Topic: Small feature request: Preset list for temperaments

EDIT: We have a preset list for temperaments, now. What I'm suggesting is variation on it that is similar to the preset list for instruments.

The default set of temperaments is wide-ranging, but users who mainly play pianos will want mainly piano temperaments, and will want a focus that differs from users who prefer the harpsichords.

Now, we can of course open the long list (109 pages in Word) of temperaments, but their order is based on their name, and many of them use numbers for names. And to find out the intention behind many temperaments, we have to open the list of Scala files in a word processor to see their description. We can of course create a smaller set ourselves, going through the Scala files and culling out the ones we doubt we'll use. But we might change our mind later.

Something along the lines of the current preset list would be valuable, with the same ability to write a description (but of the temperament) and to sort them by categories. That way, we could easily sort them to find all of the Meantone temperaments, say, or all of those that are used mainly for lutes. (Not asking that the developers fill in the categories. We'd have to decide what to put where.)

Well, this started as a small request.

Last edited by Jake Johnson (25-02-2010 20:38)

Re: Small feature request: Preset list for temperaments

Did you see this list?
http://www.huygens-fokker.org/docs/scalesdir.txt

Re: Small feature request: Preset list for temperaments

That's the list of scala files that's about 109 pages in Word. So...having a dialog box similar to the Preset list box would let users sort and thus group them by type (meantone, well, etc) or instrument (harpsichord, lute, etc) or ideally by a user-defined category or two (demented, etc).

A big advantage would also be in the description box. Now, even the text document describing the files is limited to a very brief note. People with knowledge of fairly rare temperaments could share their descriptions. The rest of us could gather information and type\paste it into the description box so we know what we're loading.  PianoTeq could become a still greater learning tool, this way.

Last edited by Jake Johnson (25-02-2010 18:03)