Software

WEB-BASED CALCULATORS

1. General Purpose
• Google, Calculator {support.google.com}
  Type an equation directly into Google's Search Box; e.g. 2 + 3 =,  or search for 'calculator'
2. Graphing
• Desmos, Graphing Calculator {Desmos.com}
• See also: Apple, Graphing Calculator {Apple}
3. Fractions
• RapidTables, Fraction Calculator {RapidTables}
  Add (+), subtract (-), multiply (*) and divide (/) fractions
• Calculator Soup
• Convert Fraction to Decimal {CalculatorSoup}
• Convert Decimal to Fraction {CalculatorSoup}
• Wolfram Alpha
• Simply Fractions {Wolfram Alpha}
• Fraction: Examples {Wolfram Alpha}
• Pie Charts and Tape Diagrams
4. Intervals
   
• Bain, Ratio to Cents
  A simple mobile Web app that converts an interval frequency ratio to cents and provides its decimal expansion to three decimal places
  
• Winkler, Just intonation ratio player {Observable}
  Play ratio sequences as a scale or chord
• Ratioscore: Just Interval Tool {Humdrum.org}
• Interval Grid
• Temperament Calculator
• Prime-limit intervals
• Nicholson & Sabat, Plainsound Harmonic Space Calculator {Plainsound.org; User Guide}
  A tool for composers and musicians who are interested in discovering and working with properties of intervals tuned in just intonation
• Untwelve, JavaScript Interval Calculator {Untwelve.org}
  Calculates rational approximations (or semi-convergents) and EDO approximations for a given interval
  
• Yacavone, Xen-Calc {Yacavone.net}
  A multi-purpose calculator/converter for microtonal (AKA: xenharmonic) music theory that supports conversion between cents, just ratios, EDO, FJS, and color notations
• About
• Features

WEB APPS

Lambdoma Player

Harmonic Series Spiral Player

1. Giannotta and Løfvander, Overtones Spiral (1-16) {Suonoterapia.org}
2. Nicholson, Harmonic Series Spiral Synth (1-64) {Superparticular.com}
3. Norris, Harmonic Series Calculator {MichaelNorris.info}
4. Lowengard, The beauty of comparing harmonic intervals {jhhl.net}

Tone Circle Player

1. Bretschneider, Notenscheibe – {Notenscheibe.de}
2. Radical Data and Media, Harmonagon {Harmonagon.com}

Tone Circle Maker

Villaseñor, Constant Structure Analyzer {Wilson-tunings.netify.app}

Lattice Maker

Villaseñor, Lattice Maker {Wilson-tunings.netlify.app}
from The Wilson Archives, Tools and Treasures: Software: Tools for Exploring Some of Erv Wilson's Scale Concepts – https://www.anaphoria.com/wilsontreasure.html

• Enter a scale and the program will create a tuning lattice
  e.g., enter the just (5-limit) scale 1/1 9/8 5/4 4/3 3/2 5/3 15/8 and the program will display the lattice shown in Figure 1

Figure 1. Tuning lattice for the diatonic scale in just (5-limit) intonation

Keyboard/Scale Web Apps

1. Sevish et al., Scale Workshop 2 {Sevish.com}
   Design microtonal scales and play them in your web browser
• Scale Workshop 2 Tutorials {Sevish.com; YouTube; GitHub}
2. Plainsound, Hexatone {Plainsound.org}
   Customisable touch keyboard with built-in sounds and MIDI input and microtonal (MIDI Tuning Standard) output

Other

1. Allami, Leimma & Aptome {isartum.net}
• Leimma Tutorial {Vimeo}
• Aptome Tutorial {Vimeo}
2. Alves, Just Intonation Ear Trainer
3. New Tonality, Xentonal Synthesizer {NewTonality.net}
   Calculate dissonance curves
   
