This is aimed at Yamaha players who use mono systems, but it may apply to many more users, too.
As I continue to tweak, and customize my new PA4x for it's debut, later this month, I found a little gem that I'd forgotten about from years ago ... STRETCH tuning! Switching from Equal to Stretch tuning adds such life to the sound, and almost creates a wider, stereo-like fullness that really opens up the sound.
Maybe the stereo samples in the Yamaha line could benefit from this simple change, if the option is available?
I remember Fran Carango did this to a U series (?) keyboard back in the 80s and it was a noticeable improvement. Look into your edit pages, and see if it's a feature on your keyboard - I'd be very interested in hearing if it helps anyone!

So Dave how come I didn’t know that, being a piano tuner I have been doing stretch tuning for years; never connected the two.

Thanks, John C.

This is a very interesting subject, but I am not familiar with piano tuning. The following is from the old manual of NI Akoustik Piano
9.2 Stretched Tuning
The term Stretched Tuning describes a tuning where the high and low registers of the piano are tuned higher and lower, respectively, tuning the low strings’ harmonics with the upper strings’ fundamentals. The piano is intentionally tuned out of Equal Temperament in order to be in tune with itself. While this tuning may be the best for solo work, it is commonly not used when working with other instruments.

I alo looked up for different tuning options in Aria Player. 13 different ones but I don't know which one would be stretched tuning. https://usermanuals.garritan.com/ARIAPlayer/Content/tuning.htm

Chris

Torch if you were to take two trumpets that were programed exactly alike and play them together, they would sound like one trumpet. Detune each trumpet slightly and when they are played it will sound like four trumpets.

Theory:
If a C note is – let’s say a number of 100, the C note one octave above would be 200 – the next 400, and the next 800. If I were to tune the piano in this manner, no stretching, it would be a very uninteresting piano. When I stretch the tuning like the trumpets above the piano becomes alive.

If stretching is overdone, the piano will sound like a bar room piano.

Ex. C 100-- one octave above C 200.9 -- one octave above C 441.6

As a classical player plays either end of the piano he wants them dead on, no stretching. They want the piano to sound pure with no tuned effects. A jazz player wants the high end a bit higher and the lower end a bit lower. This helps him express himself.

The stretch tuning accents the 3rds, 6ths, and the 9ths. Play (on a piano) a C chord. C-E-G. When you play just the 1st and 5th C and G – not interesting. When you add the 3rd the chord begins to sing.

Piano tuners do their best at guessing how much to stretch to apply. I bought a tuning box that cost me $1,600; it measures the stretch needed; giving me the same tuning set up that the factory.

John C.

PS, Organs and keyboard have no stretching unless programmed ala Uncle Dave.

Thank you, John, for your detailed explanation. I checked out some of my VST and hardware instruments. All of them are set to stretched tuning by default.

Chris