On this dialog you can select range, type and orientation of the frequency scale. Most of those settings can also be found on the toolbar.
Frequency Scale
Scale Range
This is the lowest and highest note or the lowest and highest frequency that are displayed the piano and analyzer views. The scale range can also be changed by clicking and dragging the frequency scale in the main view, or by using the mouse wheel in that view.
Frequency Display
This determines if the frequency scale is linear or logarithmic.
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Figure 2: linear frequency scale | Figure 3: logarithmic frequency scale |
The image illustrates the difference between the linear and logarithmic frequency scale. Both sides show a frequency range of 16 Hz to 2093 Hz.
When the scale is linear, consecutive overtones have the same distance on the screen, but the piano keys get wider for higher frequencies. This shows that the higher piano keys cover a much wider frequency range than the lower keys.
With the logarithmic frequency scale, all piano keys have the same size. Higher harmonics are spaced more and more closely than the lower ones. The logarithmic scale represents how the ear perceives pitch. Towards the lower end of the scale, we can distinguish very small frequencies and hear them as different notes. On the upper end of the scale, each note covers a much wider frequency range. The logarithmic scale is therefore more suitable for analyzing music, as it shows much more detail in the lower note range.
Orientation
This simply determines wether the frequency scale is aligned horizontally or vertically. The other axis is time for the spectrogram, or intensity for the spectrum.
Musical Notes
This setting controls how note names are shown on the piano keyboard and on the overtone sliders.
Accidental
This determines if the notes on the black keys of the piano are displayed with the sharp or flat sign. You can also right-click into the Staff View to switch the accidental.
Concert Pitch A
Here you can set the frequency of the concert pitch that is used as a reference for all other tones. By default, the concert pitch A is 440Hz.
Notation System
You can choose between three different notation systems:
- Helmholtz Notation: This system is used mainly in German speaking countries. The notes on the piano range from A2 to C, and then from c-c5. Notice the use of both upper and lower case.
- Scientific Notation: This notation is more common in English speaking countries. It is a little bit simpler than the Helmholtz system. The notes on the piano range from A0 to C8.
- Piano Keyboard Notation: In this system, the keys are numbered from 1 to 88 as they would appear on a real piano, counting white and black keys. This notation is mainly used by piano tuners.
Draw note frequencies in analyzer view background
If this option is active, thin lines will be drawn in the analyzer view background that represent the frequencies of notes on the piano.
