Whistle Calculator Version 2 is available as an online version. I have some tidying up to do on the source code, so I wont make a download available yet.
Some new features:
New method of selecting whistle key - choose high / low / bass and the note name. All the chromatic notes of three octaves are available as base notes for the whistle.
New way of specifying Scale Patterns - allows for temperaments other than 12TET, allows for thumbholes, even allows for whistles where there are notes below the ‘base note’.
Thumb Holes: You can specify a thumb hole for the top hand to get that elusive strong Cnat on a D whistle.
New calculation algorithms, with parameters to fine tune them.
User-defined drill sets: specify the drills you have, and only they will be available in the hole size selector.
The Underlying 12 tone equal temperament scale can be set to any reference frequency.
Multiple whistles loaded at the same time - flick between them.
Whistles have user-defined names and fully editable comments.
New file formats
I probably wont get to do much work on this over the festive season, so please be patient…
SORRY … Sorted it … I needed to increase the finger-hole sizes
I tried this briefly with view to using it for a bamboo pipe … relatively large bore 19-22mm for a D (soprano), even larger for an alto, with approx 3mm wall thickness, but couldn’t get it to work (many of the holes “fall off” the left-hand end) … edited as irrelevant
You can view and use the applet online. (If that link does not work, either clear your cache, or go direct to the version page. Going direct to the version page may mean that you miss a future revision).
New since v1.02:
*New method of selecting whistle key - choose high / low / bass and the note name. All the chromatic notes of three octaves are available as base notes for the whistle.
*New way of specifying Scale Patterns - allows for temperaments other than 12TET, allows for thumbholes, even allows for whistles where there are notes below the ‘base note’.
*Thumb Holes: You can specify a thumb hole for the top hand to get that elusive strong Cnat on a D whistle.
*New calculation algorithms, with parameters to fine tune them.
*User-defined drill sets: specify the drills you have, and only they will be available in the hole size selector.
*The Underlying 12 tone equal temperament scale can be set to any reference frequency.
*Multiple whistles loaded at the same time - flick between them.
*Whistles have user-defined names and fully editable comments.
*Scale Patterns have user-defined comments and names.
*New file formats
*Offset controls can be hidden (that is for you, Hans…).
*Configuration saved at close, and reloaded at start-up.
Please tell me of any defects you find, or enhancements that you want…
I have put another file on the download site (dataFiles_2.00.zip). This includes two drill set files with imperial drill sizes either in 1/32 inch or 1/64 inch, for those that still prefer imperial measurements. I am working on a version that uses the speed of sound in furlongs per fortnight (just kidding )
I just downloaded the program. Neat program but I thought you included an option to use inches instead of mm for the units. Am I missing a menu somewhere?
You remember correctly Walrii - but I have removed the ability to use imperial (1/32 inch) units. I wish eventually to give the user more control over the calculation algorithm and its fine tuning, and every way I have tried is complicated by working in both metric and imperial. I am also trying to reduce the number of controls on the GUI as I want to display more than one whistle picture at a time…
To help those with imperial drill bits I have provided the ability to specify hole sizes in a separate file so that you can use imperial drills (or even a mix of imperial and metric!). You can download the data files zip from the site, and use one of the drillSets in it. One is metric values of drill sizes in 1/32 inch steps, and the other is metric values of drill sizes in 1/64 inch steps. Or you can specify your own drill set (Menu: - edit - drill set)
That leaves four fields that need converting manually to metric:
pipe internal diameter
pipe wall thickness
embouchure window width
embouchure window length
The first two (pipe definitions) will not change very often for a given whistle. The second two represent the embouchure window sizes and this can easily be measured in metric, or a once-off calculation to imperial could be done before manufacture.
