Re: [LAD] automation on Linux (modular approach)

Jeff McClintock wrote:
>> From: David Olofson <david@email-addr-hidden>
>>
>
>
>> These issues seem orthogonal to me. Addressing individual notes is just a
>> matter of providing some more information. You could think of it as MIDI
>> using
>> note pitch as an "implicit" note/voice ID. NoteOff uses pitch to "address"
>> notes - and so does Poly Pressure, BTW!
>>
>
> Not exactly note-pitch. That's a common simplification/myth.
> MIDI uses 'key-number'. E.g. key number 12 is *usually* tuned to C0, but is
> easily re-tuned to C1, two keys can be tuned to the same pitch yet still be
> addressed independently.
> It's a common shortcut to say MIDI-key-number 'is the pitch', it's actually
> an index into a table of pitches. Synths can switch that tuning table to
> handle other scales.
>
> A MIDI note-on causes a synth to allocate a physical voice. That physical
> voice is temporarily mapped to that MIDI-key-number so that subsequent note
> control is directed to that voice. The mapping is temporary. Once the note
> is done the mapping is erased. Playing the same key later will likely
> allocate a different physical voice.
> The MIDI-key-number is therefore an 'ID' mapping a control-source to a
> physical-voice.
>
>
>> Anyway, what I do in that aforementioned prototyping thing is pretty much
>> what
>> was once discussed for the XAP plugin API; I'm using explicit "virtual
>> voice
>> IDs", rather than (ab)using pitch or some other control values to keep
>> track of notes.
>>
>
> I agree that addressing notes unambiguously regardless of pitch (or any
> other arbitrary property) is the ideal. I wish more sequencers were not
> locked into a narrow 'western pop music' mode of operation.
> But many MIDI alternatives have been proposed without looking deeply
> enough to realise that MIDI already supports very flexible note control.
>
> MIDI's significant flaw is it's grossly outdated 7-bit resolution, the
> underlying voice model is sound.
>
>
>> Virtual voices are used by the "sender" to define and
>> address contexts, whereas the actual management of physical voices is done
>> on the receiving end.
>>
>
> You have re-invented MIDI with different nomenclature ;-).
>
> Best Regards,
> Jeff McClintock

Indeed, even low cost sound modules support different tempered scales. A
good example for the mapping are percussion modules. For percussion it's
more common to have non-western tempered scales.
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Received on Thu Mar 25 16:15:01 2010