The story
Why I built Radio 432
I'm Matze. I built Radio 432 because I wanted to listen to the radio at 432 Hz myself — in the car just as much as at home.
Why Radio 432 exists
„The app I had found didn't support CarPlay. So I built my own.“
A hand holds an iPhone with the Radio 432 app, a breakfast scene by the window in the background. The beginning: a search term
It started with three digits in the search field: “432”. I wanted to listen to radio tuned to 432 Hz and searched for an app for that. I found one — just without CarPlay.
Two hands on the steering wheel, the Radio 432 app running on the CarPlay screen. The app I found: no CarPlay
„I'm on the road a lot in the car. Operating the phone by hand doesn't work there — and pulling into a parking spot for every station change isn't practical.“
So I started building Radio 432 myself.
An iPad with the Radio 432 app on a workbench, next to a caliper and a tuning fork. While building it, a lesson: measure instead of assuming
„While building it, I noticed this: with old recordings, the pitch depends on how fast they were played back during digitization. A formula that only assumes how a station broadcasts can be wrong. So: listen continuously, measure and tune to match.“
That's why Radio 432 listens continuously and measures how the music is tuned — instead of assuming it.
A caliper and a tuning fork next to an iPhone with the Radio 432 app. Trained precision mechanic
„I'm a trained precision mechanic. Estimates and assumptions aren't a reliable way of working for me.“
Where I listen
Radio 432 runs for me in the office, in the car via CarPlay, on the motorcycle, at home in several rooms, and on the road in hotels.
A golden Shure 55 microphone, surrounded by glowing, heart-shaped sound waves. Finally: Thank You
Radio 432 was mostly built alone. Still, many people supported me along the way — with feedback, as test users, with patience. Testing the multiroom feature throughout the whole apartment, by the way, I’ve heard more Backstreet Boys (you can actually stand it at 432Hz) than ever before in my life — out of consideration for my wife. The biggest thanks goes to her: she had to put up with me staying up countless, countless nights. I thank her from the bottom of my heart. I love her.
Hear it for yourself.
Whether you hear the difference is up to you — right in the demo.
