17 June, 2005

Almost an A

     It has been brought to our attention that the A440.wav file we have on our site is just a teensy bit flat — between five and ten cents (hundredths of a semitone). We are not sure why this is. Perhaps something got lost in translating platforms.

     We intend to create a new file as soon as we can find the proper adapter to plug a real microphone into that little hole in the back of the computer. In the meantime, we offer the following suggestions for dealing with the problem:

Top Eight Interim Suggestions:

  1. "Better a little flat than you should break a string."

  2. It is your computer's fault. Reboot.

  3. It is a software problem. Immediately obtain a later version.

  4. Try tuning while approaching your computer's speakers at a brisk walk. We have established that the Doppler* effect will just about cancel out the error.

  5. Tune downwind of your speakers in a steady breeze, or in front of a strong fan (2 m/sec).

  6. Bag everything and introduce helium (not as effective as #5, but there is a small difference).

  7. Buy one of our autoranging automatic electronic tuners ($US 19.95 and up), or your own actual fork.

  8. "It's close enough for folk music."


* Doppler is capitalized out of respect for Austrian physicist Christian Doppler (1803-1857) who first described the effect.


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