Topic by BRuth

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Topic: Changing the diapason of imported Scala files

I am happily using Pianoteq Standard 4.5.

One of the main reasons I went with Standard is to have the capability of importing Scala files for the many tunings and unequal temperaments.

The tunings and temperaments that came with Standard 4.5 that can have their diapason changed are good, but fixed and few, and the imported Scala files that I use often and am interested in diapason-changing only land in the section that has no diapason change capability.

Is there a way to add imported Scala files to the built-in short list of tunings and temperaments that can have their diapason changed, or is it necessary to change the diapason in the Scala file itself?

I have tried editing the Scala files to change the diapason with no success thus far--is there a simple, straightforward way to change the diapason through editing the Scala file that I have overlooked?

Thank you so much for your help.

Bill

Reply by varpa

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Re: Changing the diapason of imported Scala files

I do not know too much about your question, but I do know you can use the scala software to create your own scales which is perhaps what you want to do: http://www.huygens-fokker.org/scala/

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Reply by BRuth

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Re: Changing the diapason of imported Scala files

Thank you for the suggestion.

The Scala program is proving to be difficult for me, at least in terms of saving a file from the list that I have changed.

For example, I will open up the 'Young1.scl' Scala file, and change the 'freq' (via the tuning fork on the upper right corner) and change the diapason easily. But when I try to save the change, it does not last, and reverts to the original settings, even though I have changed the file name.

There might be some simple command I am missing, or a completely different approach than the one I have been trying.

The impetus for this is the hope to utilize different well-temperaments, as the selection of well-temperaments in the 'mu'  area of the tuning section of Pianoteq only features WerckmeisterIII and 'well temperament' (a.k.a. 1/5 comma Kellner), good but rather extreme temperaments. There are in particular two more sophisticated well temperaments I would like to use that might sound better in Pianoteq with a slightly lowered diapason (Thomas Young #1 and Bill Bremmer #3).

As a temporary workaround I tried the 'note detune' option in the 'mu' section which is calibrated in cents. It does not have fine enough resolution for the Young1 and Bremmer3 and it also detunes everything else until it is reset.

Bill

Reply by julien

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Re: Changing the diapason of imported Scala files

In scala there are two files, the scl file, and the kbm (keyboard mapping) file. The diapason is set in the second file. If you can assign a midi controller to the diapason parameter in the pianoteq midi mappings, or in a vst host, you can also control that diapason in microtuning mode.

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Reply by BRuth

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Re: Changing the diapason of imported Scala files

Thank you, Julien, for your suggestions.

This is going to be a challenge, getting to know Scala better and the interaction between Scala and Pianoteq.

My current setup is simple, just ASIO4ALL, a Casio Privia PX-330, and Pianoteq 4.5.

It is amazing that it all works as wonderfully well as it does, given the limitations of my knowledge of and experience with software and computers.

I hope to find the way of editing a .kbm file and dropping and dragging it or whatever works to change the keyboard mapping that will result in changing the diapason of Scala files.

In the meantime it is good to have diapason control particularly with equal temperament, and the beautiful Kellner 'Bach' well temperament, that came with v4.5.

Reply by julien

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Re: Changing the diapason of imported Scala files

You can edit kbm files (and scl files) with a simple text editor such as notepad.

Here is an example of kbm file that sets the diapason to 440Hz:

! Size of map:
12
! First MIDI note number to retune:
0
! Last MIDI note number to retune:
127
! Scale degree 0 is mapped to MIDI note:
60
! Reference MIDI note for which frequency is given:
69
! Frequency of the above MIDI note:
440
! Scale degree to consider as formal octave:
12
! Mapping:
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

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Reply by BRuth

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Re: Changing the diapason of imported Scala files

Success!

The modified kbm file was draggable and droppable from the desktop right into Pianoteq's keyboard mapping box and now it makes exactly the diapason change I was hoping for on any Scala tuning and temperament.

Thanks again, Julien.

Bill