Related review sections at Harmony Central

• Computer recording interfaces
• Plug-ins
• Samples

Auralia is easy to use

Auralia has a simple and friendly interface. Because Auralia is a teaching program designed to help you improve your ear, we don't believe that you should have to learn how to use it.

The main screen of Auralia opens up with four large buttons, each signifying a group of topics or modules. Individual topics are accessed using the slightly smaller buttons underneath.

Click on a button to enter a topic, select the level of practise and click the 'Start' button. It's that easy!

Each topic has a system of graded levels, getting progressively more difficult. You and your students can move through the levels as required - advanced students can move ahead, and less advanced students can consolidate their learning at their own pace.

Suitable for all ages

Auralia is suitable for all ages and abilities. Each topic has a system of levels that are progessively graded, allowing beginners and advanced students to realise their full potential in the shortest possible time.

Musicians of all backgrounds can use Auralia. It doesn't matter if you are a classical pianist, jazz drummer or rock guitar player. Auralia's wide variety of topics will allow you and your students to focus on particular area(s) of ear training, whilst obtaining valuable exposure to other non familiar areas of music recognition.

To help you achieve as much as you possibly can, each topic has an accompanying Information screen. These screens explain the content of each topic, and give hints and tips. Where relevant, you may also play examples to further assist your understanding.

Intervals & Scales

The Intervals and Scales topic area has 7 topics. They range from simple interval comparison through to advanced scale singing.

• Interval Comparison: In this topic, Auralia will play two intervals and ask you which was larger or smaller. Later levels utilise different starting notes, and intervals played in different directions.
• Interval Recognition: Interval Recognition requires the student to pick the size of an interval that is played. All intervals are covered, including all the compound intervals. Intervals are played ascending and descending.
• Interval Singing: This topic plays the student a starting note, and asks the student to sing a certain interval above or below it. The starting note will be within their vocal range.
• Scales: The scales topic tests recognition of all the common scales (Major, Harmonic/Melodic Minor, Pentatonic etc) and the modes.
• Scale Singing: In Scale Singing, students will be played a note, and be asked to sing back a scale starting on that note. The starting note will be within the students' vocal range, and the scales used are the same as in the Scales topic.
• Advanced Scales: The Advanced Scales topic builds upon the basics learnt in the Scales topic. Many jazz and contemporary scales are tested, such as Lydan Dominant, Major (b6) etc.
• Advanced Scale Singing:In Advanced Scale Singing, students will be played a note, and be asked to sing back a scale starting on that note. The starting note will be within the students' vocal range, and the scales are the same as those used in the Advanced Scales topic.

Rhythm

The Rhythm topic area contains 6 topics, each of which is designed to concerned with reading notes from a score.

• Meter: The Meter topic requires students to identify the time signature of an excerpt. Both percussive and melodic examples are used.
• Rhythm Imitation: Rhythm Imitation is a fantastic interactive rhythm training topic! Students hear a rhythm, and must tap it back on their computer keyboard, or MIDI keyboard if connected.
• Rhythm Dictation: This topic tests students ability to notate a given rhythm. Four bar excerpts are played, and students must click in the rhythm that they hear on a musical staff.
• Rhythm Elements: In Rhythm Elements, Auralia will play a one beat long rhythm pattern, and the student has to identify it from a given selection.
• Rhythm Element Dictation: Rhythm Element Dictation uses all the vocabulary learn in Rhythm Elements and uses these to form complete rhythmic dictation exercises. Instead of clicking in individual notes, students are required to click in the excerpt using the one beat rhythmic patterns.
• Rhythm Styles: Rhythm Styles is a great topic to introduce students to contemporary music styles. A musical example is played, and the student must select the style from a given list.

Awesome Drills

Each of Auralia's 26 topics has its own drill screen, allowing you to focus on the subject at hand with no distractions. All of the topics are interactive; some may ask you to tap back a rhythm using your spacebar or MIDI keyboard whilst others may simply require you to select a multiple choice answer. There is also an on-screen keyboard for those who don't have a MIDI keyboard.

Wherever possible, microphone input is utilised, in topics such as Interval Singing. This operates without any special hardware; you simply need to plug a microphone into your soundcard. As well as having countless educationl benefits, these 'microphone topics' make using Auralia even more fun.

Pitch and Melody

The Pitch and Melody topic area tests a students ability to recognise and recall individual notes and melodic lines. Tuning is also covered.

