WorldScales

WorldScales

Discover a world beyond standard tuning.

Not all scales are created equal. WorldScales lets you explore the rich diversity of musical tuning systems from around the globe, freeing you from the limitations of modern equal temperament.

Most modern instruments are tuned using the equal-tempered system, which divides the octave into twelve equally spaced notes. While this tuning has dominated Western music for centuries, many cultures and historical traditions use alternative systems that create unique colors, moods, and expressions. From Byzantine chant and Middle Eastern maqamat to ancient European tunings and custom microtonal scales, WorldScales opens the door to a broader musical universe.

Whether you're a musician, composer, educator, researcher, church musician, or simply curious about alternative tuning systems, WorldScales gives you the tools to experiment, learn, and create.

Features

• Tune every note of the octave individually with precision up to ±100 cents.
• Over 35 high-quality sampled instruments, including piano, violin, organ, oud, kanun, choir voices, and more.
• MIDI input support. Connect an external MIDI keyboard and perform microtonal music using custom tunings.
• Extensive collection of Western, Byzantine, Oriental, and world music scale presets.
• Diatonic Mode: Play using only the white keys while automatically disabling the black keys, making it easier to perform scales without accidental chromatic notes. Perfect for educational use, Byzantine music, traditional melodies, and musicians who prefer a simplified playing experience.
• Create, save, and recall your own custom scales and tuning systems.
• Enter tunings using cents, frequency ratios, or exact frequencies.
• Visual keyboard display showing scale notes and root positions.
• Instantly transpose scales by changing the root note while preserving all interval relationships.
• Built-in audio effects including reverb and compression.
• Polyphonic instruments with multiple velocity layers for enhanced realism.
• Designed for musicians, composers, educators, and students interested in microtonal music and world musical traditions.

Explore New Musical Possibilities

WorldScales combines powerful tuning tools with a diverse collection of instruments, making sophisticated microtonal performance accessible to everyone. Whether you want to explore ancient traditions, recreate historical tunings, discover world music scales, experiment with microtonality, or simply play in Diatonic Mode using only the white keys, WorldScales provides an intuitive and flexible environment for learning, performing, and creating music.

Expand your musical horizons. Tune beyond the ordinary.