Ugly Bones Ryan
65 posts
Mar 20, 2014
3:38 PM
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Does anyone know some good strobe tuners? The app on my phone isn't that good. It's not horrible but not good enough. Suggestions? Links?
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arzajac
1315 posts
Mar 20, 2014
3:57 PM
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Nothing beats an analog strobe tuner. There are a bunch of Peterson (Vintage from the 70s) on Ebay at the moment. Even the older ones are super-accurate. You just need to dial in the note yourself. Use a cheap chromatic tuner alongside the strobe tuner to pick out the note.
I hear the Peterson Strobosoft iPod app works well. Part of that may be how well Apple hardware is matched to the software. Anything on Android faces too much latency.
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Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.
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Ugly Bones Ryan
66 posts
Mar 21, 2014
5:21 AM
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Yeah I saw Howard Levy using that Peterson mic on an Iphone. Dug up an old ipod touch and hope to use that. Thanks for the advice arzajac
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Greg Heumann
2654 posts
Mar 21, 2014
8:34 AM
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I don't understand the allure of strobe tuners. The originals used neon lights, a synchronous motor and a calibrated paper disc - the stroboscopic effect did the rest. Pretty cool for 1930's technology. That was before we invented the transistor for chrissakes, let alone microprprocessors, D/A converters and LED's. Now there are digital electronics that emulate that old interface - but what is the advantage? I find needles and/or lights showing whether you're flat or sharp (or in tune) to be much easier to use.
But I know a lot of guys still like them. What am I missing?
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/Greg
BlowsMeAway Productions
See my Customer Mics album on Facebook
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Last Edited by Greg Heumann on Mar 21, 2014 8:35 AM
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arzajac
1317 posts
Mar 21, 2014
8:52 AM
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Greg: It may be low-tech by today's standards, but it's physics. Even Scotty can't change the laws of physics.
When the 7-blow and the 10-blow on an F harp are not in tune, I don't know of any other device that is as helpful to let me know if I need to lower or raise the pitch of the reed by 1/8th of a hair.
To the ear and the analog strobe, they are out of tune, but to any other tuner, they are in tune. It's a tool that helps be get the job done.
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Custom overblow harps. Harmonica service and repair.
Last Edited by arzajac on Mar 21, 2014 8:54 AM
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rogonzab
515 posts
Mar 21, 2014
9:13 AM
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arzajac (and others)
There are some Strobe Tuners for pc, do you think that they are better than the rest of the chromatics tuner? the Strobe Tuners it has to be analog?
TXS!
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harpwrench
801 posts
Mar 21, 2014
9:22 AM
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Real strobe tuners can display multiple notes played at the same time. Nothing else I know of is comparable, not even virtual strobe software. It prevents chasing your tail if you want to accurately and efficiently tune chords and octaves. Another way of putting it is that it better displays in real time more of what your ears are hearing. Everything else has to hear it, compare it, and spit out it's limited interpretation. It's a completely different feel for the user.
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harpwrench
802 posts
Mar 21, 2014
9:38 AM
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rogonzab the software strobe program is more accurate than the display resolution of other chromatic tuners, but we frankly don't need accuracy to 1/10th of a cent. It is frustrating to use because harmonicas aren't real stable in pitch. I'd rather use a cheap Korg than strobosoft. The real benefit of analog strobe isn't from tuning more accurately to 443 Hz for example, it's from being able to more precisely tune the harmonica to itself.
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Kingley
3531 posts
Mar 21, 2014
10:02 AM
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Greg - I've often wondered the same thing.
Harpwrench - Thanks for the explanation Joe.
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Pistolcat
606 posts
Mar 22, 2014
1:18 AM
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I use the Peterson strobe app with my iPhone. I tested it against a hardware Peterson once and it was on the cent! I like the visuals and you can change reference pitch and frequency (ie 443Hz or other) cost me three dollars if I remember correctly...
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Pistolkatt - Pistolkatts youtube
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rockmonkeyguitars
35 posts
Mar 22, 2014
5:10 AM
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i have got several strobe tuner and the only one i use on a regular basis is made by sonic research and is the turbo tuner st-122a. it is very cheap for a strobe tuner it has an alminum enclosure it has a good built in mic. I will say more when i am actually in front of a computer
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rockmonkeyguitars
37 posts
Mar 22, 2014
10:20 AM
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I'm back on a PC so I'll give more of my opinions on tuners and try to answer the question of why we might want a strobe over chromatic.
I think that for most musicians a strobe tuner is unnecessary but for people doing instrument repair they are a very useful tool. They are not very much more accurate than a good chromatic tuner and in many environments they can be more difficult to use.
Strobe tuners don't just tell you the note you are playing, they also give you feedback on all of the harmonics, sympathetic frequencies and resonate frequencies. Some of the more elaborate strobe tuners like many peterson models can tell you what the dominate tone is, and give a surprising amount of detail about harmonic frequencies. If your tuning a piano or a drum it can give you a visual display that explains how the dominate frequency is working with or against the other resonate frequencies of the instrument.
The more basic strobe tuners, like the one a previously recommended, don't give you very much more info than a chromatic tuner. They will let you know when there are harmonics or sympathetic notes muddying things up which normal chromatic tuners cant do, and they also tend to respond quicker which can be handy for a harp player if we want to see how well we can hole the 3 hole full step bend.
If, on the other hand, you are trying to simply tune the reed, a good chromatic tuner is actually easier to use. They are slower to respond than a strobe tuner which is useful in the sense that it gives you an accurate reading of what the reed sounds like when you blow on it. No note will hold exactly the same pitch 100% of the time and depending on how you blow the note it's actual pitch is going to wobble up and down a bit. A chromatic will average out the wobble and tell you that you are in tune. A strobe tuner will show sharp then flat then sharp again and so on which can be a pain in the neck.
On stage I prefer to use a good chromatic because it gives me the info I need at the time and the background noise doesn't interfere as much. When I tune drums, or a piano I use my basic strobe tuner because it helps display not only the dominate frequency but it indicates how well that works with the non dominate frequencies. I prefer the simple strobe tuners for this because the simple ones are easier to use and I'm practiced enough to not need all the details on screen.
It's only when you get into really detailed work like building speakers and checking resonate frequencies of acoustic instruments and things of that nature that you actually need to go more hi tech.
So to sum all that up, in most instances a strobe tuner can give interesting info which makes musicians like them, but for most people it's more equipment than you need or want. For the more tech minded musician and for repair folk they are an incredibly valuable tool.
I've never used the I phone app but I've heard mostly good things. The problems I have heard about were to do with the limitations of the Iphone it's self and not with the app. If I had an Iphone I'd buy the app just to have a good tuner with me wherever I go.
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