The Player’s default tuning system is the Western standard 12 tone equal temperament (12TET), using the international standard pitch of 440 Hz for concert A (MIDI note 69). In addition, it supports alternative tuning systems via Scala files (including their accompanying keyboard mapping files), pitch adjustments of individual notes, and external tuning sources in the form of the MIDI Tuning Standard (MTS), MTS-ESP master plugins, and VST/VST3 per-note detune information.
This section gives definitions of the terms, concepts and standards used in the Player and in this manual. If you are already familiar with microtonality, you might want to skip to the next section.
Pitch: a perceptual property that allows humans to judge sounds as “higher” and “lower” in the sense associated with musical melodies. It is most often – but not always – equivalent to a musical note’s fundamental frequency.
Tuning System: a set of frequencies defining the pitches of all notes of the MIDI range. In general, a tuning system can be defined by two ingredients:
1) A number of relative (!) pitch steps often called a “scale” (not to be confused with, e.g., the modes of the major scale), which most often repeats after reaching the octave.
2) The start note of the scale, and the frequency of one of its notes. The tuning note and the start note can be different.
– Many tuning systems repeat for every octave. However, this is not a rule – for some tuning systems, the octave does not have a frequency ratio of 2:1, which makes it non-repeating.
– Many tuning systems use 12 steps per octave. This is not a rule either; in principle, a tuning system can have any number of steps per octave.Concert A: the A pitch above middle C, MIDI note 69, most commonly used as a tuning note for orchestras.
Middle C: the fourth C key from the left on a standard 88-key piano keyboard, also denoted as C4 in scientific pitch notation, c′ in Helmholtz pitch notation, and note number 60 in the MIDI standard. The Player uses scientific pitch notation and allows to change middle C, so that you might see it displayed as C3 or C5 as well.
Tuning: the frequency of concert A, also known as the standard pitch. This definition adheres to the nomenclature established in older versions of the Player and other VSL players. However, people mean different things when talking about “tuning”.
Temperament: A special case of a tuning system, with the following restrictions:
– pure octave with a pitch ratio of 2:1
– 12 divisions of the octave
– aim to distribute the naturally occurring deviations from pure intervals by various methods12 tone equal temperament: this is by far the most common tuning system in Western music. It is so ubiquitous that it is basically a foregone conclusion, and you’d be hard pressed to find examples of contemporary Western music using anything else. Abbreviated as 12TET or 12EDO (12 equal divisions of the octave).
Intonation: the pitch of a single note, expressed either by its frequency or by its deviation from the standard.
Scale: When talking about tuning systems, a scale defines a set of relative (!) pitch steps, e.g., the semitones within an octave.
Start note: the first note of the scale. Often the start note is defined as concert A, but middle C and E above middle C are also frequently used. Any note can be the start note of a scale.
Tuning note: the note for which an absolute (!) frequency is defined. The most common Western convention is to use 440 Hz for concert A.
Cent: logarithmic unit of measure used for musical intervals. 12TET divides the octave into 12 semitones of 100 cents each. The Player uses cents to display the intonations of its current tuning system relative to the pitches defined by 12TET.
Scala: a standard for specifying tuning systems. The Scala file (extension .scl) defines the relative scale steps, i.e., how many there are, their pitches relative to the start note, and how that pattern repeats. It should generally be accompanied by a keyboard mapping file. Refer to the Scala website for more information.
Keyboard mapping: specifies the start note and tuning note that go along with the aforementioned Scala file. The Player’s built-in tuning systems are defined as pairs of Scala and keyboard mapping files.
MTS: MIDI Tuning Standard, a way to communicate intonations via MIDI SysEx bulk messages. The Player can interpret these messages and follow its instructions.
MTS-ESP: a relatively new standard which uses a master plugin to communicate the tuning system to client plugins. The Player can act as a client. Refer to Oddsound’s website for more information.
VST/VST3 detune: hosts can send NoteOn events with optional per-event “detune” information to VST and VST3 plugins. The Player can interpret these events and follow its instructions. Only available when used as a VST or VST3 plugin.
