old scales

[Michael Pudney]

Hi Jeff,
I like to design and play my own scales ie use different intervals other than the twelth root of 2...I can hear these scales via a program called Scala..but I have no instrument to play music with these scales.Could I use your music controller to play music with these different scales?

Michael

[jeff_snyder]

Hi Michael,

I'm a microtonal composer myself. Yes, you can use the Manta for microtonal performance. Any hexagon can send any MIDInote, using the Max/MSP midi router (which can be used with the free Max/MSP runtime). Soon, the Manta standalone program that Jan is writing will allow MIDI note mappings as well and simplify things.

I use Scala, and you can route a MIDI input to scala with a Keyboard mapping file to tell Scala how many tones there are per octave, where 1/1 is, etc.

Are you on Mac or PC? Right now I'm working on PC support for the Manta, but it's not ready for distribution.
-Jeff

[Michael Pudney]

Thanks Jeff,
At the moment I'm just using a mouse to click on my custom scale(s) from scala. I'm really liking the geometric spaces between the notes on some of the old Mesopotamian modal systems.Ideally I'd love to have some kind of instrument to play that music..a stand alone thing that could sample sound and play those scales..and become for example a Davidic ten string harp, a kinnor and play in aeolian mode.I'm on a PC.I'm not very computer literate...is the Manta easy and intuitive to use..? Could I turn it into a Mesopotamian aeolian mode tuned kinnor tuned to any base frequency I choose?

Michael

(06-07-2009 08:53 AM)jeff_snyder Wrote:  Hi Michael,

I'm a microtonal composer myself. Yes, you can use the Manta for microtonal performance. Any hexagon can send any MIDInote, using the Max/MSP midi router (which can be used with the free Max/MSP runtime). Soon, the Manta standalone program that Jan is writing will allow MIDI note mappings as well and simplify things.

I use Scala, and you can route a MIDI input to scala with a Keyboard mapping file to tell Scala how many tones there are per octave, where 1/1 is, etc.

Are you on Mac or PC? Right now I'm working on PC support for the Manta, but it's not ready for distribution.
-Jeff

[jeff_snyder]

Hi Michael -
The manta is only a controller, it can't sample sounds or make any sound whatsoever on its own. It only has a USB jack, used to control the computer, so you'd have to use it to control a program like Kontakt or something on your computer to get the sampled sounds. Right now, the manta isn't as easy to use as it could be. If you can get what you want working with a normal MIDI keyboard into the computer, then you could easily swap the manta in for that role and have a nice 2D lattice interface. But if you aren't able to do what you want technically with a keyboard controller, then the Manta won't make things any easier.
-Jeff

(06-07-2009 05:07 PM)Michael Pudney Wrote:  Thanks Jeff,
At the moment I'm just using a mouse to click on my custom scale(s) from scala. I'm really liking the geometric spaces between the notes on some of the old Mesopotamian modal systems.Ideally I'd love to have some kind of instrument to play that music..a stand alone thing that could sample sound and play those scales..and become for example a Davidic ten string harp, a kinnor and play in aeolian mode.I'm on a PC.I'm not very computer literate...is the Manta easy and intuitive to use..? Could I turn it into a Mesopotamian aeolian mode tuned kinnor tuned to any base frequency I choose?

Michael

(06-07-2009 08:53 AM)jeff_snyder Wrote:  Hi Michael,

I'm a microtonal composer myself. Yes, you can use the Manta for microtonal performance. Any hexagon can send any MIDInote, using the Max/MSP midi router (which can be used with the free Max/MSP runtime). Soon, the Manta standalone program that Jan is writing will allow MIDI note mappings as well and simplify things.

I use Scala, and you can route a MIDI input to scala with a Keyboard mapping file to tell Scala how many tones there are per octave, where 1/1 is, etc.

