question about alternative tunings

[katavist]

Hello!

I don't own a Prophet 6 yet, but I'm planning to buy the desktop version. Now I have a question about the alternative tunings:
Does one have to replace all 16 presets to download .syx files to the Prophet 6, or is it possible to download just a single tuning (e.g. Bohlen Pierce)? Is it possible to choose which of the presets will be replaced by the new tuning?

Thanks!

[extempo]

Hi katavist-

As per the MIDI Turning Standard (http://www.microtonal-synthesis.com/MIDItuning.html), alternate tuning sysex files are coded with information designating a tuning program number (0 - 127). When you load a new alternate tuning into the Prophet 6, it will overwrite the existing tuning located in whichever slot this tuning program number tells it to go. So, if you download a tuning as a .syx file, you can use a hex editor, such as Hex Fiend (http://ridiculousfish.com/hexfiend/) for OSX, to code that tuning to go to any of the Prophet 6's 16 (0 - 15) alternate tuning locations.

[katavist]

Hi extempo,

thank you for your answer! Good to know that it's possible.

I opened a .syx file in Hex Fiend and looked at the MIDItuning webpage… it says "tt = tuning program number from 1 to 128" … does that mean I have to find "tt" and overwrite it with "00" to load the file into slot 1? I guess not, because there's no "tt" in the file… I have no idea how to do this.

Well I guess, when the time has come and I have my Prophet 6, I'll have to ask again for precise instruction  Thanks anyway!

[extempo]

You're on the right track, but as you note you won't see "tt" in the hex editor. You would need to locate the byte for which "tt" is the placeholder, and replace it with the hexadecimal number corresponding to the alternate tuning location (0-15) you want it to go to in the Prophet 6.

[katavist]

I see. So it will take some trial and error, but I'll get there in the end. Thanks!

[wetfood]

Hi katavist and extempo,

thanks so much for the helpful info on this. I'm also trying to load my own tunings and not having much luck.

Support has been helpful in leading me to convert my scala files to mts format using this converter
http://www.microtonalsoftware.com/scl-scala-to-mts-converter.html

editing hex information is where my head starts to spin. any further help would be greatly appreciated.

[extempo]

I've attached an image that I hope will be of assistance in altering MTS sysex files in order to change the tuning program number. It's good to note that tuning program location #1 ("00" in the HEX world), or Standard tuning, is read-only in our instruments that support alternate tunings. All other tuning program locations can be written to freely.

Altering an MTS sysex file to change the tuning location for use in the Prophet 6 only requires changing a single digit!

[wetfood]

Extempo,

Thank you for taking the time to break this down for someone with no prior hexperience (ahem. sorry...)

I was up into the wee hours staring at hex files and trying and failing to figure out which number was what. Needless to say I'm not mathematically inclined and easily intimidated by long strings of numbers.

I was eventually directed toward Max Magic Microtuner (for Mac) and although the software hasn't been updated in some time, still works fine. The demo version will do everything you need to carry this out, but it will quit after 15 minutes or so. I was able to easily import scala files and export them as mts sysex files with designated program numbers. Just be sure to import tuning files in expanded form and leave the instrument ID at 0 when saving as syx. You can even send sysex directly from MMM.

It's good to know there's more than one way to go about it, but I'll probably continue to use MMM as it saves the steps of having to convert my files with the online converter, edit the hex info manually, and then dump the tunings with sysex librarian.

[katavist]

Thank you, extempo and wetfood! Your information is very much appreciated. Now all I need is a Prophet 6