In the menu bar next to the Flow icon you will see a tuning fork. Clicking this Tuning System button opens the Tuning System window, which allows to select the player’s tuning system, or even devise your own tuning system. The Tuning System button will turn blue when a tuning system other than the western standard 12 tone equal temperament (12TET) is active.
Current tuning source: The top left of the tuning system window displays the currently selected scale and the relevant keyboard mapping (see below). When the player listens to an external tuning source (see below), that source is displayed here.
Tuning note and frequency: Shows the current frequency of the tuning note (default: concert A at 440 Hz), which you can adapt to suit your needs. If the currently loaded keyboard mapping specifies a tuning note other than concert A, this element shows that note’s name and frequency instead.
– Depending on your settings for middle C (in the player’s normal settings) you might see a different octave number.
– The Player exposes an audio parameter named “Tuning” to the host, which you can use to automate the concert A tuning. Attention: this audio parameter is ignored when a tuning note other than concert A is selected. Some built-in tuning systems indeed use a different tuning note!Reset to 12TET: Clicking on the button brings you back to the default setting without having to search for it in the Scale browser. The default is the scale “12 Tone Equal Temperament” and the keyboard mapping “on A69, A69 = 440 Hz”.
Scale browser: In this browser you can find the built-in tuning systems, sorted in folders according to type. Use the search bar to filter the entries.
Show / hide advanced settings: The simple view is sufficient for working with the built-in tuning systems. Advanced users can open the advanced settings, which gives access to external tuning sources, user-defined tuning systems and additional tuning preferences.
Keyboard mapping: Allows to load a different keyboard mapping, which specifies the start note and tuning note of the scale. Use the search bar to filter the entries.
When a scale is loaded, the player will look for a matching keyboard mapping (with the same base filename but a .kbm extension) and load it automatically. The corresponding keyboard mappings of the built-in tuning systems are located in the folder “Corresponding”. If no matching keyboard mapping is found, the default keyboard mapping with 12 keys, A = 440 Hz will be loaded.
You can shift the start note of the current tuning system by picking a different keyboard mapping. The folder “Key Centers (tuned to A4)” contains 12 mappings, which allows to put the start note on any note of the middle octave, while keeping the tuning note at concert A. The 12 mappings in the folder “Key Centers (tuned to start note)” will define the start note as tuning note, and assign the 12TET-equivalent frequency to it.
Follow Midi Tuning Standard (MTS): If enabled, the Player will follow the MIDI Tuning Standard (MTS). Enable this setting to adhere to Hermode tuning in Logic Pro, for example. Default: off.
Follow MTS-ESP master plugin: If enabled, the Player will follow the intonations supplied by an MTS-ESP master plugin. Refer to the Oddsound website for more information. Default: off.
Follow VST/VST3 detune information: If enabled, the Player will adhere to detune information supplied via VST/VST3 NoteOn events. Only available for the VST and VST3 plugins. Default: off.
Keep tuning when loading preset: If this is checked, the currently selected tuning system will remain intact when you load a preset in the Player. Useful when starting a microtonal composition with a defined tuning system, and looking for the right instruments and sounds.
Update intonation while sustaining notes: This option causes the Player to update the intonation of all keys continuously. If it is disabled, intonation will only be updated when a note is triggered. Enable this to adhere to Hermode tuning, and for scale morphing.
Show key intonation relative to tuning note: Causes the intonation values shown on the virtual keyboard (see below) to be shown relative to the tuning note (concert A or whatever is specified by the keyboard mapping), so that they will stay constant if the frequency of the tuning note is changed. This makes it easier to recognize the selected tuning system’s scale steps in those cases where the tuning note is not tuned to its standard frequency.
/ 15. Load from .scl/kbm file lets you load a single Scala/keyboard mapping file from your local file system.
/ 16. Link to folder: you can specify a folder on your local file system which contains your personal .scl/.kbm files. Those files will be displayed in the “User” section of the browser. Attention: For responsiveness reasons, only the first 200 files will be displayed!
