Welcome to the Escalador page (version 2.01)
The Escalador is an application suitable for Mac, Windows and Linux.
• Escalador has three main functions:
1. Production of scales of any type.
2. Recognition of any frequency (from 0.023227 [C-5] @ diapason on 20Hz) to n showing its respective musical notation value, named as Which note is it.
3. Escalador Audio, a web application suitable to hear and explore sounds from the scales made by the Escalador application.
• Main features:
General parameters
• Origin frequency in Hz: The origin frequency for the calculations. This frequency is also the first sound of the new scale.
• Limit: This field is related with the musical ‘octave’ or double of frequency notion. For example, number 2 will produce a scale (of n elements) from the chosen frequency (Origin frequency in Hz field) to its double frequency or ‘octave’. When constructing scales reaching to the ‘octave’ value, in this case the Limit field is closed related with the binary logarithm concept and functionality. So, for example, 4 will make a two octave scale (of n elements). And so forth to numbers 8, 16, 32, etc. (powers of 2: a(n) = 2^n).
But when using numbers other than powers of 2, for example, 3, 5, 2.5, etc. then the logarithm associated with that operation, will be a natural logarithm.
• Scale’s element from: With this device, we can choose which element to put at the beginning on the scale’s list, or simply highlight it.
• Elements: The number of sounds of the scale.
• Cents constant (decimals): The cents constant between each sound (note) of the produced scale.
• Calculate scale button: Once the data is entered on the fields: Origin, Limit and Elements, the result can be obtained by clicking that button.
• Limit adjuster can be used to flatten or sharpen the scale’s cents constant.
It will change also the frequencies on the resulted scale.
• Scale: With this device the produced scales can be saved, loaded, printed or reloaded.
• It is important to know that scales produced with, will have this structure: [ListEsca].txt
So only scales with this structure [ListEsca].txt will be recognised.
An example of a scale created can be: Myscale[ListEsca].txt.
• The created scales are shown here.
• Elements means the number of sounds of the scale
• Note: The names of the notes
• Octave: The note’s octave
• Cents: The note offset value in cents
• Cents const.: The cents constant of the scale. For example, 100 means a scale divided by semitones
• Frequency: The frequency of each scale element
• Global index: It is related with the cents attributed to each sound or element from the Origin Frequency.
• Coarse and fine limit: The limit index can also be controlled with these two scrollbars.
• Save scale data: The scales created, can be saved and ready to be heard on the Escalador Audio application.
The structure given for these scales is [Esca].txt. Only sclaes with this structure are usable for the Escalador Audio application.
An example of a scale created can be: Myscale[Esca].txt.
Finally, the Scrapbook useful for putting ideas, notes. etc.
By clicking the Open button, the scrapbook can be viewed on a wide window and also the text font on it can be adjusted as desired.
The menu
With the About Escalador menu, you can have information about the version of the application. By clicking on the link Escalador version you are informed, via the website, about the current version.
By clicking the Pianissimo cantabile 1 link you can hear the whole work Pianissimo cantabile 1 used when opening the window. Pianissimo cantabile 1 is a work made with the Escalador Audio.
With the Frequency space calculator it is possible to create a frequency space range of your choice.
That space will be visible on the scale list.
With Using the Escalador menu, you can have important information about Which note is it, Escalador and the Escalador Audio.
With the License menu you can read important information on the website concerning all details of the Escalador License.
Using the Uninstall Escalador menu, you can uninstall one license of the Escalador application from one computer to be used on another one. The process will ask you some information to proceed with the task. At the end of that process you will able to use your (actual) license on a different computer.
With the Which note is it? menu, you can open the homonym application.
By clicking the Escalador Audio menu, you can choose one server to connect to the Escalador Audio application.
Finally the About the author menu, will bring you to the developer’s website.
Escalador version 2.2
In the version 2.2, we included several new features:
The diapason, the standard and real cents index.
Two new calculators and a new version of Which not is it? calculator
• With the diapason feature the scales produced will be related with diapason chosen. The range in frequencies for the diapason can be from 20 Hz to n.
When a frequency for the diapason is chosen, the device will compute the note C -5 related with the diapason’s frequency. The calculations are made internally using this C -5 for the calculations. This is why it is also showed.
• The standard index button will recompute the scale from the C -1. The C -1 index is used on most electronic devices, midi instruments, etc.
• The real index button will recompute the scale from the C -5.
All two indexes are produced with the chosen diapason.
The menu
With the Harmonic Calculator it is possible to create scales using the harmonic structure of a fundamental frequency.
• On the field Harmonic structure, by using the number 1, it will produce a harmonic scale with the ‘natural’ structure, that is to say, with integers multiple of the fundamental frequency. By putting other number, for example, (1.20), the harmonic series are not associated with the ‘natural’ integer multiple of the fundamental frequency.
• On the field Number of harmonics, any number can be used to control the number of elements of the new scale.
The main function of the Xva Calculator consist in the agencement of magnitudes or spaces, be they contrated or dilated. These spaces are created from an extrapolation of the octave concept.
