Phone Tuner apps and other such things

Marty1 · #1 09-12-2014, 07:28 PM

Hi all,
So I have a whole slew of tuners all over my apartment. Clip-on, those square ones, the ones you blow in, a tuning fork (yeah seriously); but I always seem to just use a tuning app on my phone. Its right there, and I practice a particularly strict brand of laziness. I was wondering if anyone else does the same, what app you use, and what other good apps you might know about?

(the apps I use are gString and PitchLab, both free, and I click on whichever one I see first).

Kip Carter · #2 09-12-2014, 07:39 PM

I've tried several different one for my Samsung Android device but Pitchlab is hands down my favorite one.

CyberFerret · #3 09-12-2014, 07:44 PM

Peterson Strobo Tune. It's an expensive app, but WELL worth it IMO... I use it about 90% of the time.

Sometimes I use the Polytune app, which is also really good and used to be my 'go to' app, but since getting the Peterson app, it pretty much gets unused.

TBman · #4 09-12-2014, 07:50 PM

I downloaded a tuner app for my phone and I used it once or twice. I rather use my a440 tuning fork. I have this dumb idea in my head that if I let a device tune my guitar I'm going to lose what little ear I have.

The app I have is the one made by Martin. It has a bunch of tunings built in also. Hmm, that, I might use!

DupleMeter · #5 09-12-2014, 07:55 PM

Peterson iStrobosoft is the best phone tuner I've used...and yes it's a little pricey for an app, but so worth it. It's more accurate than the Snark clip-ons.

Oldguy64 · #6 09-12-2014, 08:04 PM

I use Roadie tuner.
Really simple.
And free.

jpbat · #7 09-12-2014, 09:42 PM

I bought the Peterson iStrobosoft app 2 or 3 years ago.
The other tuners are left in a drawer since.

I literally hate the look of a tuner clamped on the headstock. It's convenient, yes, but unbearable to me. Beside, the Peterson is much more accurate.

And, the tuner is just a way to come close to what you need in the real world, which always implies a compromise of some sort, depending on the guitar, the gauge, the tuning you use, and the piece of music you play.
There are some days when your ear is really off (I have a You Tube tune where the lowest string is so badly off that it's a shame :-0 but I was hearing it in tune when I was playing…)
I find the accuracy of the Peterson helps. I know that on some guitars that string will have to be lowered by a few cents, and this other will have to be sharp a tad, etc…

mbr12 · #8 09-12-2014, 09:52 PM

I tried maybe 8 tuner apps for the iPhone and found the Panotuner works best, and it's free.

Marty1 · #9 09-12-2014, 10:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TBman

I downloaded a tuner app for my phone and I used it once or twice. I rather use my a440 tuning fork. I have this dumb idea in my head that if I let a device tune my guitar I'm going to lose what little ear I have.

The app I have is the one made by Martin. It has a bunch of tunings built in also. Hmm, that, I might use!

Its not really a dumb idea IMO. The tuning fork was a great innovation in music history. I got one just to mess around but I like it for situations where I'm taking my beater somewhere and don't want to risk losing or breaking my tuner (mostly camping, where my phone dies and I have nothing).

Though now I'm thinking I never really checked if the fork itself was actually tuned; I mean the thing was like 5$ from china free shipping.... Anyways, long story short, I'd say you are probably right that tuning with a sound is better than some flashing lights on a screen for your ear. I'd say it probably makes you more discriminating in terms of being in/out of tune. Maybe not, but I would tend to agree with you. I would like to see what the e-tune does to people, like 20 years down the line, someone who has only used e-tune, like the next or next next generation. What would they do with a tuning fork?!?!?

Marty1 · #10 09-12-2014, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oldguy64

I use Roadie tuner.
Really simple.
And free.

Just googled it, that gadget looks pretty cool too. Would be awesome for guitar techs on the road or in a shop.

FluffyDog6 · #11 09-12-2014, 10:10 PM

Pitchlab (the paid version on iOS) is my favorite go-to app.

Roadie Tuner, Cadenza, Tunable and Pitch (by Frozen Ape, the people that make the excellent metronome app Tempo) all have specific reasons they get to stay on my iPhone where other apps have been deleted.

My wife likes Guitar Tuna, but I think it is too slow.

Ted @ LA Guitar Sales · #12 09-12-2014, 10:14 PM

Look no further than the Martin app.

https://www.martinguitar.com/guitar-...tuner-app.html

Marty1 · #13 09-13-2014, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ted @ LA Guitar Sales

Look no further than the Martin app.

https://www.martinguitar.com/guitar-...tuner-app.html

Nice! I like it

Brick is Red · #14 09-13-2014, 01:01 AM

I use an app by a company named Plusadd. The app is Tuner Lite. This is the free version. It has a tuner, a pitch to tune to, and a metronome. It's reliable and accurate, to my ears. I've never, ever had a problem with it. The display is easy to read and somewhat adjustable.

Those snark tuners are immensely useful in a noisy environment. My phone cannot yet conquer that.

bluzuner · #15 09-13-2014, 01:52 AM

I used the Martin App for awhile. Then switched to this, which I really like a lot. I'm a bit of a geek, and this won one of the Intel codefests, and I noticed it there. If you look on the bottom, there is a trial version. Might be worth a shot.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...tunerapp&hl=en