musicalscale.frink

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// Optimize a musical scale to find the optimal number of notes in an octave.

// Key frequency ratios to evaluate at
// These numbers are the Farey series between 1 and 2, in order of generation.
points= [[3/2, 1],
         [4/3, 1/2], [5/3, 1/2],
         [5/4, 1/4], [7/5, 1/4], [8/5, 1/4], [7/4, 1/4]] /*
         [6/5, 1/8], [9/7, 1/8], [11/8, 1/8], [10/7, 1/8], [11/7, 1/8], [13/8, 1/8], [12/7, 1/8], [9/5, 1/8]] */


bestError = 1000

for root = 2 to million
{
//   print["$root\t"]
   ratio = 2^(1/root)

   sum = 0
   for [point, weight] = points
   {
      // Find optimal number of steps
      optSteps = log[point]/log[ratio]

      // Error between steps and closest note in this scale
      error = abs[(optSteps-round[optSteps])/optSteps]

      // We're going to take RMS error
      sum = sum + error^2 * weight^2

//      println["$point\t$error"]
   }

   e = sqrt[sum] * root
   
//   print[format[e,1,6]]

   // Best so far?
   if (e < bestError)
   {
//      print["\t*"]
      println["$root\t$e\t*"]
      bestError = e
   }
   
//   println[]
}


Download or view musicalscale.frink in plain text format


This is a program written in the programming language Frink.
For more information, view the Frink Documentation or see More Sample Frink Programs.

Alan Eliasen was born 20217 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes ago.