As long as the Tuning System window is open, the Player’s keyboard displays the intonations of all MIDI notes in cents relative to 12TET at 440 Hz. Red fields denote positive values (higher pitch than the 12TET equivalent pitch), blue fields negative ones (lower pitch), and green fields, like roulette, are zero. In order to change a value, drag it up/down with the mouse; Shift-drag to fine-tune it; Ctrl/Cmd-click to reset. Double-click to open a text field, allowing you to manually enter a value, confirm with Enter. To change the same note in all octaves simultaneously, use Alt/Option-drag, and Alt/Option-Enter when typing into the text field.
Here’s an example: the Just Intonation system often employed in Baroque music. Both its starting note and its tuning note is concert A, for which you see a deviation of 0 cents.
Tuning systems with more than 12 steps per octave (e.g., 24 Tone Equal Temperament) need a larger play range on the keyboard. To accommodate for that, you can extend the Player’s play range by up to 3 octaves above and below the nominal range. To do so, click the double-arrow button on the right, and drag the play range handles to match your needs.
Loading a tuning system from the Scale browser automatically loads a keyboard mapping to go along with it, which overwrites manual intonation adjustments and the tuning note frequency. If you want to make manual adjustments to a tuning system, we recommend the following sequence:
Load the desired scale
Load the desired keyboard mapping (if applicable)
Adjust the tuning note’s frequency
Make manual adjustments of individual notes’ intonations
(optional) save the custom tuning system in a preset (see below)
All factory presets supplied by the sample content default to 12TET with concert A at 440 Hz. When saving a user preset, the tuning system and its related settings are saved and recalled. If you want to keep the tuning system intact when loading a preset, check the corresponding box in the advanced Tuning System settings.
The following settings are saved in presets: the current scale and keyboard mapping, the tuning note’s frequency, all intonations, the use of external tuning sources.
The following settings are preferences of the Player itself: the checked states of “Keep tuning when loading presets”, “Update intonation for sustaining notes” and “Show key intonation relative to tuning note”.
As long as the Player is set to listen to external tuning sources (i.e., when MTS, MTS-ESP or VST/VST3 detune is active), the following GUI elements are disabled and can’t be interacted with: the tuning note’s frequency (2), Reset to 12TET (3), Scale browser (4), Keyboard mapping browser (6), Show key intonation relative to tuning note checkbox (12), Load from .scl/.kbm file buttons (13), Link to folder buttons (14). Activating an external tuning source will also disable all other, previously selected external tuning sources. Deactivating the current external tuning source will reset the player to its default tuning system: 12TET at 440 Hz. Now the above mentioned GUI elements are available again.
Playing a legato transition involves two different notes: a source note and a target note. Consequently, the player may have to change the intonation while the transition sample is playing. While the intonation of the source note and the target note is accurate, the exact timing of the transition in the transition sample varies, and so the timing of the intonation change may be off. Playing legato with alternative tuning systems is considered to be an experimental feature at the moment, and your results may vary.
The notation software Dorico is well liked by microtonal composers for its extensive support for “tonality systems” and microtonal accidentals. For playback, by default it communicates intonation via two methods:
For VST2 plugins via “detune” values in VST NoteOn events. This method is supported by the Player.
For VST3 plugins via VST Note Expressions (which the Player does not support yet). However, Dorico can also be set to send detune values to VST3 plugins (see below).
When loaded as a plugin in Dorico, the player is automatically set to listen to VST/VST3 detune information. Since this is most likely all you’ll ever need in Dorico, the Tuning System button in the Top Bar is hidden by default. If you should ever run into the need for the full-blown tuning system feature, you can disable this default it in the normal Player settings, in the Interface tab.
When using the VST2 plugin of the Player, Dorico’s microtonal playback should work out-of-the-box. When using the VST3 plugin, you have to adjust one setting in Dorico:
Open the “Expression Maps” dialog via Library -> Expression Maps
Select the expression map you use on the left. When in doubt, select “Default”
Open the “Expression Map Data” Tab
In the “Microtonality playback” dropdown menu, select “Detune”
Save the settings
The following table contains the intonations of all built-in tuning systems, expressed via deviations from 12TET at 440 Hz in cents. These tuning systems have been supplied or inspired by:
World Scales Pack by Sevish
Scale Workshop by Sevish
Andreyamakesmusic
Organ tuner Franz Eisenhut