Modartt user forum - Diapason not working as I expected, pertains to mixing two pianos

Re: Diapason not working as I expected, pertains to mixing two pianos

null@example.com (Joseph Merrill) — Tue, 12 May 2026 18:15:46 +0000

Seems like this could be caused by ambiguous interpretation of which tone is considered to be "A" when using arbitrary tunings with differing numbers of strings per piano.

Re: Diapason not working as I expected, pertains to mixing two pianos

null@example.com (Joseph Merrill) — Sat, 09 May 2026 21:07:51 +0000

Consider a specific case:

I'd like one piano to contain Cmaj7 as 2/1 5/4 3/2 15/8
Another piano to contain open V chord as 3/2*(2/1 5/4 7/4)

I don't want the second piano to contain the 2/1 pitch class but would be fine with a hack where 2/1 frequency was 3/2 larger than that and I use math so all the other notes end up right. But diapason is not seeming to do that for me.

Diapason not working as I expected, pertains to mixing two pianos

null@example.com (Joseph Merrill) — Sat, 09 May 2026 20:41:37 +0000

Trying to create two pianos with fractional tuning that work together to form a complete note space. Keeping dissonance in check and creating pockets of unique character by having two differently tuned pianos with only 3 to 5 notes each, rather than 12 notes each or other fairly tight spacing. This helps with dissonance and also provides character to the notes on the pianos, somewhat imparted with aspects of their piano's embedded resonant chord. I'd prefer not to be forced to have any same notes on the pianos but the cycle of tuning wrapping on the octave behavior requires the 2/1 note as the top note in each tuning. I tried to get around it by setting diapason on one piano to 660 (or 330) which is 3/2*440, but the 2/1 on the 660 hz piano does not end up sounding like the 3/2 on the 440 hz piano, not the same pitch class. Wondering what is wrong in my thinking.