Hertz y Cents

El Hertz o hercio se aplica en fsica a la medicin de la cantidad de veces por un segundo que se
repite una onda (sonora o electromagntica). La magnitud que mide el hertz se denomina
frecuencia y es, en este sentido, la inversa del perodo.
1 Hz = 1
T
(Para un A4: 1 hz = 1 segundo / 440 hz = 2,2727 ms -milisegundos-)
El cent, por su parte, equivale a una centsima de semitono temperado.
Cuando afinamos instrumentos, los hertz hacen referencia a un pitch (altura de un sonido)
absoluto, mientras que los cents son usados para medir el tamao de los intervalos. Sin
embargo, hay cierta superposicin en el uso de estos trminos porque podemos referirnos a la
cantidad de hertz que existe en un intervalo (aunque esto no siempre es tan til) y podemos
identificar un pitch especfico por el nmero de cents de diferencia respecto a un pitch de
referencia.
Pensemos en un mapa de rutas: los Hertz describen la ubicacin de las ciudades (las notas) y
los Cents son la unidad de medida utilizada para medir la distancia (intervalos) entre esas
ciudades. Es similar a las coordenadas y los kilmetros que aparecen en un mapa.
Cada unidad de medida tiene su lugar apropiado y es exacto en su contexto. Cuando queremos
identificar un pitch determinado, posiblemente resulte ms exacto establecer su frecuencia en
hertz. Cuando queremos identificar el tamao de un intervalo, probablemente sea ms exacto
establecer su ratio o tamao en cents.
En realidad, hay mucha ms correspondencia entre RATIOS (de frecuencias) y CENTS que la que
hay entre hertz y cents. Esto es porque ambos, ratios y cents, describen intervalos, no pitches
individuales.
En temperamento igual y dado un tono de La de concierto (A440) a 440.000 Hz
El A2 (La de la segunda octava) ser de 110.000 Hz. Si desplazamos ese A2 un cent de su
pitch original, se ubicar ahora en 110.064 Hz
El A8 (La de la octava octava) est ubicado a 7.040.000 Hz. Si desplazamos ese La un cent
respecto su pitch original, su ubicacin ahora ser en 7,044.068 Hz
Entonces, en un extremo de la escala, un cent = 0.064 Hz, mientras que en el otro extremo de
la escala un cent = 4.068 Hz
Examinando un intervalo como la octava utilizando ambos sistemas podemos clarificar las
diferencias:
Hertz: comencemos, por ejemplo, con un pitch A = 110 Hz. Si queremos identificar el pitch
exacto de una octava superior, debemos siempre doblar los Hertz. Entonces, una octava ms
aguda de A = 110 es A = 220. El ratio de las frecuencias de los dos pitches, una octava separados,
es 2/1 ("dos a uno"). En este caso hemos incrementado el pitch en 110 Hz (de 110 a 220) para
aumentar el pitch una octava. Si queremos aumentar otra octava debemos doblar los Hertz
nuevamente, esta vez desde 220 a 440. Entonces, esta vez hemos incrementado la cantidad de
Hertz en 220 para aumentar una octava -dos veces en relacin a la octava previa-. Cada vez que
aumentamos una octava tenemos que doblar la cantidad de Hertz, entonces, cada octava
superior tiene el doble de hertz para cubrir un cambio de pitch de octava (definida como el
doble de frecuencia o ratio de 2/1).
Cents: hay siempre 1200 cents por octava no importa con que pitch la octava comience. De A =
110 a A = 220 es 1200 cents. Similarmente, de A = 220 a A = 440 es tambin 1200 cents.
Podemos pensar en los cents como intervalos igual temperados muy pequeos. Hay siempre
12 semitonos igual temperados por octava. De la misma forma, hay siempre 1200 cents igual
temperados en una octava.
Original ingls
in instrument tuning, the terms "Hertz" and "Cent" mean two totally different things. If you
think of a roadmap, Hertz describes the location of the towns (notes), and Cents is the unit of
measurement used to measure the distance (intervals) between those towns. It is similar to
map co-ordinates and miles (or kilometers).
As a note increases in pitch, its location changes and also its distance from other static notes
but the Hz value and the cent value are not measured one-to-one, since often one value
increases while the other decreases.

For example:
In Equal temperament, given a concert A4 of 440.000Hz
A in the second octave will be 110.000 Hz
If we move that A one cent away in pitch, its location is now 110.064 Hz

A in the 8th octave is located at 7,040.000 Hz

If we move that A one cent away in pitch, its location is now 7,044.068 Hz

So at one end of the scale, one cent = 0.064 Hz, whereas at the other end of the scale, one cent
= 4.068 Hz

Both cents and hertz are valid ways to measure pitch or intervals. As John N. has pointed out,
hertz refer to an absolute pitch, whereas cents are used to measure the size of intervals.
However, there is also overlap in their usage because we can talk about the number of hz
between intervals (though this isn't always that useful), and we can also identify a specific pitch
by the number of cents it varies from a reference pitch.

Looking at an interval such as the octave using both systems clarifies the differences:

Hertz: We begin, for example, with a given pitch A = 110 Hz. Then if we wish to identify the pitch
exactly one octave higher, we must always double the Hz. So one octave above A = 110 is A =
220. The ratio the the frequencies of the two pitches, one octave apart, is 2/1 ("two to one").
In this case, we have increased the pitch by 110 Hz (from 110 to 220) to increase the pitch by
one octave. If we want to go up another octave we must double the Hz again, this time from
220 to 440. So this time we've had to increase the number of Hz by 220 to go up an octave --
twice as much as the previous octave. Each time we go up an octave we have to double the Hz,
so each higher octave has twice as many Hz to traverse to cover one octave of pitch change
(defined as doubling the frequency, or a ratio of 2/1).

Cents: There are always 1200 cents per octave no matter which pitch the octave begins with.
From A = 110 to A = 220 is 1200 cents. Similarly, from A = 220 to A - 440 is also 1200 cents. We
can think of cents as very small equally-tempered intervals. There are always 12 equally-
tempered half steps per octave. Just the same, there are always 1200 equally-tempered cents
in an octave.

So asking which is "more accurate", cents or hertz, isn't exactly the right question. Each unit of
measurement has it appropriate place and is accurate in that context. When you want to
identify a given pitch, you might specify it most accurately by stating its frequency in hertz.
When you want to identify the size of a musical interval, you would be able to do so most
accurately by stating its ratio, or its size in cents. There is actually much more of a
correspondence between RATIOS (of frequencies) and CENTS than there is between hertz and
cents. This is because both ratios and cents describe intervals, not single pitches.
Bruce

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