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Topic: adjust the tune of the computer (Read 7507 times) previous topic - next topic

adjust the tune of the computer

I'm using the computer as an accompainment instrument for me.

sometimes my instrument is not coherent with the tune of the computer, and it is not so simple to adjust it (the playing instrument ).

is there a way to adjust the tune of the computer.
like - to change the hight of the tune ( the pitch?)
( I mean, like when in an orchestra they tune up the Violins' A etc. )

Re: adjust the tune of the computer

Reply #1 –
Try using the Pitch Bend multi point controller.  It won't work if you're adjusting more than a tone sharp or flat, but for intonation, it should be fine.

You can put an MPC at the start of each NWC staff, if the tuning is consistently out, or - if you need to adjust the tuning along the way (maybe when changing from sharps to flats), you can add an MPC when you need it.

It DOES mean you have to stick to the same tuning changes every time.  Noteworty can no way to detect your intonation and automatically adjust.  I'm not sure if there are ANY programs that offer this feature.  It's not something I'd want to see on the wishlist.  Not at the expense of some other things.

If you have an unusual instrument where just a particular note is out of tune, you'd need to put an MPC before each of these notes.  Don't forget that a single MPC will also let you re-adjust the tuning back to normal after the note has been played.  If you have this note as part of a chord, you'll need to move it to its own staff, or the rest of the chord will be out of tune.  Alternatively, you could move all of the abnormal notes to a new staff and have a single MPC at the start.

As a further related point, MIDI (and probably Noteworthy) uses equal temperament, and I don't know of any way to change this.  Clever use of MPCs and seperate staves for each named note might let you use a different temperament (where G# need not be the same pitch as Ab).

Re: adjust the tune of the computer

Reply #2 –
Thanks Ewan, i'll check this MPC feature

but I ment to change the hight of all midi tunes the computer producess in every midi or nwc I opened.

that probably means for something which is more low leveled then any noteworthy interface allows me to( or isn't it )

what i mean is -
if i can adjust the brightness of the screen or the volume af a movie with a virtual button that i can drag from left to right, so
is there any similar thing i can do with computer tune so i can adjust it to my instrument ?

Re: adjust the tune of the computer

Reply #3 –
If you are sending signal out from Noteworthy to a midi instrument, you might have a "fine pitch" control on the instrument that will do what you need.

If you're playing from you computers sound card (using MIDI mapper, or some other internal midi instrument), I don't know of something similar.  I've just checked in the Control Panel on my machine and couldn't find anything there, but your midi instrument and operating system might offer more.

Re: adjust the tune of the computer

Reply #4 –
You could save your Noteworthy piece as a midi file and then play it with something like Van Basco - this program lets you alter the pitch without altering the speed (alternatively, also lets you alter the speed without altering the pitch).

Re: adjust the tune of the computer

Reply #5 –
Ok, Ann, but does this utility let me see the notes as they play ? ( after all I need it to accompany me)

The MPC thing though was a good advise,
but I encountered 3 problems :

1) you have to adjust every channel seperately.

2) I can't adjust the pitch while I play.
I have first to select a pitch for the channel, and then see if it fits me or more adjustment is needed.

3) It seems NoteWorthy has some Initialization/Reset problem ...
like, if I choose to put an MPC somewhere in the middle,
the first time it plays fine and changes the pitch (b.t.w. this is a new word I learned here ...) as I "told" him.
but the next time I play from start, the pitch is already changed from start. do you know anything about that ?

thanks

Ori

Re: adjust the tune of the computer

Reply #6 –
Regarding Problem 3:  That is the way NWC behaves.  It does not reset MPCs - you have to do that explicitly.  Whether this is a problem or not depends on what you are trying to do.  I think the idea is to allow you to set up effects on an external midi device.  If NWC did a general MPC reset those effects would need to be set up again each time.  It would be nice if Insert MPC had an option to insert a "General Reset" - off to the wish list I go.

Regarding problems 1 & 2, how about this:  Make a simple NWC file with an MPC followed by a single tuning note.  Play along with this and adjust the MPC until you and the computer are in tune.  Copy the MPC and paste it at the start of each staff in the tune you want to play along with.

HTH

Stephen

Re: adjust the tune of the computer

Reply #7 –
hi Stephen.

what do you mean by
"reset MPCs - you have to do that explicitly".
how do I do that ?
by putting a second MPC ?

as for your sujestions regarding problems 1&2 :
I had already done so, but it is just not so convinient as if I could have hear the tune and change it sort of "on line" ...

Re: adjust the tune of the computer

Reply #8 –
>Ok, Ann, but does this utility let me see the notes as they play ? ( after all I need it to accompany me)

No, it doesn't. Seems like MPCs are the only answer then.

What instrument you play? I'm just curious to know because stringed instruments can obviously be variously tuned, and most wind instruments can be fine-tuned by twisting sections of the segments. What happens when you play in an orchestra - does everyone have to tune to you?

