response 1 of 17:

Apr 1 03:24 UTC 1994

Can I use my Mac Powerbook to tune my harpsichord? It has a microphone
port and records sound (snippets), but is there software to do spectral
analyses, and any other useful musical technology? (And, while I am
asking about this, what kind of microphone can be used other than the
official Apple microphone, cheap as it is? Can one connect directly to
an audio line (perhaps with a matching xformer?)?

response 3 of 17:

Apr 1 06:13 UTC 1994

I don't have a mac, but I've seen a program that'll let you tune guitars
with the mac.  Ziggy might know more about it.

response 5 of 17:

Apr 1 18:57 UTC 1994

 go buy a guitar and learn to play it.

response 7 of 17:

Apr 2 06:55 UTC 1994

but it is impossible to have good music without technology

response 9 of 17:

Apr 2 07:33 UTC 1994

I shredded the internet, and ftp'd wavewindow v. 2.0 from somewhere,
and archied up guitartuner, and ftp'd that too, and these are one pair
of interesting application.
  
But first, I took the plunge, and *plugged a cheap Sony dynamic mike
into the Powerbook* and - amazingly - it worked from the Sound CP. So
the input is low-level, although I haven't found any other parameters
for it (impedance?). Now, about guitartuner and wavewindow:

Guitartuner is part of a package of audio applications by Rustle Laidman,
under the general name "Perfect Pitch". I've tried guitartuner, but
the others are described with it, so here is what you can get:

Guitar Tuner v.1.1 (sw$5). Displays the note played on a bar marked only
at E A D G B E. Would indeed be easy to tune a guitar from this.

Vocal Meter (sw$15). An aid for singers, with adjustable #s and bs,
volume, tracking.

Staff Meter (sw$15). Displays note played on a staff.

Chromatic Tuner (sw$15). A tuner for any instrument, with #/b,
volume, tracking.

Lab Meter (sw$15). Displays frequency, volume, tracking, etc.
  
Wave Window v. 2.0 is also by Laidman, but not under the "Perfect Pitch"
name. It is a software oscilloscope. (sw$12). It is mostly a display
device, but has the following preferences: dot, line or Lissajous 
display; async, sync or capture triggers; 3 sweep speeds. I think it
is primarily an educational (and entertaininng) application, but rather
clever. You can also play a sound coming in on some other audio
line on the PB speaker (and hence, with a microphone, you can get 
feedback oscillation). 

Now its decision time: Chromatic Tuner, or Lab Meter (or both!?).

response 11 of 17:

Apr 2 08:12 UTC 1994

I really doubt that, as the talent to adjust the slight temperament of
fifths, etc, requires a lot of talent, training and experience (and time). But
of course, omni, I don't doubt that *you* can do it. However, nobody
can get the tuning *better* than a computer can, by definition, since
equal temperament is an exact mathematical ratio. I would agree that the
setting of the pitch (tuning down to, etc) is a skill, that depends
upon the instrument.

response 13 of 17:

Apr 2 19:38 UTC 1994

I have always been incredulous of "perfect pitch". Since a human has no
reference oscillator set to a perfect frequency, I would expect everyone
to only *sense* perfect pitch, but that everyone would tune a note
slightly differently. This is very easy to test, and must have been done -
just ask lots of people to tune to G, and measure their frequency. In
addition, the *standard*, A, has been all over the place over the years.
Here's a small sample, culled from Helmholz: Toulouse Conservatoire,
437.0; Dresden, 437.8; Paris Conservatoire, 439.5; Paris Opera, 440.0 (!);
Paris Opera Comique, 441.0; Stuttgart Opera, 443.1; San Carlo opera,
444.9; British Army regulation, 451.9. These were from before electronic
tuners, but go to show that quite experienced musicians settled on
different frequencies for what they called A. So, who's got "perfect
pitch"? 

response 15 of 17:

Apr 12 05:03 UTC 1994

I picked up mac/util/organization/metronome1.0.cpt.hqx from maue.
It displays a 2 inch high metronome and the bar swings back and forth
with clicks. You slide up the weight on the bar to slow it down, just
like for a "real" metronome. However, it is flaky on my PB 145B - the
bar falters, sometimes halts...not too good. Anyone else have experience
with this one on a different Mac (or with a different soft-metronome?)

response 17 of 17:

Jun 12 19:43 UTC 1994

is there has there ever been or will there ever be a hypercard midi xcmd or
will i have to fork over the dough for a sequencer?