Mapping a midi keyboard by frequency?

March 9, 2015 12:13 PM

I would like to use some software (preferably Logic Pro, but would be open to a different software if necessary) to map a midi controller using specific frequencies, as opposed to pitches or other sounds. Basically, I'd like to be able to compose music with a midi keyboard where each key gives me a sine wave (or perhaps other wave of my choosing) of some frequency(ies) I select.

I know there are ways to do this, I'm just naive about them, as I'm used to writing music with typical Western pitch classes.

Can I do this using the software itself? Or do I need to get some sort of additional toolkit or the like?

Thanks!

posted by Lutoslawski to Technology (4 answers total)

I don't know Logic, but googling, it looks like the Test Oscillator might be the ticket - you could set up a bunch of tracks with the Test Oscillator instrument tuned to different frequencies and then map the "trigger" button for each to your various midi keys.

Another solution would be to generate .wav samples of a sine wave at every frequency you want and then just drop them into Logic's sampler so you could play them with your keyboard. I guess you might have issues in terms of looping and et cetera, depends on what you need it for.
posted by raisindebt at 12:30 PM on March 9, 2015

This right here is why Pure Data and MaxMSP exist.
posted by Alterscape at 12:37 PM on March 9, 2015

Robert Schneider did this for his non-pythagorean scales by mapping in his notes to the keyboard. The album even had the sf2 SoundFont for the mapping so you could mess about with it yourself.
posted by scruss at 12:41 PM on March 9, 2015

Googling "softsynth non western scale" turned up this page on the merits of various DAWs from a microtonal perspective, which also includes a link to a bunch of softsynths capable of mictrotonality.
posted by ludwig_van at 3:14 PM on March 9, 2015