to have any meaning connected to the tuning used. Nor should the
fact that 'm' comes ahead of 'x' in the alphabet be construed to mean
anything.

The two files may be tuned identically, or may be different from each
other. If they are different, one may be 12-tET, or neither may be
12-tET.

Ideally, the file you first listen to should be chosen randomly.

The piece is 2 min 36 sec long. It is perfectly permissible to listen
only to a fraction of one, then a fraction of the other.

There will be a poll in which you may register your tuning preference:

. I prefer tuning m.
. I prefer tuning x.
. I experienced no significant preference.

A General-MIDI (GM) compliant sound card or module is required to hear
these files correctly. If in doubt, listen; if notes are missing,
there's a problem.

The MIDI bend range should be set to default: +/- 2 semitones. The
file gm_reset.mid should ensure this to be the case.