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Topic: Affordable precision tuner |
Jeffrey McFadden
From:
Missouri, USA
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Posted 11 Mar 2018 5:55 am |
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I have long tuned with a Snark - my ears aren't that good - but since I picked up PSG I observed that my Snark would stay in the "green zone" through a pitch change that was audible to me. This couldn't be good enough. So I went looking for a better one that I could reasonably afford.
The good folks at Peterson Tuners have put their legendary strobe tuning into software for a smartphone whether you use iPhone or Android. Ten bucks. Accurate to tenths of a cent.
https://www.petersontuners.com/products/istrobosoft/
For another 14 bucks you can get a cable to plug into the smartphone and eliminate microphone / background noise issues. It says on the packaging it's just for iPhone, but it works fine on my Android.
https://www.petersontuners.com/shop/item/Adaptor-Cable-for-Mobile-Devices
This combo brings extremely accurate tuning within reach of anyone who can afford a PSG no matter how much of a stretch that purchase was.
I am a very happy user, not affiliated with Peterson or any vendor in any way.
_________________
Well up into mediocrity
I don't play what I'm supposed to.
Home made guitars |
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Ken Boi
From:
Arizona, USA
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Posted 11 Mar 2018 2:41 pm
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| For a few extra dollars, they also offer ‘Sweeteners’ that are tunings to specific tunings such as the Emmons E9 tuning. As you stated, a good deal for getting a good tuner. |
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Jeffrey McFadden
From:
Missouri, USA
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Posted 11 Mar 2018 9:00 pm
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| Ken Boi wrote: |
| For a few extra dollars, they also offer ‘Sweeteners’ that are tunings to specific tunings such as the Emmons E9 tuning. As you stated, a good deal for getting a good tuner. |
That option is only available for iPhone users. In fact, most of the software upgrades are only for iOS.
_________________
Well up into mediocrity
I don't play what I'm supposed to.
Home made guitars |
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Bruce Bjork
From:
Southern Coast of Maine
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Posted 12 Mar 2018 4:23 am
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Pitchlab Pro free strobe tuner for your smartphone, custom temperament, I created a Jeffran temperament. Add a clip on that plugs into your phone and you good to go.
_________________
Banjo, Dobro, Guild D-40, Telecaster, Justice Pro Lite 3x5, BOSS Katana 100, Peavey Nashville 112 in a Tommy Huff cabinet, Spark, FreeLoader, Baby Bloomer, Peterson StroboPlus HD, Stage One VP.
"Use the talents you possess; the woods would be very silent indeed if no birds sang but the best" |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 12 Mar 2018 3:18 pm
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I don't use an iPhore or Android. I need a good, inexpensive stand alone tuner. Which one?
_________________
Dr. Z Surgical Steel amp, amazing!
"74 Bud S-10 3&6
'73 Bud S-10 3&5(under construction)
'63 Fingertip S-10, at James awaiting 6 knees
'57 Strat, LP Blue
'91 Tele with 60's Maple neck
Dozen more guitars!
Dozens of amps, but SF Quad reverb, Rick Johnson cabs. JBL 15, '64 Vibroverb for at home.
'52 and '56 Pro Amps |
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Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 12 Mar 2018 3:49 pm
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I have used a Korg CA-30 for almost 20 years, same one. cheap and effective. Not a back-lit screen or it would be perfect...for me.
_________________
RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Wakarusa 5e3 clone
1953 Stromberg-Carlson AU-35 |
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Jerry Dragon
From:
Gate City Va.
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Posted 12 Mar 2018 5:04 pm
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| what if I don't have a phone? |
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Jeffrey McFadden
From:
Missouri, USA
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Posted 12 Mar 2018 6:43 pm
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| Jerry Dragon wrote: |
| what if I don't have a phone? |
Then you make a different choice.
_________________
Well up into mediocrity
I don't play what I'm supposed to.
Home made guitars |
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Mike Wheeler
From:
Delaware, Ohio, USA
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Posted 12 Mar 2018 6:51 pm
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I agree that the Korg CA-30 is a very good little tuner. I use it for 6 stringers, and used to use it for steel.
I now also have a Peterson StroboPlus HD....used mostly for my steels because takes all the memorization out of the tuning process...and at my age, I like that. 
But the point is that the CA-30 is a worthy tuner to own. And you can get one on Ebay for anywhere from 5 to 25 dollars shipped!
_________________
Best regards,
Mike |
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John Billings
From:
Ohio, USA
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Posted 12 Mar 2018 6:57 pm
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Right now I'm using an ancient Cohn tube strobe tuner. Very good, but takes a long time!
