Questions about the practice and the marking
Privacy, headphones, iPhones, accuracy and teachers, answered plainly. The full rules are on how it works, and the trainer is where you practise.
Frequently asked questions
Does my singing or clapping leave this device?
No. Auraldesk analyses the sound in your browser, in the page's memory, and keeps only the marks. Nothing is uploaded and no recording is saved: a take is gone after the next take or when the page closes. Profiles and attempt logs are saved in this browser only.
When does it ask for the microphone?
Only when you press a button to start a check or a test that is marked by listening. The microphone is open only while you sing or clap, and closed whenever the piano plays.
Should I use headphones?
Either works. With the device's own speaker, the microphone is closed while the piano plays, so it hears only you. Wired headphones work well too. Bluetooth headsets with their own microphone can switch into a low-quality call mode and add a delay, so the device's own microphone is better. The 4 second speaker check on the check page shows whether the microphone can hear your speaker.
Does it work on an iPhone or iPad?
It is built for current Safari on iPhone and iPad. On iPhones an open microphone makes the speaker quieter, so the trainer closes the microphone before anything plays and plays everything with the microphone closed. If the sound stays quiet after a test, reload the page. Run the check page once on a new device.
Does it work offline, and can I add it to my home screen?
Yes. After one visit with a connection, the trainer, the microphone check and the marking work offline; the microphone is still asked for only when you start a test. The first PDF needs a connection to fetch the PDF maker, then PDFs work offline too. On iPhone or iPad, open Auraldesk in Safari, tap Share, then Add to Home Screen. Other browsers offer "Install Auraldesk" in the More menu or the footer.
Can I send a test to my student or my child?
Yes. During a test, press Share this. The link opens the same grade and test with exactly the same music in a current browser on any device, with the marking settings. It never holds a name, a profile, attempts or scores, and nothing the microphone heard. The person who opens it can keep a copy as their own attempt or dismiss it. On the free plan a kept test counts as one of the day's 2 attempts of that test, and a shared mock test needs Premium.
Which grades are covered?
Grades 1 to 3, all four kinds of test. Grades 4 and 5 are being prepared and will be added after review.
How accurate is the marking?
It marks pitch within 50 cents of each note in any octave, rhythm within 100 ms of where each note should start, and claps within 70 ms of the beat. It was checked with generated singing and clapping, with the numbers on the how it works page; no recordings of real people were used, so rooms, voices and devices may differ. Every mark shows what it heard and you can mark it yourself. The marker hears pitch and timing only. It cannot judge tone, expression or musical sense; a teacher can.
What if the mark is wrong?
Look at the pitch trace or the clap timeline to see what was heard, then press The mark was wrong and mark it yourself. Your mark is saved; the microphone's is kept beside it in the log on this device, so a teacher can see both.
Why will it not mark some takes?
When the singing or clapping is less than 12 dB louder than the background, a mark would be a guess, so it says so instead. Turn off a TV or fan, move closer to the device, and try again, or mark it yourself.
My child sings an octave lower. Is that marked wrong?
No. A note sung one or more octaves away from the played note counts as the same note, and the result says it was sung an octave lower.
What if the microphone is blocked or there is none?
Every test still plays and can be done. Spot the change and features are tapped anyway; for singing and clapping you mark yourself with simple choices. To turn the microphone on later, allow it in the browser's site settings and reload.
Can a teacher use it?
Yes. A teacher can run the mock test in a lesson, and a student can bring the teacher sheet: what was practised, scores and dates, and the areas to work on, as a PDF or printed. Up to 5 students can have their own profile on one device.
Can I print the teacher sheet?
Yes: Print the sheet prints a clean A4 or Letter page with the browser's print dialog, and Download the PDF makes an A4 PDF in the browser.
Are these the exam board's tests?
No. Every phrase and passage is generated by this site, in the style of the common Grade 1 to 3 aural tests such as ABRSM's. Auraldesk is not affiliated with ABRSM, Trinity College London, AMEB, RCM or any exam board.
Does it use speech recognition?
No. Answers such as 2 time or 3 time are tapped, so nothing listens for words. Say the answer out loud as you tap, as you would in the exam.
How do I move practice to another device?
Download a backup on the trainer page and restore it on the other device. A backup holds the profiles and the attempt log, never any recording.