• Tutorials: Part 1: Xentonal synth in your browser {YouTube}; Part 2 {YouTube}; Part 3 {YouTube}
4. Nicholson, Tools {Superparticular.com}
• Plainsound Harmonic Synth Calculator
• Harmonic Series Spiral Synth
• Relations of tone as an analogy for relations of colour
5. Scullard, Interactive Circle of Fifths {randscullard.com}
6. Stilner, Moments of Symmetry in equal divisions of the octave calculator {anaphoria.com}
7. Terpstra, Keyboard WebApp {Terpstra}
• The Terpstra Keyboard Concept {YouTube}
8. Villaseñor, Tools for exploring some of Erv Wilson's scale concepts {wilson-tunings.netlify.app}
9. Walter, Music Calculators {CasparJohannesWalter.de}
10. Wolfram, Demonstrations Project: Exploring Musical Tuning and Temperament {Wolfram}

1. Satellite, Wilsonic iPad App {Website}
• AudioKit TuneUp Demo {YouTube}
2. Peterson, iStrobeSoft {PetersonTuners.com}

MISC. STANDALONE SOFTWARE

Analysis

• Bain, String Length and Pitch Interval (SLAPI) {Website}
• Centre for Digital Music, Sonic Visualiser - Visualization, analysis, and annotation of audio recordings {SonicVisualiser.org}
• CDM, Tony - High quality melody transcription {SonicVisualiser.org}
• Microsoft, Excel {Microsoft}
• Semantic Danielou – https://www.semantic-danielou.com
• Voce Vista - Software for singers, singing teachers, speech language pathologists and anyone who analyzes sound {VoceVista.com}

SCALA

Scala, by Op de Coul {WP}
Scala is an advanced application for tuning theory. It is freeware that runs on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.

• Scala Home Page
• Download
• File format
• Scale directory
• Scala files: http://quark.sccode.org/ScalaTunings/archive/
• Third-Party Tutorials:
• Walker, Scala for Dummies Tutorial
• Sevish
• How to export microtonal tuning files using Scala {YouTube}
• How to invent your own musical scales using Scala {YouTube}
• Other:
• Garritan, Aria Player, Scala file reference {Garritan}

PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES & DAWS

1. Ableton
• Max for Live, Microtuner by Ableton {Ableton}
2. Apple, Logic Pro {Apple.com}
• Overview of Tuning in Logic Pro {Apple.com}
• Tuning Settings in Logic Pro {Apple.com}
• Show Advanced Tools
• Logic Pro X > Preferences > Advanced Tools > Show Advanced Tools
• Set Scale (fixed, 12 tones)
• File > Project Settings > Tuning > Software Instrument Scale
3. Cycling '74, Max {Cycling '74}
• Bach – Computer-aided composition in Max {BachProject.net}
• Dynamic Tonality, Hex
• See also: Xronomorph, a rhythmic loop generator
• Xronomorph Introduction {YouTube}
• Hadju & Didkovsky, MaxScore 2 {ComputerMusicNotation.com}
• MaxScore: Recent Developments {TENOR 2018}
• Mudd, Just Intonation Toolkit {Website; C74 Projects}
4. IRCAM, OpenMusic {IRCAM}
5. Mann, Tone.js {GitHub}
• Tune.js: A Microtonal Web Audio Library {GATech; IRCAM}
6. McCartney, SuperCollider
• See Fabrice Mogina, Alternative Tunings with SuperCollider (Mogini 2011)
7. Vercoe, Csound {Csounds.com}

1. Hπ Instruments
• Universal Tuning Editor {Hpi.com}
• Tonal Plexus {Hpi.com}
2. Lumatone Isomorphic Keyboard {www.lumatone.io; YouTube}
3. Modartt, Pianoteq 8 {Modartt.com}
4. Naitive Instruments, Kontakt 14 {Native-Instruments.com}

See also: Xenharmonic Wiki, DAWs {XW}

Links

Plainsound Music Edition, Just Intonation & Microtonal Resources – https://www.plainsound.org

The Wilson Archives, Tools and Treasures: Software: Tools for Exploring Some of Erv Wilson's Scale Concepts – https://www.anaphoria.com/wilsontreasure.html

Xeharmonic Wiki, List of Music Software {XW}

References

Gann, Kyle. 2019. The Arithmetic of Listening: Tuning Theory and History for the Impractical Musician. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press. {GB}

Mogini, Fabrice. 2011. "Ch. 17 Alternative Tunings with SuperCollider." In The SuperCollider Book, edited by Scott Wilson, David Cottle, and Nick Collins. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. {GB}

Updated: April 11, 2024