How to Use PitchLog for Intonation Practice

Quick start (30 seconds)

PitchLog works best as an ear-led practice loop: start the mic, play or sing without watching live feedback, then reveal the pitch review afterward.

1. Tap the mic button.
2. Tap the eye button to hide pitch while practicing.
3. Play or sing.
4. Tap the eye-off button to show pitch and review your accuracy.

Main practice screen: start mic, perform, then review.

What does the upper chart show?

The upper chart summarizes how in-tune you were for each note. The gray box shows where the middle half of your attempts landed -- this is called the interquartile range (IQR). A shorter box means you were more consistent; a taller box means your pitch varied more.

The colored bar is your typical result (the median). Green means close to center, orange means sharp, and blue means flat.

Use this to spot notes that drift and whether you are generally sharp or flat on each one.

What does the score card show?

The score card gives you a quick summary after each take before you dig into the charts.

Pitch: how close the take was to the target pitch center. Use it as a fast check for whether notes tended to land centered, sharp, or flat.

Spread: how tightly each eligible note was held. A better spread means the pitch stayed tighter instead of wandering within those notes.

Focus: when useful, this highlights the weakest note to target on the next repetition.

If you hide pitch while practicing, the score card feedback stays hidden too. This keeps the app aligned with ear-led practice: play first, then reveal the results afterward.

Can I rotate the upper chart to a tonic?

Yes. Click any note name in the upper chart header row to set it as the tonic. The columns rotate so each row begins at that tonic; your data and transposition remain unchanged.

Tap any note name in the header to rotate the chart to that tonic.

This sets a global tonic for the chart and helps compare intonation relative to a key center.

Settings glossary

PitchLog settings change how the chart is labeled and filtered. They do not change the pitch points already captured in your take.

Transposition: shifts displayed note names without changing the pitch points already captured in your take. Change this when you want note labels to match your written notation (for example, transposing instruments) or a preferred key view.

Reference pitch: sets the tuning standard used for note names, cents deviation, and reference tones. The default is A4 = 440 Hz. Change it if you practice with an ensemble, recording, or instrument tuned to a different standard, such as 442 Hz or 432 Hz.

Confidence threshold: filters uncertain pitch detections. Raise it when detections are noisy/jumpy; lower it when soft notes are being dropped.

Hide data for notes with sample size less than: hides limited-data note summaries in the upper chart and score card. The lower chart still shows accepted pitch detections. Raise this setting for cleaner summaries; lower it to include notes you played only briefly.

Practice tools

Metronome: Use the clock button in the bottom-right controls to open the metronome panel. Start or stop the click, adjust BPM, or tap tempo without leaving the practice screen.

Useful chart controls

View mode: Use the button in the top-right of the lower chart to switch between split and single timeline view.

Timeline scrolling (history): In single timeline view, turn the mic off to scroll horizontally and review earlier pitch data. While the mic is on, the timeline follows live input.

Panel layout: Use the center bar arrows to expand only the upper chart or only the lower chart, then restore split view.

Use view toggle and center arrows to change chart layout.

Android split screen with backing tracks

You can run PitchLog side-by-side with a backing track app (for example, iReal Pro) while recording pitch.

1. Use earphones or headphones so backing-track audio does not bleed into the mic.
2. Open PitchLog and start the mic.
3. Open your backing track app (for example, iReal Pro).
4. Use Android split-screen mode to run both apps together.

Install on phone (Add to Home Screen)

For faster launch and a more app-like experience, add PitchLog to your home screen from your browser menu.

iPhone (Safari): Share button -> Add to Home Screen.

Android (Chrome): Browser menu -> Add to Home screen or Install app.

Troubleshooting

Most setup issues come from browser microphone permissions, distance from the mic, or other audio leaking into the microphone.

Microphone access denied: allow microphone permission in browser settings, then refresh. If you added PitchLog to your home screen, pull down from the top of the page to refresh.

No pitch detected: move closer to the mic and reduce background noise.

Feedback while using drones or the metronome: use earphones or a headset.

Does PitchLog upload microphone audio?

PitchLog stores settings (like transposition and onboarding state) in your browser local storage. It does not upload your microphone audio.