Thanks, Doc. The drill bits were what I was looking for. I can measure lengths in metric but all my drill bits are inches. BTW, I ran Jerry Freeman’s new tweaked Gen A through the calculator and it came out with a curved plot, flat on the left side (bottom of whistle) at a cut-off ratio of about 4.0 then dropped off to about 2.8 at the right side (top of whistle). Jerry’s A is a great whistle - is this what the curve is supposed to look like of has Jerry figured a way to bend the laws of physics? Or is there more art than science at work here?
I am glad the drill bits were all you needed. While reorganising the code I thought that would be an adequate solution, and you confirm this (n=1).
As far as what the cut-off ratio graph should look like, well to be honest, I don’t know. Odd as it may seem I am little more than a jobbing programmer here - with no pretence to understanding the depths of acoustic physics. I continued with idea of a graph as a pleasing and very visual representation of the cut-off ratio. Someone (maybe Daniel Bingamon, but I cannot be sure) suggested that the cut-off ratios all be ‘about equal’. They should certainly be above two so that the second octave can speak, but further than that it may be art rather than science as you suggest.
I may do away with the graph in future versions, perhaps I will write the cut-off ratio under the hole position, and colour it red if it goes below two. That way I can free up some space to draw more than one whistle at a time. Drawing several whistles may be more interesting to most folk than (arcane) graphs.
I quite like the graph … I’m a great one for immediate graphical representation rather than having to visualise things from numbers, where possible. What would be nice are a couple more horizontal lines (can’t think of the technical name at the moment) on the graph, especially a line exactly at 2 if some of the points on the graph are below this critical frequency, just to help see things at a glance.
I’m not quite sure what use there is in having two whistles repesented on the screen at the same time … I’m probably missing something
Something I haven’t quite got to grips with … if I save a whistle configuration, an appropriately named wdf file appears in the sub-directory, but when I try to load it again, it doesn’t load … nothing changes
You like the graph more than you would like to compare whistles on screen? Point noted. The horizontal line indicating cut-off ratio of two might work. Lets see how many users want this and how many want to compare whistles - I will go with the majority opinion.
As for the reload thing, I am not sure what is going on here. Have you named your whistle (edit - whistle name) - if not then perhaps
you ought as it makes it easier to see what is going on. What may have happened is that the Whistle Calculator has reloaded your saved whistle already - so when you reload your whistle you will see no change in the GUI.
Whistle Calculator saves the filenames of files you were working on at shutdown (only whistles that have been saved, though), and reloads them at start up.
Start up Whistle Calculator afresh, and look at the title bar. If you are in a ‘clean’ state the title bar will contain the text ‘Unamed Whistle’ (unsaved). If it has reloaded your whistle you should at least see the filename instead of the word ‘unsaved’.
Another thing you can do is go to the ‘view’ menu. This shows you the whistle(s) you currently have in memory, and you can swap between them. If you have reloaded the whistle, as well as The whistle Calculator reloading it, then you will have two identical entries…
Do these ramblings help clarify? Or do you think that there is a deeper problem?
Do let me know - it is the only way things will get fixed.
I do not see the point of having a graph for cut-off frequencies, or cut-off frequency factors. If there is a relationship between cut-off frequencies of neighbouring holes perhaps someone can explain this. If not, then there is no point for the graph, and simple figures would be enough, with a possible warning when the factor goes below 2.
Phill, I still hope you can incorporate a “transparency” option for the 3D whistle image, so one can holes on the back without having to rotate the whole thing. I like to see the holes in relation to each other, so I need to “see through” the body to see the thumb hole in relation to first and second hole.
OK Hans, one for the graph, one against. I must admit that I am not hugely convinced by the case for the graph.
As far as the transparency thing, I will look at an alternate renderer, selectable by menu, and remembered in the configuration file to set the choice at start-up. A line drawing, no shading, with hidden hole lines in lighter colour. Would that work for you?
Do these ramblings help clarify? Or do you think that there is a deeper problem? Do let me know
OK
I’ve got TWCalc in a sub-directory all by itself, with it’s associated wdf files, an ini file (which I’ve tried deleting and letting the program re-create a new one) and one spn file.
