MAIN CONTROLS - Scale

 

 

One of Omnisphere’s versatile features is its ability to utilize different tunings, which includes historical temperaments, microtonal scales and user-created temperaments as well.  Omnisphere can import any .TUN scale file.

Each Part can have a single Scale active at one time.  In a Multi up to eight different Scales can be loaded at the same time.

Each tuning lists the number of notes per octave.  For example, if you select “Pelog 7-tone” the octave will repeat every eighth half-step.

 

NOTE: The common reference for all of the alternate tunings is that pitch of middle-C (C3 or C4 on your controller) will always be the same, no matter what Scale is loaded.

 

 

Some of the temperaments that are included with Omnisphere are:

 

Arabic

The first two Arabic scales were created in the first century by Persian philosopher Abu Nasr al-Farabi and are still used in modern Arabian music. Sabbagh tuning is designed for the Od (a lute-like instrument) and last is a common Turkish 24-note scale.

Al-Farabi 17-Tone

Al-Farabi 19-Tone

Sabbagh 7-Tone

Turkish 24-Tone

 

Gamelan

These scales are used in Indonesian gamelan music.  A Gamelan is an ensemble comprised of metallic percussion, strings, horns and vocals.  So these scales work very well with metallic, bell-like sounds.

Degung 5-tone

Jemblung 5-tone

Pelog 7-tone

Pelog and Slendro (Pelog on the white keys and Slendro on black)

Slendro 5-tone

Udan 12-tone

 

Historical

These are mostly octave-based scales, where were attempts to resolve the inherent ‘un-pure’ nature of the 12-tone scale, so some intervals and chords will sound very pure and others will be quite dissonant (the dissonant notes are sometimes called ‘wolf’ tones)

Kirnberger II – Named for Johann Kirnberger, who was a student of Bach.

Meantone Half – First created in the 15^th century, and utilized by JS Bach, amongst others.  It attempted to create purer thirds, by sacrificing the purity of the fifths.

Olympos 5-tone – an Ancient Greek pentatonic scale.

Pythagorean – Named for Pythagoras, based on perfect fifths and has been used since 3500BC.  There are two 17-tone versions and a 12-tone Pythagorean scale as well.

Silbermann – Named for Gottfried Silbermann, an builder of keyboards in the 16^th century.

Werkmeister – Named for Andreas Werkmeister who created it in the late 1600s.

 

Microtonal

These scales are stretched outside the standard 12-tone scale, and simply add additional microtonal steps from just under an octave up to 48 tones per octave.

11-Tone – One octave minus one half tone

13-Tone – One octave and a half tone

17-Tone – One octave and a major fourth

19-Tone – One octave and a major fifth

24-Tone – Two octaves

31-Tone – Two octaves and a fourth

48-Tone – Four octaves

 

Modern

These alternative scales were created within the last one hundred and fifty years.

Bohlen-Pierce – a 13-tone scale named for Heinz Bohlen and John Pierce

Carlos Scales - Synthesis pioneer Wendy Carlos created these five scales.  The first three are microtonal and the remaining two are 12-tone scales.

Carlos Alpha 18-tone

Carlos Beta 22-tone

Carlos Gamma 35-tone

Carlos Harmonic C

Carlos Super Just C

Darreg Genus – A 9-Tone scale named for Ivor Darreg, who created the first re-tunable synthesizer in the 1950s.

Ellis – A 24-tone scale named for Alexander Ellis and Hermann von Helmholtz, a well-known scientist of the 1800s.

Partch 29-tone – Henry Partch, an American composer of the 20^th century created many alternate tunings, such as 43-tone, 37-tone and this 29-tone scale.

 

Western

Equal Temperament - the default tuning for most of Western culture (and for Omnisphere as well).