Software

Electronic composing & software

• Csound (Wikipedia article)
• microcsound A Python-based front-end to Csound specifically geared to microtonal composition (A tutorial for the same)
• alt-tuner microtuning plug-in, does adaptive tunings, on-the-fly retuning, and scale analysis.
• Mutabor – open source dynamic microtuner, allowing mutable and static scales and tunings using flexible language developed for musicians with GUI (Tutorial for the same)
• Rationale: A Just Intonation Sequencer - open source software based on Csound and Python
• Scala Wikipedia article
• TiMidity (Wikipedia article)
• Tonescape Music composition, analysis and educational tool
• Tune Smithy Wikipedia article
• blue a composition environment and frontend for Csound with python-based scripting capabilities
• Dynamic TonalityFreely available dynamic tonality synthesizers and sequencers. (Info on dynamic tonality)
• Melodyne Editor v. 2 Commercial audio software with editing and analysis functions for scales and tunings
• Offtonic Microtonal Synthesizer JavaScript browser app that lets you play around with tunings
• ZynAddSubFX freeware microtonal-capable softsynth which runs as a standalone program (Windows/Linux) or as a VST plugin for Windows
• Droneo , 8-voice polyphonic droning iPhone app, defines intervals in Just rations, equal divisions of an interval, or interactively with a tone spiral. Sounds nice, too.
• Scala Microtuners for Kontakt and SynthEdit which enable real-time scale or key change for an ensemble of soft synths by means of note events on designated midi channels.
• Schismata Musical composition tool in any user defined tuning. Supports polyrhythms, tuning changes in real-time, sliding notes, instrument design.
• Scale Workshop Browser-based scale-creation site by Sevish. Allows playing via QWERTY computer keyboard. Can also export .scl and .kbm files.
• Terpstra Keyboard WebApp Cross-platform web app that allows mapping of any tuning (in Scala format) on any form of generalized hexagonal layout. Settings are stored in the address bar for easy sharing.
• Orphion An ipad/iphone touch-to-play app with customizable layout and scales.
• Wilsonic An iPad/iPhone app for exploring alternative scales, see it in action: the source file 3 - YouTube
• Tuning Vine An interface for just intonation, with a color-coded lattice.

Software plugins (VST etc.)

• Absynth Advanced softsynth with a library of built-in tunings and an editor to create custom tunings. Commercial, available for Mac/PC (VST/AU)
• ACE (Any Cable Everywhere) Semi-modular softsynth that loads Scala .tun files. Available for Mac/PC (VST/AU), ~$69
• Ivor VST virtual analog synthesizer (freeware from Xen-Arts)
• Microtonal Polyphonic Shiny Dirt VST based on circuit-bent analog synths (freeware from BipTunia Synths). Allows import of .mts files, includes 5000+ scales.
• Microtonal Poly Worms VST virtual analog synthesizer (freeware from BipTunia Synths) Allows import of .mts files, includes 5000+ scales.
• Sforzando VST with many good stock sounds, can import .scl and .kbm files.
• Xenharmonic FMTS VST FM-synthesizer capable of Setharesian timbres (freeware from Xen-Arts)
• Z3TA+ 2.1 commercial VST synthesizer which accepts Scala files. Cost Oct 2011 $99. Example which uses 6 instances of Z3TA+ A Sonnet for Albert Einstein

More examples are in the list of microtonal software plugins.

Audio recording software (DAWs)

• See DAWs

Notation software

• abcm2ps Free, open source, ASCII-based editor with support for some microtonal accidentals.
• MuseScore Open source notation software. Can be microtuned with the 31 EDO Retuner plugin.
• Lilypond Free, open source, outstanding notation software that produces beautiful engraving-quality output on a par with commercial applications like Sibelius. Thanks to the work of Graham Breed, can use Sagittal glyphs. With the Ekmelily extension, it can support several other notation styles, namely Tartini, Richter Herf/Madel and Sims.
• Mus2 is a microtonal score editor with intonationally-correct playback. It allows the retuning of staves and import of symbols from graphics files and fonts to be used as accidentals.
• MaxScore is an Java object for Max/MSP. It is based on Nick Didkovsky's JMSL which natively supports quarter-tone notation, but is capable of playing back microtonal music with unlimited precision. In the most recent version of MaxScore, microMaps have been implemented in the score canvas that allow the display of microtonal inflections in any kind of notation system provided that a font exists to represent those inflections. So far, microMaps for 48TET and 72TET exist. It is planned to develop an standalone editor which doesn't require any Max programming expertise. For more information send an email to georghajdu@me.com.

Research

• Temperament finder - site by Graham Breed
• Interval calculator--a nice online interval calculator tool, shows linear fraction and EDO fraction expansions, too
• An animated Javascript Moment of Symmetry (MOS) ring demo, another untwelve.org creation
• An excellent Firefox browser tuning demo synthesizer, 'Wicksynth'
• Continued Fraction Calculator
• The Tone Spiral - Web based interval visualization

About

• Creating Scala scl files for rank two temperaments

Programming

todo:

• Projects
  • ongoing ~
  • planned ~
• Language decision