Cyber ears

[Newton Hunt]

> Compare the frequences of coincidents and calculate the difference, and finally present the resulting data in terms of bbs.
> 
> Does this sound do-able ?

I know very little about electronics or computer programming but I
have watched EDTs evolve from useless to useful.

Frequency counters take several seconds to a few minutes to get a
reliable sample to display.  The lower the frequency the higher the
display time.

Modern EDTs display the _difference_ in _phase_ between the internal
'standard' to the incoming, highly filtered, signal.  Filtering is an
electronic or programming system to exclude other frequencies to time
shorten and enhance display.  A program could be set up to compare the
phases of two incoming 'signals' but the human would have to tell the
program which partials to compare.  If you want to compare fifths or
fourths you will have to wait an amount of time that would make the
measurements almost meaningless.

Yes, it could be done but I don't want to wait for 50 to 75 seconds
for a fourth to display or 15 to 20 seconds for a third to display.  

So, OK, you have a number.  THis number is useless unless you have an
adequate number of other samples for comparison.  What are you going
to do with the numbers.  Beats represent the difference between to
frequencies and if you change one all the other beats in all the other
related intervals change as well.  You are talking about a massive
amount of information that is difficult to acquire and not as
informative as you might think because EDTs think in terms of cents
and beats represent frequencies.  The two are NOT linearly linked.

Steve Fairchild has worked out a spread sheet to do just what you
suggest but peering at several columns of numbers representing
'theoretical' number are, in my view, useless in a practical sense.  I
think you would find yourself mired in numbers the confuse and a time
investment that is of no value to you except as an intellectual
exercise.  

Get in touch with Steve Fairchild if you want to find out what he has
done.  Jim Colemen, Sr. is far more familiar with the of Steve than am
I.

IM not so HO.  (Opinions are like are pits, everyone has them and most
are unpleasant.)

		Newton