Scale Workshop

Description

Scale Workshop is a tool that allows you to create microtonal tunings within your web browser. Your created tunings can be exported and downloaded to your device in the various formats. These tuning files can be loaded into some synthesizers, allowing you to play microtonal music with them.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a replacement for Scala/LMSO?

No, those pieces of software are much more sophisticated. The goal of this project is quick input/generation/audition of tunings within the web browser. It's just a simple tool you can use conveniently.

How do I enter tuning data?

Tuning data should be entered in to the text area labeled ‘Tuning Data’. Add each note on its own new line. Cents and ratios are both supported.

To specify a ratio, simply write it in the format e.g. 3/2
To specify an interval in cents, include a . in the line e.g. 701.9 or 1200.
To specify n steps out of m-EDO, write it in the format n\m

No need to enter 0. or 1/1 on the first line as your scale is automatically assumed to contain this interval.

The interval on the final line is assumed to be your interval of equivalence (i.e. your octave or pseudo-octave).

Don't add any other weird data to a line. Don't try to mix decimals with ratios (e.g. 2/1.5). Scale Workshop will try to gracefully ignore any rubbish that you put in, but it's very possible that weird stuff will happen.

Can I copy and paste the contents of a Scala file (.scl) directly into the Tuning Data field?

Scala files contain non-tuning related comments at the top of the file, so Scale Workshop will throw an error if you try to paste them in directly. Instead you can use the ‘Load .scl’ function, which automatically removes those comments for you. Or you can paste the Scala file but remove the comments manually.

Can I play and hear my scales in the browser?

Yes, this project now contains a synth that allows you to hear your current scale. New features and documentation coming later.

Are non-octave based scales supported?

Yeah.

How do I make my own keyboard mapping?

Keyboard mappings are not supported. You can still export a Scala keyboard mapping file (.kbm) but it will assume a linear mapping. However you can always use duplicate lines in your tuning in order to skip any keys that you don't want to include.

When I export a tuning, I get a weird filename, why?

Exporting a file with the correct filename is not supported in Safari (iOS and macOS). You can try to use Firefox, Chrome or Opera instead.

Can you add a new feature to Scale Workshop?

Probably! Just add your feature request to the issues tracker on GitHub: https://github.com/SeanArchibald/scale-workshop/issues

I found a bug

Please create a bug report with as much info as possible about the issue and how to reproduce it: https://github.com/SeanArchibald/scale-workshop/issues

Changelog

0.8.5

Added amplitude envelope for synth notes (organ, pad, and percussive presets)
Added main volume control
Added keyboard layout setting for international keyboards (English and Hungarian supported)

0.8.4

Added delay effect
Added 'auto' function for base frequency, which calculates the frequency for the specified MIDI note number assuming 12-EDO A440
Added option to choose between Microsoft/Unix line endings
Added indicator to show when Qwerty isomorphic keyboard is active (when typing in a text field, it is inactive)
Added 'Quiet' button in case things get noisy in the workshop
Added share scale as URL to email, twitter
Fix sharing scale as URL - isomorphic mapping
Removed debug option - debug messages will now be output to the JavaScript console by default. Use debug = false; in console to disable
Improved options menu - options instantly take effect when changed (removed Apply/Save button)

0.8.3

Fix sharing scale as URL - now the qwerty isomorphic mapping is correctly shared

0.8.2

Settings have been moved to the right-side column (desktop)
Added option to export a list of frequencies in text format readable by Pure Data's [text] object

0.8.1

Choice of waveform for the synth: triangle, sawtooth, square, sine
Settings menus added - General, Synth and Note Input settings
Qwerty isomorphic keyboard mapping can be changed in the Note Input settings
Qwerty isomorphic keyboard mapping is saved when sharing scale by URL
Currently displayed notes are now highlighted in the tuning data table
Fix stuck note in FireFox when pressing / key
UI improvement (for large screens): tall columns are now contained within one window and individually scrollable
Tuning data table is now displayed more compactly to show more info at once

0.8

Synth added: use the QWERTY keys to play current scale
Export a scale as a URL with the 'Share scale as URL' option

0.7.1

Fix missing line breaks on Notepad and some other text editors
Improved readme formatting (thanks suhr!)

0.7.0

Scale modifiers added: ‘stretch’, ‘random variance’, ‘mode’
Users can now input n\m to specify n steps out of m-EDO
When generating a rank-2 temperament, display the scale sizes which are MOS
Improve UI for user input, using custom modals instead of JS prompts
Code refactored to reduce the amount of duplication
Code is now split up over various js files so it's easier to navigate
Change logo/favicon to square shape

0.6

Generate rank-2 temperaments

0.5

Fix incorrect base frequency when exporting TUN format and NI Kontakt format
Export Scala .kbm format

0.4

All dependencies (Bootstrap, jQuery etc.) now included in scaleworkshop directory
Import Scala .scl format
Export Scala .scl format
Export AnaMark TUN format
Export Native Instruments Kontakt script format
Export Max/MSP coll format

0.3

Generate equal-tempered tuning
Generate harmonic series segment tuning
Generate subharmonic series segment tuning

0.2

Allow tuning data input to be parsed into a frequency table

0.1

Initial version

Roadmap

0.x.x

MIDI controller input
UI improvements
More scale modifiers e.g. ‘quantize to BPM’, ‘sort ascending’, ‘octave reduce’
What should go here?

1.0

Stable

Contributors

Sevish
Scott Thompson

License

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all copies or substantial portions of the Software.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.

clumma / scale-workshop