_________________
Dr. Z Surgical Steel amp, amazing!
"74 Bud S-10 3&6
'73 Bud S-10 3&5(under construction)
'63 Fingertip S-10, at James awaiting 6 knees
'57 Strat, LP Blue
'91 Tele with 60's Maple neck
Dozen more guitars!
Dozens of amps, but SF Quad reverb, Rick Johnson cabs. JBL 15, '64 Vibroverb for at home.
'52 and '56 Pro Amps |
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Dan Klotz
From:
Houston, Texas
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Ken Metcalf
From:
San Antonio Texas USA
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Posted 13 Mar 2018 4:29 am
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Here is my thought.
First a person must learn how to tune a steel guitar to their own satisfaction and this takes a while.
After this any tuner will do.
A Peterson tuner with offsets or sweeteners will help speed up and facilitate learning how to play the PSG. |
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Tommy Mc
From:
Middlesex VT
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Posted 13 Mar 2018 4:44 am
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| Bruce Bjork wrote: |
| Pitchlab Pro free strobe tuner for your smartphone, custom temperament, I created a Jeffran temperament. Add a clip on that plugs into your phone and you good to go. |
I'm using the same app. It works well and you can set up custom temperaments. In a quiet practice room, resting my phone on the steel was sufficient, but I just bought a Peterson "Pitch Grabber" clip to use at gigs.
Prior to that, I was using the same Korg clip-on tuner that I used for guitar. The way I tuned the offsets was by changing the "calibration" setting for different strings. Awkward, but effective. |
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Jack Hargraves
From:
Missouri, USA
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Posted 13 Mar 2018 6:28 am
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The Korg CA tuner is very good. Accurate and dependable. I've been using mine for years.
_________________
GFI Expo SD10, Nashville 112, Steelers choice Pak-a- seat, Carter vol. pedal, Stage one vol. pedal, Peavey Deltafex. Goodrich volume pedal. |
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Dan Robinson
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 13 Mar 2018 6:18 pm
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| Ken Metcalf wrote: |
Here is my thought.
First a person must learn how to tune a steel guitar to their own satisfaction and this takes a while. After this any tuner will do. |
For years I tuned my open E strings with a tuner, and did the rest by ear. Learning to tune by ear is important. But some situations require tuning up in complete silence
My solution was PitchLab-Pro on a retired android phone, with a cable to my volume pedal's tuner-out. The app displays offsets in Cents. I carry a chart with sweetened offsets for open strings, and with pedals/levers activated. It's a bit of a hassle, but the OP asked for Affordable precision tuner. It does that. |
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Jeffrey McFadden
From:
Missouri, USA
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Posted 13 Mar 2018 6:34 pm
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| Dan Robinson wrote: |
| Ken Metcalf wrote: |
Here is my thought.
First a person must learn how to tune a steel guitar to their own satisfaction and this takes a while. After this any tuner will do. |
For years I tuned my open E strings with a tuner, and did the rest by ear. Learning to tune by ear is important. But some situations require tuning up in complete silence
My solution was PitchLab-Pro on a retired android phone, with a cable to my volume pedal's tuner-out. The app displays offsets in Cents. I carry a chart with sweetened offsets for open strings, and with pedals/levers activated. It's a bit of a hassle, but the OP asked for Affordable precision tuner. It does that. |
I'm sure learning to tune by ear is important, but the mortar round that left the hole in my brain did a number on that ear, and other events in the same war did even more damage to the other one. Every sound I hear has to harmonize with the endless whistle. My head sounds like a late summer rural Missouri evening.
So I rely pretty heavy on a tuner and do the best I can. The only other option is not playing, and I don't like that one.
_________________
Well up into mediocrity
I don't play what I'm supposed to.
Home made guitars |
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John Polstra
From:
Lopez Island, WA, USA
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Posted 14 Mar 2018 2:20 pm
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| Dan Robinson wrote: |
| Learning to tune by ear is important. But some situations require tuning up in complete silence. |
Heh ... that's one problem. What I've run into more often is that the damn guitar player won't stop mindlessly noodling around long enough for me to hear myself tune up.
John |
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Tommy Mc
From:
Middlesex VT
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Posted 15 Mar 2018 4:46 am
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| Dan Robinson wrote: |
I carry a chart with sweetened offsets for open strings, and with pedals/levers activated. It's a bit of a hassle, but the OP asked for Affordable precision tuner. It does that. |
Dan, did you know that PitchLab Pro allows you to set up custom temperaments? No need to carry around a chart with offsets. Here's how it's done.
