source file: m1448.txt
Date: Mon, 15 Jun 1998 12:48:19 -0500

Subject: RE: Microtunable wishlist

From: "Loffink, John" <John.Loffink@COMPAQ.com>

> From: gbreed@cix.compulink.co.uk (Graham Breed)
> 
> What difference does it make how the samples are tuned?  So long as you
> correct for mistuning, there shouldn't be problem.  That is, record a
> sample as being Eb, 0.32 cents sharp of equal temperament, or whatever.
> It's really easy to work out the pitch of a sample: count the number of
> bytes in the loop.  Anyway, give us a sampler and we can tune the samples
> ourselves.  And a lot of voices will use square or sawtooth waves which
> can be tuned accurately.  This isn't a good argument for poor tuning
> precision, even if it is the argument they give.
> 
Wavetable instruments use multisamples to map multiple samples at defined
pitches across the keyboard.  If these multisamples are mistuned relative to
each other by up to 1 cent, it doesn't matter how accurate your tuning table
is, you won't be able to retune the multisamples to correct the errors
unless your tuning table is specific to each multisample.  Now samplers
don't have this problem as they all allow you to fine tune the pitch of each
multisample.  Most wavetable synthesizers lack this ability.

>  From: csz@wco.com (Carter Scholz)
> 
> In the recent discussion of wish lists and tuning implementations,
> one practical point has been overlooked.  It was not "Ensoniq" the
> company that gave us their implementation -- it was Steven Curtin,
> who was in charge of the tuning implementation while he worked there.
> Likewise, E-mu's David Frost was more or less singlehandedly responsible
> for the Proteus tuning implementation.  Tuning is not and never will be
> a priority for a manufacturer.  The best we can hope for is a sympathetic
> and knowledgable individual within a company who is willing to devote
> his or her time and energy to make it happen.  Talking to programmers
> is far more likely to be productive than talking to executives or
> marketing types.
> 
I know the main OS software engineer inside one of the keyboard companies
and he was receptive to upgrading some microtuning features.  He will be
getting a copy of the wishlist.  Will he implement all suggestions?  I doubt
it, but every little bit helps.  It also helps to have some pressure from
outside so the individuals can justify these features to their marketing
groups and management.

While I agree that tuning is not currently a priority for manufacturers, I
disagree that it never can be. Microtuning was on the marketing features
list for one proposed high end instrument at this company.  That request was
put in there by marketing, not engineering.  We are making headway, as slow
as it may seem.

John Loffink
jloffink@pdq.net