source file: mills2.txt
Date: Sun, 6 Oct 1996 11:02:51 -0700

Subject: Re: guide to non-tempered synthesizers

From: Gary Morrison <71670.2576@CompuServe.COM>

> Actually i believe that the Kurzweil k2000 and the new k2500 have the 
> ability to have each individual key tuned to whatever pitch you need. [...] 
> it is however a tedious process to retune the kurzweil. 

   According to a friend who has a K2500, the process of tuning it completely
arbitrarily comes down to assigning a separate (I don't know the Kurzweil
terminology, be the Ensoniq term is "wavesample") to every single key on the
keyboard, and individually tuning each wavesample to the desired pitch.  That as
opposed to allowing each wavesample span across several keys as usual, and
having a pitch table adjust the pitches, as you can do on Ensoniq machines and a
mere handful of others.  

   I understand though that somebody markets a program to help K2x00 users in
performing this sort of retuning process.  I believe it runs on the Mac.  

   Now I'm not suggesting by any means that the K2x00 is a bad instrument.  It's
a very powerful machine, but it's apparently not optimized for unusual tunings.


   As I've mentioned before though, I do have a gripe about the Ensoniq scheme:
Which wavesample it plays is based upon key number alone, instead of the pitch
that the pitch table defines the key to.  (This, I believe at least, is not true
of their "synth" line, but only their sampler line.)  So, if you load up a
tuning table that makes an octave span across a significantly larger number of
keys than 12, the lower keys sound squeeky and the upper keys sound groggy.  You
have to redistribute the split-points between wavesamples for some tunings.
(But that is still a lot easier than on the K2x00, and in many cases you don't
have to do it at all.)

   There is of course a potential problem with having tuning tables
automatically move the wavesample split points, which is that it can wreak havoc
with "mapped" instruments like drum sounds for example.  The answer of course is
to make that an option, or far better still, to allow the user to define regions
of the keyboard to which you independently apply the effects of the pitch table.


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Date: Sun, 6 Oct 1996 11:27:49 -0700
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