International Audio Laboratories Erlangen

A Multi-User Interface for Real-Time Intonation Monitoring in Music Ensembles

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Peter Meier, Meinard Müller, Stefan Balke

This website is related to the following publication:

  1. Peter Meier, Meinard Müller, and Stefan Balke
    A Multi-User Interface for Real-Time Intonation Monitoring in Music Ensembles
    In Proceedings of the Workshop for Innovative Computer-based Music Interfaces (ICMI): 1–5, 2025, Accepted. 
    @inproceedings{MeierMB25_IntonationMonitoring_ICMI,
author      = {Peter Meier and Meinard M{\"u}ller and Stefan Balke},
title       = {A Multi-User Interface for Real-Time Intonation Monitoring in Music Ensembles},
booktitle   = {Proceedings of the Workshop for Innovative Computer-based Music Interfaces ({ICMI})},
address     = {Chemnitz, Germany},
year        = {2025, Accepted},
pages       = {1--5},
}

Abstract

Intonation is a crucial aspect of musical ensemble performance. Yet maintaining accurate tuning among multiple musicians remains a persistent challenge, particularly in variable rehearsal and live performance settings. While intonation monitoring systems have been explored previously, most focus on single-channel processing, lack real-time capabilities, or do not support ensemble-specific functionality. In this work, we explore the possibilities of a real-time, multi-user intonation monitoring system specifically developed for music ensembles. It provides immediate, role-specific feedback to both musicians and conductors, supporting collaborative rehearsal practices and ensemble tuning processes. We conducted an initial experiment in a rehearsal setting with four musicians and a conductor, focusing on a qualitative evaluation of usability, interpretability, and musical relevance. The preliminary findings indicate that the system offers clear and practical feedback, promotes awareness of intonation, and has the potential to enhance interaction and facilitate communication within the ensemble.

teaser
Figure 1: Overview of the real-time intonation monitoring system. (a) System architecture: microphones capture audio from each musician, connecting to a central server for real-time pitch analysis and web-based visual feedback. (b) Conductor view: main visualization for intonation monitoring, showing pitch class, cent deviation, and tuning stability for each musician.

Conductor View

In this short video, we demonstrate the conductor view of our real-time intonation monitoring system. The example is based on the ChoraleBricks dataset [1], featuring the piece "Jesu, geh voran" by A. Drese (arranged by Mauersberg). The system is showcased alongside a conducting video by Stefan Balke, highlighting its functionality. The demonstration involves four musicians playing oboe, flugelhorn, baritone horn, and bass clarinet, providing a practical example of ensemble intonation monitoring in action.

Conductor and Single View

In this second example video, we use the same conductor view as before, but now also showcase the single view for individual musicians. The single view provides each musician with personalized feedback on their intonation, allowing them to see their pitch accuracy and stability in real time.

References

  1. Stefan Balke, Axel Berndt, and Meinard Müller
    ChoraleBricks: A Modular Multitrack Dataset for Wind Music Research
    Transactions of the International Society for Music Information Retrieval (TISMIR), 2025. 
    @article{BalkeBM24_ChoraleBricks_TISMIR,
author  = {Stefan Balke and Axel Berndt and Meinard M{\"u}ller},
title   = {{ChoraleBricks}: A Modular Multitrack Dataset for Wind Music Research},
journal = {Transactions of the International Society for Music Information Retrieval ({TISMIR})},
year    = {2025}
}
  2. Peter Meier, Meinard Müller, and Stefan Balke
    Analyzing Pitch Estimation Accuracy in Cross-Talk Scenarios: A Study with Wind Instruments
    In Proceedings of the Sound and Music Computing Conference (SMC): 3–10, 2025. Details Demo DOI 
    @inproceedings{MeierMB25_WindPitchEstimation_SMC,
author    = {Peter Meier and  Meinard M{\"u}ller and Stefan Balke},
title     = {Analyzing Pitch Estimation Accuracy in Cross-Talk Scenarios: {A} Study with Wind Instruments},
booktitle = {Proceedings of the Sound and Music Computing Conference ({SMC})},
address   = {Graz, Austria},
year      = {2025},
pages     = {3--10},
doi       = {10.5281/zenodo.15835032},
url-demo  = {https://www.audiolabs-erlangen.de/resources/MIR/2025-SMC-PitchCrosstalk},
url-details={https://zenodo.org/records/15835033}
}

Acknowledgments

We thank the members of the Weserberglandorchester Bödexen, namely Anna Quest (fl), Nicole Krois (cl), Adrian Maiworm (bar), and Benedikt Quest (tb), for taking part in our user experiment. The International Audio Laboratories Erlangen are a joint institution of the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and Fraunhofer Institute for Integrated Circuits IIS. This work was funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under grant numbers 500643750 (MU 2686/15-1) and 555525568 (MU 2686/18-1).