Anyone tune their gear to 432hz when recording analog music?

[Southsidemusic]

Have been listening to some oldies tunes i usually don't listen to that was tuned to 432hz vs 44.1hz and the difference is noticeble.

Is anyone doing this with guitars and bass etc or is it a myth that it sound warmer and less distorting?

We did a test this weekend as we had some time and recorded via our SSL4000G+ and PRS Custom 24 w/bird inlays guitars that usually only hangs on the wall and both Fender guitars and basses and damn warm and clear sound came out

Is this just rose colored glass syndrome or is 432hz really that much better sounding lon analog gear? Tried a few synth VI and a few hardware synths. The Prophet 5 V3.3 and both a 30 year old MiniMoog and a MiniMoog from a few years back (new old version limited edition) and to be honest the Prophet5 and the original MiniMoog looses tune as per usual with these oldies so it was harder to say if they sounded as good as the guitars and basses but the newer Synths we tried like the limited edition MiniMoog and a few others were better as they stay in tune

So I know this has been discussed to death onthe web and I am not trying to start another long back and forth just to be annoying, I am asking seriously as we never tried this before and all of us who were in the studio were stunned how different everything sounded. We even tried a 3 pc string session on some modern pop tunes and the strings sounded fabulously warm and "Big" so there is something to be said about 432hz for sure.

School me please

[JFreak]

Tuning to off-440Hz gives same impression as the saying "voice sounds better on black keys". Psychoacoustics, that is. Some pro philharmonic orchestras are also tuning lower than 440 for that reason. Hearing is believing I guess

[Bob L]

If you're serious about 432 Hz tuning, you must see this.

[Muddy-T]

Originally Posted by Southsidemusic

is 432hz really that much better sounding on analog gear?

Chris, I'm shocked! As an engineer I can't believe you'd think your gear would care if a guitar is tuned flat (or sharp)!

As a musician I can only shrug at the whole "432 thing". It's a web-crazies thing, conspiracy nuts and flat earth loonies and such. It just doesn't exist in either historical or contemporary music.

Historically the 'standard' for the A above the middle C has wandered from as low as 409Hz (according to a tuning fork associated with Händel) to a whopping 455.4Hz (a tuning fork that belonged to Beethoven) and pretty much anything in between. With the exception of 432Hz oddly enough...

I tune my guitars and other stringed instruments down half a step; A is 415Hz. Which means A# is now 440Hz. Magic..?! No, I just can't sing as high as I used to...

To be sure, stringed instruments will sound 'different' tuned to a lower pitch but it's just physics.

Wikipedia has some -uncharacteristically- factual information on standard concert pitch; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A440_(pitch_standard)

And its history; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histor..._Western_music

Especially noteworthy is the paragraph on "Pitch Inflation"; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histor...itch_inflation

Instrumentalists wanted to play at increasingly higher pitches, higher string tension produced a brighter sound with more pronounced harmonics. Singers of course resented this tendency. (sic)

T

[amagras]

Not the most scientific explanation but clear and one of the few attempts to demystify this on YT.
https://youtu.be/LjR0WpWwLrE

[Muddy-T]

Originally Posted by amagras

Not the most scientific explanation but clear and one of the few attempts to demystify this on YT.
https://youtu.be/LjR0WpWwLrE

Way to go Andrei.

I'm not Rick Beato's biggest fan (no need for >$6k gear name dropping, and for Pete's sake, leave your kids out of it!) but there it is in a nutshell...



T

[amagras]

Originally Posted by Muddy-T

Way to go Andrei.

I'm not Rick Beato's biggest fan (no need for >$6k gear name dropping, and for Pete's sake, leave your kids out of it!) but there it is in a nutshell...



T

True.

I would add to the discussion that 432 Hz is especially not a good idea for session musicians.

[YYR123]

Great topic though

[JCBigler]

Most of the classical musicians that I work with prefer to tune to A=442Hz because they say the harmonics sound better for their string instruments.

I tell them that it's dumb because I think it makes them sound sharp.

We should just stick with A=440Hz and be done with it.

[jryser]

Having perfect pitch is a blessing and a curse. 432 would make me crazier than I already am. And that would be a feat.


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