• Counterpoint Singing: In Counterpoint Singing, students will be played a short two part phrase, and will be asked to sing the upper or lower of the two parts.
• Note Recognition: Note Recognition is a good preparation topic for Counterpoint Singing. Two note and three note chords are played, and students have to sing either the top, bottom, middle or tonic note of the resulting chord.
• Melodic Dictation: Meldoic Dictation requires students to notate a melody on a staff. Rhythm and pitch are required, and melodies are played in major and minor keys.
• Tuning: Initially, students will simply be asked to differentiate between sharp and flat. In later levels, students actually have to tune notes themselves, using a sliding bar.

Chords

The Chords topic area has 9 topics, covering individual chord recognition, cadences, harmony, and jazz chords. Using this topic area, your harmonic recognition skills will accelerate extremely quickly!

• Cadences: The Cadences topic plays students a scale and asks them to identify it. Cadences are played with and without melodies, in major and minor keys. All common cadences are used.
• Chord Recognition: Chord Recognition tests the students ability to recognise the most common chords, and their inversions. You may add your own chords to the program!
• Chord Singing: The Chord Singing topic requires students to sing a chord back, starting on a note provided. Chord Singing uses the same chords as chord recognition, and students must sing each note of the chord ascending.
• Chord Progressions: The Chord Progressions topic builds upon the skills learnt in chord recognition and chord singing. Progressions of at least four chords are played, in major and minor keys, and students have to identify the chords that are played. A tonic chord is given before the progressions starts.
• Advanced Chord Progressions: Advanced Chord Progressions starts where chord progressions ends, and is suitable for students familiar with advanced harmony. The topic covers chromatic harmony, with chords such as augmented 6ths, diminished chords, augmented triads, secondary/applied dominants etc.
• Cluster Chords: The Cluster Chords topic has chords built upon stacks of 2nds and 4ths, and students must identify every note from each of the chords!
• Jazz Chords: In this topic, students must identify individual chords, which are taken from jazz repetoire. These chords form the basis of most jazz harmony. The chords are all properley voiced.
• Jazz Chord Singing: Jazz Chord singing requires students to sing back a given jazz chord; a starting note is provided. Students must sing back each note of the chord, in a triadic fashion.
• Jazz Chord Progressions: This topic takes all the chords covered in Jazz Chords, and utilises them in common jazz chord progressions. A walking bass line is used in conjunction with a piano.

Create Customised Tests!

Auralia allows you to setup an unlimited number 'tests', or customised learning tasks. As a teacher, student or parent, you define the contents of tests, and you may use any number of questions from any topic.

Each test's scores are recorded separately from normal practise results, so you can use tests to effectively grade students. Tests can also be used for real examinations. It isn't possible for students to cheat using Auralia, because while all students receive questions of the same level of difficulty, each student receives a different, randomly selected batch of questions.

The Professor

As you work through Auralia 2, 'The Professor' can guide you, advising when to move up and down through the levels. 'The Professor' will also give you detailed summaries of your results as you require them.

The Professor will guide you (or your students!) through the various levels of Auralia and you may customise The Professor to suit your own particular teaching style. The Professor becomes active once a student reaches certain thresholds.

For example, The Professor will only advise students to move up a level once a certain percentage of questions are answered correctly, and there is also a minimum number of questions that must be attempted before The Professor will activate.

Record Keeping

Auralia will record all your results! As you work through Auralia's topics, your results will all be safely recorded on your computers hard disk. You may then examine your results on screen or print them out.

Recording of results will also work across your network, giving teachers great flexibility with class placement (Site License or multiple copies required). Network support allows a central database to be used, reducing administration time, and allowing for easy backups. Students can also use any workstation that Musition is installed on, with the knowledge that their results will be stored in their central file safely.

You can access your scores in a number of ways, using any of the 25 reports that are built into Auralia. Results are kept on a daily basis; this allows you to easily monitor your progress from day to day, week to week or month to month!

Separate results are kept for all tests. This allows you to keep a close watch on how you and/or your students are progressing.

Networking Auralia

If you have more than one PC, and have purchased a Site License, Lab Pack or multiple single copies, you are encouraged to install Auralia on your network. This will allow to you have centralised databases of all your students, classes, tests and results.

All of Auralia's features can be utilised over your network!. This affords you great flexibility. Imagine that you have 15 computers installed in your computer lab, and one computer in the music office. With a network installation of Auralia, you can create your classes and tests in the music office, and all your students will be able to access their tests in the computer lab!

If you also use Musition 2.0, our Theory Training software, Auralia and Musition will share databases. This means that your students will only need one user name and password for both programs. It also means that you only have to setup your classes once, halving the amount of time your need to initially spend with the software. Statistics are also shared between the programs, making administration a breeze!

System requirements

• Pentium® processor or faster
• Hard disk with 10Mb of free disk space
• Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP
• Soundcard