When I start TWCalc it’s header says “Unnamed Whistle (Unsaved)”
I then choose “File | Load Whistle (replace current)” and nothing changes
the same happens if I choose “File | Load Whistle”
Here’s the test_whistle.wdf file I’m trying with :
I copied your file contents to a new file, followed the sequence of events that you followed, and got the results that I would expect.
When you say ‘nothing changes’ does that include the title bar? Does it still say “‘Unnamed’ (unsaved)”? If you look at the view menu (after a load rather than a load (replace)) does it show more than one loaded whistle?
Oh bother. I hate this sort of software glitch. If I could reproduce it here I could fix it. Are you willing to work with me to sort this out? I understand if you are not - it may not seem worth the effort for the gain. But if you are I would appreciate it.
First, try downloading the executable again and start clean. Meanwhile I will start implementing logging/tracing so that we can follow the execution path. Then I can send you the version with logging/tracing, or upload it. Writing this bit may take a day or so, but it needs to be done eventually.
Well spotted. You can temporarily fix this by menu - edit - scale patterns. select the scale pattern from the drop-down, and change the offending token from 16/9* to 16/9B*, and press OK. I have fixed the code, so the next version will not have this problem.
I have fiddled with the opacities (?) in the drawing routine - the next release will have a ‘translucent whistle’ option.
Great, looking forward to the translucent version!
Regards loading and saving wdf files:
What is the difference between “Load Whistle” and “Load Whistle (replace current)”, and between “New Whistle” and “New Whistle (replace current)”?
I can change a whistle design as a wdf file, and load it successfully, but the title bar still reads as “Unnamed Whistle”, but with the correct file path and file name in brackets. I am not sure how to “name” a whistle design, if it is not just the file name. PS: I see now that I can name a whistle under Edit - Whistle Name, and that name is saved in the wdf file.
Could the saving dialogue be improved? The file name mask shows as *.wdf, but when I type in a name to replace that and not add .wdf the extension is not added automatically. I think the default should be “Save As .wdf file”.
PANIC OVER ---*- I’ve just downloaded the latest Java runtimes and re-installed and it’s all working
Yes, I’m quite happy to help with the testing. I’ve done a little programming myself, ages ago, and remember how frustrating it could be to have a working utility on my machine, which didn’t behave itself elsewhere.
FYI : I’ve just created the following file and saved and re-loaded it :
The above listing is for an 8-hole “recorder-type” whistle, a favourite configuration of mine. With use of the graph it conveniently demonstrates that 15mm is the maximum practical bore size for a “hi-D” instrument to give two full octaves.
So … what’s the chances of introducing the facility to calculate for tapered bores in TWCalc
Whistle Calculator can have more than one whistle loaded at a time. If there is more than one whistle you can quickly swap between them using Menu - view - (whistle name).
Whistle Calculator has the notion of a ‘current whistle’. The ‘current whistle’ is the one on display. When you open Menu - view the current whistle has an asterisk (‘*’) next to it.
“Load Whistle” loads a new whistle from a file, and adds it to the list of whistles in memory. The loaded whistle becomes the ‘current whistle’.
“Load Whistle (replace current)” removes the current whistle from memory. It then loads a new whistle from a file, and adds it to the list of whistles in memory. The loaded whistle becomes the ‘current whistle’.
“New Whistle” Creates a new whistle with default values, and adds it to the list of whistles in memory. The new whistle becomes the ‘current whistle’.
“New Whistle (replace current)” removes the current whistle from memory. It then creates a new whistle with default values, and adds it to the list of whistles in memory. The new whistle becomes the ‘current whistle’.
I should add that info to the user manual.
I thought that a name should not be a file name. At some future time we might want to save more than one whistle in a file.
Can do. I have done this before in other programs. Its on the TODO list.
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