1. At the bottom of the tuner screen there is a gear icon for "Configuration" settings. Press that.
2. In the Configuration screen, there is a drop-down for "Temperament". By default, it's set to "Equal Temperament", but if you tap on this, you'll see there are several dozen other options.
3. At the bottom of that screen, there is a button for "New". Tap that and you'll see the "Temperament Editor". Using that, you can enter an offset in cents for each note. At the top there is a place to name your custom temperament, then save it.
4. Go back to the "Temperament" screen and choose your new custom temperament as default. When you open up the app, it will briefly flash a reminder that you're using your custom temperament.
Once you're using the custom temperament, all your offset notes will read "straight-up" and you won't need a chart. The only minor issue is if you use different offsets for the same note on different strings (F# for instance) Even considering that, it's a lot easier to memorize one or two offsets than reading everything off a chart. Another alternative is to set up a second custom temperament for the pedals and levers. |
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Dan Robinson
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 15 Mar 2018 4:33 pm
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Thanks, Tommy. I knew it was possible, now I know how.
Just noticed that it's "upside down." String 10 is on top.
I was working one string at a time, on this big readout.
Apparently the big single-note display uses the custom temperament. I can tune each open note straight up, no need for the chart. Some pedal & lever offsets might not line up. But overall this looks promising. |
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Bruce Bjork
From:
Southern Coast of Maine
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Posted 16 Mar 2018 6:03 am
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I use the full screen strobe setting with the Jeffran temperament, I set up a separate temperament for pedals and knee levers but find I don't need them.
_________________
Banjo, Dobro, Guild D-40, Telecaster, Justice Pro Lite 3x5, BOSS Katana 100, Peavey Nashville 112 in a Tommy Huff cabinet, Spark, FreeLoader, Baby Bloomer, Peterson StroboPlus HD, Stage One VP.
"Use the talents you possess; the woods would be very silent indeed if no birds sang but the best" |
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Dan Robinson
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 16 Mar 2018 4:26 pm
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Bruce, I'll give that a try. Looks like Peterson uses the same approach.
Jeff, you probably have the Newman ("Jeffran") offsets built in. Maybe the Emmons, too. If so you won't need the charts I sent.
Some phones create RF hash that gets into amps and PA systems. The iPhone-5 I carry for work is bad. Airplane mode might cure that. My retired android phone is quiet. |
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Chance Wilson
From:
California, USA
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Posted 17 Mar 2018 11:39 pm
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| Thx so much. I just got pitchlab (not pro?) for $2.99 and in 10 minutes I had one of my temperaments loaded. I got a clamp on phone holder for $5 too. Well worth the time it’s going to save. |
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Skip Ellis
From:
Bradenton, Fl USA
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Posted 18 Mar 2018 4:50 pm
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+1 for Pitchlab Pro! Any added benefits to upgrading to the paid version?
_________________
2013 Brook Torridge, 2014 Martin 000-18, two homebrew Teles, Evans RE200 amp, Quilter 101R head, understanding wife of 45 years. 'Steeless' at the moment but looking...... |
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Jeffrey McFadden
From:
Missouri, USA
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Posted 18 Mar 2018 8:10 pm
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| Chance Wilson wrote: |
| Thx so much. I just got pitchlab (not pro?) for $2.99 and in 10 minutes I had one of my temperaments loaded. I got a clamp on phone holder for $5 too. Well worth the time it’s going to save. |
I'd bet fifty cents that Peterson's cable to plug your guitar direct into your phone would work with Pitchlab. It's just a passive input transformer. Makes my phone tuner work in noisy environments. https://www.petersontuners.com/shop/item/Adaptor-Cable-for-Mobile-Devices
_________________
Well up into mediocrity
I don't play what I'm supposed to.
Home made guitars |
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Dan Robinson
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 18 Mar 2018 9:27 pm
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| Jeffrey McFadden wrote: |
| Chance Wilson wrote: |
| Thx so much. I just got pitchlab (not pro?) for $2.99 and in 10 minutes I had one of my temperaments loaded. I got a clamp on phone holder for $5 too. Well worth the time it’s going to save. |
I'd bet fifty cents that Peterson's cable to plug your guitar direct into your phone would work with Pitchlab. It's just a passive input transformer. Makes my phone tuner work in noisy environments. https://www.petersontuners.com/shop/item/Adaptor-Cable-for-Mobile-Devices |
You would win that bet. I don't think it has a transformer, just connects the ground and mic-in signal to 1/4" jack. I sacrificed an old headset to get the plug and cable, some careful soldering to 1/4" phone plug, and voila. Considering my trouble the Peterson product is money well spent.
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