Peterson AutoStrobe 590 - Manual (Page 25)

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of from 1 to 8 beats in length which is the range of the BEATS/MEAS parameter. As with the BEATS/MIN parameter,
values will "wrap around"—1 around to 8 or 8 around to 1—if one attempts to decrement or increment through the limits.
Once it is started (and a suitable volume is set), the metronome will sound a short "blip" at each beat. The accented blips
are distinguished from the unaccented ones by a distinctly higher-pitched sound. The pitch of these blips—both accented
and unaccented—are affected by the "OCTAVE" knob at the left side of the front panel. This allows one to tailor the
metronome sounds to optimally "cut through" any instrument sounds regardless of register. On the top line of the LCD
screen display, the cycling of beats is visually shown by the alternation of two characters between dark and blank. Accented
beats cause an added exclamation (!) character to appear to the left of these other characters.
The concept of distinguishable measure boundaries greatly simplifies the task of synchronizing multiple players at both the
beginning of play and throughout a piece (assuming a static meter is maintained). In more advanced situations which include
meter shifts, a BEATS/MEAS setting of "1" will produce an unchanging blip tone from beat to beat.
Once the metronome screen is active (by one of the methods depicted above), the actual cycling of blip sounds (and their
visual counterparts) are initiated and stopped by pressing the Metronome On/Off button (below the "1" button under the
display screen:
METRONOME OFF
BEATS/MIN=XXX
X=BEATS/MEAS
DOWN UP TUNER
1 2 3 4
METRONOME ON ! $
BEATS/MIN=XXX
X=BEATS/MEAS
DOWN UP TUNER
1 2 3 4
Starting the Metronome
As described above in activating the metronome screen, a footswitch jack labeled "METRONOME SWITCH" at the rear
of the unit is connected in parallel with the Metronome On/Off button. Thus, any momentary-close contact device such as
a footswitch may be used in place of or in conjunction with this front-panel button at any time. (The front-panel button will
continue to operate with a device plugged into this rear jack unless the device is held in the closed position—make sure that
the device operates in a momentary-close fashion. A proper footswitch is available from peterson as part #: 140070.)
GLOSSARY
cent - an audio frequency interval which is defined by the division of an equally-tempered semitone interval into 100 equal-
ratio steps. Each cent is
1200 / 2 times the previous one in frequency, making it about 0.058% higher in frequency than the
previous one.
equal-tempered -type of note scaling within a musical octave in which a perfect 2:1 octave frequency ratio is divided into
equal-ratio scale notes. In a twelve-tone scale, each note's frequency is
12 / 2 times the previous one making each scale note
about 6% higher in frequency than the previous one.
equal temperament - a musical scale in which the scale notes are at equal ratios from one to the next. In a twelve-
tone/octave scale, this ratio is
12 / 2 making each scale note about 6% higher in frequency than the previous one. This scaling
choice provides for identical musical intervals regardless of the root note used for the key signature. In exchange for this
flexibility, all intervals have varying degrees of built-in dissonance associated with them.
temperament - frequency scaling of the notes within a musical octave.
timbre - the "character" or quality of a sound, distinct from pitch and volume, which distinguishes one sound from another.
All natural sounds may be thought of as containing various simple-tone (sinusoidal) frequencies in varying strengths. It is