Wendy Carlos on Microtuning

[happyrat1]

I was listening to some Switched On Bach today and started wondering about Wendy Carlos and what she's been doing for the past twenty years or so.

Turns out she's been keeping busy.

http://www.wendycarlos.com/

http://www.wendycarlos.com/discs.html

Gary

 

[Becky]

That's really interesting! Not sure I 100% followed everything, but it's certainly a fascinating concept

Also, don't know if it's just me, but it took me a good 10 seconds to work out that in the image on her website she has a cat on her shoulder and not a slab of meat

 

[John Garside]

Of course, all Wendy is doing here is going back over the work that was done back in the 17th and 18th century where they understood, and didn't like, the E.T. (equal temperament not extra terrestrial) that we use for tuning today. All our thirds are significantly out of tune, fifths are almost pure, but we've become used to it.

There's a technical article here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_temperament

 

[Biggles]

What a load of rubbish.

Basing music theory on a Cent when everone knows that the only way to actually define music is using Pounds, Shillings and Pence.

 

[happyrat1]

The interesting thing is that Wendy Carlos has the technology available to make these tiny adjustments in a heartbeat.

When I listen to Baroque and Modern Tuning's side by side I have to say that my ears find the modern tuning more pleasing and harmonious while I find baroque to be richer and and slightly more jarring to listen to.

Gary

 

[John Garside]

Some of the modern VST libraries also have ways of instantly, well almost, choosing another tuning and temperament.
The Garritan orchestral libary uses a sample player by Plogue, which allows one to choose whether A=440Hz or various other settings and whether to load a "Scala" file.



A Scala file, of which there are thousands, defines an alternative temperament more or less as a simple text file.



It defines the ratio, or # of cents (to several decimal places) that each note of the scale should be tuned to.

It means that I can have e.g. one copy of ARIA with a harpsichord loaded in one temperament, and another with various other instruments installed in a more modern tuning ... or whatever.

Keeps me amused somewhat on the long winter evenings.
I'm too old for any other, more interesting, activities now ... sadly.

 

[happyrat1]

Don't count yourself out of the game yet. Halloween is just a few days away and you're only as young as you feel

Gary

 

[John Garside]

Halloween!

You mean watch out for a witch?

Aaaargh.

 

[Biggles]

Halloween!

You mean watch out for a witch?

Aaaargh.

If you happen to see a red headed witch flying over Northants, then give my Mrs a wave.

 

[happyrat1]

You're married to Bette Midler Biggles?

Gary

 

[Biggles]

Secrets out

 

[John Garside]

If you happen to see a red headed witch flying over Northants, then give my Mrs a wave.

Waved at something on a broomstick that was flying over, too high to see if it was redheaded, but the two finger salute I received in reply was too obvious to ignore, so I ducked for cover.

Right move?

 

[Biggles]

Waved at something on a broomstick that was flying over, too high to see if it was redheaded, but the two finger salute I received in reply was too obvious to ignore, so I ducked for cover.

Right move?

It was not her this time.

There would not be a two fingered salute from her, she is more of a flying brick lady.

So keep practicing your ducking manoeuver.

 

[John Garside]

Now that's something I've never laid eyes on, "a flying brick lady".

Can't even imagine what that looks like, but it made me laugh.

 

[Biggles]

Now that's something I've never laid eyes on, "a flying brick lady".

Can't even imagine what that looks like, but it made me laugh.

She flies around on her custom red willow broomstick with go faster stripes and custom seat and foot rests, the foot rests being an important addition to aide stability whilst she tests out the aero dynamic properties of a series of bricks she carries in Givi Panniers that she had added.

So far good old Accrington brick had worked out best, she can add a parting or give a guy a close head shave from 500 feet with ease, its the spin she puts in the brick as she hurls it down towards the unsuspecting fellow down below

 

[John Garside]

That must be some broomstick!

My impression was that they were like sports cars, i.e. built for speed, I had no idea that they had load carrying capabilities too.

Surely panniers are going to cause a loss of aerodynamics and slow the whole thing down to a crawl?

Either that or the spells driving it are super powerful?