Customizing the middle C

[tremblap]

Now, I don't want to start a faith-based discussion, but I like my middle C to be C4. Bach.roll seems to be of the C5 type. I cannot find to save my life where I can change that behaviour... if we can, let's consider this a feature request, please

[sydy]

I'm sure Daniele or Andrea have a much better answer as I do.
Anyway, if you look at the Help centre under Pitch arithmetics and intervals you'll see that the decision for C5 being middle is not based on faith but related to the pitch syntax:
"The #pitch syntax has C5 as middle C. This is a fixed and reasonable request, so that C5 (= 6000mc) is actually 5 * C1, where C1 = 1200mc, and C0 = 0mc.
This lets us do a bit of arithmetics. Exactly as for midicents, intervals between pitches is a pitch too."

So changing the middle C in bach.roll or bach.score would have some other consequences we might not want in exchange.

An easy workaround for your problem could be a bach.p2mc together with bach.+ 1200
This way, you can introduce your C4 and get a note on 6000mc. But surely you are aware of this. So I apologize in advance if I'm bothering you with an answer to something you already know...

<pre><code>
----------begin_max5_patcher----------
1419.3oc6assbihCD8Y6uBW7TlZyjBIt58ss1OislxkLHGzLxRTfHNdmZ92W
cArAiviMShSlr3TAHpknUe5i53VP+84ybVyeFW5r3OW7OKlM66ymMS2jpgY0
+8LmsnmSnnRc2bX3c70e04diHA9Ygt40njrG9iE.nqairbjHIivdbUANQXTA
zy6A26WrDpNFEnNBkWu3K0CgWInXgXeN1zeGmChHoZ8H08mAGTAqZKgIGgdp
AO1n49naEnZ7GymqNb+EZiqqDBN6L1gm6CRCU9IJDtzaoefmzPLlieywgMp0
H1iVMrkGUYAZKVfKVgYn0T8.csYyfWLadKtrD8Htmi8t+1+S+bOpw38fiziF
8J6POGoMGtM4mafgZSKLZjFXfyU38pasD8DNckbzx4xJjPTPj7Ryh0YGryYN
OgKJIbl7drFWnDFK4kZPxfRWM4WAJEbJsYJugyDLIcTK8uJHH5Utx.DDqfs.
Xn5jLDwYgu6G92tKbRwaPUTAiKAEJWTGESBlxo9gNQ47bi.kpkyqCRdhSRvJ
6pYf2oTwmNNzRAZyFJg0zgftCsLGkPTyG8MWaYQsLLEpsAkb5RWyPa6ls6+Z
QUS3TdQK0b7.nk9ZGe7f+gH8O3ThnPBbXq3SG9XXq4dI4e0i.nH91nowG8fl
0XlOM5d8tD9VIAgrlPIh8mZX6x3T7JEMaUJRfV4d3S8zzv.q8JJ+Kgsg2z.n
QflWJO+DlxSjpYAlotLGa7kMcSyujm2TwRDDUn81R+Fdu7jam1LHl7hUOW+i
ZcwpMTNRD5enQy3buv9AbkP.HLdYXGcU1LguTc0ZZhyKvkXl.02rdrPxI5zx
9RFJuaSo7sHB6k2PifgK8f9wVT1uf4Jvay4EH5VdJ1X9Tog+zIda4ZFLKsmK
cGIUjot.UI3cGQFl7XlvtrDd99cYXVYtjG26lhRjKmKMyETJhktqfHNY9rQR
k46Twoxj8o8s3PefmRnUL9E1oquaHyV8wSj4+2Sl8rRlILAkTJryksJ7CZb4
5u2hykS+hWF6G45eV1CiytRlyEp7kAQ9Av3QSw.uFTLe6wKU1vvjrAD+AMh4
URybmXWG5SvPAvFL30Tfqo.WWD0Jb3.WmIn0T.qo.VmiUEYkUo2mKqjp9Rrw
o9sASeU9Vrw1WoRn3y7MLrJ8sDaicg.ufSBA+lyWWZEaKyGJHXeI2xXfg.W.
.5dKhA9gMmPfqUWNkZ1ku9t79RlBQ0CTAVAU.vNj1Gb9sFReUhLAruSb.3Dj
NZH099AA7lfzQCo12+Cf+DjNZH0dR+ffIHczPp8jcAgSP5ngT6Y5AhlfzQCo
1SzCDOAoiFRsmeGX4DjN5GPbu7mR2KuhjTZGSsK0fqNoNuQHqarmq66rjnf8
RhhtuXPbcncNyg5LkX5QLsWVTnBAIohp2xiAf1yzkZLF8VgwQdwdgu2hHzKs
pVc2ZTVaRqQ1rIjsExZO6J3T1UiGRsmcEbJ6pwCo1ytBNkc03gT6YWAmxtZ7
Pp8rqfSYWMdH0d1UvorqF+arn8mNkm6DjNFHssp1tUdKJ6+h6yE31maMjLdQ
ZmKZ+nSMOa8lyC5.r7hUeiTn2sVg92ZEFbKUX62.bdU9I4EtEU7MbwoMRRII
YHFCSK6ytakjYSEkbTZCituj6tlm0+cWw6mQPTnWPr+kO.naL.FaploinU2y
GJumSKylDdEqtRs.K9RqpCSOBmVU6TSwhoqwKU6cKYrRdUQRSIE0TTlKbaUb
VkBBy7FNzpSpUjcz68WshBtD8TOY9kTTzEnnfW.8r7BANWKNLTddc8ioUhRE
xEEe0TuX5JzRtbfY9ScYbIW18Doo+5hwRtjHISFgOQTUXpwumC8cLCU9etJX
Uj5xtTZbRUpqTPccykWWda5BJb9Ol+e.RWN1j
-----------end_max5_patcher-----------
</code></pre>

[tremblap]

Thanks for this. Any help is always appreciated. Yes I knew I could transpose but that has consequences on the workflow with all the other programs I'm using in my chain (all of them with C4 as middle C) I'll transpose both ways (in and out) if I have to but I wanted to know if I was missing something obvious...

[danieleghisi]

Sydy is right – the short answer is: we are committed to C5 as middle C. Personally, I don't really understand why C4 was chosen in the first place, to identify MIDI note 60 = 5 * 12.
C5=middleC lets us do some nice arithmetics on pitches, such as C5+Eb0 = Eb5, C6+D#1 = D#7, F#4 % C1 = F#0, etc. We think it's worthed the effort to switch from C4 to C5, we have given this a lot of thought.

Therefore, there will most likely be no "customizable" middle C in bach (imagine how hard it would get to share between different bach patches with different conventions).
On the other hand, building conversion patches to match other systems should simply come back to using [bach.+ C1] and [bach.- C1]...

Sorry - I know that's not the answer you were looking for
d

[tremblap]

it's ok - it is a good reasoning and will convert.