• The Xva calculator is a device by which the scales are computed using the logarithm as a main principle for the production of the new scales. The four arithmetic operations of the Logarithmic Base Calculator section of the calculator, can be used also to create new scales.
• Also the original new scales can be bifurcated to new ones, and so on.
The Xva Calculator was inspired by some formulas developed by Williams Montesinos. It is a sort of tribute to the colleague and friend.
The new version of Which note is it?
• The Diapason feature and the Computed and Standard indexes are included.
Escalador version 2.3
In the version 2.3, we included some new features:
The Save inverted scale data button
By using the Save inverted scale data button, a scale can be inverted. That is to say, suppose a scale of ten elements.
The common order made by the Escalador is : 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10, lower frequency to upper frequency.
By using the Save inverted scale data button, the scale is saved in the inverted order : 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0, that is to say, upper frequency to lower frequency.
The Scale part of the Escalador’s main window
As in the previous version, with this device the produced scales can be saved, loaded, printed or reloaded. It is important to know that scales produced with, will have this structure: [ListEsca].txt. So only scales with this structure [ListEsca].txt will be recognised. An example of a scale created can be: Myscale[ListEsca].txt. Letter H is added to Save and Load buttons to be used with scales produced by the Harmonic Calculator. So the suffix is: [ListEsca-H]. Remember that scales saved by this device cannot be used as data-scales for the Escalador Audio.
Escalador version 2.4
In the version 2.4, we included some new features:
The possibility to create scales ready to be used with devices using the scala (.scl) format
A button to add decimals to the cents shown on the list
And for the scala format (.scl) too
Cents (Global index column) without decimals
And cents (Global index column) with decimals
Calculating a scale to be used as a Scala scale format
Escalador version 2.5
In the version 2.5, we included some new features:
Two windows related with the main Frequencies Space Calculator window
The Frequencies Space Calculator window
The Frequencies Space Calculator window, has two new buttons, Constants and Spaces, by which the user can make more dynamic frequencies spaces, or scales.
Constants
Clicking the button Constants the window Constants is showed. The left column (Constants window) refers to the “C” index of the Frequencies Space Calculator window. By clicking any number, the Escalador shows instantly the resulted calculation.
Spaces
The Spaces window is a more flexible device. It can create any type of desired space of frequencies. The new space can be imagined in terms of cents (¢). For example, a space of 1700 cents (see above) has a number of 17 sounds (semitones, 100¢) for the scale. The field Sounds can be modified to change the number of sounds of the scale. The field Constant shows the constant of the calculated scale.
With the field New Constant, the user can change the constant divider of the computed scale.
By changing the number of sounds of the scale, by 13 in our example (see below), the constant of the space of frequencies (scale) is now 131 (rounded).
By clicking the button: 
, the list on the right shows a new space of frequencies of 1700 cents (Global index column), 13 sounds with a constant of 131 ¢.
Also, the constant of a space of frequencies can be changed. Using the Change the constant of the space part of the window. Using the New constant field the user can insert the desired new value. By clicking the 
button a new space is shown at the list on the right of the Escalador.
In the example below, the space of 1700 ¢ constant’s have been changed from 100 to 50 ¢. It is important to denote that the space of frequencies also changed from 1700 to 850 ¢.
Calculating a scale to be used as a Scala scale format
Example (using the Frequencies Space Calculator): From a space of twelve semitones (1200 ¢), lets imaging 19 elements instead of 12. We put 1200 in the Space field, then, we put 19 in the Sounds field. By clicking the 
button, we can see that the constant is (rounded) 63 ¢.
Note that the result is given as a standard scale to be used by the Escalador Audio application.
Now, to convert the standard Escalador scale format to a Scala scale format, we have to click the 
button:
Now at the Global index column of the list, we can see the exact scala format ready to be saved as a standard Scala format to a file
Here, we can see the contents of the saved file as a standard Scala format
Calculating a harmonics scale to be used as a Scala scale format
In this example we use as a fundamental frequency C-1 (8.176 Hz @ 440 ¢ diapason). Then we choose for the Harmonic Structure field: 0.03 and 40 as the Number of harmonics. The column Cents constant (Cents const.) of the list (below), is showing the structure that will be used for the Scala format.
By clicking the 
button, we obtain a new Scala scale from the Harmonics calculator device.
The Scala data can be found at the column Cents const.
Now the user can click at the 
button, to save the data ready to be used.
Escalador version 2.6
In the version 2.6, the Scale segmentation feature is included:
The Scale segmentation is suitable for the Escalador Audio and Scala formats
The segmentation feature is located at the More Escalador menu.
With the scale segmentation feature, any sort of segmentation of the space of frequencies can be done. For example, we can imaging a list of frequencies segmented by: 10 frequencies with a cents constant of 34, then next 15 frequencies are obtained by choosing frequencies displayed on the resulted list (at the left of Escalador listing), in any order, then, we can add frequencies by hand, inserting them on the fields for that purpose etc. etc.
The scale segmentation feature for the Escalador format
Watch the explanation video (this video will be published soon)
The scale segmentation feature for the Scala format
Watch the explanation video (this video will be published soon)
