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Setting Fractal Tune Smithy up for Scala and vice versa

FTS Beta download page

If you haven't already done it, download Scala and set it up. Also, download the scales archive, which you can find at the bottom of the page. Read Scala's readme.txt file.

Then, if you haven't already, download Fractal Tune Smithy Beta Preview (FTS) and install it by running the Setup program.

Now start up FTS, and go to FTS | Buttons menu | Scales Options | Scala Scales. Then follow the instructions - Browse for Scala scales... to find your new Scala Scales folder - the one with all the .scl files in it. Then, use Browse for Scala app. to find Scala itself - shown as scala.exe, or just Scala, in the files lists, the icon is a musical note surrounded by a spiral staircase. It's in your new Scala folder, the one you installed Scala into. This will fill in the Scala scales folder box and the Location of Scala application box. Then click the button to Make all the Scala related files. This makes the drop lists of all the Scala scales, and all the Scala modes, and also the file smithy.cmd used to start FTS from Scala. If you have a regular FTS version (not a Beta version) and installed it in the suggested location, then the smithy.cmd supplied with Scala will already work, but there's no harm in letting it be overwritten.

To find the new lists of scales you have just made, go to the main window Scales list and scroll down to the More Scales... entry. You'll find them in that list.

To test if everything is working, click Show current scale in Scala. This should start up Scala. It should also start it up with whatever scale you have showing in the FTS main window. If this doesn't work in Windows NT/2000, try going to the Scala folder and deleting the files xxx.scl and show_xxx.cmd (if present) and then try again.

Now you can use all the Scala capabilities to investigate scales and use them. One common use is to show all the intervals of the scale, using View | Show Intervals in Scala.

To go back the other way, from within Scala type @smithy in the command line and it should then show the scale in FTS. Or otherwise, if you have the newest Scala version, you can also do File | @smithy.

Each time you do use the the @smithy command, it will start up a new copy of FTS.

If you decide later you want to show all the scales in the same instance of the program, go back to FTS, click Update smithy.cmd only and answer No this time. So, now you've gone both ways.

You can search and sort the scales, more of which is explained in the help for Buttons | Scales Options | Search scales or modes list, and Sort scales or modes list.

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21st March2002