# Accessible tuner?

Category: Jam Session

## Post 1 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Wednesday, 07-Sep-2016 15:35:31

When I was playing 25 years ago, people would just tune with each other, usually to the keyboards. I hear now that everyone is using a tuner you put on your bass or guitar that will indicate the level plus or minus. I have the ETuner app for iPhone and while it works well, it picks up background noise that a tuner plugged right into the instrument, responding to the electronics, would not.
With the app on your phone, you have to be plugged in and have your amp on in order for the app to pick up the sound through the microphone.
Sure, I know you can tune by ear. I did this exclusively when I was younger, including tuning oscillators in analog synthesizers and tines in Fender Rhodes electric piano. But if people are doing it digital now, tuning up when not plugged into the amps, it'd be nice to have a device that can do that.
Again, the app listens through the microphone. I assume the digital ones listen through some type of transducing module that can pick up the frequency off the string through the magnetic pickup. But I've never heard of one that talks. Just curious about this. And thanks for any info.

## Post 2 by BigDogDaddy (Help me, I'm stuck to my chair!) on Wednesday, 07-Sep-2016 17:44:05

nothing I've been able to find that talks, but I use an app called guitar tool kit $10 or so in the app store, and I've tuned in some of the loudest clubs you can imagine with great success. Has tuning for various instruments and even has an all notes section. I've used this to tune two or three pianos with great success.

## Post 3 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Wednesday, 07-Sep-2016 17:46:51

Wow thanks! Total Energy Tuner seems to do pretty well but if someone starts talking, it picks up their voice. Now I use earpods with the builtin mic, so I can hear VoiceOver. You do have to have your bass plugged in to the amp and turned on to do it.
Am I doing something wrong? Or does Guitar Tool Kit Pro have a different means for getting the sound from the guitar?
Anyhow, thanks for your response.

## Post 4 by BigDogDaddy (Help me, I'm stuck to my chair!) on Wednesday, 07-Sep-2016 21:05:06

while it can be faster to have the instrument plugged in, I've tuned electric instruments quite easily with just the built-in mike on my iPhone 6. I tune my les paul often without pluggin up as I don't want to switch all my effect pedals off.

## Post 5 by zackmack2000 ( extreme killer of the keys) on Wednesday, 07-Sep-2016 21:08:13

thank god I've got perfect pitch! I can usually tune something up pretty quickly just by using my ears, sometime I will use my keys but I can tell if something is out. I've tuned regular 6 string guitars in 20 seconds or les. the longest thing is the 12 string, especially if you have older strings on them, the last thing you want is for any a them high note strings like the high g one to pop you right in the face or in the damn arm or hand! trust me that shit hurts like hell!

## Post 6 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Thursday, 08-Sep-2016 14:55:18

I find my "perfect pitch" tends to be somewhat off these days, not by a full semitone or anything, but still off.
I find the low frequencies of the bass guitar are hard to tune that way. Although, come to think of it, just tune the G string, bass calls that string 4 even though you all call the string closest to the floor string 1. On bass, "top string" means the top sounding string, unlike guitar I guess.
Anyhow, tune that and then do harmonics at the 7th fret.
I'll have to try this. And thanks guys.

## Post 7 by Pasco (my ISP would be out of business if it wasn't for this haven I live at) on Saturday, 10-Sep-2016 3:44:12

Some guitars have auto tune built in. I have noticed though that the old pros who comment on line seem to have little respect for musicians who use electronic tuning. I personally have found that tuning devices do not always sound perfect. I think it is because pure frequency based tuning is different from how ears actually hear. Still having access to a dedicated tuning device would be nice. I just use my ears though.

## Post 8 by LeoGuardian (You mean there is something outside of this room with my computer in it?) on Monday, 12-Sep-2016 18:53:24

Thanks Pasco. Ears are what I know. I wonder if using the tuner to get the first note, if you were going to use one, then tune the harmonics. At least on bass I use harmonics mostly.
Anyhow, this past weekend I embarked on a minor electronics project on my bass -- fix what looked to me to be a bad ground. You touch the strings or the bridge, the buzz stops and you've got full quieting. I did actually fix the grounding issue, then put the bridge and the strings back on, and tried usin the tuner to tune the bass unplugged. You can hear the strings but it can't.
As an aside, I've been inside keyboards, amps and mixers before. But things with strings on them? Nah! I'm chicken I'll do something to the hardware -- not electronics related, but something like mess up the tension. Anyhow, I was pleasantly surprised once I got in there, I was able to understand how the oppositional forces work to keep everything straight, and putting the bridge and saddles back on wasn't the issue I thought it was. Seems the guitar guys were right all those years ago, but I just had images of strings flying off at me if I set up the tension incorrectly.
I did read a lot before doing it, something I could never have done 25 years ago without the Internet. Using the electric piano I restored then, all I had to go on was open it up, follow the wires / circuits, make notes, hope I was right, but no worries about tension like a guitar or bass. So yeah, I wasn't actuall sure I was gonna be able to work myself up to doing it, but I did. And again, it's not that bad. Depending what it is that scares you, I guess. I know some people it's the electronics, for me it was the idea of strings flying off at me, or breaking the truss rod or something else I have little experience with.
I had to go in twice, since without strings on I couldn't test the current and see if my first solution worked. Second time was a lot easier taking everything off, and more importantly, reseating the bridge and saddles. I don't think we can use a meter, so I just did things the so-called old fashioned way, isolate each circuit in the series.
I still think a guitar's circuits are pretty challenging, even though technically simpler than a keyboard. It's all got to lay under the surface, in the shape of the guitar itself. I don't think I'll attempt a shielding job, because to me at least, it's just not obvious what goes to what inside there. Anyhow a bit of a diversion but I had to fix that buzz I was getting. And in so doing tried using the iPhone's tuner with the bass unplugged.
I'm still with you all who use your ears, I've just been hearing how many are now relying on tuners. Never knew that.