Acoustica User Forums

Is there a way to create/import custom scale maps for instrument clips like you can do with drum maps? I've been digging around in the ProgramData folder looking for a place they'd go but can't find anything. If not, is this a planned feature for future versions? I think it'd be a pretty useful tool.

What do you mean custom scale? All notes are included in every instrument.
If you use the step editor, you can choose which notes show up on screen for you to work with.

I'm talking about the scale maps selected in the dropdown menu on the piano roll (the same one where drum maps can be chosen.) There are a handful of scales already there, like Dorian and Mixolydian, but it'd be nice to have support for custom ones as well. Say for example I wanted to compose something using the Phrygian scale; it'd be nice to have those notes highlighted rather than having to refer to examples online or something like that.

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion!

You can do this in Step mode with the note chooser (click the Add/Edit option).

Greg

Whew! We could have all seven modal scales and then someone will want the medieval, greek and modern variations of the phrygian modes, then someone will bring up the Fraigish........

Not suggesting its a bad suggestion, just pointing out this kind of thing can become endless........

I don't know about the rest of you but a Phrygian tune done with a Mini-Moog just might be too sublime. -h

Hi,
I have exactly the same question as in the original post I am replying to. Can I prepare a custom scale in MX9 in a similar way I can write a custom drum map? Of course, I could use the step sequencer for that purpose but the piano roll is generally a more convenient tool to program instruments. I imagine it could be a simple text file with whole and half steps (like 2 and 1, or 1 and 0.5) to represent up to 12 notes per octave (as for the chromatic scale).

Thanks for the prompt reply. You seem to suggest selecting notes in the step mode. But, if I understand well, I need to select all notes across all octaves I wish to use. I could do that, of course but, after I switch to piano roll, my selection has no impact on how the notes are highlighted. My purpose is rather to highlight custom notes in the piano tab.

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion!

Greg

Mark Bliss wrote: ↑Mon May 16, 2016 5:10 pm Whew! We could have all seven modal scales and then someone will want the medieval, greek and modern variations of the phrygian modes, then someone will bring up the Fraigish........

Not suggesting its a bad suggestion, just pointing out this kind of thing can become endless........

Hence the user asked if it's possible for the user to create their own scales.

Or Greg et. al. could hook up with Martin Schule who wrote the Android App Smartchord, he's got pretty much all the scales in that...

I dont remember writing that thought down. Oh, then I see its four years old.

Agreed, flexibility is good.

What stinks is that the custom scale is only good for the one track on which it has been mapped.
This means that if you want to write an entire piece in Phygian mode, you have to customize it for all of the instrument tracks.

Also, after mapping, the piano roll shading doesn't match the mapping when switching to piano roll. So chords can be time consuming to work out across the whole song.

Hello,

Try using the plugin Chordz. It specifically builds and plays out chords according to the scale and tonic. And you can customize everything.

It also has a scale only mode where it will allow only the playing of specific notes within that scale. You also choose the tonic for the specific key. MIDI will still be recorded for the notes not within the scale, but those notes will not sound - not be transmitted from the plug in.

Try using the plugin Chordz. It specifically builds and plays out chords according to the scale and tonic. And you can customize everything.

Great idea! Oddly enough, I have this plugin but never used it. (I'm thinking it came with something else)

Thanks for the tip!!!