TBX2 Microtonal Tuning Machine Box Handmade in Germany

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.
2018 videos by Aaron Andrew Hunt. The TBX2 is from Hi-Pi Instruments. They also made a TBX1 MIDI Tuning Box.

Playlist:
TBX2 - The Instant Chromelodeon
TBX2 - Programming Sample Tunings
TBX2 unboxing 100 bare units
TBX2 rev3 3D Models

via this auction

Check out the foot pedal input label on back.

"Only 100 were manufactured several years ago. With this device you can plug into your computer (USB to USB) and play microtonal music after preloading your tunings.

TBX2 outperforms its predecessor (TBX1) in every way. This faster, smaller, sturdier second-generation device not only retunes GM (multichannel) synths, but also monophonic synths, MTS synths, and even proprietary sysex synths. If you thought the 512 tunings TBX1 offered was a lot, try 8,192. That's almost twice the size of the Scala Archive. Each input channel can be assigned to a unique tuning table, providing full compatibility with multichannel controllers like MIDI guitars and MIDI organs, as well as microtonal controllers like the Tonal Plexus, Microzone, Axis 64, and Terpstra keyboards. Supports both MIDI DIN input, and USB-MIDI input. Navigate 40 presets hands-free. Edit existing tunings or create your own with Universal Tuning Editor (UTE) cross-platform software (free license included). Set up your tunings, upload them to the unit, plug in your controller and synth, and start making music. Ready for the stage, its built-in rechargeable battery will run for days. Firmware is user-upgradable via UTE, so features can be improved or added at any time, and you never have to worry about swapping out a chip.

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The Smallest MIDI Synth Again... - Now with FM

Published on Oct 18, 2019 mitxela

via H-Pi Instruments

"H-Pi Instruments has teamed up with mitxela (the genius behind the world's smallest MIDI synthesizer) to bring you FLASH, the world's first and only very-tiny MIDI-powered polyphonic microtonal FM synthesizer. Two years in development, this little 16-voice wonder fits in your pocket and doesn't require a power supply. Just plug it into a standard MIDI OUT port*, plug in your headphones, and away you go!

FLASH features unlimited dynamic General MIDI microtuning for ease-of-use with 16-channel polyphonic tuned output from TBX2, TBX1, and Tonal Plexus TPX keyboards, and also features a mini UART-programmer which allows you to assign unique microtonal tuning tables to each of 16 MIDI input channels for full microtonal output compatibility with literally thousands of standard MIDI controllers as well as multichannel controllers like MIDI guitars and MIDI organs without a tuning device, not to mention advanced 2048 unique-pitch-output for the Tonal Plexus and other microtonal controllers like the Microzone, Axis 64, and Terpstra keyboards. Of course you can also use it as a normal synth with normal tuning ... if you're into that sort of thing.

The FLASH UART-programmer interfaces via USB with Universal Tuning Editor (UTE) cross-platform software (free license included), so you can edit tunings and upload them to the synth. Firmware is also user-upgradable via the programmer, so features can be improved or added at any time."

See the H-Pi Instruments label below for more.

H-Pi TBX1 MIDI Tuning Box Microtonal Keyboard Synthesizer Tuner Converter

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

See this post for a demo of the H-Pi TBX1.

"From https://hpi.zentral.zone/tbx1:

Got a standard MIDI keyboard? Retune it! TBX1 makes retuning as easy as pushing a button. Attach this little box to your synth and you can make any key play any pitch you want. It comes preloaded with 128 tunings for you to try out, and stores tuning tables in 4 layers, totaling over 500 tunings, which you can easily edit with Custom Scale Editor (cross-platform software, license included). Set up your own tuning, upload it to TBX1, and plug into any General MIDI controller and synthesizer to make your music. Portable and ready for the stage, TBX1 can also run for eight hours on batteries.

Tuning

128 tables x 4 layers = 512 full range programmable tunings

General MIDI compatibility — Compatibility Requirements

Controls

jog dial: select and enter preset program parameters

MIDI LEDs: monitor MIDI IN and MIDI OUT traffic

LCD display: currently selected tuning, bank, patch and polyphony (with backlight ON/OFF switch)

sixteen channel switches: selectable MIDI output channel polyphony, from 1 to 16 voices

fifteen preset buttons: store and recall tuning, synthesizer bank and patch

14-bit MIDI pitch bend resolution: 0.01 cents

bypass switch: turn tuning function on and off without swapping cables

External MIDI Message Pedal / Sequencer Control

receive tuning table Changes

receive bank and patch changes

full sustain pedal support

full control of held key behavior when tuning table change messages are received

Inputs and Outputs

12V DC power input

MIDI IN: connect to any MIDI controller (keyboard, sequencer, etc.)

connect computer to MIDI IN to upload tunings

MIDI OUT: connect to any general MIDI tone module, sampler or computer MIDI interface for tuned output

sends the following MIDI data on selected channels

bank select, patch change, pitch bend range RPNs, 14-bit pitch bend

note on / note off (one note per channel = monotimbral up to 16 voice polyphony)

MIDI Velocity, Modulation, and Volume are passed as received at MIDI IN

MIDI THRU: sends unmodified MIDI data received at the MIDI in through to another unit."

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Hpi TBX1 Tuning Box

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"This box can implement microtuning capabilities to most midi synths that respond to pitch bend cc’s. It works best with multitimbral synths or those that have Mode 4 (guitar mode, mks50, esq-m) for polyphonic use but can work for monophonic synths too. It has over 400 tunings included but you can upload your own from a computer. I highly recommend getting HPI’s Custom Scale Editor software if you pick this up as its easier and more intuitive than Scala for creating your own scales. Comes with original power supply.

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H-Pi Instruments THE TUNING BOX

"Got a standard MIDI keyboard? Retune it! TBX1 makes retuning as easy as pushing a button. Attach this little box to your synth and you can make every key play any pitch you want. It comes preloaded with 128 tunings for you to try out, and it stores tuning tables in 4 layers, totalling over 500 tunings, which you can easily edit using the free TBXE Tuning Box Editor cross-platform software. Set up your own tuning, upload it to the Tuning Box and plug it into any General MIDI controller and synthesizer to make your music.
Portable and ready for the stage, it even runs for eight hours on batteries. Sound interesting? Take a closer look..."

Be sure to see the label below for more.

TBX1 demo 1

YouTube via AaronAndrewHunt

"This is a demonstration of the H-Pi Instruments Tuning Box TBX1 ($299), a device which retunes standard MIDI keyboards so that any key can play any pitch you want. In this demo, a Yamaha PSR-310 ($149) plays an arpeggio throughout, sending MIDI notes of a C-Major chord, which you hear at the beginning going through the box in bypass mode (no retuning). That chord then gets retuned in 15 different ways, and I noodle around (not much keyboard skill shown here) over the arpeggio in each tuning. Each of the 15 presets stores a tuning and a bank / patch change. The box stores up to 128 tunings in 4 layers = 512 tunings, each 128 notes. Check it out here: http://www.h-pi.com/TBX1intro.html"