MIDI Transformer - Individual scales

[hesspet]

Hello,

the MIDI Transformer has a small amount of scales. Does someone has a good scale patch (which allows an invididual configuration for scales).

Idea:

The Midi Transformer should have a sort of a rule input (and a notation) for each note to configure individual notes and pitches. This is very helpful if you work with arabic scales or with ancient scales.

Any basic work available, otherwise I start working on this.

Peter

BTW: I prefer for playing such scales a non traditional keyboard with black and white keys. For this sort of music I often use a Doefer Stick or a pad based controller to map tones.

[seamus]

Have you seen the ios app thumbjam? Lots of scales in there it would be great to play with scales like that in Usine

[ceasless]

Maybe the MIDI transformer module could get scala file support, then there would be hundreds..

Hesspet, so do you use a pad controller in a similar way to the Push, where you can set a scale and there will be no "wrong" notes on the pad grid? I've been wondering how hard it would be to set up a similar functionality with Usine and a launchpad.

[seamus]

speaking of Push... Its a fantastic controller. It can be used with Usine nicely i think. although I am offtopic! back to scales!
i would like to have george russell's lydian chromatic concept in a scaler.

[Fléau]

hi
@ceasless, i've done it, it's a tiny part of my launchpad patch, shouldn't be easy to isolate it;
i may have free time to do it in two week.

@hesspet: that's for rescale individual notes or outpout chords?
did you tried my midi scaler?
(the visual interface (white and black keys) is read only but it could be easy to use it as a scale maker)

[AndrewChi]

@hesspet:
I currently use the mapper value to map incoming notes to different ones.
With the preset manager you can save exotic scales want and even make them dynamic (ex. Responding to notes form let's say the MIDI-keyboard player in your band.
What you have to do is
- filter midi messages to Note On
- read the Code1 for this note
- map them to another note/preset map of notes using the 'mapper (value)' module
- merge them back together with 'create midi message'
voila you have it.
There will be lots of possibilities, but I know it this works!
You can expand this or make it easier to have easy access to the creation of new 'scale'-templates by first sorting the midi notes out on their pitch. 60 is a C, so 60 + 12 will also be a C (octave higher).
You don't have to be a math genius to work this out and make a patch to map individual notes and then multiply it to its current octave.

I have made some patches like that, but currently rewriting much of it in Hollyhock or others are somewhat embedded in larger patches. Let me know if you're interested, then I'll post it when I have a simple subpatch ready.
But again, it's not so difficult!!! (I'm certainly not much of a math genius )

For polyphonic midi-signals I'm not so sure & it could be a little more complex I guess. I would start by investigating the VoiceDispatch Module of the MIDI-modules. Hope this helps.
But you are looking for non-standard tunings, so I guess you will have to find out how much 'cents' you go up from standard tuning with the pitchbend.
This is all standard MIDI-implementation and can be found on the net.
maybe this is also helpful:
http://algoart.com/help/artwonk4/MicroT ... rotone.htm

What I would do is making a second mapper(value) to store the microtuning (pitchbend) information and add it to your basic remapped (standard tuning) note.

Another (perhaps faster) way to achieve microtuning in Usine is to run a microtuning plugin before the midi-data gets into usine.
for example http://www.tallkite.com/alt-tuner.html.
This runs inside Reaper, but if you send it via something like MIDI-YOKE to usine, you will get some fancy tuning options, before it gets processed by Usine.
Would be cooler to do it in Usine IMHO but, this would be the fast-lane for fast end-user FUN.

hope this helps you?

grtz!

[seamus]

@andrewchi.

I would love to see a patch with your scale implementation.

[AndrewChi]

Hi Seamus, I have a bigger patch in previous Usine version, but this is the basic implementation in Hollyhock:


this is the patch:
http://www.sensomusic.com/forums/uploads.php?file=TEST%20SCALER.pat

Could be that I forgot something, but it gives you the idea and it works on my computer here, it's pretty easy and gives you the power to edit scale mappings visually.
You'll have to use latest Hollyhock update 9 (the latest) because there was a little bug in the Mapper(value) module in previous versions!

