The TX81Z microtunings

Message text written by INTERNET:tuning@onelist.com
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In response to Mr. zHANg and anyone else interested:

The TX81Z is "humble" in the sense that it has been "around" a while --
it's probably been more than 10 years since it was new. However, as many
people know, many times electronic instruments have greater functionality
in their early stages... the engineers are interested in trying things, and
some of them are even music and tuning enthusiasts. Later, the marketing
people throw lots of it out -- usually the tuning capabilities are the
first to go -- since they are targeting the "masses" and want to cut
"unnecessary" costs!

Some of the patches on the TX81Z are truly excellent. I get some better
orchestral instrumental sounds than a friend who has LOTS of synthesizer
equipment. I get a better oboe, bassoon, clarinet, French horn and
trumpet. OK, the strings aren't so great -- but by and large, the sounds
are quite good -- if, that is, you are interested in orchestral instrument
emulation...

As far as the tuning is concerned, there are 11 preset tunings and 2
user-definable tunings.

Of the presets:
1)Equal
2) Pure (major) [set key]
3) Pure (minor) [set key]

Now, these two "pure" tunings seem to be some kind of approximate just
intonation. I am not certain what limit, and have not yet done the
calculations to determine this... If anyone out there in the "blue yonder"
knows more about this feature of the TX81Z than I do, please "chime" in...

These "pure" tunings, as they should, can be set from a starting point of
any "key," ie. C, Cb, D, etc. The "minor" variants of this look like
pretty much the same kinds of tuning, from different starting points...

Frankly, when I was working with just intonation, I set my own tuning...

4) Mean tone [set key]

Whew... this is easy by comparison. It's pretty easy to see what this
is...

5) Pythagorean [set key]

This tuning "adjusts" fifths so they come out pure(er) than equal. They
don't seem to be worried much about the "Pythagorean comma"... I was
looking around for it...

6) Werckmeister (of course, standard and not key-setable)

7) Kirnberger (also standard)

8) Vallotti & Young

9) 1/4 shift equal

This is basically the 12 note set of equal with each note transposed up 1/4
tone... This is, obviously, to be used as a "foil" for other "instruments"
that are using equal

10) 1/4 tone

11) 1/8 tone

12) and 13) are the "user definable" tunings. You can start off with any
of the above presets (including, of course, 12t-ET) and then alter them.
One "user definable" setting is called OCT and the other is called FULL.

For "OCT" each octave is tuned the same way as the 11 notes of the one
octave you define.

For "FULL" you can set the ENTIRE keyboard to virtually ANY pitch on the
sound spectrum (!!!) How about THAT for flexibility!!

CAVEAT -- the smallest tunable unit on the TX81Z is 1.56 cents, so you have
to divide all your cents alterations by that number. I don't know if
anyone here on the list can hear a 1.5 cent deviation... most people can't.
Each pitch can only be tuned up or down by 32 T.U. (tuning units) which
equals, therefore, 49.92 cents or the quarter-tone. (But then the pitch
above can be tuned DOWN, instead, so you can get whatever you want...)
Keep in mind that any basic note can be assigned to ANY 12t-ET note within
the range of the entire instrument, and then altered from there -- so
virtually the entire sound span is reachable-- limited only by the number
of total "notes" available.

When a person sets up a "performance" on the TX81Z, it basically means you
set the number of voices available for each MIDI channel. There are only 8
voices, so there is not a lot to choose from here, unfortunately. There are
are 8 possible MIDI channels, but if you use all the 8 voices on one
channel, there's nothing left, etc. Each channel can then be set to play
in 12t-ET-- OR in ONE microtonal tuning -- preset or user-set. (The
alternate microtonal tuning is "global" for each performance set-up)

One of the limitations is that although there are possibilities for 24
"performance" settings -- with any instruments and number of voices
available on the TX81Z, there is only ONE choice per "performance" of a
microtonal set. It can either be one of the presets or one of the two
"user definable" tunings... Therefore, there can really only be one
microtonal tuning per performance in addition to 12t-ET (sorry,
"polymicrotonalists!") Some of the channels can be playing the microtonal
tuning simultaneously with others playing 12t-ET, if anyone would
conceivably want that...

Another limitation is the fact that the two user settings are "global" for
the entire instrument, so ALL the performance set-ups use one of the two
"user defined" tunings-- you can't have different "user defined" tunings
that differ for each performance setting. So, basically, a "performance"
can have one of the 11 microtonal presets (well, actually, there are 10,
since if you turn the microtonal capability off, you are in 12t-ET by
default) or one of the two "user defined" tunings.

But really, that is a pretty small limitation. I bought my TX81Z used for
$120. I suggest the entire microtonal community buy every existing one up
and use them as "currency" -- a "micro-Euro!"

This is where I purchased mine -- I found it on the Web:

www.themusicbrokers.com

The Music Brokers
Phoenix, AZ
(toll free) 877-MUSIC-18
9:30AM - 7:00PM MST

That's all, folks.

Corrections, suggestions and illuminations would be greatly appreciated,
and undoubtedly needed!

Joseph Pehrson

[Joseph Pehrson:]
>Some of the channels can be playing the microtonal tuning
simultaneously with others playing 12t-ET, if anyone would conceivably
want that...

Ha, as I'm reading this I'm also listening to HUUN-HUUR-TU's
_Mezhegei_, which coincidentally enough is doing just that!

Dan