Node Audio have announced the release of Entonal Studio, a microtonal tuning plug-in that allows almost any synthesizer or virtual instrument to be converted to a microtonal instrument.
Running as a standalone app or MIDI plug-in, Entonal Studio utilises MTS-ESP or MIDI pitch-bend messages to retune hardware or software synthesizers, allowing them to be played as fully microtonal instruments. It is also capable of hosting other AU or VST instruments, allowing them to be played directly without any additional MIDI routing. Additionally, instances of the plug-in are able to be grouped to link tunings between multiple tracks in a project.
A radial graph centred in the plug-in’s GUI provides angular control over a note’s pitch, allowing notes to either be dragged freehand in cents or set to snap to specific ratios. The graph also allows users to view the relative intervals between two or more held notes and check harmonic alignment. Note values may also be entered manually in cents, ratios, EDO degrees, or even as mathematical expressions!
A built-in preset browser comes loaded with a range of non-standard tunings. Common tunings and useful starting points such as Just Intonation, 19-tone Equal Temperament are included, along with more esoteric options like a Harry Partch 43-tone scale and 7-limit Hexany. A scale editor is also present, with users able to add and remove notes (scales are able to contain up to 192 notes), set their values and define the ratio of the ‘repeating interval’ for scales that do not repeat at the octave.
The software is available for the Mac, Windows and Linux platforms in AU, VST2 and VST3 plug-in formats, as well as a standalone app. As a host for other virtual instrument plug-ins, Entonal Studio supports the AU, VST2 and VST3 formats.
Entonal Studio is available now for an introductory price of £59 until 16 August 2022, after which it will be priced at £79. Node Audio are offering a 28-day demo, with more information available on their website.
