source file: m1523.txt
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1998 17:47:36 +0930

Subject: Experimental 19-tone keyboard

From: "McDougall, Darren Scott - MCDDS001"

Advice wanted...

I have nearly completed my custom MIDI keyboard ( final year electronic project
at university ). The keyboard is not a performance device, as it has just over
an octave and has buttons rather than keys, but is intended to allow the
exploration of 19 TET on a more intuitive interface than a confusing standard
synth keyboard.

I want to know if there is any preference as to what MIDI note number
coresponds to each key. In my own 19-tone sequencing setup, I have defined #64
to E, #65 to E#/Fb, #66 to F, #67 to F#, #68 to Gb, and so on. If there has
already evolved some accepted standard for this, or if other musicians have
defined their own, please inform me so that I can make my device as universal
as possible.

ABOUT THE KEYBOARD
All it does is send MIDI notes to your microtonal synth. I have completed
constructing the playing surface; it is now time to program the microcontroller
- a Motorola 68HC11 for those who are interested. It has white buttons for the
(duh) 7 white notes, red buttons for the 5 sharps, blue buttons for the 5
flats, and two grey buttons for E# / Fb and B# / Cb.

My reasoning for choosing the MIDI note numbers I did, stemmed from having had
built a 19-tone electric guitar. My tuning meter only has E A D G B E to choose
from so I chose E for tuning every string on my guitar because I could tune
both the top and bottom strings open. The other four strings require fretting
to E; this is quite awkward to do, so being able to tune two strings without
contorting my upper body is a big plus in my book! (Maybe I should fit a fine
tuner whammy bridge). Note-number 64 is the centre of the MIDI range, and I
also wanted the pitch of 19-tone E A D G B E to be centrally located on my
standard synth keyboards.

Please tell me what you think of this setup; I can certainly change at this
early stage of the project.

Thankyou
DARREN McDOUGALL