Is there any software that can allow me to compose with microtones?

Question

I would like to explore microtones, but short of de-tuning a piano have no idea how to get to grips with writing with them. Is there any software, plug-ins for Sibelius or modifications I can make to a cheap keyboard (or reversible and quick modifcation I can make to my Casio CDP-100) that would allow to experiment with composing with them?

Thanks for any answers.

Answer 1

It takes a lot of forcing and plug-ins to get sibelius or finale to play quarter tones. Can be done but you have to make major changes to the default midi settings and connect the MIDI to a sound library with quarter tones.

This is really all Sibelius has to say about microtones:

http://www.sibelius.com/cgi-bin/helpcenter/chat/chat.pl?com=thread&start=477635&groupid=3&&guest=1



It's not really what the program (or MIDI) was designed to do.

Better programs for exploring microtones are things like Max/MSP, CSound, Soundhack,



A good book to pick up is: Music Notation in the Twentieth Century: A Practical Guidebook by Kurt Stone. It will give you a primer on notations and a few examples of how other composers have approached non-traditional techniques.

Answer 2

finale can print them, but can only play them back by using the pitch bend tool, and you have to program an invisible expression or articulation to turn it on, and then another one to turn it off on the next note.

and its has a problem anyway:

like if you had one instrument playing an F 1/2# and an A, the pitch bend would affect both notes, not just the F 1/2#



(unless... you put the second note in a second layer and have that layer play back to a different channel... but its messy)



sibelius makes quarter tones much more accessible to type, and it comes with a quarter tone playback plug in...

but i think it might have the same problem as finale with two notes in one part.



they both playback with midi, and midi assumes 12 equal tempered chromatic notes.



you could use a plain synthesis program like Csound.

doesnt type notation, just lets you write by listing frequencies and durations.



or you could just... get a violin.

Answer 3

Not with your Casio.



Sibelius can do it, but it does so by using MIDI Controller number 01h (Pitch Bend) to add or subtract 50 cents to/from the MIDI note number (for quarter tone scales).



... other values for (pick your number of notes) to the octave settings.