5 Octave Keyboard Standard Tuning

I’ve got my first big synth with 5 octaves, the REV2. I thought that the middle octave on the keyboard is the one starting with the “middle c” [note C4 or c’], but I realised that its actually C3 or c.
I’ve asked an owner of Novation Summit and it’s the same there.
I’m wondering why? If you are a learned keyboard/piano player you probably understand why I am asking and if you are a synthwizzard too, you probably know the reason why :slight_smile:
I know that I’m able to use the transpose knobs or change the standard tuning of the synth, but that’s not my point. I’m just wondering why the middle c is not in the middle octave of the keyboard in standard tuning. Is it because synths are basically more seen as a bass instrument than one for playing strings for example?

Thanks a lot!

C3 C4 C5 are not fixed in Midi terms. What you call middle C therefore can’t relate to that reference, it has to relate to the Midi Number. The closest to 64 is 60 so start by comparing the location of midi note 60.

There’s no reason why a synth needs to be centered on middle C of course, but usually such keyboards will have transpose options and of course the voice architecture may allow oscillator transposition.

I’d imagine most are centred around 60-64, but some will default either side depending on their remit

All that to say is that a standard ‘tuning’ won’t exist and that quoting C(?) Isn’t a meaningful comparison given there are 3 or more ‘standards’ in use in terms of midi and there are 128 notes in Midi aot 88 on a concert piano

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Thanks for your answer. Ok but beside midi implementations C4 is always fixed to a frequency, like A4 (a’) is always around 440Hz (tuning note for orchestra) and that is what my question is aiming at. If I want to play from a score with other musicians I should know where is my middle c. On a 5 octaves keyboard I’d expect it to be the middle octave, but it isn’t

(edits above are mine)

There are pitch-octave notation conventions that appear similar to scientific pitch notation but are based on an alternative octave convention that differs from scientific pitch notation, usually by one octave. For example, middle C (“C4” in ISPN) appears in some MIDI software as “C5” (MIDI note 60).[4] This convention is probably related to a similar convention in sample-based trackers, where C5 is the basic pitch at which a sample plays (8287.12 Hz in MOD), forcing the musician to treat samples at any other pitch as transposing instruments when using them in songs. Alternately, both Yamaha and the software MaxMSP define middle C as C3. Apple’s GarageBand also defines middle C (261.6256 Hz) as C3.

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Seems tuning standards related to midi is a recurring topic. Is there a definitive thread to refer to ? Perhaps one of these ?

EDIT: Actually, maybe this thread should be pinned … I think it got to the answer quick than any of the others.

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All this talk about how a particular MIDI C does not equal a particular Hz C aside…

Your intuition is probably correct. Compare a synth to an 88 note piano… if you have to sacrifice notes, you’ll choose to lose more from the top octaves than from the bottom, so that’s how the patches will be tuned. The mid and bass get a lot more use than the extreme highs.

I would add: the disconnect between MIDI and Hz can be used to your advantage. eg: when designing a bass sound, you can tune the oscillators down so that the range you will want to use is accessible around ‘middle C’ on the keyboard, rather than having to transpose the keyboard every time you want to use the sound. (Which doesn’t sound like a big deal, but it’s easy to miss a good sound when auditioning patches because you’re hitting notes that are outside its intended range.)

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