In the Instrument Editor you can define new instruments and edit existing ones.
When you define an instrument, you have the following options:
Here you can define the name of the instrument.
Here you can specify how many courses of single or doubled strings your instrument has.
Here you can specify how many frets the instrument has.
Here you can define the scale length of the instrument. With the help of the scale length the real distances between individual frets can be determined. The calculation of the width of fingerings can be measured in millimeters or inches.
Here you can specify whether or not your instrument has (courses of) doubled strings. It may occur that one string of a string pair is differently tuned one octave higher. This you can additionally define in the tuning section.
Here you can specify whether you use the instrument as a lefty or righty.
Lefty means that you play a a right-handed instrument left handed.
Righty is defined vice versa - here you play a left-handed instrument right handed.
So if you play, according to these definitons, your instrument as a lefty or righty, use this editor as follows:
First you define your instrument as it was originally intended -
regardless whether you will play it later on left- or right-handed.
That means the highest string still is also the string tuned to the highest note -
and the lowest string is tuned to the lowest note.
Later you simply check if you want to use this instrument as a lefty or righty .
All calculations and representations will be adjusted automatically.
If you really use the instrument as a lefty or righty also depends on the fact,
whether or not you have set the left- or right-hander mode in the status bar.
Here you can specify whether or not the instrument is a fretless instrument. If you have a fretless instrument the frets in the Fretboard View (and optionally in the Box View) will be drawn dottet.
Here you can define the tuning of your instrument, or rather, how each single open string of your instrument is tuned. In the first column of this section you can define the relative note value (C, D, E, ...) whereas in the second column the absolute note value (C, c, c', c'', ...) has to be defined. If your instrument has doubled strings you can additionally specify whether or not a string pair contains a string that is tuned an octave higher. In the Miscellaneous Section you can click Test to play the current tuning settings so that you can test if your tuning settings match the tuning of your instrument.
In this section you can add a capo to your instrument. You can choose between a simple capo, where you only have to define the fret where the capo is placed, or a more advanced one. If you use the advanced capo you have to define an individually capo fret for each string.
Here you can specify the clef which should be used by default in the Notes View. If you activate the instrument this clef will be automatically selected in the Notes View. Of course, you do not have to specify a default clef. In such case, the clef of the Notes View will not change when you change the active instrument.
Here you can specify how the sound of your instrument. Depending on your settings, the chords or scale blocks will be played. A wide range of sounds is available. Nevertheless, it may happen that the sound of your instrument does not exist. In such case you should try to find a sound which is at least close to the original sound. You can test the selected sound by pressing the Test button.
In the comment section you can add any kind of information to the instrument. The comments have no influence on the represenation of the instrument, it is just for adding useful information.
Workbench → Views → Instruments
Workbench → Views → Fretboard
Workbench → Views → Box
Workbench → Views → Notes
Workbench → Preferences → Sound