SuperBee
3966 posts
Aug 04, 2016
6:59 PM
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I had some correspondence with Marshall Johns from Peterson about use of the istrobosoft app sweetener package
In brief, according to Marshall, you don't select the root note under 'temperament', and it's not 'automatic'
You have to use the 'transpose' function, which is not particularly intuitive but the specific example below should be sufficient to demonstrate how to use it.
(I should add, he also offered my money back if this doesn't work.)
Marshall said:
“The app will *not* automatically transpose the key. iStroboSoft features a transposition setting that will need to manually be adjusted before tuning. Each position represents one half-step.”
“Since the Sweetened setting is rooted in C and there is no root control present, if tuning a harmonica not in C, you will need to transpose the key to have the tuner adjust. The display will always read out like you're tuning a C harmonica, however. The transpose setting is simply a way to "trick" the app into doing what you need. Example, if tuning an "A" harmonica, set the transpose setting to TRANS -3 (Key: A). This will adjust iStroboSoft for this key and carry the respective Sweetened preset offsets with it. After transposing to the correct key, tune as you would normally."
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barbequebob
3268 posts
Aug 05, 2016
8:07 AM
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That statement is true about all tuners. Using the default guitar tuning setup is wrong because with a guitar, even if it's tuned to an open tuning like open D, there is NO root note involved and since everything is 100@ ET, having a root note for guitar is pointless. Even the online tuners that aren't setup for harmonica, you have to transpose as well in order to get the right thing.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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1847
3604 posts
Aug 05, 2016
9:01 AM
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some but not all peterson tuners can be configured to a custom sweetener very simply online,
at peterson connect....... say you wanted to tune only the top plate on a C harp. you can set the base tuning to 443
have the C note with no offset, have the E note set to -13.7 cents, and the G note plus 2 cents
it is designed to only display those notes. you can also adjust the offsets in each octave further refining the tuning
to a very accurate degree.
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Last Edited by 1847 on Aug 05, 2016 9:41 AM
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timeistight
2030 posts
Aug 05, 2016
9:16 AM
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@SuperBee: Thanks for the follow up. Please let us know how that works out.
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SuperBee
3970 posts
Aug 05, 2016
2:27 PM
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No worries. I gave it a quick look with a harp I thought was reasonably close to standard 19 limit JI and the thing was showing only a few cents variation and not the obviously wrong measurements I was getting before when trying to use it according to other advice.
I'll tune a batch of harps this weekend and give it a proper fair-dinkum test.
I made the point to MJ that there was a lack of info about how to use it. He acknowledged this is true.
Bob, again thank you for your interest.
The point needs to be made that Peterson have advised that the way to set the app to cater for different keys of harmonica is NOT by selecting a root note in the 'temperaments' setting. I was specifically told to do it that way on this board, so I am posting to let folks here know the correct info.
It is also not 'automatic' as I was advised on the site where I first saw the app promoted.
I should've just gone straight to Peterson and I wonder why I didn't.
I think it was because others purported to know what they were were talking about, so I only went to Peterson when it became clear they didn't have a clue.
Thank you 1847 for your clear-headed advice to talk to Peterson. It took them a while to get to me but when they did pay attention, they got it right.
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SuperBee
3978 posts
Aug 11, 2016
10:11 PM
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I used the iPhone app to tune a couple of harps the other night.
I used the sweetener for S20, which I believe is 19 limit JI.
I tuned an A harp and a D harp,using the 'transcribe/capo' setting as described above (minus 3 for A, plus 2 for D)
Seemed to work pretty well. I tuned from the 4 slot up, and then tuned the lower reeds to play nicely with the splits. The blow side presented the usual challenges.
I need another 'known-reliable' reference before I could swear it was reading on pitch. But the relative pitches for the tuning recipes seem to be correct. My guitar tuner thought it was overall on the sharp side but potato potarto; I don't know the guitar tuner is any more or less trustworthy than the iPhone app.
it's kind of weird to be playing 4 draw on an A harp and the tuner telling you it's a D note, but you just have to pretend it's a C harp and you know where you are so that's pretty easy (but developing familiarity with scales and where all the notes are on various harps is one of the unsung side-benefits of tuning a lot of harps)
I'll tune a few more this weekend. I've got a new gig kicking off in 2 weeks after about 2 years away from gigs so tuning my personal kit for a change.
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barbequebob
3275 posts
Aug 12, 2016
8:24 AM
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Actually the sweetener for the Sp20 is the exact same compromise tuning that's being used on the MB and both have been tuned this way since 1992. If you want 19LJI, you're gonna need to set up your own sweetened tuning yourself to get it right. True 19LJI is very different than the compromise tuning that's being used on the Sp20/MB/MBD.
They don't have the Seydel compromise listed, but that you'll have to set up on your own and they can help you with these. Seydels' is very close to 19LJI, and the only difference between them is where 5 & 9 draw are tuned and in true 19LJI, those two are tuned 1.5 cents sharp and the Seydel is 2 cents flat.
The only Hohner model presently using 19LJI is the Blue Midnight model.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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SuperBee
3983 posts
Aug 12, 2016
2:17 PM
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Ah, ok, cheers. Thanks for steering me right on that. That'll teach me to do my own research. I thought someone had recently enlightened me about that but I'm obviously getting things muddled.
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1847
3613 posts
Aug 12, 2016
2:34 PM
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it's not possible to do a custom tuning with strobosoft on the phone. not yet at least.
what is the issue with the blow plate? i find that easier than the draw plate. the one four draw octave is a pain.
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SuperBee
3984 posts
Aug 13, 2016
3:12 AM
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just a bit harder to access.
Last Edited by SuperBee on Aug 13, 2016 4:09 AM
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barbequebob
3276 posts
Aug 13, 2016
8:20 AM
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The Strobosoft computer software package allows you to do this as the Strobo Plus (the base price for that is $139 but if you also want a really good metronome along with that, I believe it's about $200 altogether). I'm not positive, but I believe if you have the one for the iPhone, if you can hook it up to a computer, you can set up your own sweetened tunings, but you may want to contact Peterson just to be sure about it. Too bad the one for Android isn't as complete as the one for the Iphone is at the moment.
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Sincerely,
Barbeque Bob Maglinte
Boston, MA
http://www.barbequebob.com
CD available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/bbmaglinte
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