Are you on Mac or PC? Right now I'm working on PC support for the Manta, but it's not ready for distribution.
-Jeff

[Michael Pudney]

Thanks again Jeff,
If I can play my Scala scales in a touch sensitive way with your manta then I want one.
Michael

(06-08-2009 02:08 AM)jeff_snyder Wrote:  Hi Michael -
The manta is only a controller, it can't sample sounds or make any sound whatsoever on its own. It only has a USB jack, used to control the computer, so you'd have to use it to control a program like Kontakt or something on your computer to get the sampled sounds. Right now, the manta isn't as easy to use as it could be. If you can get what you want working with a normal MIDI keyboard into the computer, then you could easily swap the manta in for that role and have a nice 2D lattice interface. But if you aren't able to do what you want technically with a keyboard controller, then the Manta won't make things any easier.
-Jeff

(06-07-2009 05:07 PM)Michael Pudney Wrote:  Thanks Jeff,
At the moment I'm just using a mouse to click on my custom scale(s) from scala. I'm really liking the geometric spaces between the notes on some of the old Mesopotamian modal systems.Ideally I'd love to have some kind of instrument to play that music..a stand alone thing that could sample sound and play those scales..and become for example a Davidic ten string harp, a kinnor and play in aeolian mode.I'm on a PC.I'm not very computer literate...is the Manta easy and intuitive to use..? Could I turn it into a Mesopotamian aeolian mode tuned kinnor tuned to any base frequency I choose?

Michael

(06-07-2009 08:53 AM)jeff_snyder Wrote:  Hi Michael,

I'm a microtonal composer myself. Yes, you can use the Manta for microtonal performance. Any hexagon can send any MIDInote, using the Max/MSP midi router (which can be used with the free Max/MSP runtime). Soon, the Manta standalone program that Jan is writing will allow MIDI note mappings as well and simplify things.

I use Scala, and you can route a MIDI input to scala with a Keyboard mapping file to tell Scala how many tones there are per octave, where 1/1 is, etc.

Are you on Mac or PC? Right now I'm working on PC support for the Manta, but it's not ready for distribution.
-Jeff

[jeff_snyder]

Yes, you could, but not on a PC right now. I'm working on the PC port of the manta software, it may take a month or two. I use both PC and Mac, so PC support is important to me, but it's not finished yet. Just letting you know.
-Jeff

(06-08-2009 02:13 PM)Michael Pudney Wrote:  Thanks again Jeff,
If I can play my Scala scales in a touch sensitive way with your manta then I want one.
Michael

(06-08-2009 02:08 AM)jeff_snyder Wrote:  Hi Michael -
The manta is only a controller, it can't sample sounds or make any sound whatsoever on its own. It only has a USB jack, used to control the computer, so you'd have to use it to control a program like Kontakt or something on your computer to get the sampled sounds. Right now, the manta isn't as easy to use as it could be. If you can get what you want working with a normal MIDI keyboard into the computer, then you could easily swap the manta in for that role and have a nice 2D lattice interface. But if you aren't able to do what you want technically with a keyboard controller, then the Manta won't make things any easier.
-Jeff

(06-07-2009 05:07 PM)Michael Pudney Wrote:  Thanks Jeff,
At the moment I'm just using a mouse to click on my custom scale(s) from scala. I'm really liking the geometric spaces between the notes on some of the old Mesopotamian modal systems.Ideally I'd love to have some kind of instrument to play that music..a stand alone thing that could sample sound and play those scales..and become for example a Davidic ten string harp, a kinnor and play in aeolian mode.I'm on a PC.I'm not very computer literate...is the Manta easy and intuitive to use..? Could I turn it into a Mesopotamian aeolian mode tuned kinnor tuned to any base frequency I choose?

Michael

(06-07-2009 08:53 AM)jeff_snyder Wrote:  Hi Michael,

I'm a microtonal composer myself. Yes, you can use the Manta for microtonal performance. Any hexagon can send any MIDInote, using the Max/MSP midi router (which can be used with the free Max/MSP runtime). Soon, the Manta standalone program that Jan is writing will allow MIDI note mappings as well and simplify things.

I use Scala, and you can route a MIDI input to scala with a Keyboard mapping file to tell Scala how many tones there are per octave, where 1/1 is, etc.

Are you on Mac or PC? Right now I'm working on PC support for the Manta, but it's not ready for distribution.
-Jeff