MP13
17 February 2014 Filed in: Music | Tuning
Theory
Listen to MP13
This song is an experiment testing a Kawai MP6 as a microtonal sound module. The result is awesome! What you hear is all coming from the MP6 except for a drum loop. I used it also as MIDI controller.
In order to force it to play in 13ED2 (Equal Division of ratio 2:1 into 13 steps of 92.308 cents each) I use the invaluable LMSO:

MIDI signals from the MP6 go to Logic Studio 9 and from there sent to LMSO that retune them. Retuned data are then sent back to the MP6 that play them.
I use four retuned instruments, each one assigned to a LMSO IAC (1 to 4).

(the picture above shows the song after I bounced the MIDI tracks to audio)
I also use one MIDI channel for percussion instruments (going directly to the MP6 because they do not need retuning).
Two of the retuned instruments are monophonic and the other two are polyphonic. That means I need a number of MIDI channels that equals the needed polyphony for that instrument.

The picture above shows the content of the “MP6 program changes” folder:
bass (monophonic) is on channel 1
percussions (not retuned) are on channel 2
electric piano (6 notes polyphonic) is on channels 3 to 8
lead sound (monophonic) is on channel 9
brassy synth (4 notes polyphonic) is on channels 10 to 13.
The MP6 is on “external” mode receiving a program change for each of the 13 used MIDI channels.
So, if I want to play the bass I transmit on channel 1, channel 2 for drums, channel 3 for electric piano, channel 9 for lead sound and channel 10 for brassy synth.