Octave Stretch

People generally feel that a note whose frequency is twice another note’s frequency is somehow "the same note" only higher. If you have a piano handy, play the D note (between the pair of black notes) in each octave. The frequency of each D note is about twice that of the D note before it.

But many people feel that the octave is not exactly two times the lower note. To many people, two notes whose ratio is slightly different than 2.0 sound more alike.

Important: Please do NOT hit the Print Stretch button until the instructions tell you to!

To do:

  • Slide the fader all the way to the left.
  • Hit the Play Stretched Octave button. Listen to the two notes.
  • Slide the fader all the way to the right.
  • Hit the Play Stretched Octave button. Listen to the two notes.
  • Adjust the fader until the two notes sound like the same note, an octave apart.
  • Hit the Print Stretch button to see what your ears hear as an octave. Note that there is no right or wrong answer, but most people feel that a 5 to 10 cent stretch sounds best.