So the main idea:
You unpack your incoming midi and you want to know which note it is. The MIDI note numbers are stored in CODE1 of your MIDI in Usine. You have only 12 different notes, so I mapped the incoming notes from 1 to 12 to get the basic note (0=C, 1=C#, 2=D,...,12=B). This happens in the first Mapper.
Then we would like to add/subtract musical steps according to the scale we 'program' in the STEPS. I made an example of a Major, Minor and a preset which maps every note to C (do/ut/whatever). This happens in the second Mapper(values)-module. This gets it's out values from the step-module, shown in the rack.
So, in the end we just add/subtract the steps from the incoming CODE1 values and the mapping, keep code 2(velocity) untouched and tataaa you have your mapped scale!

So, in case it's not clear:
The STEP GUI in the rack holds 12 values. You could program your own scales by inserting what alterations the mapper should carry out.
for example reading the individual steps from L to R on the step-gui, we would want this for a MAJOR scale:
First step -> when it's a C -> do nothing -> value = 0
2nd step -> when it's C# -> make it a D -> value = +1
3rd step -> when it's D -> do nothing -> value = 0
4rd step -> when it's D# -> make it a E -> value =+1
and so on.....
If you're happy with your scale, save it in the preset manager and you can map anything to what you've put in the step module.

So the only thing not implemented in this patch is the tonality/root.
But I guess you can easily work this out by adding something like transposition functionality.
Have fun & keep me posted of interesting developments/patches regarding scaling!!!

////a nice thing I really like is that this can be really dynamic, for example: I have a random midi generator and I want it to be mapped to the last 16 notes I have played on my keyboard, when I'm improvising I want Usine to 'follow' my note-alterations. -> with some tweaks this is really easy to implement, you just have to 'fill' another Step when playing a midi-note and map it! Instant harmonic-robotic fun /////

[ceasless]

@fléau,

Have you had a chance to find that sub-patch? You could always share the entire Launchpad patch too, I'm sure few would mind

[Fléau]

hi,
my computer is out of order for the moment, i should receive a new hard disk tomorrow,
so i will isolate this patch for this week end.

[ceasless]

oh man, i hope it all goes well with the transition. i feel like pouring out some drink, to all the fallen hard drives..

[Fléau]

Ok, reinstalled everything.
Last time i've saved this workspace was in may 2013, so it seem a bit esoteric for me now.
i've started to understand how i did it and to correct some little bugs.
After that i'll have to make an exemple patch
(launchpad decoder/encoder is ok, but all the little slaves patches are scattered in my workspace)
and a little tutorial because the setup page (color,fonction...) is not very clear.
Please be patient, i'll post it asap.


edit: note that is under V5.8

[ceasless]

Thanks very much fleau! I'm not very familiar with V5.8, but hopefully I will be able to understand the patch and port it forward to Hollyhock.

Your effort is really appreciated man, thanks again.

[Fléau]

hi,
sorry for the time it tooks.
here it is:
launchpad usine v5.8 workspace
you can select the different page with the upper buttons
i've made three exemple on page 1 2 & 3
the isomorphic keyboard is on page 8 (mixer)

i tried it under hollyhock:
launchpad hollyhock
but only page 3 works, seems to be some script incompatibility

i'm not very satisfied, it need to be repatched, but i prefer to get a 'PUSH' before.
i suscribed to this topic, so if you could give some feedback and evenly share your work on your 'push'
it would be very great.

[ceasless]

Yes, for sure! I will probably start a new Push related topic once I start working on it (and hopefully using some of the work you've already done!). I will make sure to announce that thread here so that you don't miss anything

But it may be a little while... It's just too much fun to make music on the Push, despite its current shortcomings. Once my trial period expires for Ableton Suite I'll be hungry to start 'push'-ing some boundaries by bringing it to Usine.

Thanks again for sharing your patch fléau!

[Fléau]

i could't resist, i bought it and started a topic.
http://www.sensomusic.com/forums/viewto ... 084#p29084

[Fléau]

I forget to mension that xy axe of the isomorphic keyboard are inversed compared to ableton,
because i found easier to play a chord with the left hand that way.

vertical increase by tone and horizontal increase by fourth.

major minor augmented diminished
X 0 X 0
0 X 0 X X
0 X 0 X 0 0
0 0 0 0 X
X X X X