How the Pitch Palette software talks to the synthesizer/sound card
The MicroTuner creates a MIDI System Exclusive (SysEx) message and sends it to your synthesizer every time you change Scale, Key or Root.
The tuning data available in the Pitch Palette is calculated to a precision of 1/100 of a cycle per second (Hertz). The microtuning SysEx message sent to your synth is based on the information published in the synth manual. As the microtuning capabilities of synthesizers and sound cards vary greatly, there are some issues of which you should be aware.
The tuning resolution of your synth might be:
The finer the resolution, the more in tune your synth will sound.
The tuning range of each semitone might be:
When the MicroTuner needs to send a tuning message that is beyond the tuning range of your synth, it will tune it to its maximum capability. It will not interrupt the performance, but it will display a message at the bottom left corner of your screen, something like "the frequency of note Bb is beyond the tuning range of the selected synth."
The tuning latency of synthesizers refers to the amount of time it takes to be re-tuned. It is affected by these factors:
The tuning change of microtunable synthesizers can:
Instantaneous response to the tuning of a particular tone is not necessarily desirable in every circumstance. You may, for example, want the tuning to change only for new notes. In other cases some sustained tones may change pitch. This is an artistic choice. See "Hanger," below.
At the top right of the MicroTuner screen there are four lights that function as follows:
Clicking your mouse on the Hanger will toggle it on and off if your synth has the tuning change option referred to above. If the Hanger is ON (green light), notes that are being played will be retuned instantaneously when a tuning message is received. If the Hanger is OFF (black light), notes that are being played will not be affected until they are released and played again.
If your synth is not capable of switching between a Hanger ON and a Hanger OFF, the light will be grey and inoperable. We are encouraging manufacturers to support this option.
Clicking your mouse on the Tempered Toggle will change the scale to the equal
tempered scale, and the light will turn red. Clicking the Tempered Toggle again
will change the scale back to the one that was selected before the scale was
toggled to Tempered, and the light will turn black.
Clicking on this light turns the Auto Root feature ON (green) and OFF (black). Auto Rooting works best with the Hanger ON. If the hanger is off, the notes that are played before a chord is detected and automatically rooted will remain tuned in the old tonal centre and subsequent tones will be tuned to the new tuning.
This light is an indicator that MIDI In data is being received by the Pitch Palette.
The current Key is displayed above the word Key. You can use the spin buttons underneath the Key display to change the Key. You can also change the Key from any MIDI controller or sequencer by sending a NOTE ON the Tuning Channel (see Chapter 2 - Setup Options).
The current Root is displayed above the word Root. You can use the spin buttons
underneath the Root display to change the Root. You can also change the Root
from any MIDI controller or sequencer by sending a NOTE ON the Tuning Channel
(see Chapter 2 - Setup Options), or by setting Auto Root to ON.