Three dials, one day of water. Move a constituent and watch the sum change shape.
Constituents
Periods are fixed by physics: M2 turns every 12.42 h, S2 every 12.00 h, K1 every 23.93 h. Because M2 and S2 drift in and out of step, their sum breathes a spring-neap envelope — match either amplitude badly and the breath goes wrong at the edges of the day, not the middle. Error is the RMS of your curve against the recording. Keys: 1 2 3 pick a dial, Space compare, R new recording.