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Microtonal VST

#1

Hi there, I’m working on a microtonal synthesizer that eventually I would like to turn into a physical instrument - but currently I am attempting to build it virtually.

This is my first coding project and while I have a lot of little questions (the csd file I have attached is more of a skeleton for the end project and has a lot of nonfunctional parts at the moment), the biggest question I have is regarding the organization of the instruments.

Currently I have individual instruments with specific Hz values mapped individually per button for a few octaves of 17-EDO. Ideally I want to have these organized in a way that I could easily swap octaves or build a generic template that could easily swap in other Hz values for other EDOs. I’m sure there’s a way I could organize this through a table or some other method, but I’m not quite sure what to look for in the manual or how to implement it in practice. I’m more than willing to start over from scratch with a much simpler method than what I came up with, but I figured that building a semi-functional version of the synthesizer would be easier than trying to explain what I am attempting to create through text.

Test.csd (15.7 KB)

#2

Why not use a keyboard? That way you can play your synth with an actual keyboard or sequence it from a DAW. Your current approach will really limit the accessibility of the synth, but perhaps there is a reason you chose this approach? If not, let me know and we can discuss much simpler ways of implementing this. :slight_smile:

#3

The reason is mostly because of the limitations of existing midi keyboard layouts. Piano layouts designed around 12-EDO make it difficult to visualize other EDOs geographically. Isomorphic layouts have an existing implementation/user base (even if they are cost prohibitive in the case of the Lumatone). Other layouts like the Archiphone or other variations on the Wicki/Huygens-Fokker designs exist only in extremely niche context.

I’m a multi instrumentalist, and learning and developing muscle memory in different live performance contexts (Saxophone, Trombone, Guitar, Piano, etc.) lead me to approach music in completely different ways. My ultimate goal is to create open source build docs such as CAD files, PCB layouts, and easily sourceable mechanical keyboard parts for an affordable microtonal instrument template that has a symmetrical layout for EDOs up to 35-EDO (limited by double sharp/flat notation, which is its own can of worms).

All this to say, the layout is the point of this particular project. Having a variety of “playable” instruments makes the point of entry more accessible to performing microtonal music with others. That is far down the line though, first steps are figuring out how not to have to type madsr for each individual instrument. :wink: