easy way to calibrate audio frequency generator?...

[Tim R]

On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 5:01:10 AM UTC-5, Abandoned_Trolley wrote:

Speaking of which ... I believe some musicians are able to tune their
instruments by using the dial tone from a landline as a reference.

AT

Wiki says the dial tone is a combination of 350 and 440 Hz. That would be an F major chord, minus the fifth. I guess you could do that. Youtube had a 12 hour long recording of a dial tone. I just tried to tune a guitar A string to that, came out 3 cents sharp by my tuner. But my tuner hears the dial tone as an F. The youtube version sounds like a square wave to my ears though.

The 60 cycle power hum doesn\'t work, it is halfway between a Bb (58) and a B natural (62).

 

[Mike]

In article <s1l2d3$o2j$1@dont-email.me>,
Abandoned_Trolley <fred@fred-smith.uk> wrote:

Speaking of which ... I believe some musicians are able to tune their
instruments by using the dial tone from a landline as a reference.

That\'s a great idea, but it probably mean FA to most people.

Musicians, on the other hand ...

--
--------------------------------------+------------------------------------
Mike Brown: mjb[-at-]signal11.org.uk | http://www.signal11.org.uk

 

[Tim R]

On Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 4:22:06 PM UTC-5, Mike wrote:

In article <s1l2d3$o2j$1...@dont-email.me>,
Abandoned_Trolley <fr...@fred-smith.uk> wrote:

Speaking of which ... I believe some musicians are able to tune their
instruments by using the dial tone from a landline as a reference.
That\'s a great idea, but it probably mean FA to most people.

Doesn\'t mean much to musicians either.

Most of us don\'t have land lines.

Most of us do have cell phones and you can get free tuning apps on them.

Or you can get a decent electronic tuner for $20.

Those two things have made a huge difference in stabilizing a pitch center. Years back you never knew what pitch a band was going to have - might be 440, 415, 175, who knows? You had to be prepared to accommodate, and some instruments could only be tuned so far. Now amateurs don\'t play any better in tune, but they play out of tune around an agreed upon pitch, and that makes it a lot easier.

What you hear on recordings is always autotuned. I don\'t understand how that works, but it may be gradually training people to expect things to be in tune. Except Sailor Sabor, of course, who holds the record for the most out of tune National Anthem ever, at the CPAC 2021 last week.

 

[Phil Allison]

Tinkerer wrote:

I have a Heathkit ET-3100 electronic design experimenter that has a very
basic sine/ square wave function generator. Controls all analog and no
scale really. Output is from 200 Hz - 2 Khz on \"low\" and 2 Khz to 20
Khz on \"high\". Exact frequency depends on where the pot is adjusted.
How can I calibrate this to be more precise, preferably in a simple way?

** This link might be useful:

https://www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/

It\'s a variable frequency sine/square generator covering 1Hz to 20kHz with digital read out.

You can use zero beating if mixed with the output of your Heathkit unit.

...... Phil

 

[Phil Allison]

Tinkerer wrote:

I have a Heathkit ET-3100 electronic design experimenter that has a very
basic sine/ square wave function generator. Controls all analog and no
scale really. Output is from 200 Hz - 2 Khz on \"low\" and 2 Khz to 20
Khz on \"high\". Exact frequency depends on where the pot is adjusted.
How can I calibrate this to be more precise, preferably in a simple way?

** This link might be useful:

https://www.szynalski.com/tone-generator/

It\'s a variable frequency sine/square generator covering 1Hz to 20kHz with digital read out.

You can use zero beating if mixed with the output of your Heathkit unit.

...... Phil

 

[Paul Drahn]

On 2/28/2021 1:27 PM, Tinkerer wrote:

I have a Heathkit ET-3100 electronic design experimenter that has a very
basic sine/ square wave function generator.  Controls all analog and no
scale really.  Output is from 200 Hz - 2 Khz on \"low\" and 2 Khz to 20
Khz on \"high\".  Exact frequency depends on where the pot is adjusted.
How can I calibrate this to be more precise, preferably in a simple way?
Are you certain the problem is calibration and not really \"resetability\"?

Paul

 

[Phil Allison]

Paul Drahn wrote:
================

Are you certain the problem is calibration and not really \"resetability\"?

** Having no scale on the dial guarantees both.



....... Phil

 

[Clifford Heath]

On 3/3/21 10:29 am, Tim R wrote:
> ... it may be gradually training people to expect things to be in tune.
Except Sailor Sabor, of course, who holds the record for the most out of
tune National Anthem ever, at the CPAC 2021 last week.


Your entire National Anthem is out of tune with the 21st century, and
the 20th too if it comes to that. Try reading the lyrics sometime and
think about how it sounds to anyone not born American.

 

[Phil Allison]

Clifford Heath wrote:

======================

Your entire National Anthem is out of tune with the 21st century, and
the 20th too if it comes to that. Try reading the lyrics sometime and
think about how it sounds to anyone not born American.

** Yeah - the \" Star Bangled Spanner\" is looking a bit worn out.

Probably get cancelled soon as \"racist\".

Maybe they could adopt: \"\'Born in the USA\" ?

Oh shit, that\'s racist too !!


...... Phil

 

[Phil Allison]

Clifford Heath wrote:

======================

Your entire National Anthem is out of tune with the 21st century, and
the 20th too if it comes to that. Try reading the lyrics sometime and
think about how it sounds to anyone not born American.

** Yeah - the \" Star Bangled Spanner\" is looking a bit worn out.

Probably get cancelled soon as \"racist\".

Maybe they could adopt: \"\'Born in the USA\" ?

Oh shit, that\'s racist too !!


...... Phil

 

[Peter W.]

Given that it started as a drinking song (in 1775) - it was, is and remains quite apt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KcHg5ZOIgU

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

 

[jeff bowman]

On Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 4:27:15 PM UTC-5, Tinkerer wrote:

I have a Heathkit ET-3100 electronic design experimenter that has a very
basic sine/ square wave function generator. Controls all analog and no
scale really. Output is from 200 Hz - 2 Khz on \"low\" and 2 Khz to 20
Khz on \"high\". Exact frequency depends on where the pot is adjusted.
How can I calibrate this to be more precise, preferably in a simple way?

If the pot is a common type change it to a ten turn type it will give you more control and add freq counter as others said.
Jeff