Archive of the former Yahoo!Groups mailing list: MOTM

Here are the "factory presets" for the 16 microtuning tables. Hopefully I can
compile demos fo each type of tuning.

I still need 2 beta testors: 1 for 2nd half of Oct, the other for the 1st half
of Nov.

Paul S.


Tuning Presets in the MOTM 650
Compiled by Robert Rich


0. 12 Tone Equal Temperament (non-erasable)
The default Western tuning, based on the twelfth root of two. Good fourths and
fifths, horrible thirds and sixths.

1. Harmonic Series
MIDI notes 36-95 reflect harmonics 2 through 60 based on the fundamental of A =
27.5 Hz. The low C on a standard 5 octave keyboard acts as the root note (55Hz),
and the harmonics play upwards from there. The remaining keys above and below
the 5 octave range are filled with the same intervals as Carlos’ Harmonic 12
Tone that follows.

2. Carlos Harmonic Twelve Tone
Wendy Carlos’ twelve note scale based on octave-repeating harmonics. A = 1/1
(440 Hz).
1/1 17/16 9/8 19/16 5/4 21/16 11/8 3/2 13/8 27/16 7/4 15/8

3. Meantone Temperament
An early tempered tuning, with better thirds than 12ET. Sounds best in the key
of C. Use this to add an authentic touch to performances of early Baroque music.
C=1/1 (260 Hz)

4. 1/4 Tone Equal Temperament
24 notes per octave, equally spaced 24root2 intervals. Mexican composer Julian
Carillo used this for custom-built pianos in the early 20th century.

5. 19 Tone Equal Temperament
19 notes per octave (19root2) offering better thirds than 12 ET, a better
overall compromise if you can figure out the keyboard patterns.

6. 31 Tone Equal Temperament
Many people consider 31root2 to offer the best compromise towards just
intonation in an equal temperament, but it can get very tricky to keep track of
the intervals.

7. Pythagorean C
One of the earliest tuning systems known from history, the Pythagorean scale is
constructed from an upward series of pure fifths (3/2) transposed down into a
single octave. The tuning works well for monophonic melodies against fifth
drones, but has a very narrow palate of good chords to choose from. . C=1/1
(261.625 Hz)
1/1 256/243 9/8 32/27 81/64 4/3 729/512 3/2 128/81 27/16 16/9 243/128

8. Just Intonation in A with 7-limit Tritone at D#
A rather vanilla 5-limit small interval JI, except for a single 7/5 tritone at
D#, which offers some nice possibilities for rotating around bluesy sevenths.
A=1/1 (440 Hz)
1/1 16/15 9/8 6/5 5/4 7/5 3/2 8/5 5/3 9/5 15/8

9. 3-5 Lattice in A
A pure 3 and 5-limit tuning which resolves to very symmetrical derived
relationships between notes. A=1/1 (440 Hz)
1/1 16/15 10/9 6/5 5/4 4/3 64/45 3/2 8/5 5/3 16/9 15/8

10. 3-7 Lattice in A
A pure 3 and 7-limit tuning which resolves to very symmetrical derived
relationships between notes. Some of the intervals are very close together,
offering several choices for the same nominal chords. A=1/1 (440 Hz)
1/1 9/8 8/7 7/6 9/7 21/16 4/3 3/2 32/21 12/7 7/4 63/32

11. Other Music 7-Limit Black Keys in C
Created by the group Other Music for their homemade gamelan, this offers a wide
range of interesting chords and modes. C=1/1 (261.625 Hz)
1/1 15/14 9/8 7/6 5/4 4/3 7/5 3/2 14/9 5/3 7/4 15/8

12. Dan Schmidt Pelog/Slendro
Created for the Berkeley Gamelan group, this tuning fits an Indonesian-style
heptatonic Pelog on the white keys and pentatonic Slendro on the black keys,
with B and Bb acting as 1/1 for their respective modes. Note that some of the
notes will have the same frequency. By tuning the 1/1 to 60 Hz, Dan found a
creative way to incorporate the inevitable line hum into his scale. Bb, B = 1/1
(60 Hz)
1/1 1/1 9/8 7/6 5/4 4/3 11/8 3/2 3/2 7/4 7/4 15/8

13. Yamaha Just Major C
When Yamaha decided to put preset microtunings into their FM synth product line,
they selected this and the following tuning as representative just intonations.
As such, they became the de-facto introduction to JI for many people. Just Major
gives preferential treatment to major thirds on the sharps, and a good fourth
relative to the second. C= 1/1 (261.625)
1/1 16/15 9/8 6/5 5/4 4/3 45/32 3/2 8/5 5/3 16/9 15/8

14. Yamaha Just Minor C
Similar to Yamaha’s preset Just Major, the Just Minor gives preferential
treatment to minor thirds on the sharps, and has a good fifth relative to the
second. C= 1/1 (261.625)
1/1 25/24 10/9 6/5 5/4 4/3 45/32 3/2 8/5 5/3 16/9 15/8

15. Harry Partch 11-limit 43 Note Just Intonation
One of the pioneers of modern microtonal composition, Partch built a unique
orchestra with this tuning during the first half of the 20th century, to perform
his own compositions. The large number of intervals in this very dense scale
offers a full vocabulary of expressive chords and complex key changes. The
narrow spacing also allows fixed-pitched instruments like marimbas and organs to
perform glissando-like passages. G = 1/1 (392 Hz, MIDI note 67)
1/1 81/80 33/32 21/20 16/15 12/11 11/10 10/9 9/8 8/7 7/6 32/27

6/5 11/9 5/4 14/11 9/7 21/16 4/3 27/20 11/8 7/5 10/7 16/11

40/27 3/2 32/21 14/9 11/7 8/5 18/11 5/3 27/16 12/7 7/4 16/9

9/5 20/11 11/6 15/8 40/21 64/33 160/81