Hi Ed. See comments interspersed below.
As I understand it, Tunic's inventor strongly urges tuning the
unisons string-by-string with his ETD program. Kent Swafford has
stated he believes
this is significant. Why?
In answer to question about why the inventor urges this, I suspect its
because of the same reason Virgil and many like minded urge tuning
unisons as you go along instead of muting off the part or all of the
piano, tuning the middle string and then coming back to it. Because, as
Virgil first noted way back when... unisons end up at a slightly lower
pitch (as a general rule) when all three strings are sounded together
then each individual string does on its own. So if you want your target
frequency (from an ETD's perspective) to be met you need to assure that
it is the unison as a whole that meets this frequency, not each
individual string. Something I have been more or less doing fwiw for
about 8 years with Tunelab after reading many of Jim Colemans comments
on string coupling. I'm not sure what Kent finds significant about this,
but I'd be interested if its not along these general lines .
Again I will ask you: once two strings have coupled, how will you
tell what is the difference between the two uncoupled frequencies?
I'm not sure I understand the question... perhaps we are talking past
each other ? Of course once strings are coupled... well they are indeed
coupled and there is no way of telling the difference they might have in
an uncoupled state unless they are forced somehow into an uncoupled
state. You put up two mutually exclusive conditions as far as I can see
there. Maybe if you told me what you were pondering when you asked this
I would be able to see what you were trying to get to.
I also have heard plenty of descriptions of legendary tunings. I do
not doubt that the world's greatest tuner produced the world's
greatest tuning.
I have not heard it, or seen measurements.
Wellllll... there have been the much referred to tune-offs, and there
are many many written articles, posts and other data by a host of folks
on the subject... Askenfelts publications, Colemans work, Sandersons....
Ellis... etc etc etc. I think we need not challenge that the ear can
surpass the machine... rather is self defining since it is the ear that
in the end judges and the machine cant even think... but before anyone
reads into this that the machine can therefore not do a very fine job...
misunderstand me correctly here... we are in the realm of very very high
quality tunings where either will do a very much more then acceptable by
all accounts job. That said... and ear tweak afterwards can improve
every single ETD tuning... and I HAVE measured enough to confirm to my
own satisfaction that.
ES
Cheers
RicB
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