Re: adjust the tune of the computer

Reply #9 –
No, Ann,
not everybody have to tune themselves for me.
I'm not such a "primadona".

but the computer is a dum machine - so it is it's duty to tune itself to my wimps ...

as for your question :
I play the piano and recorder
(I think it's called a recorder - sort of wooden flute).

and both are extreemly hard to be tuned.

ori

Re: adjust the tune of the computer

Reply #10 –
In reply to #7: "what do you mean by
"reset MPCs - you have to do that explicitly".
how do I do that ?
by putting a second MPC ?"

Yes, a setting on a channel made by an MPC stays active until you set it to something different with another MPC.  That is even the case if you set an MPC and then open a new file.  This is a bit annoying as if you load a piano piece after a violin piece for example, you can find you have a piano playing vibrato.  However, as I said, this behaviour seems to be useful to those who use NWC to drive an external midi instrument.

So after inserting an MPC you have to set it to its default value by inesrting another MPC to get back to the state you were in before the first MPC.

Stephen

Re: adjust the tune of the computer

Reply #11 –
Ah ! stefan - thank you.

I think it's even more simple just to close NoteWorthy and then to open it again...

anyway, have you got any idea if this - what you described -
is it a Bug or a Feature ? ...

ori

Re: adjust the tune of the computer

Reply #12 –
I think this should be classed as a feature.  A I understand it if this behaviour changed it might cause difficulties for some users - those using MPCs to control external midi devices.  Perhaps someone else might be able to confirm this as I do not have an external midi device myself.

Stephen

Re: adjust the tune of the computer

Reply #13 –
Ori, you were asking about changing the pitch of a song. I think everyone has been answering on the assumption that your midi output is playing the right notes, but is only a little sharp or flat compared to the pitch your piano or recorder makes when playing the same notes.  MPC is probably the right answer to that (I haven't used it for that, so I can only say "probably").

It seems to me, though, that you might be asking how to transpose music in NWC - so for instance you can create a trumpet or clarinet part to be played with piano accompaniment.

Some instruments are "transposing" instruments, so when you play a C on the trumpet, the same note on a piano is Bb.  When you play a C on an alto sax, a recorder would play Eb to sound the same.

Transposing a part in NWC is very easy.  You do it one staff at a time, by using the "tools/transpose staff" feature.  Transpose staff will move the notes up or down by whatever number of half-tones you desire, and the key signature will be changed too.  See "help" (F1 in NWC) for more information.

You can also change notes individually or in groups, by highlighting them and moving them up or down with the control and arrow keys.  The key signature will not change this way, and there are other limitations as well.

Re: adjust the tune of the computer

Reply #14 –
Thanks, David !

but I've been using the TRANSPOSE option for quite a while now.

as you (probably) know - The Recorder has a very narrow range of notes ( 2 octavs ) it can produce,
so, practicaly every 1 of two compositions that falls under my hands goes through the TRANSPOSE "procedure" ...

ori

Re: adjust the tune of the computer

Reply #15 –
So the problem truly is that a middle C played on your computer is not the same pitch as the low C on the recorder, I guess.

There is an awkward way to overcome the problem, but it may be too troublesome to be worthwhile.

If you can capture the midi output as a .wav file, you can download Amazing Slowdowner from http://www.ronimusic.com/

That program is intended to allow you to play back .wav files at different speeds without affecting pitch, but it can be used to adjust pitch.

So, essentially the process would be:

Write your music in NWC - save as midi file.

If your soundcard has a recording program that will capture any sound going through it, activate it.

Go back to the midi file, staying in NWC, and press F5 to play it.

When finished, to to the recording program, save the file it created to a .wav format.

Open that file with Amazing Slowdowner, then adjust the pitch and save it under a new file name, as a .wav file.

Play this new file back and if it's in tune with your recorder, burn it to a CD.

Re: adjust the tune of the computer

Reply #16 –
mm.. David !
This is interesting,
but, I'm playing along with the computer while READING THE NOTES it plays.
so a recorded song won't do here.

however I came across a related problem :

After having changed the pitch using MPC in a song,
as we discussed here, a second song that will be played afterwards will still be effected by the MPC change.
this of course can be a desirable outcome - since I want all songs in this "session" to be played on the same pitch.
however, the pitch change seems to hold to only a particular channel number, so when i open my second song, if it has more then one channel - the result is HORRIBLE !!!

so,
is there any way on a given time or location that I could ask and determine "on what pitch I am now ... ? "

Re: adjust the tune of the computer

Reply #17 –
This is getting considerably beyond my knowledge level.  I've only experimented a bit with MPC, because I use NWC primarily for creating notation to print out sheet music.

I'll have to sit back and let others answer.

Re: adjust the tune of the computer

Reply #18 –
IIRC, pressing F6 while nothing is playing resets all the MPC's.
Since 1998
 

Re: adjust the tune of the computer

Reply #19 –
Thanks Warren !

I tried it - and it works sometimes ...
(after all - F6 is the shortcut for STOP )

anyway, it would help me better if there would found a way to effedt all midi channels in a song in just one command.
is there any ?

ori