CTE-Master Tuning

[David Ilvedson]

You know, I would go back and tune the piano with the SAT Master tuning page
you have in memory and take another listen with the original or new Master
tuning committee.  If a problem really exists, often a few tweaks can make
it right and the tuning re-recorded.

I apologize if this has already been discussed!

David
----- Original Message -----
From: "Fred Sturm" <fssturm@unm.edu>
To: <caut@ptg.org>
Sent: Monday, January 14, 2002 10:36 AM
Subject: Re: CTE-Master Tuning


> Avery Todd wrote:
> >
> > Fred,
> >
> > I think what people are talking about is that with humidity changes, the
> > piano can change, thereby affecting the FAC numbers, thereby affecting
> > the "Master Tuning", in this case. This has been being talked about
> > lately on the pianotech list about the climate changes changing the FAC
> > numbers somewhat.
> >
> Avery,
> One of the basic features of the FAC is the choice of partial it tunes
> by. Dr. Al found that by tuning the 4th partial, thirds would progress
> nicely (because the third is produced by beating between 4th partial of
> the upper note and 5th partial of the lower). So all that is needed is
> for the numbers to progress evenly to get smooth thirds. Hence, even if
> the "A Number" shifts, the thirds will still progress well. All that
> will be affected is the width of octaves, and the pitch of A4. (It's a
> bit complicated, but this is basically true).
> The only place this doesn't work is over bad inharmonic breaks, where
> inharmonicity jumps. But test pianos shouldn't have such bad breaks. For
> these reasons, I am very skeptical that humidity would cause a piano to
> change in such a way that thirds tuned to the same numbers wouldn't
> progress the same. (The tuning test uses different - lower - partials
> than the FAC program, but still, I find it hard to believe that humidity
> change would have such an affect. Unless conceivably the bad
> progressions happen over an octave break, particularly B2 to C3,
> possibly B3 to C4 and B4 to C5.)
>
> Joe Goss wrote:
> >Hi Fred,
> It is possible to change the SATll  program numbers of a FAC tuning and
> not
> know that they have been changed. Only a hard copy will verify the
> correct
> numbers.
>  I know this to be a fact because a few years back when I was using the
> canned tuning programs and using the offset to a different pitch,
> several of
> the programs that were being used a lot suddenly were not giving a smoth
> progression and had to be reprogramed.
>
> Joe,
> Well, I don't know precisely how the SAT's interiors work, but I
> believe that numbers inputted into memory stay the same. That is,
> individual cents numbers entered to memory for individual notes on
> individual pages of memory. (They'd better, or I want my money back ;-)
> )
> Test tunings have nothing to do with the FAC program. THe notes are
> simply read, and then entered one by one into memory on a particular
> page that is there for the purpose. So there shouldn't be any
> calculation by the machine (other than creating the associated pages,
> like Detuning. But that's just simple arithmatic based on the original
> input numbers, applying them to a separate page of memory).
> Unless someone actually goes to the page on which the master tuning is
> recorded and changes individual notes, I don't think there is any way
> they can get changed. I don't think you could even enter an FAC into
> that page of memory - it's pre-programmed to accept only individual
> entries at particular octaves. Trying to be fool-proof.
> Regards,
> Fred Sturm
> University of New Mexico