analyse sound files for pitch

[thos]

Hello, can you tell me a good method for taking an existing audio file and analyzing it's contents to tell what frequencies are present. I would like to figure out the tuning of an old recording. Can this be done in Logic?

thanks

Tom

 

[Steenamaroo]

When you say the tuning, do you mean what key it's in?

If so, just post up an mp3 if possible. I'll tell you. Frequency analysis isn't the way forward.

 

[thos]

no, i'm looking for the specific pitches (eg frequency in cents or whatever) to figure out the tuning being used. it's an african group playing traditional instruments which are not in a western scale. i would like a quick way to analyse the pitches of the instruments and i'm wondering how this works with modern audio software. I would like to know this so that I can build instruments in a similar tuning. I know it can be done by ear or even by using a tuner (if you isolate the pitches well enough) but I wonder if software can do this easieer nowadays...

thanks!

Tom

 

[Steenamaroo]

Oh I see,

I'm not aware of an 'easier' way. Maybe someone else will know.

Sorry.

 

[miroslav]

I found a software tuner for free on the internet, and it's great for when you need to adjust a pitch on a note or track, and want to be sure it's on 100% the money or when it's hard to tell which whay it's moving as you try pitch correction.
I just feed the signal into the software tuner and look at the readout.

Sooooo...maybe you could do the same to find out what notes/tuning those instruments are hitting.

I'm sure the more expensive auto-tuners would also do that trick for you even better....software or hardware versions.

 

[phriq]

no, i'm looking for the specific pitches (eg frequency in cents or whatever) to figure out the tuning being used. it's an african group playing traditional instruments which are not in a western scale. i would like a quick way to analyse the pitches of the instruments and i'm wondering how this works with modern audio software. I would like to know this so that I can build instruments in a similar tuning. I know it can be done by ear or even by using a tuner (if you isolate the pitches well enough) but I wonder if software can do this easieer nowadays...

thanks!

Tom

African music is COMPLETELY different from western music as it does not use a equal tempered scale. Much of Africas music is based of Rhythm that tonallity does not matter in. Typlically their music has very unique timings that often times Western musicians find very difficult to understand. Much like the Gamalon of Indonesia and some more middle eastern music, African music doesn't have any "standard" tunings and often their tunings vary from instrument to instrument and family to family. You will not find standard whole steps, half steps. Because equal temperment has to be "equal" for all scales, some intervals are actually different depending on your key and are smaller or bigger than what "mathematically" they should be. This is why keys like F and C major are often VERY hard to sing in, especially chorally, as we as humans do not naturally stick to equal temperment and stretch or shrink certain intervals in certain songs.

As for software to "Analyse" these keys, I have never heard of any. Especially since many of the "notes" would not be in tune to western Equal Temperment.

 

[Emerson Maningo]

Hello, can you tell me a good method for taking an existing audio file and analyzing it's contents to tell what frequencies are present. I would like to figure out the tuning of an old recording. Can this be done in Logic?

thanks

Tom

I am not familiar with Logic although I can easily do this with Adobe audition 1.5 Frequency analysis feature. More details here: Fast Fourier Transform to View Audio Frequency Spectrum

Also I have tried using Audacity which is a free audio editor and it also supports frequency spectrum analysis, some tutorial here: Frequency Analysis Tutorial in Audacity: Mixing and Mastering Tools