Varying the Speed of Ringing

There are three ways to vary the speed of the bells as they ring:

Natural Speed

The bells swing realistically, with the small bells swinging higher than the big ones to achieve proper striking. The speed of the ringing is measured by how long it would take the bells to ring a (nominal) peal of 5000 changes. This time (in hours and minutes) is shown on the status bar and can be varied by pressing the arrow keys on the keyboard or via a special dialog. The peal speed can vary from as little as 2h30m up to 4 hours. The different rhythms are achieved naturally - by making the bells swing higher or lower as required. Speed changes can be made at any time, during ringing or while the bells are stood (although for technical reasons speed changes are not permitted while the bells are being fired).

Like real ringing, there are limits. On fewer than eight bells, some of the faster speeds are unobtainable.

Clock Speed

As well as setting the natural speed, it is also possible to speed up or slow down the program's notion of time, thereby dramatically altering the speed of the ringing. The "clock speed" is measured as a factor, with 1.0 representing normality. The factor can be varied from as little as 0.17 up to a maximum depending upon your computer's capabilities. A factor of 180 would be possible on most PCs, but the maximum could vary from around 80 up to 300 or more.

Pause and Step

The ringing can be paused at any time, and with the action frozen you can then step through the ringing frame by frame.