aglewis723
I want to compare the difference, since I am reading a lot about it being the "natural" tone of music, and that the Nazi's actually tuned A=440 and it just kind of stuck, but music is "supposedly" supposed to be at A=432 Hz.
 

If you didn't want your thread to deteriorate into a debate on tuning standards, you shouldn't have written that. 
 
Here are my thoughts on the subject: http://forum.cakewalk.com/FindPost/2869544

TimV
Cents refers to the division of a half step into 100 units, regardless of the pitch.  Lowering a pitch by 800 cents will lower it 8 half steps.

Oops. You got me. Still, 432 refers to 432Hz.
 
EDIT: I just did the quick calculation, and see that coincidentally, 432 is about 31 cents below 440. I see where you're coming from now. Sorry for the confusion.
 
 

brundlefly

TimV
Cents refers to the division of a half step into 100 units, regardless of the pitch.  Lowering a pitch by 800 cents will lower it 8 half steps.

Oops. You got me. Still, 432 refers to 432Hz.
 
EDIT: I just did the quick calculation, and see that coincidentally, 432 is about 31 cents below 440. I see where you're coming from now. Sorry for the confusion.
 
 

No problem.  Incidentally, I just found a website with a calculator.  Apparently, the exact difference is 31.7666536334 cents.

Don't forget that the 'just noticeable difference' is about 2 or 3 cents even for discerning listeners.
 
My 2 cents.

In Kontakt, which I know isn't a synth but rather a sampler, I just set the master tuning to what ever my guest wants to use.
 
Easy breezy.
 
You can also change the reference Hz. in Melodyne if you need to match something, like vocals etc. to the stuff playing in Kontakt.
 
best regards,
mike

TimV is correct. 432 Hz is A (440Hz) but with minus 32 cents applied in the tuning. It certainly is not 8 semitones below A 440. The Ab below A440 is already at 415Hz so it is only A 440 tuned slightly flat.
 
You may not get the effect either by just slowing a session down slightly. You may have to retune your synths first and record any new material such as bass, guitars, vocals, acoustic instruments etc all tuned to the new tuning and maybe then see how it sounds.
 
If you read this you will also see many tuning references mentioned:
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/w...0_%28pitch_standard%29
 
I am not sure if altering tuning like this is going to be significant. I have experimented with several instruments within one piece being tuned to different references though and things can get interesting in that situation. It can effect things like ambient pieces that contain non tuned sounds too.
 
What I found was much more interesting was how Just Intonation sounds compared to Equal Temperament. Now that is a different thing. Check out this little video here on that very thing. It is pretty convincing as to why it sounds better.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhZpvGSPx6w
 
Most things are equal tempered making them a bit if a compromise. Some synths can go into Just Intonation tuning or alternate tuning. Very nice. This thread has alerted me to something about my Kurzweil PC3K hardware synth. I have just found out it has 17 Intonation tuning maps. OMG! This is way more interesting than just tuning the whole instrument down to 432Hz.
 
 
 
 

Jeff Evans
Most things are equal tempered making them a bit if a compromise. Some synths can go into Just Intonation tuning or alternate tuning. Very nice. This thread has alerted me to something about my Kurzweil PC3K hardware synth. I have just found out it has 17 Intonation tuning maps. OMG! This is way more interesting than just tuning the whole instrument down to 432Hz.

 
I agree alternate scale tuning schemes have a much bigger impact on our perception of music than the position of the scale in the frequency spectrum. It's the frequency ratios that are important, not the absolute values.
 

Basic calculation is: 1Hz = 4cents
 
I've been a piano tuner for 40 years and on occasion have had to tune a piano to 'European' pitch of A=442. Or tune the piano down to match an older pipe organ (pitched at A=435)in a church for instance.
Much easier to tune piano down, than pipe organ up!
 
As TimV pointed out: "Apparently, the exact difference is 31.7666536334 cents."
The reason piano tuners use cents as a measurement is nobody wants to deal with 10 (!) or even 4 decimal points of accuracy
in either Hz or cents. Rounding up 31.7666536334 = 4 cents. Accurate enough.
 
Remember 1 cent = 1/100th of a 1/2 step. Think of it as 1% and that 100% = 1/2 step.
 
Michael

Tunerman
Basic calculation is: 1Hz = 4cents
 
This really only applies in the neighborhood of A440.  While the difference between 440 and 441 is about 4 cents, the difference between 220 and 221 is close to 8 cents, 880 to 881 is about 2 cents, and so forth.  However, since overall pitch level is usually calculated in reference to A440, it can be a handy device.
 
Rounding up 31.7666536334 = 4 cents. Accurate enough.
 
I'm not sure how you get this.  Rounding it up would be 32 cents.
 
Tim - piano tuner for 29 years

This thread has got more & more confusing!!!
 
For a real pissfest, try this one:
 
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/moan-zone/666031-retune-your-music-444-old-tuning-standard.html