Window 171

=  Play Bar =

Volume
Set overall volume. Check also Bs | Play control - Volume, && Parts window...

The volume is also affected by the volume for individual parts in the Parts window. Also in the case of midi instruments you can configure the volume for windows as a whole using Bs | Play Control - Volume.

For the Waveform player (triangle wave etc), go to the Waveform Player Audio Properties window (Ctrl + 188)

For CSound instruments, you can set the overall volume in the CSound Options window (Ctrl + 168)

You can also vary the volume in Out | Options | More | Volume Remapping (Ctrl + 158) and if playing from Midi In there's another setting at In | Options | Keyboard Options | Touch (Ctrl + 91)

See also Help | FAQ - trouble shooting | Why is everything so quiet

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A small window with handy buttons to stop / start tune etc...

It stays on top of the other Tune Smithy windows all the time.

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Set overall volume. Check also Bs | Play control - Volume, && the Parts window...

The volume is also affected by the volume for individual parts in the Parts window. Also in the case of midi instruments you can configure the volume for windows as a whole using Bs | Play Control - Volume.

For the Waveform player (triangle wave etc), go to the Waveform Player Audio Properties window (Ctrl + 188)

For CSound instruments, you can set the overall volume in the CSound Options window (Ctrl + 168)

You can also vary the volume in Out | Options | More | Volume Remapping (Ctrl + 158) and if playing from Midi In there's another setting at In | Options | Keyboard Options | Touch (Ctrl + 91)

See also Help | FAQ - trouble shooting | Why is everything so quiet

- SPIN
Adjust the volume up / down

/
Show the volume as text, or as a graphic...

Click here to change from one to the other and back

Pause
Pause playback, or continue play

Play
Play midi clip, chord progression, fractal tune or metronome..

What this plays depends on the task selected from the Tasks menu.

SHORTCUT FOR FRACTAL TUNES OR METRONOME

You can use Shift + click to fast forward...

Also Ctrl to fast forward even more. Shift multiplies the tempo by 10 and Ctrl multiplies it by 100, so the two together would play a fractal tune at for instance, 60,000 instead of 60 as the tempo. This is useful sometimes for fast forwarding through fractal tunes.

Record to Wave
Record in waveform audio format as you play or relay...

You set the file name for the file to record to using the Set File... button - which brings up the Record to file window (Ctrl + 11)

Also be sure to choose what you want to record using the Mixer and volume control button in the Record to file window - usually to "Midi" or "what you hear" or the like. If this is set to record from the microphone you will get nothing recorded unless a microphone is plugged in.

Record to Midi
Record to a midi file as you play or relay...

Set the file name to record to, using the "File" tied quavers icon.

If you want to save a fractal tune generated by Tune Smithy itself, or a polyrhythm metronome, and you are happy to record it starting at the start of the tune, it is better to use File | Save As | Files of type | Midi file (*.mid). You choose how much to save from File | Midi File Options.

That way all the notes can be recorded in one go - with that way FTS doesn't have to actually play the notes in order to record them. So you don't need to wait for it to finish playing, also since it doesn't need to actually play the notes, it records them always at exactly the desired times. So the timing is always going to be crisp and unaffected by any other program you may have running in the background as the tune plays.

Play from PC keyboard
Play in this tuning from PC keyboard...

Show music keyboard layout
This shows the notes on a picture of a music keyboard...

You see them here as you play from your midi keyboard. You can also play the notes here using the PC keyboard or mouse. Click on the keyboard first to get started playing.

Tip: you can use the page up and page down keys as a quick way to change the width in octaves.

Also if you go to the Tune Smithy icon at top left of the keyboard, you can quickly get from there to the options for this window.

Kbd Multiline
Shows them on a multiline keyboard - lets you show a wider span in octaves...

You see them here as you play from your midi keyboard. You can also play the notes here using the PC keyboard or mouse. Click on the keyboard first to get started playing.

Th,
Theremin played from mouse or joystick...

The theremin is that instrument you can play by waving your hands in the air without touching anything.

Here you use the mouse or joystick instead of just moving your hands around. As you move the mouse or joystick the note you play slides around in pitch wherever you want it to go.

This is just a bit of fun. Has various options - try the sliding chords preset :-).

Lissajous Pattern
Shows Lissajous figures as you play...

These patterns were originally made by a Frenchman Lissajous by shining light onto mirrors attached to tuning forks. They can also be shown using oscilloscopes.

The interesting thing about this pattern is that the same chord always has the same pattern whatever its pitch.

So for instance, all major chords with the same exact relative tuning have the same pattern, then there is another pattern for all minor chords, another for all diminished sevenths, and so on. Then there are separate patterns for each of the flavours of all those chords, for instance one for septimal minor chords, one for the ordinary just minor, and so on.

When you have a chord that uses small numbered pure ratios, for instance a chord in the harmonic series or other just intonation (pure ratio based) chords - the lines will join up after a few cycles around.

If the chord isn't quite pure, but close to just, then the lines continue for ever but they start off pretty much the same as the pure chords.

The pattern then would fill the entire area normally (if you set the time out high enough) so wouldn't be very interesting. So normally the lines are set to fade out if it continues too far to follow in the time available. This is configured in the Lissajous Colour and Line Options (Ctrl + 198)

Any that don't fade out can be finished if you give them enough time. The title will show that they need more time - use the Redraw with more time button to see the complete picture.

Some complex just intonation chords may fade out too, because Tune Smithy didn't follow the curve far enough to find the place where it joins up. The calculation continues ahead of the place it reaches with the drawing, so Tune Smithy can show many fairly complex just intonation chords without fading them out. But sometimes it just doesn't go far enough in the calculation to recognise them.

If the pattern fades out, and you know that it is in fact just intonation, and want to see the complete curve, increase the time out if necessary, and again, use the Redraw with more time button.

Though this window doesn't have an obvious menu, it does have one hidden away. Click on the icon at top left to bring up the menu with Close, Resize etc - and look down there and you will find some other options specific to this window - this is a simple way to keep some of the more often needed options ready to hand. You will find the redraw with more time option there, also one to print the window, and the options for the window

>>
Shows this window with either more space, more options, or alternative layout

Rectangular keyboard...
Show Lambdoma notes as you play, & play them using mouse or PC Keyboard...

Tips:

You can use the arrow keys to move a sustained chord around after you have played it.

Show the Bs | Notes Played window to see your notes in a score like form as dots on staffs.

Click on the music keyboard icons - to show the notes on a music keyboard as you play. You can also play the notes by clicking on the music keyboard picture.

The menu under the Tune Smithy icon at top left of the Lambdoma Keyboard picture has a quick link to the options for this keyboard.

<--|---> Play control
Adjusts the playback volume for windows as a whole

Record To File Options
Choose the file name to record to and file format. Many options.