Middle C - Stormchild

It's true that on a piano, middle C is C4. But that doesn't make C4 = middle C "period". Apparently you don't know much or anything about synthesizers. Between two of the original manufacturers of MIDI gear -- Yamaha and Roland -- one of them designated C3 as middle C, and one of them designated it as C4. Since synthesizers aren't pianos, and generally have fewer keys, this is perfectly reasonable. If there were no other keyboards in the world besides pianos, you'd be right. Unfortunately, there are, and you're not.

Reply to This

Tuesday, October 12 2004 @ 12:54 PM PDT

Middle C - mapsnmad

Stormchild, you are mistaken. Middle C is a certain note at a certain pitch, period. Any instrument that plays a different note and tells you it's middle C, is just wrong.

The MIDI spec assigns specific note numbers to notes in the range permitted by MIDI. They don't change. The number for middle C does not change. It's true that some synths might have a different default range of pitches on their keyboards, but that doesn't change the meaning of middle C any more than wishful thinking changes the law of gravity. Middle C is middle C.

Reply to This

Saturday, September 16 2006 @ 06:46 PM PDT

Middle C - sonicraft

No one is arguing about what "middle C" refers to. What is being discussed is whether there is a lack of consistancy as the the octave number applied to middle C. For piano it is C4, for most synths it's C4, but for some synths its C3. That is an unfortunate glitch in the nomenclature that is well-known. There's no point in arguing about whether the glitch exists. It does. We can all agree that it was an unfortunationate choice.

Reply to This

Tuesday, May 29 2007 @ 03:28 PM PDT